How to Use Bilt Points for MAX Value [Full Guide]

[@Black6x]

One thing that you didn't talk about was that Bilt has been doing double points transfers to some of their partners on Rent Day. February was Hawaiian airlines. So there are possible situations where, if you plan ahead, you can double that value even more. If they ever offer it for American, you could see 42 cents per point in a redemption.

[@crimsonk3178]

Is that still a thing and do you know where i can check it? Thanks,

[@jwil4286]

Do you mean 4.2? Or is it actually 42¢?

[@ryanebel]

@@jwil4286 I think he means if they have a 2:1 transfer and do the example John lays out here with the 14k flight he got with 70,000

[@italianhero1682]

@@jwil42864.2

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Personally, I think of Bilt points as a supplement to Chase points because they both have Hyatt as one of their transfer partners. While Hyatt properties aren't for everyone, I get a TON of value from every redemption I do with them and I've always loved staying with them, so it works perfectly for me! I'll add the Bilt card as soon as I move to a new rental, but I'm really excited to get my hands on it! Great video John!

[@Nameless-hy7fu]

@spencer It’s you again! You’re everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

@@Nameless-hy7fu Well hello there 👋🏼

[@RobertTorres_]

I agree. I’ve been using the chase trifecta and the citi custom cash card but I’ve been looking into adding the BILT Mastercard for supplementing it with Hyatt points.

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

@@RobertTorres_ I think that's a great move!

[@johnsfinancetips]

Thanks Spencer! Agreed it's such a huge add with Hyatt transfer outside of a dedicated card. There team is also killing it with rent day promotions. The latest Hyatt status challenge has been unreal esp for non-Hyatt members.

[@danielturner8798]

John, I think that Bilt provides the card needed for an unconventional no/low annual fee trifecta consisting of Bilt, World of Hyatt, and the MileUp American Airlines card. This would give you: Rent - (1x) Bilt Groceries - (2x) MileUp Restaurants - (3x) Bilt Airfare - (2x) MileUp/Bilt/WoH Local Transit - (2x) WoH Gym - (2x) WoH Hotel - (9x on Hyatt, 2x otherwise) WoH/Bilt Everything else - (1x) I think it's a great setup in an area like DC where you're probably renting, are next to an AA hub, and have ready access to Hyatt properties. Curious as to your thoughts!

[@De_Guatemala]

Great trifecta: Intelligent, funny, humble...tough to do in practice.

[@johnsfinancetips]

Yes if you are thinking of 3x on dinging and moving points to AA. CSP is 3x on dining but won't move points to AA only Hyatt.

[@junboo8730]

Venture x plus Savor One. I need a video on how you do the points with them. Looking now in the playlist. Thank you for this nice video.

[@Nascarnate100]

Just applied (I believe with your link) and got it approved. Very excited about using this. Just remember to make 5 other qualifying purchases to get your points for rent!

[@johnsfinancetips]

Congrats on the card, enjoy it and keep an eye out for Rent day on the 1st! Also I really appreciate you supporting my channel by using my link!

[@coupish]

Can the other qualifying purchases be little things like a candy bar?

[@andreamichelle6302]

New subscriber here. I appreciate your content and all the helpful information. I clicked your link and got approved for this card. Thanks again 🤗

[@bballzer]

Can you do another video to expand on how to get max value if you don't need business class or premium? I'm very happy spending the same amount of points taking 2-4 economy class flights.

[@Dopadroid]

John can you do a video comparing the credit card ecosystems? I'm currently on the chase ecosystem and recently got an Amex Gold but I'm debating on whether or not the Citi or Capital One ecosystems are worth jumping into. Also I saw the new choice privileges Mastercard drop recently and it looks decent on paper but I'm not sure if it's worth churning for or not

[@DailyPayWithRita]

I’m just getting into the points game. I have the Amex Green, I will apply for the bilt next year. Awesome, enjoy your vacation

[@beastwithredpill]

Your better off project changing to the good card or platinum if you want, there more value there.

[@MattClausen]

Bilt is the ultimate travel card and things like Bilt Wallet are only going to make it better than the competition. Pick your airline alliance (they have the big three) and stay at Hyatt or IHG, NO problem!

[@johnsfinancetips]

Agreed 100% Matt. It's such a no brainer card, especially for travel hackers.

[@MattClausen]

@@johnsfinancetips and the things they seem to be doing on the back end just keep making them silently better. Wallet is going to be amazing.

[@EthanPatrick_CreditCards]

Bilt points are getting really impressive. I was shocked to see that on May 1st Bilt points can be transferred to AirFrance for double the points. You can get round trip economy flights to Paris from the US for around 30k-40k with AirFrance points, which is already an amazing redemption. This makes it insane.

[@caroarceo]

So for 30-40k points the avg dollar spent to get there would vary correct? Maybe $15k?

[@EthanPatrick_CreditCards]

@@caroarceo I think $1k-$1.5k is the average cost of an economy flight, depending on where you’re flying from.

[@JB23669]

Jeeeeezus 21 cents per point… You’re crushing it John. So glad you are taking your parents back to visit home and have them experience business class they’re gonna love it!!

[@berliozm]

You've gained a new subcriptor for your channel. I had watched your videos one after the other non stop. Thanks for sharing. I'm new in America and it's really usefull your channel. Congrats.

[@lewis20002000]

Very well done John

[@johnsfinancetips]

Thanks Lewis!

[@tkdgur1316]

Best KZbinr on Credit card guide

[@ocnocontrol6739]

man this card is a game changer i used your link to apply!

[@MannyCovington]

I think transferring them to either Hyatt or American will get the most value!

[@johnsfinancetips]

Couldn't agree more Manny!

[@ugoewulonu4936]

As a Bostonian, I love how you always use Boston as the departure city! I’m actually planning a trip this year from Boston to London and I’m debating using points through the credit card portal or transferring them to British Airways. It seems like with transferring them I may use less points but the additional fees won’t make it worth it. Any thoughts?

[@johnsfinancetips]

What is your dream redemption or vacation destination?

[@IamSirLocks]

Japan

[@kimLD187]

Maldives

[@verychinnyapga1599]

Switzerland

[@caroarceo]

Great video! I have the chase sapphire preferred and want to pair it up with Bilt. Or would you recommend Bilt and upgrading to the CSR? I will be doing a little more traveling, dinning out and I want Bilt for my rent. Thank you!

[@kalinamay309]

John, award ticket only available 1 or 2 seat for a single day . If you are going to Peking with your family , some of your family is going to fly another day or pay for the seat.

[@johnsfinancetips]

Thanks Kalina! I must have gotten lucky with the award seat drop!!

[@ReubenNinan]

Can you do updated video step by step guide on how to go from points to airline ticket? The last one you did with Air Alaska is starting to date and I would love to see how you would use BILT points and convert them via American and then to Japan Airlines

[@LK_EBM]

Check out Geobreeze travel or Frequent Miler. They have step by step guides.

[@RobFex]

Where are you seeing American Airlines as a partner? Is this a regional thing? Def don't see it on my app. Or did they remove it?

[@vickiarnold7300]

Great video❤

[@IamSirLocks]

This card is BILT different 💪✈️

[@samwalker3660]

Thanks for this information. How did you open an American Airlines account to transfer the points from Bilt?

[@LK_EBM]

Did you already have AA points? How'd you amass 70k * per person of Bilt points so quickly? Mostly from referrals?

[@kevinManhattan]

It had to be. It's only been out for like what 1 year? And I couldn't have paid all his family's ticket with built points. I think referral max bonus is 100k. And I don't think he pays rent.

[@LK_EBM]

@@kevinManhattan Yeah, he mentioned buying houses and rental properties in previous videos. Bilt points are valuable (I have it myself), but his example isn't very realistic, and may misguide viewers.

[@LinthaShah-n4m]

I totally agree , with misguiding viewers

[@jamarvaelard4682]

After getting the Bilt Card, I see that they have different reward tiers. Can you do a video breaking down how to best optimize these tiers and make them work for you? It seems the higher up, the more they cater to those people who may be in a Bilt Alliance community.

[@sunshinecycling]

It's nice it offers the down pmt option, but not a ton of value in that. You would need a TON of points to have anything meaningful.

[@mondilabeat]

I watched lot of you videos lately, very informative, I go to cancun at least twice a year lots of different hotels, you should do a video wich credit cards give you the best option to stay for free based on points or partnership between cards and hotels. Thanks

[@johnsfinancetips]

My go to lately has been Hyatt. They have a lot of all inclusive properties there and the points go a long way. I've stayed both Hyatt Zilara and Secrets Moxche, both were great!

[@joelh766]

What about using points to pay rent? What is the formula there???

[@samssavedvideos5401]

This doesn’t work in my situation. The cash price for Alaska is $386 and the points are 40k with $11 in fees, that’s less than 1 cpp.

[@edgarnieto4953]

hi!!! if I will apply for the BILT credit card? will I have a hard enquire on my credit report? and Will my credit score will go down In case Im approved?

[@LinthaShah-n4m]

It’s impossible to accumulate 70k Bilt pionts ( 1 piont per dollar spent on rent, you would have to use thousands of dollars on rent over years), probably you got these pionts from referral otherwise with no sign up bonus, you are looking at impossible

[@sachinnair1613]

you know you can use the card to spend for other things too right lol, you could easily get 70k points by paying for a year's worth of rent and putting all your dining on the card

[@RobGarcia07595]

Would I be able to link my Amex gold card to bilt and get points towards both or is that a no go?

[@julietmichael5737]

This was Great! Could you Also remind us for how long Can we accumulate the points??!💳💰

[@johnsfinancetips]

Thanks Juliet! And points don't expire so in theory forever hahaha but I recommend use them up because the travel partners always find a way devalue them

[@gus380]

Great video! I was curious if I would be able to use this credit card to pay my mortgage? Thanks in advance! 😊

[@MoMoDaTurtle]

It works! I’ve been using it to pay my mortgage

[@willharris5562]

Down payment would be a 5/5 just for uniqueness! And if they add mortgages to the point structure its game over

[@johnsfinancetips]

100% the day that points can be used for mortgages would be game hahaha

[@sidwalker4194]

Great info. I'm a co-op owner. Does BILT offer the same rewards for paying monthly maintenance fees as it does for rent?

[@jaredthayer]

But are the flights booked through BILT marked up?

[@Dew-You]

Can I use the BILT credit card to pay my mortgage and get points for it?

[@WealthOfOpportunity]

Not currently

[@johnsfinancetips]

You can not, sadly

[@AT8-PT]

How you take advantge of a card like this if they approved you for low CL which means nothing since the rate of utilization will be too high for rent

[@johnsfinancetips]

Use Bilt Protect. It'll pull money from you checking account without hitting your credit limit. You still get the points for rent

[@mrjoshua1983]

Part of me thinks I should have just gotten the BILT card and not the AMEX gold as well…good card

[@johnsfinancetips]

I mean given it's no annual fee...why not both? hahaha

[@CharlieO77]

I got both and in a period of less than a week between applications lol

[@EReceipts-dk8xu]

I'm just trying to find. Out how much bilt rewards are worth

[@JoseAldana-u8f]

How do you transfer your points to an airline though?

[@mikalmandichak8328]

In cincinatti during the off season me and my girlfriend will have date nights and then spend a night at the hyatt regency for 5000 points. It's usualy a $200 room. We get around 4 cents per point. The value is even higher at the hyatt in Columbus near 6 cents per point. Plus we just recently got that elite status, so I expect we are going to start getting upgrades when we do stuff like that.

[@MegaTravelDude]

I don't pay rent but my son does. He lives in an apartment out of state, and it is part of the Alliance. If I get a card for my son as an authorized user, can he pay rent with it and earn points fo me? He's not interested in getting his own card.

[@edgarnieto4953]

question please!!can I pay my rent with pay pal, or venmo ???? will it work with my credit score ??

[@sarasayshi]

Hi. Are you asking if having this card helps to build your credit score?

[@egren58]

I enjoy flying delta i fly about 6 times a year from nyc to Dominican Republic. What travel card do you suggest if i want to earn maximum points to use with delta and travel business.

[@sonny8085]

Open question from a non-US person. Is it a requirement from banks that you open one of their checking accounts in order to have a better chance of getting their credit cards? In this case, as Bilt is a Wells Fargo credit card, do you need to have a Wells Fargo checking account first? Where I am from this is usually the case thanks

[@konnen4518]

No, you don’t need a Wells Fargo checking account to own the Bilt card in the US.

[@sonny8085]

@@konnen4518 Thanks

[@callmeNeno]

Is worth a chase 5/24 slot ? That is the big question

[@RellyMedia]

Can i combine Bilt points with chase points?

[@rhuankassio]

Só consigo ter um desse, residindo no exterior né?

[@siXtomaXnoXmaneje123]

I got rejected for this card back in February (my credit history is relatively new since I've just moved to the country) but my credit score has improved considerably these last couple of months. Do you advise applying again or should I wait a few more months?

[@johnsfinancetips]

Did they list a reason for rejection?

[@siXtomaXnoXmaneje123]

@@johnsfinancetips not really, unfortunately. I just got en email saying that they couldn't provide me with a credit card at this time and that they would reach out in the next 30 days with more information about why they couldn’t approve my application. However, they never did.

[@johnsfinancetips]

@@siXtomaXnoXmaneje123 hmmm that's annoying. But if you are VERY new to having US credit profile then it's likely a min score challenge. I would give it bit, go after some other cards before trying again.

[@siXtomaXnoXmaneje123]

@@johnsfinancetips thanks, John. I will!

[@possy2548]

Is this card still worth it if you still need to get a rental property?

[@mikhaildharsi1039]

Hey John, I'm a medical school student starting this year and now going to get the bilt mastercard to start building up points for my rent I will be paying. Was wondering what card you would recommend to use with this card to build points if I was to only use the bilt mastercard for my rent?

[@johnathandesotojr]

You need to have at least 5 transactions per month to get points

[@Dwill2019]

Same here. Grad student and wanted to earn points on rent. I did amex cash back. No annual fee but 3% back on groceries, online shopping and gas. Big 5 with rent and dinning from bilt

[@johnsfinancetips]

Hi Mikhail - congrats on starting your first year of med school. I have a number of friends now starting their residencies. That said...in their med school years there wasn't a whole ton of travel they did so I'm not sure how much you'd pull from my top card recs. Maybe a card like the Amex Gold for dining out and grocery would make sense. But for my fav card - Venture X, you would need to spend at least $400/year on travel for it to be worth it.

[@billtang8217]

Can you explain the benefits of platinum status?

[@edunna18]

Hi John, I’m trying to book business class from india to USA. I never seen points below 100k for one way ticket. Do you have any options how to get lowest fair with points

[@johnsfinancetips]

Thanks for the questions, I'd recommend you check out this blog. upgradedpoints.com/travel/best-ways-to-fly-to-india-with-points/

[@JoseGonzalez-zc7sv]

required credit score?

[@xerichen]

Would the card be worth getting if I don't rent yet and already have the CSP?

[@LK_EBM]

No, how do you expect to earn points on it, if you don't rent? You're better off getting a Chase Ink card for the sign up bonus.

[@jeffymathew5190]

*Unfortunately they changed the points transfer and Hyatt cent per points to 1.25

[@KevinMartinez-kp4tk]

What is a JFT?

[@johnsfinancetips]

Sorry it's the short for Johns Finance Tips

[@Aundre7]

Video 5/5 JFT’s

[@xaviergomez4574]

Is there any way possible you can help me book a flight to Rio de Janeiro?

[@Hhaisenburg]

This card is decent. no bad for the no annual fee. but it does have it problems. My card was do a double transaction 1200 on rent x2 and would cause problems with my Bank. Eventually my card was locked and put under surveillance. Def a card I try not to touch now.

[@michaelbarker3749]

What if you rent a house?

[@MNIJ19]

I’m renting at a house and it works perfect. I use the routing and the account number the Bilt app offers to pay online on auto pay every month.

[@Sharpshooter649]

Can you simply redeem points 1:1 for cash?

[@johnsfinancetips]

Unfortunately no :(

[@blakebiggs4usa]

Can i pay rent with the points????

[@tatianabritton6258]

Technically yes. You can redeem the points towards statement credits. Edit to clarify: you have to make your rent payment then once it posts (and assuming you have enough points) then you can redeem your points for statement credits to cover the rent payment. So to better answer your question, there’s no one click feature when you can take your points and make your rent payment. You have to “back door” it by redeeming statement credits but that’s a lot of points going down the drain for one month of rent.

[@scottshapiro2795]

I'm over here thinking I got a good deal at 4 CPP for an upcoming international business class flight, and John just comes in and destroys it with 21 CPP...

[@johnsfinancetips]

4CPP is amazing!! Honestly just got lucky on this redemption w/ AA on JL metal

[@dtkodak123]

can i pay my mortgage fee free with bilt yet? until then, I'm out.

[@abhimanyutyagi9676]

Watching this video after hearing about American leaving Bilt as a transfer partner😢

[@sybilhall]

Would Bilt pay me back the 3% credit card fee that TurboTenant charges?

[@johnsfinancetips]

They would give you an account and routing number so you're payment is ACH. You'll still get the points

[@sybilhall]

@@johnsfinancetips Great! Thank you!

[@dipeshsah4437]

American Airlines point can redime with Canada Airlines

[@johnsfinancetips]

They can not. AA and CA are in separate alliances

[@leonlelouch1706]

which one day I can pay my mortgage to earn points

[@johnsfinancetips]

Same here!! One day though!!

[@diettoast2001]

How does he have 70k BILT points when there is no signup bonus??

[@TinkerTailorSoldier1]

He’s been using it apparently.

[@dsr8223]

$3,000 per month rent earns you $72,000 points in 2 years. Plus, any other charges.

[@MrWhiterunGuard]

Thank you for making this video, I love how 'influencers' would review something like Emirates First Class like us poor bastards will ever touch that shit and in order to relate to us said that they did this using points while at the same time never explain how they did it.

[@ClassicLockheart]

You earn points and pay for it with points ..? You want them to tell you what all they spent their money on to get points? LOL

[@MrWhiterunGuard]

@@ClassicLockheart They never mentioned that they transferred the points and what airline partnerships gives the best discounts points wise. Like for instance if you want to fly a star alliance partner. If you book via the cc app the points for business is 150k, while if you book by transferring points to United its 80k. That's a huge difference, just being vague about booking with points is dumb if you don't go into the details.

[@quinnrivera5075]

I just flew Japan Airlines First Class from SFO to Tokyo for 80k miles. It was straight from American Airlines website. Sometimes it’s not that complicated and is just a straight redemption

[@stevenburiek3014]

Could you pay someone else’s rent at the same time? Say pay for my girlfriends rent and take over the payment for the roommates to double up points?

[@dylan-nguyen]

U can only pay rent 1x per month So your gf would need a 2nd card and then you could do1 and she can do 1

[@dabaydestrian437]

I wanna fly from California to Hawaii for free, lol. Will this card be for me?

[@johnsfinancetips]

oOo you have A LOT of options. The short is yes this card will. But also you can do it quicker with a card that has an active sign up bonus. Sapphire Preferred, Venture X. Heck you could even go with just the Barclays Hawaiian Airlines card haha options are WIDE open going from West Coast to Hawaii. Best of luck. I'm actually flying there this month. Transfer points from Bilt to Hawaiian airlines

[@danielturner8798]

Probably would want to transfer to Turkish Miles and Smiles for 7,500 points each way. Bilt had a video that explains how to do this.

[@paulstevens1493]

If only I paid rent!

[@johnsfinancetips]

If you eat or travel you'd still be able to capture the points!

[@LaplacianFourier]

This card is a scam. I got it like 6 months ago to pay my landlord. I tried adding it as a debit card account to my PayPal and it just doesn’t work. Useless crap gave me a credit pull.

[@SC_XOLOs]

So it worked to pay rent like it stated ?

[@ClassicLockheart]

Not sure if you did it right as there are specific instructions to this setup. Their instructions say to set it up like you're paying via a bank account. I've set it up to pay rent and it's working for me.

[@LaplacianFourier]

@@ClassicLockheart you managed to link their Mercury bank account to your PayPal? I keep getting asked to verify the 2 small transactions from PayPal and I can’t because I don’t have app or account with Mercury bank.

[@LaplacianFourier]

@@SC_XOLOs I can’t add the Mercury bank account they gave to PayPal. I pay my landlord through PayPal.

[@abyss1232]

I signed in through Wells Fargo. That is how I verfied the charges.

[@gtrr3246]

Bilt marketing team did an outstanding job luring in lot of applicants with the current 100% transfer bonus but the reality is that to stay competitive they need to since they don’t offer SUB. It takes years to get 20-50k Bilt reward . Great for many but I won’t waste a 5/24 slot for this lol

[@LK_EBM]

What do you pay for rent? Depending on the rent, a person could earn 20-50k every year. What would you use your 5/24 slot for instead?

[@gtrr3246]

@@LK_EBM All three Chase Inks, Citi AA biz, BoA Alaska biz, Chase United Biz +, Barclay aa aviator, amex Hilton biz, amex Marriott biz. I pay my mortgage with my Amex Gold, earning 4x(IF YKYK :). If you're at 4/24 and get this Bilt card then you essentially lock yourself out of these. I'm 4/25 until July this year then 2/24 LoL.

[@danielturner8798]

Depends on where you live. I got the card in March 2022. A year later I transferred 51K points to Hyatt to top off my account so I could make a prospective booking before the points cost for some properties went up at the end of the month. I wouldn’t rely on Bilt for all my points, but it works great to supplement points transferred to overlapping partners from Chase, Amex, Citi, or Capital One.

[@Kingzall]

@@danielturner8798Nobody recommends using Bilt as your sole points earning opportunity. Everyone says it’s an opportunity to gain points paying for rent

[@obiwan6868]

Can i use bilt card to pay rent for someone else?

[@WomanWearingRed]

Hey John, I checked on the Hyatt app and Secrets Moxche does not allow Hyatt points. Do you (or anyone) reading know if it’s only something they do at certain times or did they end this altogether?

[@LK_EBM]

I see award space available. If you don't, it means they sold out. The 35k that he mentioned is off-peak pricing. Standard is 40k, peak is 45k.

[@WomanWearingRed]

I changed the nights and was able to find awards, but yeah it was a lot more than what he mentioned. Thank you!

[@LK_EBM]

@@WomanWearingRed Unfortunately Hyatt devalued all their all-inclusive properties, so it's not as amazing as before.