If the first week of 2026 is an indicator, this year is going to be an exciting and definitely not boring ride when it comes to credit card rewards, loyalty programs, and how to maximize them.
Since last year, Bilt Rewards has revealed three upcoming credit cards in its portfolio, most notably confirming that cardholders can use Bilt Card 2.0 to earn Bilt points on qualifying mortgage payments.
Beyond that, details about specific benefits (or even the names of the new cards) have been scarce…well, until rumors leaked about each of the three cards.
While TPG doesn’t usually delve into the Reddit-fueled rumor mill, as someone who was hoping to fully immerse myself in the Bilt Rewards ecosystem this year and start maximizing my biggest life expense (mortgage), I couldn’t help but take a look.
In a Bilt Rewards Reddit thread, some rumored details about the new Bilt card have come to light, including the earn bonus structure, welcome offers, and card benefits.
What we know about Bilt 2.0 cards
Before we dive into the rumors, Bilt Rewards has confirmed some information, including:
- Three new Bilt credit cards will be issued by Cardless instead of Wells Fargo, the issuer of Bilt Mastercard®.
- The annual fee price ranges for these cards are as follows: no annual fee card, $95 per year card, and $495 per year card.
- The cards also earn points on qualifying residential mortgage payments in addition to rent, which has been a part of the program since its inception.
- Details of the three new cards will be announced on January 14, as will the pre-order process for existing Bilt cardholders.
- Existing Bilt cardmembers who choose a new card will keep the same card number, won’t experience a significant credit pull, and receive their new card by February 6.
- Those who keep (and do not reserve or close) their original Bilt Mastercard will be converted to one Wells Fargo Autograph® Card (See Rates and Fees).
- Bilt 2.0 cards will open to new applicants on February 7th.
So with just a week to go until we get all the details, it might be fun to indulge a few rumors every now and then, so now let’s turn to the other side of the equation.
Bilt Mastercard information is collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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Rumors about Bilt 2.0 cards are true
If the Reddit rumors are true, the three Bilt 2.0 cards might look like this:
birt blue card
- Annual fee $0
- Welcome Bonus: $100 Bilt Cash
- Income structure: 1 point per $1 spent on rent, mortgage and daily expenses
- 4% Bilt Cash on everyday purchases; you can use Bilt Cash to eliminate closing costs on rent and mortgage payments
- No foreign transaction fees
birt obsidian card
- Annual fee $95
- Welcome Bonus: $200 Bilt Cash
- Income structure: Earn 3 points per $1 spent on dining or groceries (up to $25,000 per year), 2 points per $1 spent on travel, 1 point per $1 spent on rent, mortgage and daily expenses
- 4% Bilt Cash on everyday purchases; you can use Bilt Cash to eliminate closing costs on rent and mortgage payments
- $100 Bilt Travel hotel credit annually ($50 available semi-annually)
- cell phone protection
Birt Palladium Card
- Annual fee $495
- Welcome bonus: 50,000 Bilt points and Gold Elite status when you spend $4,000 in the first three months; $300 in Bilt cash
- Income structure: 2 points per $1 spent on daily expenses, 1 point per $1 spent on rent and mortgage payments.
- 4% Bilt Cash on everyday purchases; you can use Bilt Cash to eliminate closing costs on rent and mortgage payments
- $400 Bilt Travel hotel credit annually ($200 offered semi-annually)
- $200 in Bilt Cash awarded annually
- Priority Pass Membership
Information on Bilt Blue, Bilt Obsidian and Bilt Palladium is independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
According to the Reddit post, there are multiple versions of the rumored card, all of which appear to come from code on the Bilt website. However, the details above are the main version shared in the thread.
If these card details are mostly true, that means all three tier cards will reward 4% Bilt Cash on everyday purchases (plus some additional Bilt Cash bonuses), and you’ll pay transaction fees with all three cards when making housing payments, which can be offset with Bilt Cash.
Related: Should you pay your rent with Bilt? We crunch the numbers
My thoughts on Bilt 2.0 card value (if rumors are true)
Clues based on Reddit comments, plus knowing how many people loved Free rent deals on old Birt cards, I bet if these rumors are true, there will be some nervousness, or even outright disappointment, at least initially, when it comes to housing payments no longer being as easily free as they once were.
Given the economics of this situation, I already assumed the value proposition would change in a Bilt Card 2.0 world, so I personally am not disappointed. That said, I had hoped that in higher card tiers, there would be some level of free housing payments included – but we’ll get back to that.
If you use your Bilt Mastercard to pay your monthly rent, make at least five transactions per month, and potentially earn up to 100,000 Bilt points per year on rent, these rumors may not be good news.
But personally, as someone who is ready to go all-in on Bilt, I have a different perspective.
I want to earn a lot of Bilt Rewards points. This is because they are the most valuable reward currency, and they transfer into projects that are my personal, low-key obsession. These include World of Hyatt and Alaska Airlines Atmos rewards, among others. I want to earn Bilt points in ways other than monthly mortgage payments, so I don’t think “having” to use the card more to get free housing payments is inherently a terrible thing.
This is especially true because if the rumors about earning 2 points per $1 spent on everything with a premium card are true, that’s pretty staggering since TPG values Bilt points at 2.2 cents per dollar based on our January 2026 valuation. If you include the 4% Bilt Cash earned on everyday expenses, the return on spending is 4.4%, which helps offset housing payment transaction fees.
In other words, if I use my Bilt card to pay for $3,000 worth of daily expenses each month, and I currently have essentially no access to bonus income, such as children’s dance and gymnastics classes, doctor’s appointments, vet bills, and insurance, I could potentially earn 6,000 Bilt points per month at 2 points per $1 spent at the Palladium Card’s rate.
Assuming I can earn enough Bilt Cash now to offset my monthly mortgage payments of around $3,000 on this card, that’s another 3,000 points that I’m not earning at all since this card reportedly earns 1 point for every $1 spent on qualifying mortgages.
So that’s potentially 9,000 points earned on $3,000 in monthly spending, and that’s not including Bilt Cash, which could make mortgage payments “free.” If you want, you can call it 3 points per $1 spent, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Yes, the premium card has a $495 annual fee, but I’m not worried about the rumored welcome bonus in the first year, and since the card comes with so-called hotel bill points and Bilt Cash, I probably wouldn’t be too concerned if the rules weren’t too strict. Anyway, that’s a question for the future, I can always decide to go with a mid-tier card if I don’t stand out, although I doubt I will.
bottom line
While much of the Bilt Card 2.0 information remains speculative, it still seems logical enough to warrant analysis.
Bilt Rewards offers the most valuable points out there and in my opinion the most innovative loyalty program when it comes to travel bookings, transfer bonuses and unique products like Rent Days. I lived on the edge of the Bilt for many years, waiting for the day my mortgage payment gave me a reason to commit. Even if it turns out I have to earn some Birt Cash to make those payments “for free,” I’m still a player.
But stay tuned as we’ll have all the intel within a week.
