Bilt Rewards 200% Hilton Transfer Bonus: Should You Take Advantage Of It?
Bilt Rewards has announced the March 1st Rent Day offering. It’s a 150% bonus for regular Bilt members to Hilton Honors. For elite members of any level, the transfer bonus is 200%. That means a regular Bilt member will get 2.5 Hilton Honors points for each Bilt Rewards point transferred and anyone with Bilt elite status will get 3 Hilton Honors points per dollar. To my knowledge, this is the most generous transfer bonus offered to Hilton.
Should You Transfer Bilt Rewards Points To Hilton?
One of the most frequent questions I get in regards to the Bilt Rewards programs is whether folks should take advantage of a specific Rent Day offer. Bilt Rewards has done a great job of continuing to roll out compelling Rent Day offers. However, since my crystal ball is in the shop, we don’t know how good future bonuses will be. I think it’s important to emphasize that lack of knowledge about the future when deciding if this deal is a good one.
For regular Bilt members, I think the 150% transfer bonus is worth passing on and hoping for something better in the future. While I’m not a purist when it comes to valuing points and miles, I’d put Hilton near the bottom in terms of “value per point” and Bilt Rewards near the top. Call it half a penny for a Hilton Honors point and somewhere around 2 cents for a Bilt Rewards point. Unless you have a specific redemption in mind and this promo helps you top up, I’d consider waiting.
Part of my reasoning is that there are generally many lodging options at a destination. Between hotels, Airbnb and other vacation platforms, people have options. On the other hand, finding cheap airline tickets can be influenced heavily by how much capacity there is to a specific destination. And, airlines are more likely, IMO, to have deeper discounts at certain times of year on premium cabins. For longer flights, that can make a huge difference on how your vacation starts.
At a 200% transfer bonus (for anyone with Bilt Rewards elite status) I do think the offer can be compelling. Is it the best value you’re ever going to get for Bilt Rewards points? Probably not. But, most folks aren’t going to earn enough points and miles to be in a position to wait for the most valuable choice every time.
If you have upcoming plans, topping off your Hilton Honors account (which I might do) can be a great decision with a 200% transfer bonus. Just transferring points without a purpose may not be the best plan of action. Even if you don’t have 100% certainty around how you plan to use your points and miles, having a basic plan will help define your goals. For some folks, getting the absolute best deal is the only goal. For others, their goal may be to make sure they can take at least one vacation a year. In those cases, waiting for the absolute best value may mean not taking the trip.
Having enough points in a hotel program for your desired length of vacation is something I recommend. If you normally take a 5-day trip once a year, I think it’s a good goal to have enough points ready for that booking (or a plan to get there).
The Rest Of Rent Day
Bilt also has a number of offers on the first of each month to earn points. Most of them only require you to sign-up for a free Bilt Rewards membership.
You can play the Rent Free game show in the Bilt app, and they’ve recently added more chances to win. On top of being able to win a month’s free rent (for the top 10 scorers), the top 600 on the scoreboard will earn some bonus Bilt Rewards points.
For folks who hold the credit card, 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)
The Final Two Pennies
Hilton has hotels of all types across the world. Like Marriott, you’ll almost always find a Hilton brand of some sort wherever you travel (and usually 2 or 3). It’s easy to earn lots of Hilton points if you stay at Hilton hotels or hold one of their credit cards. If you don’t stay at Hilton properties regularly (or most of your spend goes on your Bilt card), transfer bonuses can be a good strategy for affording your next vacation.
This transfer bonus can be part of a good plan for your next vacation. If you don’t have any Hilton Honors points now, or don’t have a specific award redemption in mind, this probably isn’t the right opportunity for you.
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