The days to get in on one of our favorite ways to earn rewards are now numbered. But thankfully, there is still time if you act before the end of the year.
As you may have seen, Bilt is making some changes to its program for 2027. It’s simplifying the number of choices in the program for earning rewards, which might be somewhat good news for those who may have felt overwhelmed by some of the options in Bilt before.
But with that simplification, Bilt will sunset one of our favorite ways to earn rewards — earning 4% Bilt Cash back on everyday purchases on a Bilt credit card, which is in addition to the Bilt Points you also earn on that spending.
This is a favorite option for many in the halls of TPG, since it unlocks a number of rewards — most notable among them the point accelerator that makes some of the Bilt credit cards earn points even faster.
Here’s why you should strongly consider snagging either the Bilt Palladium Card (see rates and fees) or the Bilt Obsidian Card (see rates and fees) before the end of the year.
Bilt is simplifying its rewards — but it will ‘grandfather in’ existing cardholders
There are a number of things evolving within Bilt, with most of the changes kicking in starting in 2027.
However, unlike with many of the changes we’ve seen from rewards cards this year, you can decide to opt out of many of these Bilt card-related changes if you are an existing cardholder as of Dec. 31, 2026.
This gives you the option to keep the following benefits:
Earn 4% Bilt Cash: Starting in January, all new Bilt cardholders will only be able to earn housing-only rewards, earning 1.25 points per dollar spent on rent or mortgage payments.
Up to $400 in hotel credits on the Bilt Palladium: The new program will convert these credits to $400 in Bilt Cash, but legacy cardholders can keep their hotel credits and retain the ability to stack $100 in Bilt Cash for up to $300 off eligible hotel stays twice a year.
It’s great that Bilt is giving its cardholders a chance to keep their current setup, even if it won’t be available for those who join starting Jan. 1, 2027. And as long as you apply, are approved and accept your offer for a Bilt credit card before Jan. 1, you can also be grandfathered into these options that are otherwise going away.
One valuable reason to get a card and keep the 4% Bilt Cash
It’s no secret that the Bilt Cash ecosystem has raised many questions, and by removing this option for new cardholders, Bilt is aiming to simplify its rewards structure.
But there’s a powerful incentive to stick with earning Bilt Cash in 2027 (and beyond): Bilt’s point accelerator, available to Bilt Palladium and Bilt Obsidian cardholders.
The premise is simple: You redeem $200 in Bilt cash, and for the next $5,000 you spend on your card, you get an extra point per dollar. You can do this up to five times each calendar year.
Here’s what that looks like for these two cards:
Card
Without point accelerator
With point accelerator
<strong>Bilt Palladium</strong>
2 points per dollar spent on purchases
3 points per dollar spent on purchases
<strong>Bilt Obsidian</strong>
<ul>
<li>3 points per dollar spent on your choice of groceries (up to $25,000 per calendar year) or dining</li>
<li>2 points per dollar spent on travel</li>
<li>1 point per dollar spent everywhere else</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>4 points per dollar spent on your choice of groceries (up to $25,000 per calendar year) or dining</li>
<li>3 points per dollar spent on travel</li>
<li>2 points per dollar everywhere else</li>
</ul>
But here’s the kicker: If you want to max out all five of these accelerators, you’ll need $1,000 in Bilt Cash each year. And you may want even more on hand if you plan to use it to unlock 1 point per dollar on your housing payments through Bilt, which costs $30 in Bilt Cash for every $1,000 of housing payments.
Here’s how much Bilt Cash you’ll earn under the new program, which may leave you falling short:
Bilt Palladium: $600 Bilt Cash annually, plus another $50 in Bilt Cash for every 25,000 points you earn
Bilt Obsidian: $100 Bilt Cash annually, plus another $50 in Bilt Cash for every 25,000 points you earn
On the other hand, if you stick with the 4% Bilt Cash option as a legacy cardholder, each $5,000 you spend will earn you another $200 in Bilt Cash — thus unlocking the next accelerator.
Why Bilt’s point accelerator is one of the best deals in rewards cards
There are rewards cards that earn 2 points per dollar on everyday spending, but we aren’t aware of any that award 3 points per dollar on those purchases. But that’s exactly what the point accelerator allows you to do with the Bilt Palladium card (on up to $25,000 in total purchases each calendar year).
And these aren’t just any points. Bilt points transfer to really good programs such as Atmos Rewards, United MileagePlus, Japan Airlines, World of Hyatt and many more. In fact, this is a large part of why they are the most valuable type of points out there at 2.2 cents each, based on Oct. 2026 TPG valuations.
Use Bilt points to fly United and more. SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
Another way to think about it? Using one of the card’s accelerators means you’re getting a 6.6% return on your everyday purchases, an extraordinary value for purchases that wouldn’t usually otherwise qualify for a bonus.
The accelerated earning rates on the Bilt Obsidian card are also appealing, especially for a card with just a $95 annual fee.
You can also transfer points to Hyatt 1:1 if you act quickly
Unfortunately, another part of Bilt is set to change as of Jan. 1, 2027. As of that date, Bilt transfers to the World of Hyatt program are changing from 1:1 to 4:3 — and there’s no ‘grandfathering’ option out of this change.
However, you can still transfer Bilt points to Hyatt at the better 1:1 ratio until the end of the year. And, theoretically, that gives you time to pick up a Bilt Palladium Card, earn the welcome bonus, and transfer those points to Hyatt before the transfer ratio changes in 2027.
That could be just one more reason that it makes sense to act sooner rather than later if you want to take advantage of some of the current rules in the Bilt program.
Park Hyatt Los Cabos. CARLY HELFAND/THE POINTS GUY
Current Bilt card offers
Here are the current offers on the two cards that offer the point accelerator option:
Bilt Palladium Card: Earn 50,000 points plus Bilt Gold status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days, plus $300 of Bilt Cash.
Bilt Obsidian Card: Earn $200 of Bilt Cash when you apply and get approved.
On either card, you’re immediately able to unlock the first point accelerator by redeeming $200 in Bilt Cash. Then, as long as you select the 4% Bilt Cash option, you’ll earn another $200 in Bilt Cash by the time you hit the $5,000 spending cap.
THE POINTS GUY
Bottom line
There are a lot of ways to earn points and rewards with Bilt — but since one of those ways is closing to new cardholders at the end of 2026, now is the time to act if you want in.
We have and use the 4% Bilt Cash option on the Bilt Palladium Card, and with the point accelerator, that Bilt Cash effectively turns it into a card that earns 3 points per dollar on everyday spending. Since you can earn at that rate on up to $25,000 in spending each year, you can net 75,000 Bilt points annually from that one earning method alone.
While the points accelerator option will still be there for all Palladium and Obsidian cardholders in 2027, it will be harder to earn enough Bilt Cash to maximize this option without earning 4% Bilt Cash along the way.
If you’ve been on the fence about picking up a Bilt card, now’s really the time to act.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
.png)