About a month ago, I added another new credit card to my wallet: the Bilt Mastercard. What makes this option unique — and what attracted me to it — is that customers can not only earn 1x points when paying rent but can also use their card on rent portals without paying any fees thanks to a clever workaround Bilt provides. What’s also interesting about Bilt is that they partner with a number of airlines and hotel brands, allowing users to transfer their earned rewards points. Now, the platform is adding three more airline transfer partners and even offering a small bonus to customers who link their loyalty accounts.
Effective as of this week, Bilt Rewards customers can begin transferring points to their British Airways Executive Club account at a rate of 1:1. Then, sometime next month, they’ll be able to do the same for Iberia Plus and Aer Lingus AerClub. Although the names of the programs themselves may be different, all three of these airlines use Avios as their currency. Furthermore, as Bilt notes, Avios miles can be used to book award flights on other airlines that are part of the Oneworld alliance, such as American Airlines, Japan Airlines, Qantas, and Qatar Airways.
To celebrate the addition of British Airways as a transfer partner, customers can currently earn a bonus when linking their Executive Club account to Bilt. When you do so, you’ll receive 100 rewards points instantly. If you don’t already have an Executive Club account, you can even create one and still earn the bonus. That’s exactly what I did and my bonus showed up as soon as the linking process was completed.
In addition to Bilt’s growing stable of 1:1 travel transfer partners, the company also recently launched its own travel portal powered by Expedia. With this option, users can book flights, hotels, and rental cars using their Bilt Rewards points. When redeeming on the platform, points will be assessed at a rate of 1.25¢ per point. Although that may sound like a better deal overall, keep in mind that airline award flight charts can vary, so customers may find outsized value in their transferred points — especially for certain business or first class bookings.
It’s also worth noting that, while Bilt Rewards may be most closely associated with the Bilt Mastercard, they’re not exclusive to that offering. Instead, renters whose apartment management is part of the Bilt Rewards Alliance network can earn points when paying their rent. Sadly, this didn’t apply to me, which is part of the reason I decided to apply for the Bilt Mastercard.
Even though I’ve never flown British Airways, Aer Lingus, or Iberia, there’s no doubt that Bilt adding more transfer partners is good news. Plus, while 100 points isn’t a ton (it’s $1.25 if used via the travel portal), who doesn’t love free points? All in all, Bilt continues to be one of the most interesting products/startups to come along — making me glad that I decided to join the ecosystem for myself.