Bilt Adds Free BLADE Helicopter Ride For Platinum Members
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Bilt Rewards announced late last year that they were shaking up their elite status going forward. At the same time, they announced that they would be adding benefits along the way for those that held or earned elite status. True to their word, they announced Bilt Milestone Rewards where members can earn a bit more on top of existing benefits. A few months later, they adding Flying Blue Gold status as a benefit for Bilt Platinum Members. And now, they’ve added another benefit for elite members, including a pretty special one for Bilt Platinum members.
Bilt Announces New Partnership With BLADE
BLADE has been providing helicopter rides, mostly in the NYC area, for about a decade now. They forged a partnership with United Airlines a number of years ago and I was invited to test out a ride from Newark Airport into NYC. Alas, clouds got in my way the day of my test flight and I never got to experience. With Bilt’s new BLADE partnership, it looks likely I’ll get that helicopter ride after all. Let’s break it down:
Bilt elite members save on BLADE: All Bilt elite members (Silver, Gold and Platinum) save 10% when they book any Blade flight.
Earn bonus points on BLADE spend: Charge your BLADE ride on a credit card linked to your Bilt account and earn 2 bonus points per dollar on all spending. To be clear, you don’t need the Bilt credit card. Just link the credit card you plan to charge your BLADE trip in your Bilt wallet and you’ll earn the bonus points (along with whatever points you earn normally on that card).
FREE BLADE flight for Platinum members: I’m pretty psyched about this. Each year that a Bilt member qualifies for Platinum status they’ll receive a free BLADE trip. Since BLADE rides are almost $200, this is a really nice added benefit. And, flying over Manhattan sounds pretty freaking cool!
Access to BLADE lounges: Gold and Platinum members receive free access to BLADE lounges.
The Final Two Pennies
I continue to hear from friends who are really smart when it comes to leveraging miles and points, asking about Bilt. They don’t quite get it at first. But, once they break down the math on the massive transfer bonuses that Bilt has been offering periodically, the light clicks on. It seems the initial confusion is in the fact that Bilt is an incredible program if you rent your primary residence. Folks who own their home think the product isn’t for them. But, a no-annual fee credit card that earns the same as other top cards like Chase Sapphire Preferred, actually outperforms because of all these other benefits. And, it has no annual fee.
When you add in new benefits such as Flying Blue Gold status, and now a free helicopter ride, earning Platinum status makes a ton of sense. You can also link other credit cards in your Bilt wallet to speed up your progress towards elite status.
Massive transfer bonuses
Free airline elite status
Free BLADE helicopter ride
It’s really not just about rent, folks.
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