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Bilt Palladium
Giorgio Sarro
The Rich Grad Student
Bilt Palladium
Secure Application
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Learn moreQuick Info
Points Program: Bilt Rewards
Spend Requirement: $4,000 in 3 months
Why we opened it!
If you use the Bilt Palladium card strategically, it can effectively earn up to ~3.25x on nearly everything. Here’s the idea: the card earns 2x on everyday spending, and you can earn up to an additional 1.25x on your housing spend (rent or eligible HOA fees), with no fees. When your housing spend is roughly the same as your everyday spending, your blended earning rate can land around that 3.25x level, which is pretty rare in the credit card world.
Yes, the annual fee is steep, but the credits can offset a lot of it. You get up to $600 in annual credits: $400 for hotels, plus $200 you can use toward hotels or practical everyday partners like Lyft and Walgreens.
Add in Priority Pass lounge access, 1:1 Rakuten transfers, and occasional transfer bonuses, and the value stack gets even better.
RGS Value Table
| Category | Points | Value (2cpp)Base travel value | Max Value (7cpp)Optimized redemption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signup Bonus | 50,000 pointsgood | N/A | N/A |
| Annual Fee | $495 | N/A | N/A |
| Annual Credits | $600 | N/A | N/A |
| Net Annual Fee | $-105great | N/A | N/A |
| Travel | 2xgood | 4% | 14% |
| Grocery | 2xgood | 4% | 14% |
| Gas | 2xgreat | 4% | 14% |
| Dining | 2xgood | 4% | 14% |
| Pharmacy | 2xgood | 4% | 14% |
| Other Purchases | 2xrgs wallet | 4% | 14% |
| Lounge Benefits | Priority Pass with 2 guestsgood | N/A | N/A |
| Partner Benefits | Some neighborhood workout classes discounts. (Hard to get) poor | N/A | N/A |
| Misc Benefits | up to 1.25x on Rent + Double the rewards on the first of the month + No foreign transaction feesrgs wallet | N/A | N/A |
Signup Bonus
Key MetricAnnual Fee
Annual Credits
Net Annual Fee
Key MetricTravel
Key MetricGrocery
Gas
Dining
Key MetricPharmacy
Other Purchases
Lounge Benefits
Partner Benefits
Misc Benefits
Table Key:
*Point valuations shown are example redemptions; actual values vary by route, dates, and availability. Results not typical or guaranteed.
Additional Information
Use exactly up to your monthly housing spend to hit 3.25x on everything. Otherwise, use your Capital One Venture X or Chase Freedom Unlimited. The card also offers decent travel insurance. We do not recommend using it beyond the monthly spend because BILT rounds up to their advantage point decimals.
We also recommend linking BILT to Lyft, and pay with a Chase card. This will allow you to earn 7x on Lyft (5x from the Chase Sapphire Preferred and 2x from BILT). Also link your other Chase cards on BILT to earn 5x at pharmacies (3x from Chase Freedom and 2x from BILT) and 5x on dining (3x from Chase and 2x from BILT). Link BILT to Rakuten to earn points on shopping purchases (1-20X).
Personal advice only. We are not a bank, lender, or financial advisor. Offers change, and banks do not endorse this content. Always read your cardmember agreement and fee schedule before applying or using any card. Use these recommendations at your own risk. You must be 21 years or older, and this website is not intended for undergraduate students. When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, which may influence how or where these products appear. We only recommend products we genuinely believe benefit graduate students and decline offers that do not align with that goal.
