What is Bilt Cash? How to earn and redeem this reward currency

Bilt Cash joined Bilt Points in early 2026 as a second rewards currency within the Bilt ecosystem.Bilt members can earn Bilt Cash by reaching qualifying points milestones, and Bilt cardholders have additional ways to earn it. Meanwhile, members can redeem Bilt Cash for credits, travel and other benefits.Here’s how Bilt Cash works and how to get the most value from it.Not a member? Join Bilt now to start earning and redeeming Bilt Points.What is Bilt Cash?Bilt Cash is a rewards currency that you can earn as a Bilt member in addition to Bilt points.You earn Bilt Cash by engaging with the Bilt program, and you can redeem it across the Bilt ecosystem for dollar-for-dollar value, special access and more. Despite its name, Bilt Cash can’t be redeemed for actual cash or transferred to another member.Related: Bilt isn’t just for renters — here’s why there’s something for everyone nowHow to see your Bilt Cash balanceChecking your Bilt Cash balance is easy. Just open the Bilt website or app and navigate to your wallet.BILTIf you have a Bilt card, you may see it first when you click your wallet. But your Bilt Cash balance should also appear lower on the page. Click on ‘Redeem’ to see your redemption options.How to earn Bilt CashThere are two primary ways to earn Bilt Cash: through the Bilt loyalty program and with a Bilt credit card.You’ll receive $50 in Bilt Cash each time you earn 25,000 qualifying Bilt points toward elite status in a calendar year. You can see your progress toward points milestones on the Credits tab of the Rewards page on the Bilt website or app.BILTPlus, Bilt cardholders can choose between two reward options:Flexible Bilt Cash: Earn 4% in Bilt Cash on everyday spending in addition to the Bilt points you’d normally earn.Housing-only rewards: Your everyday card spending determines how many points you’ll earn on rent or mortgage payments, up to 1.25 points per dollar.Bilt cards also include Bilt Cash as part of their welcome offers:Bilt Blue Card (no annual fee; see rates and fees): $100 of Bilt Cash when you apply and are approvedBilt Obsidian Card ($95 annual fee; see rates and fees): $200 of Bilt Cash when you apply and are approvedBilt Palladium Card ($495 annual fee; see rates and fees): Earn 50,000 bonus points and Gold elite status after $4,000 of nonhousing spend in the first 90 days from account opening, plus $300 of Bilt Cash when you apply and are approvedIn addition to the Bilt Cash in its welcome offer, Bilt Palladium cardmembers also get $200 in Bilt Cash each calendar year. This $200 is provided when you open your account and then on Jan. 1 of each subsequent year.Bilt Cash expires at the end of each calendar year, but up to $100 of unused Bilt Cash rolls over to the next calendar year.Related: Should you pay your rent or mortgage with Bilt? We crunch the numbersHow to redeem Bilt CashYou can redeem Bilt Cash for dollar-for-dollar monthly credits, premium experiences and enhanced benefits across the Bilt ecosystem.However, Bilt caps how much Bilt Cash you can redeem toward most options on a monthly, bi-annual or annual basis. And, you’ll often need to have your Bilt account linked with the partner program before you can redeem Bilt Cash with partners.Here are some of the ways you can redeem Bilt Cash.Dining, fitness and experiencesGrubhub or Seamless credit: $10 of Bilt Cash per monthRestaurant credit at select Bilt Dining partners: Up to $25 of Bilt Cash per monthBilt dining experiences: Up to $50 of Bilt Cash per monthGroup fitness class credit: Up to $40 of Bilt Cash per month for up to one group fitness class per monthBilt comedy experiences: Up to $50 of Bilt Cash per monthEquinox credit toward spa services, personal training and pilates sessions: Up to $75 of Bilt Cash twice per year for Blue members, up to $100 of Bilt Cash twice per year for Silver members and up to $150 of Bilt Cash twice per year for Gold and Platinum members; members can redeem and use Bilt Cash once during January to June and once during July to December each year; the minimum redemption is $50Travel benefits and creditsLyft credit: $10 of Bilt Cash per monthUnlock Home Away from Home hotel benefits: Blue and Silver members can use $95 of Bilt Cash to unlock one booking per month at a Bilt Home Away from Home property (Gold and Platinum members get access to book these properties as a status perk)Bilt travel portal hotel credit: Up to $50 of Bilt Cash per month for Blue and Silver members and up to $100 of Bilt Cash per month for Gold and Platinum members toward hotel bookings of at least two nightsBlacklane rides: Up to $50 of Bilt Cash per year for Blue and Silver members, up to $100 of Bilt Cash per year for Gold members and up to $150 of Bilt Cash per year for Platinum membersBlade airport flight credit: $350 of Bilt Cash per seat booking (up to two seat bookings per year, for a total of up to $700 per year); if a seat costs less than $350, you’ll forfeit the remaining creditPriority Pass extra guest credits: Bilt Palladium cardholders can redeem up to $70 of Bilt Cash per month to cover up to two guest fees per monthOther ways to redeem Bilt CashBilt home delivery: Up to $5 of Bilt Cash per monthWalgreens credit: $10 of Bilt Cash per monthBilt Design Collection: Up to $20 of Bilt Cash per monthUnlock the next tier of a Bilt Rent Day transfer bonus: Pricing variesBilt cardmembers who select the flexible Bilt Cash option can also redeem Bilt Cash to unlock Bilt points on monthly rent and mortgage payments. The redemption rate is 3 cents of Bilt Cash per point unlocked. So, if your monthly rent is $1,000, you could redeem $30 in Bilt Cash to earn 1,000 Bilt points on a month of rent. Importantly, the minimum redemption is 3 cents of Bilt Cash, which would unlock 1 point.Finally, Bilt cardmembers with the Obsidian Card or the Palladium Card who have selected the flexible Bilt Cash option can redeem Bilt Cash to earn more points. Specifically, these cardmembers can redeem $200 of Bilt Cash to unlock an extra point per dollar spent on eligible everyday purchases for the next $5,000 in spending following activation.Cardmembers can redeem Bilt Cash to unlock elevated earnings up to five times a year, and each activation expires after $5,000 in spending or at the end of the year. If you redeem Bilt Cash to unlock higher earnings on your Bilt card, the base earning rates with the accelerator active are as follows:Obsidian: 4 points per dollar in your selected dining or grocery category (grocery is capped at $25,000 in purchases each calendar year), 3 points per dollar on other travel and 2 points per dollar on other everyday purchasesPalladium: 3 points per dollar spent on everyday purchasesRelated: No surge, no scramble: Why I loved using Blacklane for my latest airport transferWhat’s the best way to redeem Bilt Cash?The best way to redeem Bilt Cash depends on many factors. Here’s how the main options compare:RedemptionValue or costWhen it can make senseDollar-for-dollar credits$1 in value per $1 of Bilt CashWhen you’d use the credit anywayPoints on rent or mortgage paymentsCosts 3 cents of Bilt Cash per pointWhen you can redeem the resulting Bilt points for more than 3 cents eachPoints AcceleratorCosts 4 cents of Bilt Cash per additional point (assuming you use the full $5,000 of accelerated spending)When you can redeem the resulting Bilt points for more than 4 cents eachTransfer-bonus or other benefit upgradesVariesWhen the additional benefit exceeds the Bilt Cash you’re spendingTPG’s September 2026 valuations note that Bilt points are worth 2.2 cents each. Based on that valuation, dollar-for-dollar credits will often be the more straightforward use of Bilt Cash than effectively paying 3 or 4 cents per point to earn additional Bilt points.That doesn’t mean earning more points is always a poor redemption. Bilt points can sometimes provide more than 3 or 4 cents apiece in value through transfer partners. If you already have a high-value redemption in mind, using Bilt Cash to unlock housing points or the Points Accelerator could make sense.Other redemptions can also outperform their face value. For example, using Bilt Cash to unlock a higher Rent Day transfer bonus could provide significant value if you’re transferring a large number of points, while unlocking Home Away from Home benefits could be worthwhile for a specific stay.For most members, I’d start with dollar-for-dollar credits they’ll use naturally, such as Grubhub, Bilt Dining, Lyft or eligible hotel bookings through the Bilt travel portal. Since many of these credits have monthly or annual caps, you can then consider using any remaining Bilt Cash for additional points, transfer-bonus upgrades or other benefits.Related: 9 great ways to use Bilt Cash — from bonus points to helicopter ridesDoes Bilt Cash expire?The Bilt Cash in your account expires at the end of each calendar year, regardless of when you earned it. However, you can roll over up to $100 in Bilt Cash each year.Bottom lineBilt Cash isn’t as flexible as Bilt points, but it can still provide straightforward value across the Bilt ecosystem.I’d generally prioritize dollar-for-dollar credits you can use naturally before effectively paying 3 or 4 cents per point to earn more Bilt points.However, housing points, point accelerators and transfer-bonus upgrades can still make sense when you know you’ll get enough value from the additional points. Just be mindful of your balance toward the end of the year, since only up to $100 of unused Bilt Cash rolls over.Related: How good are Bilt’s welcome offers? Earn up to 50,000 pointsEditorial 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.