Bilt Rewards Adds Marriott As A Partner, Free Points To Link Your Account

I earn affiliate credit if you sign up for the Bilt Rewards Mastercard using links in this story.

Bilt Rewards has been on a tear in 2023 with numerous massive transfer bonuses for members to take advantage of.  Where elite status in the Bilt Rewards program was a bit of an afterthought in 2022 they’ve crushed that philosophy this year.  On top of being the most valuable currency I collect, I’m wondering if they’re now the most valuable elite status I hold.

Earlier today Bilt announced Marriott as their newest transfer partner.  Bilt Rewards members can now transfer points on a 1:1 ratio to Marriott Bonvoy and redeem those points for free nights or any other award in Marriott’s stable.  And, Bilt Rewards members can earn 100 bonus points just for linking their Marriott account to their Bilt Rewards account.  You should do that now and take advantage of the free points.

The true power of the Bilt Rewards program is leveraging all of the other ways they have to earn points.  Don’t get me wrong, earning lucrative points on rent each month is incredible and nobody compares to Bilt there.  Bilt Mastercard holders earn two points per dollar on travel and three points on dining.  On top of that, Bilt Rewards members can earn bonus points for Lyft rides and the Bilt dining program.

For folks who hold the Bilt Mastercard, this is your reminder that you can earn double points on all categories (except rent) on the first day of every month (capped at 10,000 bonus points per month).  That means you’ll earn:

• 6 points per dollar on dining
• 4 points per dollar on travel
• 2 points per dollar on everything else (except rent)

Just Don’t….Transfer To Marriott

Here’s the thing.  I think more transfer options are better.  Marriott has a massive footprint of hotels across the world.  But, their points just aren’t worth as much as other hotel chains.  Here’s an easy example for a random date in December comparing Marriott and Hyatt award prices.  A single night at Marriott’s best hotels looks something like this:

For that same one-night stay, Hyatt’s best hotel in NYC looks like this:

Even some of Marriott’s lesser properties in NYC are much more expensive in terms of the points needed to book:

If You Really Feel The Need To Transfer To Marriott

Bilt did take a page out of the old SPG playbook when building the transfer ratio to Marriott.  If you do feel the need to transfer to Marriott, make sure you do it in increments of 20,000 Bilt Points.  When you do, you’ll get a 5,000 point bonus for each 20,000 points transferred.

Transferring Bilt Rewards points on a 1:1 ratio to Marriott clearly yields less value than transferring them to Hyatt. But, make sure you get those free points for linking. 😉

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