Reading Time: 3 minIf you’ve been a Points Path subscriber for even a little while, you likely know how much we love the Bilt Rewards program for earning points on rent. But that’s far from the only way to get value from this program.
I don’t have the Bilt Mastercard yet, and I'm not a renter. Even so, I earn about 3,000 Bilt points every month through everyday spending and a few underrated partnerships.
What many people don’t realize is that anyone can join Bilt Rewards and earn points even without the card. Just create an account, link your existing credit or debit cards to your Bilt wallet, and your eligible partner purchases will automatically earn bonus points.
Here’s how my points add up and why it’s still worth joining Bilt Rewards even if you’re not a renter.
Living in New York City, I eat out a lot, and I’m spoiled with the dining options available through the Bilt Neighborhood Benefits program. Many restaurants I’d visit anyway are Bilt partners, so I usually spend about $350 a month at participating spots.
Most restaurants earn 3x points, which comes out to about 1,050 Bilt points each month.
I spend about $250 a month on Lyft. With Bilt set as my preferred rewards partner in the Lyft app, I earn 2x Bilt points on my rides, or roughly 500 points per month.
I take around three workout classes each month across Barry’s, SoulCycle, and Rumble. By booking through Bilt, I earn 2x to 3x points, depending on the studio, plus perks like free shakes at Barry’s or shoe rentals at SoulCycle. That adds up to about 360 points per month.
By paying with a linked card, you can earn 100 points for every prescription refill, plus 2x points on Walgreens-branded items and 1x points on everything else. Between a monthly refill and the occasional essentials run, I average about 150 points per month.
I typically earn around $10 a month in Rakuten cash back, which converts to Bilt points thanks to Bilt’s new partnership. It takes just a couple of minutes to link accounts, and then your earnings sync automatically.
And on that note, if you haven't joined Rakuten yet, now's a great time to sign up, since you can earn $50 in cash back when you make an eligible purchase.
Even if you don’t use rideshare apps as often as I do, you can earn Bilt points on parking at participating garages. You can also earn bonus points by booking travel through Bilt, though I usually book directly.
Of course, the best way to stretch your earnings is with the Bilt Mastercard itself, which boosts categories like dining and travel even further.
Between dining out, rideshare, workout classes, Walgreens runs, and online shopping, I earn about 3,060 Bilt points every month through Neighborhood Rewards and other partners.
That might not sound like much, but it adds up to almost 37,000 Bilt points a year. I usually transfer mine to Alaska’s Atmos Rewards, which lets you book short-haul domestic flights for as little as 4,500 miles one-way, or I’ll save them to book a lie-flat American Airlines business class seat to Los Angeles for 35,000 points.
The best part is that you can do all of this without the Bilt Mastercard. Just link your existing cards in the Bilt app, flip on your favorite partners, and let the points roll in.
And for homeowners like me, there’s more to look forward to. Bilt Card 2.0 is expected to roll out in early 2026 and will finally let us earn points on mortgage payments!
