Reading Time: 6 minOver the past few years, Bilt Rewards has quickly become one of my go-to travel programs. While I still spread my spending across programs like Chase and Capital One, Bilt makes earning rewards in my day‑to‑day life uniquely simple.
One of the biggest perks? Bilt's Neighborhood Benefits program, which lets you earn points whenever you shop at partner merchants with any credit or debit card linked to your Bilt account. You don't even need a Bilt Mastercard (though I do have one!). In fact, I personally have five cards linked to Bilt, making it effortless to rack up points in my everyday life.
Redeeming your points is just as easy, since Bilt partners with 22 top-tier travel programs. And on the first day of each month — known as "Rent Day" — Bilt often boosts transfer rates to select partners, giving you even more value for your points.
Since August's Rent Day is just around the corner, here’s a quick look at what's on offer this month, and a refresher on how the Bilt Neighborhood Benefits program works.
If you aren't signed up for the Bilt program yet, joining is free, and it takes just a few minutes to enroll and link your cards to your account. To sign up, all you need to do is go to Bilt's website and click the "Sign up" button.
Once you’re signed up, earning points couldn’t be easier. Just link any card you regularly use to your Bilt Wallet, and you'll automatically start earning when you shop at any eligible merchant.
Bilt also recently added a new Neighborhood Map, making it even easier to find partners and earn points. But if you don't want to take the time to find partners using the map, you can just take a "set it and forget it" approach.
Once your credit and debit cards are linked to Bilt, you'll earn bonus points every month when you shop at eligible merchants, and without having to even think about it.
Some of my regular Bilt Neighborhood partners include local restaurants, Walgreens, and Lyft. Plus, if you’re into fitness, there are plenty of workout studios and classes that are also part of the program.
One of my favorite ways to earn Bilt points is through Walgreens. Thanks to Bilt’s partnership, you’ll earn 2 points for every dollar you spend on Walgreens-branded products, and 1x on everything else in the store. That's on top of any rewards you earn from your credit card.
Just make sure you either pay for your Walgreens purchases with a card that you've linked to Bilt Neighborhood Benefits, or enter the phone number tied to your Bilt account at checkout.
Bilt Dining is another great way to rack up bonus points, with over 20,000 partner restaurants across the country. Depending on the restaurant, Bilt members can earn 2 or 3 extra points for every dollar you spend when dining out.
There’s no limit to how many points you can earn. You just need to pay with a linked credit or debit card (Visa, Mastercard, or American Express). And just like with other Bilt partners, these points stack on top of whatever rewards your regular card already earns.
As a Bilt member, when you connect your Lyft account to Bilt Neighborhood Benefits, you'll automatically earn 2 points for every dollar you spend on all Lyft rides.
If you use the Bilt Mastercard, you’ll get an extra 3x points on top of that. But you can pay with any card you like, as long as it’s linked to your Bilt account.
Bilt Rewards offers multiple ways to redeem your points. But you'll usually get the best value by transferring them to Bilt's airline and hotel partners and using them for travel.
With 17 airlines and 5 hotel transfer partners, there are a slew of options when it comes to redeeming your points, including popular programs like United, Alaska Airlines, Southwest, Air France/KLM, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Marriott, and Hyatt, among many others.
That means your points can go a long way, especially since almost all of Bilt's partners transfer at a 1-to-1 ratio, meaning 1 Bilt point transfers to 1 point in the corresponding airline or hotel program. Accor Hotels is the exception, transferring at a 3-to-2 ratio.
But on the first of every month, Bilt rewards its members with a special Rent Day perk, often in the form of a transfer bonus.
Coming for August's Rent Day — you'll be able to get up to a 100% bonus when transferring Bilt points to Avianca LifeMiles on August 1st*. Your exact bonus percentage depends on your elite status level with Bilt:
*Offer valid August 1, 2025 from 12:00am ET through 11:59pm PT.
If you have an award ticket you're looking to book with Avianca LifeMiles, this could be a great opportunity to use fewer points for it.
And since Avianca is a member of the Star Alliance, you can also use its points to book on many partner airlines, such as United, Air Canada, and Lufthansa. The program makes booking award flights relatively straightforward, and uses a zone-based award chart without tacking on hefty carrier surcharges.
Some sweet spots within the program include business class flights between the U.S. and Europe for 80,000 miles each way, cross-country domestic flights for 15,000 miles in economy, and flights to South America as low as 7,000 miles in each direction.
However, if you don't typically book awards with Avianca LifeMiles, I don't suggest speculatively transferring your points, as there's a good chance a future Bilt Rent Day offer will work better for you.
There's no reason not to join Bilt Neighborhood Benefits, especially since it's free. With an easy-to-use program and valuable rewards, plus nearly two dozen loyalty partners and generous transfer bonus opportunities, Bilt gives you plenty of ways to turn your points into unforgettable travel experiences.
Personally, I earn Bilt points every month without lifting a finger, just by keeping my credit cards linked to the program. Then, when the right travel opportunity comes along, I transfer those points to one of Bilt’s many partners for serious value.
I happen to be skipping this month’s Rent Day bonus since it doesn’t align with my current travel plans. But last year, I jumped on a 125% transfer bonus to Air Canada’s Aeroplan, and scored an incredible deal. That’s the power of having Bilt in your back pocket — when the moment’s right, you’re ready.
