The BILT Mastercard is by far my favorite card. Beginning October 1st, it's looking to be just another basic mid-tier travel card. Let's hope that Ankur has a few tricks up his sleeves and that BILT is going to preserve elevated rent day transfer boosts. Be sure to click the join button to become a member at just 99 cents a month to receive tailored and first take content. However, there is no need to jump out the window. Before you potentially go off on this BILT change, which is big, compare this card WITHOUT rent day against the Chase Sapphire Preferred and tell me why the Sapphire Preferred is better.
I agree that Bilt card is better overall than the Sapphire Preferred, which is why I have the former and not the latter. However, there are several ways in which the Sapphire Preferred is better than the Bilt. The Sapphire Preferred has a SUB and the Bilt does not. The 2x travel category is more broad on the Sapphire Preferred than the Bilt. The Sapphire Preferred, in general, has better travel and purchase protections. Specifically, the Bilt's Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver excludes NY while the Sapphire Preferred does not. Once again, I agree that the Bilt card is the better card between the two, but it does fall short in the comparison in some important ways.
This is exactly why consumers shouldn’t buy into the hype by cc RUclips. Do your own research and make decisions about cc that are right for you. I never allowed anyone to entice me about the Bilt Mastercard or the Amex GMO gold card.
I'm not sure why you've taken such a position. I say it like it is. If there is value, I tell folks what I see. If there is no value I say that too. The card is a free card and is still the best mid-tier travel car out there and it is still the #1 rent card. I'm calling out an elite benefit for credit card enthusiasts because the average person is not impacted by this change in how they use the Bilt card.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards by 2029 Wells Fargo and Bilt may part ways since there’s been reports out that Wells is loosing millions monthly. The Bilt Mastercard won’t even be around to long.
@@RSquared-travel-rewardsSir, you overhyped the BILT card and exaggerated its value and it's clear to me now I'm not the only one who saw this. Did you ever disclose how much in affiliates referrals and commissions BILT pays or potentially pays you? I think it would be in everyone's best interest if you did.
@@Re3iRtH Yes, and there's been reports that Wells and Bilt may even part ways by 2029 since wells was reported to be loosing millions in revenue from consumers primarily using the card for rent and aren't carrying a balance.
@@Re3iRtH hmmm. Thanks for sharing your thoughts regarding overhyped and exaggeration. I 100% disagree because I've gotten tons of real value by exploiting "holes" within BILT. I'll just say this once. I'm not part of any affiliate program with any credit card company and certainly not with BILT. I'm a traveler who looks for opportunities whenever there are cracks within credit cards and I share my findings. I share the good, the bad and the ugly. I've been able to amass tons of points with BILT because of their elevated multipliers on rent day along with their transfer boosts. I share so that if there are any likeminded folks, they too can exploit any cracks. We all know that cracks are ultimately closed so my goal is to ride it until it ends. If you don't find value in anything that I share then my expectation is that you'll ignore. But I walk the walk and only discuss what I have experience with because I believe that if I'm going to talk about something, I ought to have experience with it. So there you have it. I'm not going to engage in rounds of conversation on this but now you know where I stand.
Don't despair! It's still the #1 for rent and there are still other rent day perks. For those who don't own the Amex Gold card, this is the only dining card one should use.
There will be more nerfs with the card upcoming. If you already have the card ride it out and enjoy.....but the card is honestly numbered. I feel like bilt knew this. Come in strong to gain traffic then fizzle out remaining with that traiffic.......
If it stays like this, it's still the #1 mid-tier travel, dining AND rent card. I hope they don't touch the annual fee. I'd still keep it at $95 for rent alone.
@@RSquared-travel-rewardsthe issue is that its not staying like this. I have already predicted these changes even before the wsj article Me and Matt clausin use to have full on debates about this card (btw shout out to matt) I was telling him the same thing months ago. In the next coming years bilt will be losing key transfer partners, stripping more benifits, and by the end of its wells partnership the card will be cut. I said all of this like 7 months ago due to me digging into the companies buisness practices, Its a numbered product thats on the chopping block. Midtier cards like autograph journey, CSP, citi CSP. Are all safer options & won't be at any risk of its benefits being chopped in the distant future......
Bilt is dumb alot of people are going to stop using their card and people are just going to go back to putting everything on amex,chase,Capitol one, moves like this are what separate the big boys from the little ones
Hahaha. Can't believe you said that. BILT still has the best transfer partners and there are still status perks. Double points was a next level benefit which made it by far the best travel card in its category. Renters will continue to use the card because that only makes sense.
@@yurig2530 Yurig, you don't have to love the card but objectively, you must admit that it is powerful for a $0 AF card. It's as though you're rooting for its demise. I don't get that. Why would we not want more competition. Us cardholders are the winners when that happens.
The fact that you gain points from paying rent and IT WAIVES credit card transaction fees to pay the rent is enough as it is. That outweighs paying the rent with something like Chase unlimited or citi. So if rent is 2k and the transaction fee is 3% thats 60$ waived plus you gain 2k points. Not to mention the perks you can gain on mastercards travel website just by owning a bilt card with no AF. Its a steal honestly.
BILT back better! You will never see United or Hyatt transfer bonuses. Another one bites the dust! Nothing to see here anymore. Good that I never applied.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards Mid tier is usually $95 AF, this is a low tier card. The best travel card I would say are Altitude Reserve, Ink Preferred, Citi Premier, Citi Prestige.
Starting to think it might be wise to not let bilt points sit around for too long but hurry up and transfer them to say hyatt before they nerf the transfer partners too
I might make another video. This one was my initial reaction and really targeted at folks in the credit card game. I don't want folks to panic. For instance, when they dropped American Airlines, they gave us about 6months notice. Since dropping AA, they picked up Alaska and Hilton, so Ankur and team are always looking for ways to innovate.
Thanks for posting this Richard! I haven't seen the BILT email yet - likely because I am a lowly Blue member 2-3 weeks in. This really stinks. I was looking forward to changing up my spending for earning valuable Hyatt points. Looks like my expectations are diminished. Sad.
@@jeremycain2491 to my knowledge, there is no shorter periods of higher rewards beyond the your initial sign up and rent day. The exception is Bilt dining which can change anytime for a particular restaurant.
@@jeremycain2491 to my knowledge, there is no shorter periods of higher rewards beyond the your initial sign up and rent day. The exception is Bilt dining which can change anytime for a particular restaurant.
Great reaction, it was one of the biggest perks of this program. It’s a big nerf. They essentially capped the power users. But like you, time to see what I can move spend to for Aug 1st and Sept 1st
This will mean nothing for the average user or that user who only thinks of the card as a rent card. They better not touch status! You were the first to make sure I get this out. I was going to wait to put out a larger video so thanks for following the channel.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards No worries, thanks for the quick reaction, I love it! I always enjoy your videos more than other channels because you "put your points where your mouth is" lol Plus seeing you actually travel, inspires me to want to do the same. Keep up the great work!
Heads up: Wells fargo and Bilt's phone customer service have similar strategies, transfer you between departments until you hangup 😐 good card if you don't need to speak with someone
It's a challenge because there are two companies trying to get work seamlessly. However, the BILT AI powered chat is the best I've seen in the credit card market to date.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards I can give an example of Bilt service craziness. I needed to change my phone number. The steps: 1 - try on app. Forwarded to chat on app 2 - tried chat on app. Forwarded to web chat 3 - tried web chat. Was told I would receive an email 4 - received email, had to schedule my own appointment to talk to them 5 - scheduled call and waited. Call required verification of info 6 - agent sent another email confirming I wanted to update my phone number. Responded to confirm 7 - Agent changed phone number and responded
Except I asked the chat bot about this transfer cap and it promised me 2,000 additional points on rent day dining after October 1 (after the first 3x) lol. I even had it repeat itself to be abundantly clear. I screenshot all of it and told Bilt they have to honor their representative’s promises, but so far they have turned me down… what’s the point of honor from a CEO with a move like dropping this tidbit in an email footnote.
@@jarete.1491 that's too funny. Yes, the chatbot doesn't speak to upcoming changes. It also does make mistakes from time to time. I've gotten it in the past to indicate that I would receive over 10K bonus points on rent day. However, I do phrase my questions and add a clarifying question to ensure that I'm comfy with the results.
If that was just a "note" I would hate to see what he/Bilt thinks is a major change. That wasn't a note it was an insult to our intelligence. I can't blame your break down of maximizing the Bilt dinning. What I see is Bilt playing the what I call the "ghost credit" game. You how AMEX loads a ton of so-called credits on like the Platinum card, but to use them would be very difficult or it would cost you way more in spend. However AMEX gets to claim how MUCH credits are loaded on the Platinum as advertisement, but in reality they're ghost credits. Bilt was advertising how great the dinning was over 1000 points, but now that more people are able to or are aware of how to maximize the credit, they don't want to play anymore. I am proud of you man, keep up the great work.
It's now a dining and rent card mostly. If you pay rent, this is the perfect card. The change has nothing to do with rent. ruclips.net/video/XocgnIm9Zq0/видео.htmlsi=GmHTS7F5Cfjcu7Xx
@@RSquared-travel-rewards I seen after I commented lol. Idk why people are so upset if you pay rent it’s still a great card IMO. I think the people upset about it are the ones who were abusing the system, they are the reason CCs get nerfed in the first place.
@@jeohvanydelgado7125 I'm one of those who like to stack points so I happily put a lot of spend on Rent day. However, I was an avid user of the card across the board. Not just on rent day. It is still the best card for rent and it's by far the best no-annual fee travel card.
I have a small channel but I'm one of the loudest BILT voices so not really fair to throw Mark & Ben under the bus. I talked honestly about BILT and I always showed the value I got from the card. I try to be balance so I also talk about the downside of certain cards. I also walk the walk in that I don't talk about credit cards that I do not own personally.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards I have only had the card for 1 rent day and the initial day it came. Both times I used it to get the multiplier. One time to book a trip to Vegas so it was very close to the 10K point max.
@@jeffreybacot I think that I'll have to make a Chase video and make it clear that for those following my channel, that I care very little about Chase 5/24. I recognize that Chase has value, but I still need to make it clear that I essentially don't think much about chase. The funny thing is that whenever I've applied for a Chase card, I've always gotten them because I wait for reports that Chase appears to have relaxed their rules. Life's too short so I refuse to sit around and dictate my card acquisition around chase. Your boy needs to travel, and it shall not be dictated by Chase.
I think it should be pointed out that the double points on rent day is "not over" as you mentioned in the video it's just capped. It might be over for how YOU use it's but not in general.
Given that most of the folks who watch my channel are interested in stacking points, it's essentially over. However I agree with your sentiment. The card is still the best mid-tier travel card. It continues to better than the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
I don't rent so I never applied but this is a sad news. Ive been trying to decide if I want the card on the sidelines but I feel like it's too late now. I shoulda listened to you when you said I should get one lol. Still BILT points are valuable in my opinion as long as they have Hyatt and Alaska. And if you have status with them.
@@kevinManhattan if you're not renting, I no longer recommend it because stacking isn't too rewarding now on rent day. It's essentially a card for renters and those who want a consistent 6X on dining if they're in a BILT city.
If you're not a renter, you'd need to live in a BILT city to consistently take advantage of 6X on dining. Pound for pound, it's a tiny bit better than the Sapphire Preferred.
dang that sucks! I know you probably get no less than 5-10x that on rent day. I can kind of understand why they do it, but even I usually get 2k points on rent day without really trying too hard. can't imagine that too many people really maxed this out unlike the 1-2% of enthusiasts.
I agree that only a tiny fraction of folks push the envelope on rent day which is why I surprised that BILT made changes at all. They obviously have the numbers and made a business call. I've asked them to consider making the rent day cap as follows. Platinum 7.5K Gold 5K Silver 2.5K Blue 1K
I’ve been riding the Chase Freedom Unlimited double points for a year, and that also expires in October. So really, I never got to truly appreciate the Bilt Rent Day joy. I was really looking forward to it. Now it’s just a card that I may or may not keep. I own my home, but put HOA fees on it. I guess that’s better than a poke in the eye, but I still need to swipe it 5 times.
@Richard_Bullwinkle ,Can you provide a source for the Freedom Unlimited double points ending in October? Is that date for you specifically or the whole program? I got one of those cards in December 2023 and I want to make sure it gets double points for the entire year.
@@Richard_Bullwinkle Except for a SUB on another card or two, I've been using that card for almost all of my family's spending. I'm looking forward to seeing how many points I have at the end of that promotion!
Hey RS , I noticed something really crazy.. I have a Bonvoy Boundless and Bilt card. Im comparing the same hotel bookings with points and Marriott can be more than twice as much points for a stay. What do I do? I may have to add another card for hotel or an Amex card or ditch Marriott all together for their cheap points. What do you think brother?
Hmmm. It's always a personal decision on whether or not to acquire or close a card because personal situations are often different. However, my strategy is to have more hotel stay options and not less where I can unlock status perks whenever available. I'm now deep into both Marriott and Hilton. I personally wouldn't consider ditching Marriott. I was just in Vegas this past weekend and stayed at a property though I often sing the praises of the Hilton Aspire card and Hilton status. BILT is consistent with its 1.25 cpp redemption rate when booking travel so that's an ok option when you cannot find a better deal when booking direct. However, that supports my approach of having more hotel options and not fewer which allows me to shop around for the best deal. So my approach is - the more stay options the better; manage your annual fees; only get cards that work for you and not for others.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards Thanks, i just came back from Vegas 2 weeks ago. I stayed at Aria. I totally understand. I just wished it was easier to find deals .Thanks
@@1stoptech We would have been neighbors. I stayed at Cosmopolitan. Deals? That's a full-time job but that's why we're in the game. We check, and check, and check then pounce. Enjoy the hunt.
Even Amex has to put a cap on dining. What make Bilt thinks it can sustain this? There ARE people who wine and dine guest for $10,000 A DAY, like high net worth clients.
Perhaps it works so they are now dialing it back or they are hemorrhaging. Either way, it definitely wasn't sustainable so I expect they always had a time line in mind.
If someone with Amex wines and dines a client for $10,000 per day, they’re likely just going to put that on the business gold card now, which has no cap and gets the same 4x on dining if that’s one of the top 2 spend categories.
The easiest way to status is with non-rent spend so technically this doesn't change things. However a person might choose to spend less on rent day because they wanted double multipliers. If they spend with the regular multipliers, it doesn't change getting to status.
@@tarrius1210 We're obviously worlds apart with the BILT card. Last year alone, I received around 100K+ in bonus miles just by transferring out to airline partners on rent day using the 125% perk. This has nothing to do with the regular or elevated multipliers I received on rent day. If you purchase travel within the chase portal you get a 25% perk with the CSP, I will take 125% every time. All the other travel cards are good but I will always take advantage of said perk until BILT ends it. I can't get such value from any other travel card.
@@1stoptech exactly I rather put the charges on my amex I'm only paying rent and phonebill with this card now and 3 other food purchases and then back to using my amex full time again
No way I will get this card. I was considering it to load $3333 on dining every rent day, but with 1000 extra points? Meh! I don't have rent or mortgage.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards no, it would have been a loss of Chase slot. First they disabled Curve, now that. Good that I decided not to apply. Doesn't make any sense for me, especially now
So bizarre that they added it as a footnote-like note. I however do recognize that the average person doesn't really take advantage of rent day to the extent credit card or BILT enthusiasts do.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards They need to throw us a bone and make the travel category all encompassing like chase that way I can use it for all my travel expenses without thinking about it.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards bilt was only competitive with other cards 12 days out of the year because of their rent day double points. With their recent bone headed nerf, after Oct 1st, its only value is points for rent. All there promos since January have sucked. It was good while it lasted. I saw the writing on the wall when they changed their loyalty tier system and complained about how easy it easy to get points after they made it easy. Ankle is too busy hiring people and buying ugly letterman jackets to care about how bad bilt is going right now.
Hahahaha. As long as there is BILT status, I will never let go of this card. If you pay rent, this is the only card that makes sense, if you dine out, there is none better.
The BILT Mastercard is by far my favorite card. Beginning October 1st, it's looking to be just another basic mid-tier travel card. Let's hope that Ankur has a few tricks up his sleeves and that BILT is going to preserve elevated rent day transfer boosts. Be sure to click the join button to become a member at just 99 cents a month to receive tailored and first take content.
However, there is no need to jump out the window. Before you potentially go off on this BILT change, which is big, compare this card WITHOUT rent day against the Chase Sapphire Preferred and tell me why the Sapphire Preferred is better.
Richard Kerr is the one who runs the rewards program.
I agree that Bilt card is better overall than the Sapphire Preferred, which is why I have the former and not the latter. However, there are several ways in which the Sapphire Preferred is better than the Bilt. The Sapphire Preferred has a SUB and the Bilt does not. The 2x travel category is more broad on the Sapphire Preferred than the Bilt. The Sapphire Preferred, in general, has better travel and purchase protections. Specifically, the Bilt's Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver excludes NY while the Sapphire Preferred does not. Once again, I agree that the Bilt card is the better card between the two, but it does fall short in the comparison in some important ways.
@@yurig2530 bald boy and ankle talked me into shifting all spend to my amex gold and csp
@@RSquared-travel-rewards Custom Cash is better
@@yurig2530 I know of Richard for sure. He commented on one of my vids. But gonna start at the top.
This is exactly why consumers shouldn’t buy into the hype by cc RUclips. Do your own research and make decisions about cc that are right for you. I never allowed anyone to entice me about the Bilt Mastercard or the Amex GMO gold card.
I'm not sure why you've taken such a position. I say it like it is. If there is value, I tell folks what I see. If there is no value I say that too. The card is a free card and is still the best mid-tier travel car out there and it is still the #1 rent card. I'm calling out an elite benefit for credit card enthusiasts because the average person is not impacted by this change in how they use the Bilt card.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards by 2029 Wells Fargo and Bilt may part ways since there’s been reports out that Wells is loosing millions monthly. The Bilt Mastercard won’t even be around to long.
@@RSquared-travel-rewardsSir, you overhyped the BILT card and exaggerated its value and it's clear to me now I'm not the only one who saw this.
Did you ever disclose how much in affiliates referrals and commissions BILT pays or potentially pays you? I think it would be in everyone's best interest if you did.
@@Re3iRtH Yes, and there's been reports that Wells and Bilt may even part ways by 2029 since wells was reported to be loosing millions in revenue from consumers primarily using the card for rent and aren't carrying a balance.
@@Re3iRtH hmmm. Thanks for sharing your thoughts regarding overhyped and exaggeration. I 100% disagree because I've gotten tons of real value by exploiting "holes" within BILT. I'll just say this once. I'm not part of any affiliate program with any credit card company and certainly not with BILT. I'm a traveler who looks for opportunities whenever there are cracks within credit cards and I share my findings. I share the good, the bad and the ugly. I've been able to amass tons of points with BILT because of their elevated multipliers on rent day along with their transfer boosts. I share so that if there are any likeminded folks, they too can exploit any cracks. We all know that cracks are ultimately closed so my goal is to ride it until it ends.
If you don't find value in anything that I share then my expectation is that you'll ignore. But I walk the walk and only discuss what I have experience with because I believe that if I'm going to talk about something, I ought to have experience with it. So there you have it. I'm not going to engage in rounds of conversation on this but now you know where I stand.
Of course 2 weeks after I get the card
Don't despair! It's still the #1 for rent and there are still other rent day perks. For those who don't own the Amex Gold card, this is the only dining card one should use.
I'm in the same boat Enygma. Stinks.
2 months after I got the card, they parted ways from American airlines
Didn’t they say that starting October 1st they won’t award us points paid by tax?
I believe that the restriction is on Rent Day bonus points associated with taxes. Paying for taxes on regular days should earn the standard 1X.
There will be more nerfs with the card upcoming. If you already have the card ride it out and enjoy.....but the card is honestly numbered. I feel like bilt knew this. Come in strong to gain traffic then fizzle out remaining with that traiffic.......
If it stays like this, it's still the #1 mid-tier travel, dining AND rent card. I hope they don't touch the annual fee. I'd still keep it at $95 for rent alone.
@@RSquared-travel-rewardsthe issue is that its not staying like this. I have already predicted these changes even before the wsj article Me and Matt clausin use to have full on debates about this card (btw shout out to matt) I was telling him the same thing months ago. In the next coming years bilt will be losing key transfer partners, stripping more benifits, and by the end of its wells partnership the card will be cut. I said all of this like 7 months ago due to me digging into the companies buisness practices, Its a numbered product thats on the chopping block. Midtier cards like autograph journey, CSP, citi CSP. Are all safer options & won't be at any risk of its benefits being chopped in the distant future......
Bilt is dumb alot of people are going to stop using their card and people are just going to go back to putting everything on amex,chase,Capitol one, moves like this are what separate the big boys from the little ones
Hahaha. Can't believe you said that. BILT still has the best transfer partners and there are still status perks. Double points was a next level benefit which made it by far the best travel card in its category. Renters will continue to use the card because that only makes sense.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards Not for long, and only unique partner is Alaska.
@@yurig2530 Yurig, you don't have to love the card but objectively, you must admit that it is powerful for a $0 AF card. It's as though you're rooting for its demise. I don't get that. Why would we not want more competition. Us cardholders are the winners when that happens.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards not so powerful as Sears or Custom Cash.
The fact that you gain points from paying rent and IT WAIVES credit card transaction fees to pay the rent is enough as it is. That outweighs paying the rent with something like Chase unlimited or citi. So if rent is 2k and the transaction fee is 3% thats 60$ waived plus you gain 2k points. Not to mention the perks you can gain on mastercards travel website just by owning a bilt card with no AF. Its a steal honestly.
BILT back better! You will never see United or Hyatt transfer bonuses. Another one bites the dust! Nothing to see here anymore. Good that I never applied.
Hater 😊. This card is still the best mid-tier travel card and still beats the Sapphire Preferred.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards Mid tier is usually $95 AF, this is a low tier card. The best travel card I would say are Altitude Reserve, Ink Preferred, Citi Premier, Citi Prestige.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards CSP is meh. I like CIP, USBAR CSP (Citi) or Prestige.
Starting to think it might be wise to not let bilt points sit around for too long but hurry up and transfer them to say hyatt before they nerf the transfer partners too
I might make another video. This one was my initial reaction and really targeted at folks in the credit card game. I don't want folks to panic. For instance, when they dropped American Airlines, they gave us about 6months notice. Since dropping AA, they picked up Alaska and Hilton, so Ankur and team are always looking for ways to innovate.
I was waiting for you to cover these changes lol
I have to bring you the unfiltered good and bad. Keeping it real here 😊
Awww. Nothing good last forever Richard! Time for you to uncover great new setups that I can vicariously live through. 😂
I waiting to see what's coming next and to see what I will get out of BILT Platinum status.
Marriott & Delta on the horizon 🤣
Thanks for posting this Richard! I haven't seen the BILT email yet - likely because I am a lowly Blue member 2-3 weeks in. This really stinks. I was looking forward to changing up my spending for earning valuable Hyatt points. Looks like my expectations are diminished. Sad.
So your plan was to put large spend on the card on rent day? If that wasn't your plan, you're not impacted.
Not a ton ($10k), but definitely more than $1k. I can still put the $1k on there, but it puts a damper on my plan. @@RSquared-travel-rewards
@@RSquared-travel-rewardsDo you know if (and what triggers) short periods of higher rewards (5x)?
@@jeremycain2491 to my knowledge, there is no shorter periods of higher rewards beyond the your initial sign up and rent day. The exception is Bilt dining which can change anytime for a particular restaurant.
@@jeremycain2491 to my knowledge, there is no shorter periods of higher rewards beyond the your initial sign up and rent day. The exception is Bilt dining which can change anytime for a particular restaurant.
Great reaction, it was one of the biggest perks of this program. It’s a big nerf.
They essentially capped the power users.
But like you, time to see what I can move spend to for Aug 1st and Sept 1st
This will mean nothing for the average user or that user who only thinks of the card as a rent card. They better not touch status! You were the first to make sure I get this out. I was going to wait to put out a larger video so thanks for following the channel.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards No worries, thanks for the quick reaction, I love it! I always enjoy your videos more than other channels because you "put your points where your mouth is" lol
Plus seeing you actually travel, inspires me to want to do the same. Keep up the great work!
Heads up: Wells fargo and Bilt's phone customer service have similar strategies, transfer you between departments until you hangup 😐 good card if you don't need to speak with someone
That's true for many people I know, unfortunately.
It's a challenge because there are two companies trying to get work seamlessly. However, the BILT AI powered chat is the best I've seen in the credit card market to date.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards I can give an example of Bilt service craziness. I needed to change my phone number. The steps:
1 - try on app. Forwarded to chat on app
2 - tried chat on app. Forwarded to web chat
3 - tried web chat. Was told I would receive an email
4 - received email, had to schedule my own appointment to talk to them
5 - scheduled call and waited. Call required verification of info
6 - agent sent another email confirming I wanted to update my phone number. Responded to confirm
7 - Agent changed phone number and responded
Except I asked the chat bot about this transfer cap and it promised me 2,000 additional points on rent day dining after October 1 (after the first 3x) lol. I even had it repeat itself to be abundantly clear. I screenshot all of it and told Bilt they have to honor their representative’s promises, but so far they have turned me down… what’s the point of honor from a CEO with a move like dropping this tidbit in an email footnote.
@@jarete.1491 that's too funny. Yes, the chatbot doesn't speak to upcoming changes. It also does make mistakes from time to time. I've gotten it in the past to indicate that I would receive over 10K bonus points on rent day. However, I do phrase my questions and add a clarifying question to ensure that I'm comfy with the results.
I don’t spend that much on rent day on this card so this isn’t a big deal for me
Rent is not impacted and the regular multipliers are not impacted as well.
We are about to upload a similar video to this! Good review!
Thanks for watching but I'm confused when you say that you're about to upload a similar video. About credit cards or cars?
If that was just a "note" I would hate to see what he/Bilt thinks is a major change. That wasn't a note it was an insult to our intelligence. I can't blame your break down of maximizing the Bilt dinning. What I see is Bilt playing the what I call the "ghost credit" game. You how AMEX loads a ton of so-called credits on like the Platinum card, but to use them would be very difficult or it would cost you way more in spend. However AMEX gets to claim how MUCH credits are loaded on the Platinum as advertisement, but in reality they're ghost credits. Bilt was advertising how great the dinning was over 1000 points, but now that more people are able to or are aware of how to maximize the credit, they don't want to play anymore. I am proud of you man, keep up the great work.
I hear ya. Thanks for the thoughtful response. I get credit cards for the benefits. If I can use the credits easily then that's the cherry on top.
Does rent count towards the 1,000 point limit ? Looking to apply for this card to pay rent.
It's now a dining and rent card mostly. If you pay rent, this is the perfect card. The change has nothing to do with rent. ruclips.net/video/XocgnIm9Zq0/видео.htmlsi=GmHTS7F5Cfjcu7Xx
@@RSquared-travel-rewards I seen after I commented lol. Idk why people are so upset if you pay rent it’s still a great card IMO. I think the people upset about it are the ones who were abusing the system, they are the reason CCs get nerfed in the first place.
@@jeohvanydelgado7125 I'm one of those who like to stack points so I happily put a lot of spend on Rent day. However, I was an avid user of the card across the board. Not just on rent day. It is still the best card for rent and it's by far the best no-annual fee travel card.
What is the credit shifu, Mark Reese and other influencers going to pitch now!
I have a small channel but I'm one of the loudest BILT voices so not really fair to throw Mark & Ben under the bus. I talked honestly about BILT and I always showed the value I got from the card. I try to be balance so I also talk about the downside of certain cards. I also walk the walk in that I don't talk about credit cards that I do not own personally.
Kind of wishing I did not waste one of my 5/24 slots on the card now.
Jeffrey, were you stacking points on rent day
@@RSquared-travel-rewards I have only had the card for 1 rent day and the initial day it came. Both times I used it to get the multiplier. One time to book a trip to Vegas so it was very close to the 10K point max.
@@jeffreybacot I think that I'll have to make a Chase video and make it clear that for those following my channel, that I care very little about Chase 5/24. I recognize that Chase has value, but I still need to make it clear that I essentially don't think much about chase. The funny thing is that whenever I've applied for a Chase card, I've always gotten them because I wait for reports that Chase appears to have relaxed their rules.
Life's too short so I refuse to sit around and dictate my card acquisition around chase. Your boy needs to travel, and it shall not be dictated by Chase.
I think it should be pointed out that the double points on rent day is "not over" as you mentioned in the video it's just capped. It might be over for how YOU use it's but not in general.
Given that most of the folks who watch my channel are interested in stacking points, it's essentially over. However I agree with your sentiment. The card is still the best mid-tier travel card. It continues to better than the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
I don't rent so I never applied but this is a sad news. Ive been trying to decide if I want the card on the sidelines but I feel like it's too late now. I shoulda listened to you when you said I should get one lol. Still BILT points are valuable in my opinion as long as they have Hyatt and Alaska. And if you have status with them.
@@kevinManhattan if you're not renting, I no longer recommend it because stacking isn't too rewarding now on rent day. It's essentially a card for renters and those who want a consistent 6X on dining if they're in a BILT city.
Bilt is a tough one, no sign up bonus, capped rent day. If you’re not a renter it’s tough to build points on this one.
If you're not a renter, you'd need to live in a BILT city to consistently take advantage of 6X on dining. Pound for pound, it's a tiny bit better than the Sapphire Preferred.
dang that sucks! I know you probably get no less than 5-10x that on rent day. I can kind of understand why they do it, but even I usually get 2k points on rent day without really trying too hard. can't imagine that too many people really maxed this out unlike the 1-2% of enthusiasts.
I agree that only a tiny fraction of folks push the envelope on rent day which is why I surprised that BILT made changes at all. They obviously have the numbers and made a business call. I've asked them to consider making the rent day cap as follows.
Platinum 7.5K
Gold 5K
Silver 2.5K
Blue 1K
Noooooo
Thanks for the bombshell! Great video!
Thanks for watching.
I’ve been riding the Chase Freedom Unlimited double points for a year, and that also expires in October. So really, I never got to truly appreciate the Bilt Rent Day joy. I was really looking forward to it. Now it’s just a card that I may or may not keep. I own my home, but put HOA fees on it. I guess that’s better than a poke in the eye, but I still need to swipe it 5 times.
@Richard_Bullwinkle ,Can you provide a source for the Freedom Unlimited double points ending in October? Is that date for you specifically or the whole program? I got one of those cards in December 2023 and I want to make sure it gets double points for the entire year.
@@ronburn It was one year from date of issue. I got mine October 20. So that date is personal to me.
And I have CRUSHED that card! 😂
@@Richard_Bullwinkle Except for a SUB on another card or two, I've been using that card for almost all of my family's spending. I'm looking forward to seeing how many points I have at the end of that promotion!
@@ronburnMe too!
Hey RS , I noticed something really crazy.. I have a Bonvoy Boundless and Bilt card. Im comparing the same hotel bookings with points and Marriott can be more than twice as much points for a stay. What do I do? I may have to add another card for hotel or an Amex card or ditch Marriott all together for their cheap points. What do you think brother?
Hmmm. It's always a personal decision on whether or not to acquire or close a card because personal situations are often different. However, my strategy is to have more hotel stay options and not less where I can unlock status perks whenever available. I'm now deep into both Marriott and Hilton. I personally wouldn't consider ditching Marriott. I was just in Vegas this past weekend and stayed at a property though I often sing the praises of the Hilton Aspire card and Hilton status.
BILT is consistent with its 1.25 cpp redemption rate when booking travel so that's an ok option when you cannot find a better deal when booking direct. However, that supports my approach of having more hotel options and not fewer which allows me to shop around for the best deal.
So my approach is - the more stay options the better; manage your annual fees; only get cards that work for you and not for others.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards Thanks, i just came back from Vegas 2 weeks ago. I stayed at Aria. I totally understand. I just wished it was easier to find deals .Thanks
@@1stoptech We would have been neighbors. I stayed at Cosmopolitan. Deals? That's a full-time job but that's why we're in the game. We check, and check, and check then pounce. Enjoy the hunt.
Even Amex has to put a cap on dining. What make Bilt thinks it can sustain this? There ARE people who wine and dine guest for $10,000 A DAY, like high net worth clients.
Perhaps it works so they are now dialing it back or they are hemorrhaging. Either way, it definitely wasn't sustainable so I expect they always had a time line in mind.
If someone with Amex wines and dines a client for $10,000 per day, they’re likely just going to put that on the business gold card now, which has no cap and gets the same 4x on dining if that’s one of the top 2 spend categories.
@@jarete.1491 Yup! $333 is the magic number. Above that, it's a 3X card.
This would make getting status harder.
The easiest way to status is with non-rent spend so technically this doesn't change things. However a person might choose to spend less on rent day because they wanted double multipliers. If they spend with the regular multipliers, it doesn't change getting to status.
So this doesn’t cap my Rent points at $1k? That’s really all I care about since my rent is over $1k
It's covered in the video. Minute 4:30
ruclips.net/user/clipUgkx3Y7TeoTWZJG-CQqkIfj4XuXGG3AN8bKd?si=oaYwrumZh-B5qGOR
Kinda glad I didn’t use a 5/24 slot on this card.
It's still the best rent card and it still beats the Chase Sapphire preferred!
@@RSquared-travel-rewards CSP has a an entire ecosystem behind it making it a better card. Bilt has…Rent day. Stop man smh
Next step should be removing all transfers partners.
@@tarrius1210 We're obviously worlds apart with the BILT card. Last year alone, I received around 100K+ in bonus miles just by transferring out to airline partners on rent day using the 125% perk. This has nothing to do with the regular or elevated multipliers I received on rent day. If you purchase travel within the chase portal you get a 25% perk with the CSP, I will take 125% every time. All the other travel cards are good but I will always take advantage of said perk until BILT ends it. I can't get such value from any other travel card.
Ok, Time to move spend. That was just too dramatic of a change 3000 Maybe but 1000 Nahhh
@@1stoptech exactly I rather put the charges on my amex I'm only paying rent and phonebill with this card now and 3 other food purchases and then back to using my amex full time again
They should just say no more rent day double points because it will be misleading given that most folks will not know that there's a cap.
No way I will get this card. I was considering it to load $3333 on dining every rent day, but with 1000 extra points? Meh! I don't have rent or mortgage.
Had you started when I told you to, you would have amassed a ton of points. Stop sleeping on cards when I recommend them Yuri 😂
@@RSquared-travel-rewards no, it would have been a loss of Chase slot. First they disabled Curve, now that. Good that I decided not to apply. Doesn't make any sense for me, especially now
That's 💩💩💩 Thanks for the heads up on this + video!
Maybe I'll chat with Ankur and have him change his mind.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards 🤣🤣🤣
My landlord only accepts cash.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 keeping it simple. A BILT check is as good as cash. You and your landlord need to have a conversation that they ought to take checks.
I am still on Team SUB so not affected by BILT
Stop missing out 🤣
Big nerf and bummer.
So bizarre that they added it as a footnote-like note. I however do recognize that the average person doesn't really take advantage of rent day to the extent credit card or BILT enthusiasts do.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards They need to throw us a bone and make the travel category all encompassing like chase that way I can use it for all my travel expenses without thinking about it.
bilt is slowly dying lol thats what they deserve for taking everything cool they did away
We want more competition, not less. The more competition the better for us card holders.
@@RSquared-travel-rewards bilt was only competitive with other cards 12 days out of the year because of their rent day double points. With their recent bone headed nerf, after Oct 1st, its only value is points for rent. All there promos since January have sucked. It was good while it lasted. I saw the writing on the wall when they changed their loyalty tier system and complained about how easy it easy to get points after they made it easy. Ankle is too busy hiring people and buying ugly letterman jackets to care about how bad bilt is going right now.
good! It's ruining the game for everyone. Good that it's nerfed
Hahahaha. As long as there is BILT status, I will never let go of this card. If you pay rent, this is the only card that makes sense, if you dine out, there is none better.
What do you do for bro? Every video you’re in a different country lol
Regular Joe here who just happens to love to travel!
Such a great card, sad to see is getting nerf. Thanks for the update.🫵
Thanks for checking out the video Cesar.