Bilt Card 2.0 and the Points Math: What’s a “Good” Return in 2026?

NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast

NerdWallet Personal Finance

Investing, Education, Business, How To

4.3 • 892 Ratings

🗓️ 16 February 2026

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Find out if Bilt’s new credit cards are worth the hassle for earning points on rent or a mortgage. In this special episode, NerdWallet travel writers and Smart Travel hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle dig into Bilt’s three new credit cards and a rewards system that now includes two currencies: Bilt Points and Bilt Cash. They walk through the big questions listeners have been asking, including when it makes sense to earn on rent, what’s really going on with mortgage rewards, and why the new math (plus shifting details) could change whether you jump in now or wait. Along the way, they weigh the annual-fee tradeoffs, compare Bilt’s new lineup to familiar fan favorites, and share what to watch for as the rollout keeps evolving. Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews: Bilt Card From Wells Fargo: No Longer Available, but New Versions Coming Bilt’s 3 New Cards Earn Rewards on Housing, But It’s Complicated World of Hyatt Card Review: Lavish Benefits, Reasonable Cost Chase Sapphire Preferred Review: Strong Option for Travel Rewards Capital One Venture X Review: A Steal of a Deal Among Premium Cards American Express Platinum Review: Top-Notch Lounge Access, Big Credits Resources discussed in this episode: Dear Bilt Palladium: You’re Welcome to Move in, but You Won’t Pay the Rent Bilt Palladium vs. Capital One Venture X: An In-Depth Comparison Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Could AI help you do more of what you love?
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0:08.0	We help you handle the have-to-dos so you can focus on the can't-wait-to-dos.
0:13.0	It's a new workday.
0:16.0	The world moves fast. Your workday? Even faster.
0:20.0	Pitching products, drafting reports,
0:22.2	analyzing data. Microsoft 365 copilot is your AI assistant for work, built into Word, Excel,
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0:36.6	So you can cut through clutter and clear a path to your best work.
0:41.2	Learn more at Microsoft.com slash M365 copilot.
0:50.0	Welcome to Nerd Wallet's Smart Money Podcast, where you send us your money questions and we answer them with the help of our genius nerds.
0:56.7	I'm Sean Piles.
0:57.5	And I'm Elizabeth Ayola.
0:59.8	Today we're presenting an episode of Smart Travel, where our friends Megan Coyle and Sally French explained new credit cards from Built.
1:06.9	That's the loyalty program that became famous for letting people earn points on rent payments,
1:11.3	and now mortgage payments as well. It's pretty complicated, though, so we'll let them explain it.
1:16.3	Just keep in mind that since this episode was recorded, Bill announced more details about the way Built Cash works,
1:22.4	including monthly limits on how much you can redeem and a new redemption option called Points Accelerator.
1:28.8	We can link to the NerdWallet article on Built Cash in the episode description if you want to
1:33.3	learn more about that.
1:34.7	And also, don't forget to follow Smart Travel for more travel and credit card tips.
1:39.2	Here's the episode.
	...

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