Bilt Adds Equinox Spa Credits — Could Amex Platinum Unlock Bilt Cash Without Paying For The Gym?

Bilt and Equinox have launched a partnership that brings Equinox into the Bilt app. Members can join Equinox, link and manage an existing membership, browse clubs and class schedules, book spa appointments and redeem Bilt Cash for spa treatments, personal training and Studio Pilates. Equinox is also integrated into the Bilt Neighborhood Concierge. Members can ask it to find a nearby club, sign them up for membership or book bodywork, skincare and specialty spa treatments without moving between apps. New Equinox members joining through Bilt can choose one initial bonus on top of new member benefits Equinox otherwise offers: 10,000 Bilt pointscomplimentary 60-minute personal training sessioncomplimentary 50-minute spa service There’s also a “Bilt for the Committed” promotion running through the end of 2026. Each Equinox club check-in earns one sweepstakes entry, limited to one per day, with the running total displayed in the Bilt Wallet. On the first of each month, one member wins a month of rent and a month of Equinox dues, while ten others receive their choice of a spa treatment or personal training session. The most interesting piece, though, is the new use for Bilt Cash. Bilt allows Bilt Cash redemption into Equinox account credit, with limits based on Bilt status. Bilt status Maximum per six-month period Maximum per year Blue $75 $150 Silver $100 $200 Gold $150 $300 Platinum $150 $300 There is one redemption opportunity from January through June and another from July through December. Once converted, the Equinox credit expires at the end of the six-month period even if it was redeemed shortly before then. Credits can be used for The Spa at Equinox, personal training or Studio Pilates. They cannot be used for membership dues, retail, juice bar or cafe purchases. Bilt Points cannot be used for spa appointments. Since this launched in August, members only have the second-half 2026 credit available now. It expires December 31. The Catch: Bilt Says You Need An Equinox Membership Earning and redeeming rewards for an exercise class isn’t my core use case. I didn’t care much about the American Express Platinum Card’s $300 Equinox credit either. Officially that pays for an expensive Equinox club membership or an Equinox+ digital subscription. But the more interesting use was Equinox spas which are open to nonmembers, and spa purchases have sometimes triggered the Platinum Card’s Equinox statement credit. Members would enroll in the American Express benefit, start an Equinox+ trial, book a massage and have the spa charge the Platinum Card stored in the account. When the transaction was processed in the same way as other Equinox charges, American Express reimbursed it. This was never a published use of the credit and it has been inconsistent. It seems that some location and transaction descriptions work while others do not. There are, however, still successful 2026 reports. There’s never any guarantee a given transaction will work or keep working. Bilt explicitly allows its credit to be used for spa treatments, personal training and Pilates. But its terms require an “active Equinox member in good standing” to convert Bilt Cash. The Bilt and Equinox accounts must be linked. Any Bilt member can book an Equinox spa appointment through the Bilt app without an Equinox membership. They just cannot, according to the published terms, use Bilt Cash to pay for it. Could An Amex-Funded Equinox+ Account Unlock Bilt Cash? Since this is new, we don’t know how this is going to work yet. (And even if Bilt says it works one way, we’ll need to see if data points are actually more generous.) American Express will reimburse an Equinox+ digital subscription. Bilt’s terms say that the member must have an active “Equinox membership.” They don’t actually say it has to be an active Equinox club membership. If Bilt’s system recognizes an Equinox+ digital subscriber as an active Equinox member, this could work: Enroll in the American Express Platinum Equinox benefit and start an Equinox+ subscription. Link the Equinox+ and Bilt accounts, preferably using the same email address. See whether the Equinox credit redemption appears in the Bilt Wallet. Convert Bilt Cash into an Equinox credit. Use the credit for an eligible spa treatment—and perhaps personal training or Studio Pilates where access permits. A seven-day Equinox+ trial should be enough to test whether Bilt’s system recognizes digital membership, without first paying for anything. If the redemption appears, the American Express credit could fund or offset the continuing Equinox+ subscription while Bilt Cash pays for ancillary services. If it doesn’t appear, Bilt is checking for paid club membership rather than simply an active Equinox account. The Bilt frequently asked questions distinguishes between Equinox members, who can redeem Bilt Cash, and nonmembers, who can merely book spa appointments. But the ultimate question is how the account-linking technology is programmed. Someone with an enrolled American Express Platinum Card and an Equinox+ account should be able to answer it simply by linking that account to Bilt and checking whether the redemption is offered. Topics on this page