Bilt Rewards – Weekly Recap

Bilt Rewards is a loyalty and payments platform that enables consumers to earn rewards on rent payments, and this weekly recap highlights how the company is broadening its scope across housing, everyday spending, and in-person commerce. Over the past week, Bilt unveiled Bilt Card 2.0 and advanced its strategic partnerships, underscoring a shift from a niche rent-rewards product to a more comprehensive housing and commerce rewards ecosystem.

The most significant update was the launch of Bilt Card 2.0, which introduces three new credit cards – Palladium, Obsidian, and Blue – designed for both renters and homeowners. These cards allow members to earn rewards on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, while offering 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases. New cardholders are being offered a 10.00% introductory APR on eligible new purchases for the first 12 months, subject to terms and credit approval. Existing Bilt cardholders can transition to one of the new cards by January 30, 2026 without a new hard credit inquiry and while retaining their existing card number. The updated program is supported by partners including Cardless, Column, Fidem Financial, and Mastercard, enabling Bilt to leverage established infrastructure and potentially scale more quickly with lower capital intensity.

This expansion to include homeowners meaningfully enlarges Bilt’s addressable market beyond renters and positions the company to compete more directly with mainstream rewards credit cards. The no-fee ability to earn rewards on both rent and mortgage payments remains a key differentiator and may deepen customer loyalty as users move from renting to owning. However, richer 4% rewards and promotional APRs could increase reward and funding costs, making sustained benefits dependent on higher transaction volumes and engagement.

In parallel, Bilt is progressing on its strategy to embed loyalty into everyday commerce and the broader housing ecosystem. A partnership with Verifone will integrate Bilt’s loyalty experience directly into Verifone payment terminals at participating neighborhood restaurants and local merchants, allowing members to be recognized at checkout, view points balances, and receive personalized offers without additional hardware or staff training. This integration offers merchants a turnkey loyalty and retail media layer at the point of sale and may create new revenue opportunities for Bilt through co-marketing, targeted offers, and transaction-driven economics.

Bilt also reiterated its vision for an AI-driven housing ecosystem that treats “home” as the entire resident journey, from move-in through daily living. By integrating artificial intelligence to unify resident interactions and offering rewards across the lifecycle, Bilt aims to serve as an infrastructure and loyalty layer for large multifamily and student housing portfolios. The company referenced collaboration with partners such as Gopuff, Metropolis Technologies, Related Companies, Avenue5 Residential, United Wholesale Mortgage, and American Campus Communities, and noted that the Bilt Alliance is now engaging millions of homes.

Taken together, the week’s developments highlight Bilt Rewards’ efforts to expand its product set, deepen platform integrations, and extend its reach from renters to homeowners and local commerce. If execution and partner adoption continue to advance, these moves could strengthen Bilt’s competitive position in both the fintech and housing loyalty markets and support a broader, ecosystem-based growth trajectory.