Bilt switching up rewards structure, making other changes in 2027 — here's what you need to know

Bilt is one of the most valuable rewards programs out there after its overhaul in early 2026 and continued expansion of transfer partners.

But the program also has some complicated features, such as whether to earn 4% Bilt Cash or housing-only rewards on your monthly rent or mortgage payment.

And if you're already a little confused by that sentence, that's one of the big things Bilt is looking to improve with some changes coming to the program in 2027.

These include a simplified earnings structure, new rewards and updated perks. Plus, there's some really great news if you aren't yet sure how to use all the Bilt Cash you've earned this year. However, it's not all positive news, as some benefits will be more restricted in the new year.

Here's what you need to know about the changes coming to Bilt in 2027.

Bilt Cash will expire 12 months from when it is earned

Let's start with the most immediate change, which is great news for those with a large pile of Bilt Cash. Effective immediately, Bilt Cash will now expire on a rolling 12-month basis. If you earn Bilt Cash in Nov. 2026, it'll expire at the end of Nov. 2027.

This will be applied retroactively to existing balances, and the Bilt app will clearly indicate when your Bilt Cash is expiring.

This is a major improvement from the original policy, which held that all Bilt Cash earned in a calendar year would expire on Dec. 31 — with only $100 available to roll over.

Now, you'll have at least a full 12 months to use each dollar of Bilt Cash.

Related reading: Here are 9 of our favorite ways to use Bilt Cash

New Bilt cardholders will earn via the housing-only rewards program

The expiration date is not the only shift coming to Bilt Cash in 2027.

Right now, Bilt cardholders have two options to be rewarded for their everyday spending:

• Bilt Cash: Earn 4% in Bilt Cash for every dollar you charge to your Bilt Card.
• Housing-only rewards: Earn up to 1.25 points per dollar spent on your housing payments.

This decision between the two reward programs (housing-only and Bilt Cash) was a complicated choice for many when the revamped program first rolled out. In fact, TPG even made a calculator to help Bilt cardholders decide between the two options.

That decision will soon be going away, since the Bilt Cash option will be eliminated for all new cardholders in 2027.

However, anyone who has a Bilt credit card or opens one by Dec. 31, 2026, can keep that option — more on that below.

Shifting all new members to the housing-only option is an effort to simplify the program and align it with how the vast majority of members already choose to be rewarded, Bilt says.

Tweaks coming to annual Bilt Cash for cardholders

In addition to simplifying the reward structure, Bilt will also streamline the annual credits on its cards. For example, with the Bilt Palladium Card (see rates and fees), you currently get two types of credits each year:

• $200 in annual Bilt Cash
• Up to $400 in annual Bilt Travel hotel credits (up to $200 from January to June and up to $200 from July to December; two-night minimum stay required)

Starting Jan. 15, 2027, these credits will be replaced with $600 in Bilt Cash annually.

Meanwhile, the Bilt Obsidian Card (see rates and fees) currently offers up to $100 in Bilt Travel hotel credits (also subject to a two-night minimum stay). Starting Jan. 15, 2027, this will change to $100 in Bilt Cash annually.

These rewards will be deposited into your account on your cardmember anniversary each year, rather than on Jan. 1.

However, like with the earning changes mentioned above, existing cardholders can also opt out of these changes and keep the existing credit structure.

New restrictions on using Bilt Cash for hotel bookings

Unfortunately, the final change to Bilt Cash — specifically how you use it for hotel bookings — will apply to everyone starting Jan. 1, 2027.

Currently, Blue and Silver members can redeem up to $50 in Bilt Cash toward eligible Bilt Hotel stays of two nights or more each month. Meanwhile, Gold and Platinum members have a higher $100 monthly limit.

But beginning next year, the frequency will be reduced to just twice per year, with the following limits per redemption:

• Blue and Silver: Up to $50, twice annually
• Gold and Platinum: Up to $100, twice annually
• Bilt Palladium cardholders: Up to $200, twice annually

However, legacy Bilt Palladium cardholders who keep the existing credit structure will still be able to stack their $200 biannual hotel credits with $100 in Bilt Cash, effectively getting them $300 off a qualifying hotel stay of two nights or more twice per year.

That said, all members have access to fewer available credits (in total) compared to the current structure.

Existing cardholders have the option to keep their current setup

Right now, existing Bilt cardholders fall into two camps:

1. You've selected the 4% Bilt Cash option.
2. You've selected the housing-only rewards option.

Both of these options remain intact for those who have — or get — a Bilt card by Dec. 31, 2026.

Here's a table that shows what the transition will look like for existing Bilt Palladium cardholders who want to keep their current selection:

If you have the housing-only option, you don't need to do anything. In fact, you may come out ahead, since those $400 in annual hotel credits will become $400 in additional Bilt Cash. You can still use them for hotels, but you also have other redemption options.

If you have the 4% Bilt Cash option, you must opt out of the new benefits to keep this option.

And that's really important to note, especially given Bilt's point accelerator option.

Nothing is changing there in 2027. Palladium and Obsidian cardholders will still be able to use $200 in Bilt Cash to earn an additional 1 point for every dollar you spend on the card (up to $5,000 in spending). This is available up to five times per year.

Under the new structure, however, there will only be two avenues to earning Bilt Cash:

• The annual deposits ($600 for Palladium and $100 for Obsidian cardholders)
• $50 in Bilt Cash for every 25,000 Bilt points you earn

If you're a power user of the point accelerator, you'll likely want to keep earning 4% Bilt Cash to ensure you have enough to fully maximize these boosted earning rates.

And remember — keeping the Bilt Cash option doesn't mean you're forgoing the ability to earn Bilt points on your rent or mortgage payments. You'd just need to use your Bilt Cash to unlock those rewards the same way you currently do ($30 in Bilt Cash = 1,000 points on housing payments).

Again, if you are at all interested in earning 4% Bilt Cash, you must open your card by Dec. 31, 2026, and then opt out of the housing-only rewards system.

Additional changes to come, including new 'Daily Rewards' gamification

Bilt has a lot more up its sleeve, including a new way to reward you for engaging with your neighborhood as well as new perks for Bilt elite members.

First, it will be introducing Daily Rewards on Jan. 15, 2027, which you'll earn for every on-time monthly housing payment made via Bilt. You'll also trigger a Daily Reward with a qualifying purchase at a Bilt neighborhood partner, such as a qualifying meal, a workout class or a Lyft ride. You'll be limited to one Daily Reward per day, and you'll be able to select an instant reward — like Bilt Points or Bilt Cash — or pool the rewards for a chance to win a grand prize like $1 million toward the purchase of a home or 10 million Bilt Points.

These daily rewards will be in addition to the points you'd earn on these payments and at these establishments — though we don't know exactly how they'll work upon launch.

In addition, Gold and Platinum members will soon be able to use Bilt Points at checkout for Home Away From Home reservations, even if you aren't using a Bilt credit card. Simply book the hotel through Bilt Travel using any eligible card linked to your wallet, and you'll see the option to use Bilt points for the reservation. After checkout, you'll see a statement credit on the card you used for the stay.

Finally, Bilt will be launching two new rental car partners, allowing elite members to unlock automatic status:

• Bilt Platinum members: Sixt One Platinum status and Hertz President's Circle status
• Bilt Gold and Silver members: Sixt One Gold Status and Hertz Five Star status

TPG Take: Are the Bilt changes for 2027 good news or bad news?

Many of us at TPG love the 4% Bilt Cash option, as it unlocks the ability to earn 3 points per dollar on the Bilt Palladium Card thanks to the Points Accelerator. You can also put that Bilt Cash toward rewards like Lyft credits, dining credits or even as a credit toward Blade helicopter flights.

That said, the questions we've received from our own community indicate that Bilt Cash was a source of confusion. A streamlined program may be better for most consumers — though if you love the current system as an existing cardholder, you can opt to keep it.

Beyond that, a longer period to use Bilt Cash is unquestionably great news, and the addition of Daily Rewards is certainly interesting — though we still don't have the full details on what these look like. We'll be sure to break down these options as we learn more about them.

However, the new limitations on using Bilt Cash for hotel credits are definitely negative.

So, what does it all mean? For now, we'll mark this announcement as cautiously positive overall as we await details on the Daily Rewards piece — especially with the extended expiration window for Bilt Cash and the ability for existing cardmembers to largely maintain the status quo. That said, some of the tweaks are sure to upset certain members.

Bottom line

Bilt is set to make some significant changes to its reward structure, most of which will take effect in 2027.

Perhaps most notably (and effective immediately), Bilt Cash will now expire on a 12-month rolling clock rather than at the end of a calendar year. Then, in Jan. 2027, the bulk of the changes will take effect, including the removal of Bilt Cash as an earning option for new cardholders and the launch of a gamified Daily Rewards option for engaging with neighborhood merchants.

And, thankfully, existing cardmembers can opt to keep (most of) their current benefits on their cards.

We'll have much more on these announcements as we get more details, but for now, sound off in the comments below: What are your thoughts on these changes?