The answers to all of our Bilt questions

Good morning from Toronto, Ontario, where the coffee is terrible, and my skin is already cracking from the dry weather (but somehow I still love it here).

Let’s get into the good stuff:

• 💵 Bilt Cash update (it’s worse than I thought)

• 💪 Daily Drop Lounge Win

• 🌟 Meet Unbound Merino’s first-ever travel jacket

💵 Bilt Cash update (it’s worse than I thought)

Okay, so as you know, Bilt launched three new cards this month.

And buried in that launch was a brand-new currency called Bilt Cash, which left us with more questions than answers.

Well, we finally got the official details – and it’s bad.

What the heck is Bilt Cash anyway?

It’s a separate rewards currency you earn as you hit point milestones and spend money on Bilt’s new credit cards.

Bilt Cash is meant to give “dollar-for-dollar value” inside the Bilt ecosystem for things like restaurants, rideshares, fitness, experiences, and travel – plus the ability to unlock points on housing payments.

But here’s the reality check:

• Bilt Cash expires at the end of the calendar year (unless you roll over, up to $100).

• You can’t transfer it to airlines or hotel loyalty partners - it’s strictly Bilt’s in-app ecosystem.

• Most uses work like monthly credits with caps (more on that in a sec).

So yes, you can spend Bilt Cash on travel – but not in the way that other rewards programs offer.

Speaking of that…

The hotel stuff

When I last wrote about Bilt, I was excited about potentially being able to use Bilt Cash to book hotels in the Bilt portal.

Well, the reality of that is extremely disappointing:

You can redeem Bilt Cash in the Bilt Travel Portal for hotel stays, but it’s tied to fixed monthly limits depending on your status tier.

• You need a two-night minimum stay to use Bilt Cash in the travel portal.

• Bilt Blue and Silver members can spend $50/month in the portal

• Bilt Gold and Platinum members can spend $100/month

That… isn’t really hotel value. It’s hard to justify going out of one’s way to use this benefit when the payoff is so limited.

So what else can you actually do with Bilt Cash?

Here’s the list:

• Dining and groceries credits

• Fitness/wellness credits

• Rideshare credits (like Lyft)

• Experience credits

• The ability to unlock points on housing payments

• Small travel and hotel credits depending on your status tier

But (and this is the kicker) every single one of these has monthly or annual limits, some as low as $5 per month.

So while some people might have very niche uses of Bilt Cash that feel worthwhile, the average person just has another extremely complex ecosystem to manage every month.

Why this feels… underwhelming

Even if you earn a bunch of Bilt Cash, you’re forced to spend it in tiny chunks every month, or watch it expire at year-end.

There are some other uses of Bilt cash, like “points accelerators” for increased earning rates – but those are also capped (and require large amounts of Bilt Cash).

In other words, the usable value of Bilt Cash is way smaller and way more constrained than most folks expected.

My final take

So the ultimate question is still: Should you get a Bilt card?

Here’s my opinion:

I think the Bilt Palladium Card is still worth getting for the 50,000-point welcome offer.

And, I could see that card being my “everyday” card to earn 2x Bilt points on everything, which I can then transfer to some of my favorite programs.

But as for the Bilt Cash? I’d use it when I can (maybe a $10 Lyft credit here and there, etc), but I wouldn’t value it very highly.

💪 Daily Drop Lounge Win

Speaking of Bilt, one of the reasons Bilt points are so valuable is the ability to transfer points to Emirates at a 1:1 ratio – Bilt being the only program that can do so.

In fact, one of our Daily Drop Lounge members recently used Emirates miles to book a bougie business-class flight on Emirates’ A380:

They spent 87,000 Emirates miles and some hefty (but worthwhile) taxes and fees, which I still consider a solid deal.

Plus, another lounge member chimed in to give advice on which seats to book.

If you want to share wins like this, contribute to others’ wins, or learn from an epic travel community, come join us in the Daily Drop Lounge.

That’s all for today, my friends.

I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into Bilt Cash, and I look forward to seeing you bright and early Monday for some travel inspiration and more points and miles tips.

Ciao,

43.6548° N, 79.3884° W

With contributions by McKay Moffitt