Bilt 2.0 transition: Frequently asked questions, answered

It’s been a busy few weeks for Bilt … and for those who are trying to learn about the updated program and follow along with some of the quick-paced news and pivots that came with it.

The company generated a ton of buzz with the announcement of its Bilt 2.0 credit card products on Jan. 14 — the Bilt Palladium Card, Bilt Obsidian Card and Bilt Blue Card.

But there was also a lot to take in, and some changes along the way, so we’ve received many questions about the cards, the offers, the program and more.

While there are things we don’t know quite yet, we wanted to answer as many lingering questions as we could about Bilt 2.0, the cards and more ahead of Saturday’s formal activation.

Bilt welcome bonus FAQ

When is my new Bilt 2.0 credit card ready to use?

You can activate your new Bilt Card starting Saturday, Feb. 7. If you try to activate before then, it will likely give you an error message.

If you’re an existing cardholder transitioning to a new Bilt Card, you may have received a recent email with the following additional information:

“Your card upgrade will take place between 12:00 a.m. ET and 11:00 a.m. ET on 2/7. While your card is transitioning, purchases made with your Bilt Mastercard may be declined. We’ll send you a message once the transition is complete.”

What if I don’t have my physical card by Feb. 7?

Most people who applied soon after Bilt 2.0 rolled out should have their physical card in hand by Saturday, but if you don’t, you’ll still be able to use a virtual card or add the card to your mobile wallet to check out using a platform like Apple Pay.

How do I know if I qualified for TPG’s exclusive offer?

If you applied through TPG’s link on a TPG page advertising the exclusive offer during the qualifying period (noon EST on Jan. 14 through noon EST on Jan. 15) and were ultimately approved for the card, you should be eligible.

Bilt has told us it will send confirmation emails to everyone who qualified no later than Friday, Feb. 6.

How does the TPG offer work?

For those who got in on the TPG-exclusive offer, for all three of Bilt’s new credit cards, you’ll earn a total of 5 Bilt Points for every dollar you spend on nonhousing purchases for five days starting Saturday, Feb. 7. This applies to up to $10,000 in total purchases (for a total of 50,000 bonus points).

Note that this is not 5 additional points per dollar spent; it’s 5 total points per dollar spent. However, it is in addition to the standard welcome bonus on the card.

For example, let’s say you were approved for the Bilt Palladium Card through TPG’s link. You’ll earn the following:

• First five days: 2 points per dollar spent on everyday purchases plus an additional 3 points per dollar spent with TPG’s exclusive offer, for a total of 5 points per dollar spent (up to 50,000 points)
• After the first five days: 2 points per dollar spent on everyday purchases
• On the first of each month: 4 points per dollar spent up to 1,000 bonus points (Bilt is maintaining the double-points part of its monthly Rent Day promotions)
• Welcome bonus: 50,000 bonus points and Gold elite status after $4,000 of nonhousing spending in the first three months, plus $300 in Bilt Cash when you apply and are approved (up to $100 of Bilt Cash earned rolls over to the next year)

However, this bonus-earning rate doesn’t apply to rent or mortgage payments, and the full terms exclude a number of specific transactions — including tax payments, cash advances, money orders and prepaid gift cards.

When does the TPG-exclusive offer start?

For those who got in on TPG’s exclusive offer, the five-day clock on the spending starts on Feb. 7. This is true even if you don’t activate your card on that day or if, for whatever reason, you don’t have the physical card available, as you can still use the card virtually, via Apple Pay, etc.

So get ready to start making the most of those five days!

Bilt housing FAQ

How will my rent or mortgage payments be made through Bilt?

If you’d like to earn Bilt points on your rent or mortgage, you’ll have to make your housing payment through Bilt’s platform. These payments will be debited directly from your linked bank account via automated clearing house, or ACH.

Those who previously held the Wells Fargo Bilt Mastercard® may recall that rent payments were made against their credit line. This allowed them to potentially “float” rent costs and defer housing payments until they paid off their card statement.

The information for the Bilt Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

With the new Bilt 2.0 credit cards, that’s no longer an option.

So, you’ll need to have your full housing payment in your bank account before you make the payment through Bilt.

And, because rent and mortgage payments are now made through an ACH, these costs will no longer go against your credit limit with a new Bilt 2.0 card.

Do I have to pay my rent or mortgage through Bilt?

No. Even if you hold a Bilt Card, you do not have to make your housing payments through the Bilt portal.

You can use your Bilt Card for all your everyday purchases and pay rent or mortgage using any other method.

When do I need to decide on a housing rewards earning structure?

The two options for structuring your housing rewards are:

• Flexible Bilt Cash option: Redeem Bilt Cash to unlock Bilt points on your housing payment at the following rate: $30 in Bilt Cash equals earning 1 point per dollar on $1,000 of your housing payment (maintaining the ability to earn 4% Bilt Cash on all nonhousing purchases)
• Housing-Only (no Bilt Cash option): Earn Bilt Points automatically on your housing payments each billing cycle based on how much you spend on everyday purchases with your Bilt Card (forgoing the ability to earn 4% Bilt Cash on all nonhousing purchases). The number of points you earn depends on how much everyday spending you do compared to your monthly housing payment during that billing cycle.

You can change your earning structure until the last day of the applicable billing cycle, with the change taking effect on the first day of the next billing cycle. You’ll be defaulted into the first option that awards Bilt Cash if you don’t make a choice.

To learn more about these earning structures, read our full article on earning housing rewards through Bilt.

Can I use my Bilt Card for purchases outside of housing?

Yes, and we recommend using your card to collect Bilt points and Bilt Cash (if you opt to earn it) in elevated bonus-earning categories.

Can I still use my Alaska Atmos Rewards cards to earn 3 points per dollar spent on rent via Bilt?

Yes, you can still earn 3 Atmos Rewards points per dollar on rent payments of up to $50,000 per year with the Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® credit card or Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Credit Card. Using these cards for rent payments will incur a 3% transaction fee. Note that these cards can be used for rent payments, but not for mortgage payments.

Can I still use my United cobranded card to earn 2 miles per dollar spent on rent via Bilt?

Yes, if you are an eligible United cardholder, you can earn 2 MileagePlus miles per dollar spent on rent payments of up to $50,000 per year. Using an eligible United card for rent payments will incur a 3% transaction fee. Note that these cards can be used for rent payments, but not for mortgage payments.

Earning rewards FAQ

When will I earn my Bilt Card’s welcome offer?

This depends on the card you selected.

• Bilt Palladium Card: Earn 50,000 Bilt points and Gold status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first three months of card membership. Plus, receive $300 in Bilt Cash when you apply and are approved.
• Bilt Obsidian: Receive $200 in Bilt Cash when you apply and are approved.
• Bilt Blue: Receive $100 in Bilt Cash when you apply and are approved.

If you selected the Bilt Palladium, your three-month period to meet the spending requirement for the bonus points and the Gold elite status begins Feb. 7. The Bilt Cash portion of the offer should post to your account Feb. 7. The other two cards will earn their welcome offers Saturday.

Not a member? Join Bilt Rewards now to start earning and redeeming Bilt points.

If you have the Bilt Palladium Card, it comes with not only the Bilt Cash from the welcome offer, but also another $200 in annual Bilt Cash, which will be deposited into your account on Feb. 7. That means Palladium cardholders will have a total of $500 in Bilt Cash in their account on Saturday.

How do I earn and redeem Bilt Cash?

In addition to any welcome bonus Bilt Cash, with the Bilt 2.0 credit cards, you can earn 4% Bilt Cash on all everyday purchases (as long as you don’t opt for tiered earnings for housing payments; in that case, you forgo earning Bilt Cash on everyday purchases).

Bilt Cash is a completely different currency from Bilt points, which TPG’s February 2026 valuations place at 2.2 cents apiece. Bilt Cash can be used in many ways, and up to $100 earned will roll over to the next year. In addition to using it to unlock earning points on rent or mortgage payments, some of our favorite uses include:

• Point accelerator: Earn 1 extra point per dollar spent on everyday purchases made with the Obsidian and Palladium cards, for the next $5,000 in spending following activation. This option costs $200 in Bilt Cash. One activation expires after $5,000 in spending or at the end of the year (whichever comes first). You can use Bilt Cash for up to five activations each year.
• Blade credits: Redeem up to $350 in Bilt Cash per seat, on up to two bookings per year. Available starting March 1.
• Unlock higher transfer bonuses: Use Bilt Cash to unlock one tier higher on Rent Day transfer bonuses. For example, Gold members can unlock Platinum-level bonuses with this redemption. Platinum members can unlock an additional boost as well. One example costs $75 in Bilt Cash to unlock a higher transfer bonus, but the costs associated with these redemptions are subject to change.

To learn more about this currency, read our full guide to Bilt Cash.

When can I start redeeming Bilt Cash for things like earning an extra point per dollar on Bilt Cards?

Bilt Cash welcome offers will be deposited into cardholders’ accounts on Feb. 7 and can be redeemed that same day.

Does point accelerator stack while earning a welcome bonus?

If you redeem your Bilt Cash for the point accelerator option, it will count toward the spending you do while pursuing your welcome bonus. However, it will not be stackable with TPG’s offer. If a cardholder has both TPG’s offer and point accelerator activated, they will earn the 5 points per dollar spent from TPG’s bonus, as it’s higher.

Existing cardholder FAQ

Do I need to update my digital wallet or recurring payments?

As long as you completed the transition to a new Bilt 2.0 card by Feb. 1, you should not need to update your Apple Pay or Google Pay wallets. Your card number should stay the same from 1.0 to 2.0.

Bilt also included more information on the digital wallet transition in a recent email to existing cardholders, like this one to TPG’s Carly Helfand:

“Once the transition is complete, you can begin using your Bilt Palladium Card with Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Wallet, and other mobile wallets on 2/7. To kick start your new rewards, you’ll earn an additional 3X on mobile wallet purchases through 2/10 (up to 500 Bilt Points).

If your old Wells Fargo Bilt Mastercard is already in your mobile wallet, it will automatically start working as your new Bilt Palladium Card once the upgrade is complete. Your digital wallet may reflect the old design, but no action is required, and payments will still work. The card art will automatically update when you activate the physical card.”

What happens to my old Bilt Card?

The Wells Fargo Bilt Mastercard stops working Feb. 6; that is also the last day you can service that specific card through your Bilt account. If you opted in to Bilt’s seamless transfer during your 2.0 application, any outstanding balance (up to your new credit limit) from your old Bilt Mastercard will be transferred to your new Bilt 2.0 card on Sunday, Feb. 8.

If you opted to close your Wells Fargo account, your old credit line will be closed Feb. 7.

Whether or not you selected a new Bilt 2.0 card, if you did not elect to close your Wells Fargo account, your Bilt Mastercard will be transitioned to a no-annual-fee Wells Fargo Autograph® Card (see rates and fees).

To learn more about this card, read our full review of the Wells Fargo Autograph.

What can I do if I still have questions?

If you still have questions about your welcome offer, your card or anything else related to Bilt 2.0, we recommend reaching out to support@biltrewards.com.

Bottom line

We know there’s been some confusion — and sometimes even frustration — around the launch of Bilt 2.0, including questions about the exclusive offer we had here at TPG for the first 24 hours after launch. We hope that this story has addressed at least some of those questions as we approach the Feb. 7 launch date, when we all get to start using these new cards, earning Bilt Cash and more.

And again, if you applied through our exclusive offer link before noon EST on Thursday, Jan. 15, keep an eye on your inbox, as Bilt has told us it will be sending confirmation by Friday, Feb. 6, to everyone who’s eligible to earn 5 points per dollar spent during the first five days of card membership.

We’ll also have a full breakdown of how the new system works as soon as everything goes live on Saturday, Feb. 7, so stay tuned for complete details.

To learn more about the new Bilt Cards, read our full reviews of the Bilt Palladium, Bilt Obsidian and Bilt Blue.

Related: Are you eligible for a new Bilt Card welcome offer?