The Bilt Credit Card Authorized User Trick That Can Earn You More Rewards

Did you know that by adding authorized users to your Bilt credit card, you can potentially get a lot more value from your Bilt Cash? It’s something that I didn’t realize until now, and it really positively changes the math on the card, as I see it. For a bit of background, Bilt has a portfolio of three credit cards — the no annual fee Bilt Blue Card (learn more), $95 annual fee Bilt Obsidian Card (learn more), and $495 Bilt Palladium Card (learn more) (Rates & Fees). Spending on these cards earns Bilt points, which can be transferred to airline and hotel partners, along with other redemption options. Beyond that, though, the cards earn 4% back in the form of Bilt Cash, which can be redeemed for all kinds of other things (up to $100 of Bilt Cash earned rolls over to the next year). If you’re like me and have more Bilt Cash than you can redeem, here’s a trick that can help you get significantly more value. Bilt credit card authorized users provide rewards flexibilityHow do authorized users help with maximizing Bilt Cash value?Bottom line Personally, I have the Bilt Palladium Card, which is a card that I find to be well worth it. While I wish the card’s annual fee would be lower, earning 2x Bilt points plus 4% Bilt Cash on everyday spending is an excellent return. That Bilt Cash can not only be used to earn rewards on housing payments, but it can be redeemed for all kinds of other things as well. That brings me to a detail that I wasn’t aware of, as flagged by View from the Wing, about how you can get even more value from your card. When you add authorized users on your Bilt credit card, you can choose to accrue Bilt points or Bilt Cash in either the primary cardmember’s account or the authorized user’s account. You’ll see the option to select which account to have the rewards deposited in, and that’s based on the spending of the particular authorized user. Choose where to accrue Bilt rewards For what it’s worth, the Bilt Palladium Card has a $495 annual fee, and then you can add authorized users for $95 each. Each authorized user gets a Priority Pass membership, which in and of itself could justify that authorized user fee. But there’s a lot more upside than that… How do authorized users help with maximizing Bilt Cash value? If you have the Bilt Palladium Card and are a pretty big spender but don’t have a huge housing payment, odds are that you’ll be left with a lot more Bilt Cash at the end of the year than you know what to do with, and that some of it will expire. On the most basic level, if you have the card, you can redeem $200 in Bilt Cash for a spending accelerator, so that you earn an extra 1x points per dollar spent on the next $5,000 spent, meaning you’re earning 3x points per dollar spent. You can do that up to five times per year, for up to 25,000 bonus points, over and above the industry leading return on spending that the card offers in the first place. This applies to each account, with authorized users considered separately, assuming they’re accruing rewards in their own Bilt account. In other words, if you play your cards right and would otherwise accrue a lot of Bilt Cash, spending $95 on an authorized user could net you an extra 25,000 points per year, assuming they earn $1,000 in Bilt Cash. That’s only the tip of the iceberg, as the authorized user could also potentially earn Bilt elite status (offering perks like Flying Blue Gold status), redeem for their own Lyft and Walgreens credits, and even take advantage of their own Rent Day promotions, since there’s usually a cap on taking advantage of transfer bonuses. Admittedly there’s a bit of complexity to all of this, which is true of the Bilt ecosystem overall. But in my particular situation, there’s considerable upside. I earn a lot of Bilt Cash, Ford and I have a “shared” credit card strategy (so we can shift around spend as needed), etc. So adding an authorized user for $95, shifting some spending to that card, and then being able to unlock spending accelerators to earn an extra 25,000 points beyond what I’d otherwise earn, seems like something that’s absolutely worth it. Earn more Bilt rewards by adding authorized users Bottom line Bilt of course lets you add authorized users to credit cards, as you’d expect. What’s interesting is how authorized user rewards — both in terms of points and Bilt Cash — can be earned either by the primary cardmember or the authorized user. Given the limitations on how Bilt Cash can be redeemed, this is potentially a really useful trick. For example, if you have the Bilt Palladium Card, you can add an authorized user for $95, and then they can earn their points directly. The upside is that this resets all the limits on Bilt Cash redemptions, ranging from the spending accelerators, to improved Rent Day promotions, and more. If you’re someone who earns more Bilt Cash than you know what to do with, then there’s a lot of upside here. Of course I’ll pay an extra $95 to earn an incremental 25,000 points per year thanks to the spending accelerator, and more. Anyone taking advantage of this Bilt authorized user opportunity?