Bilt Adds a 25th(!) Transfer Partner
This is the March 29, 2026 edition of the LazyPoints Weekly newsletter. It goes out by email every Sunday at 8:00 a.m. Pacific–unless I oversleep–and is archived here on the blog. Want it straight to your inbox each week? Sign up here.
Bilt just added yet another new transfer partner: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. More choices are always welcome, but with so many superstar redemption options available with Bilt, this is probably one you can safely ignore.
How valuable are Wyndham Rewards points?
Wyndham points are worth about 0.7¢ according to mostestimates, which matches my experience. That’s well below some of Bilt’s best alternatives, like portal redemptions for 1.25¢ per point and transfers to Alaska, Hyatt, and JAL where values can reach even higher. So transfers to Wyndham will rarely offer good value.
There are a few niche situations where Wyndham points can shine. The program has a couple of unique features that differentiate it from the competition. Pricing is based on hotel category, and there are only three pricing bands (7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points per night) with no dynamic variation. And pricing is per bedroom, not by room type.
That means you can potentially get a nicer, higher-occupancy room (e.g. a one-bedroom suite with a sofa bed) on a peak demand night when other, more dynamically-priced programs or cash prices could be higher. That could be a solid option, especially for bigger groups like families or for pricier dates like special events. Even then, though, I wouldn’t expect outsize value from Wyndham points.
There’s a Rent Day transfer bonus! Is it worth it?
Does a transfer bonus change that picture? Wednesday, April 1st is Rent Day, which means double points on Bilt card spending (up to 1,000 bonus points), a bunch of assorted experiences and offers, and a big transfer bonus: 25-125% on transfers to Wyndham, depending on Bilt status and whether or not Bilt Cash is redeemed.
But even with the maximum 125% Wyndham bonus, I would still rather save my points for Bilt’s other redemption options. I get more value from Bilt’s other partners, so I don’t want to burn points needlessly—especially knowing that a Rent Day bonus to a stronger partner could be right around the corner.
Lazy Take 🦥
Not all transfer partners are created equal. For most transferrable rewards, there are a few superstar redemption options to be aware of, while the rest merely add niche use cases at the fringes—and can be ignored if you’re lazy. Adding Wyndham means more options and could help out in a pinch, so it’s still a value-add for Bilt customers. But if you ignore this addition, you’re not missing much.
This week on the blog 📝
Speaking of Bilt transfer partners, I finished my lazy reviews of the legacy carriers’ frequent flyer programs by looking at United MileagePlus, a program that can be rewarding for big spenders looking for premium redemptions, but has few opportunities for great value on economy flights.
Quick Points of the Week ⚡
New products & features 🆕
See point transfer options when booking with Bilt. Bilt is now partnering with Points Path for a booking interface that will show you (a) the cash price, (b) the cost in Bilt points, and (c) the number of points needed to book by transferring points to a Bilt partner. Bilt also plans to add features like award alerts. This could be a big deal for lazy travelers: a way to get more value from your Bilt points through its transfer partnerships when possible without running separate searches or paying for third-party services. (Bilt)
Use your dining credits more easily. MealMaxxer is a new tool to help you find restaurants that are eligible for credit card benefits like the Amex Resy credit. (Frequent Miler)
United’s premium push. Announcements include new Polaris suites, lie-flat seats dedicated to domestic routes, “couch-style” economy seating, and even fancy regional jets. United clearly wants to capture all that premium demand in the market right now.
Extra points 🪙
300 easy AA miles (targeted). Check your app, you might be able to get miles just for turning on notifications. (OMAAT)
Lazy Tip 🦥
Opt-in to TSA Touchless ID. After seeing a bunch of people breeze past me at the security checkpoint last week, I realized I needed to make sure I had Touchless ID activated for all my future travels. You’ll need TSA PreCheck, a passport, and to opt in through your airline. I opted in with every airline I fly with. Here are airline-specific instructions for Alaska, American, Delta, United, and Southwest.
Sign up bonus of the week 🎯
Links marked with an * are affiliate or referral links, meaning we may earn if you apply via our link.
This week, I want to circle back to the Delta Gold card from Amex, which is offering 90,000 SkyMiles — 70,000 after spending $3,000 in the first 6 months, then 20,000 more after spending $2,000 more, also in the first six months. That offer ends this week, on April 1st.
I’ve been recommending this card left and right—my mom just got one last week—and the more I’ve thought about it, the more I think it could be the best combination of value and simplicity for a premium travel card with an annual fee under $200. There are a few reasons for this.
First, SkyMiles are wonderful. Not if you want the instagrammable business class seat, but if you want to fly to Europe or Asia and struggle to afford to do so with cash, Delta miles can make those international trips attainable. Just this past week, I got Thrifty Traveler alerts for round-trip flights to Hong Kong or Taipei for 30-40k SkyMiles (26-34k with a Delta card) plus $40-80 in fees. That included over 100 departure points, including Appleton, Medford, and Traverse City. With the right deal, the bonus alone could mean an international trip for a family of three.
Second, the card is fairly simple. There is a $150 fee that is waived in the first year, and the benefits include an easy-to-use $100 annual credit toward Delta Stays, plus airline benefits like a free checked bag and priority boarding. Although that’s an annual net cost of $50, that’s typical for cards in this tier. And because the annual fee is waived the first year, you have a long runway to come out ahead.
Third, the card offers a $200 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 in a calendar year. That’s only about $1,100 per month in spending for the rest of 2026, and about $830 per month in spending annually after that—fairly attainable figures if the card is your primary spending card. If you can earn and use that credit, it becomes one of the most rewarding cards in this tier.
There are some downsides, though. The earning rates on spending are modest: 2x on Delta purchases, dining, and U.S. supermarkets, and 1x on all other purchases, so it may take quite a bit of spending to earn enough for an award flight, even with Delta’s occasionally deep discounts. It is also an American Express card, so acceptance is lower than Visa or Mastercard, which matters more if it’s your only card. And it offers fewer protections than some other cards. The Chase Sapphire Preferred, for example, offers benefits like trip and baggage delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, and travel accident insurance that the Delta Gold doesn’t offer.
Still, if I could only have one, non-premium credit card, this is the one I would choose right now.
Other great sign-up bonuses this week
50,000 points+ $300 Bilt Cash + Bilt Gold status on the Bilt Palladium (our take: 🔥🔥🔥🔥)
70-125k points on Delta co-branded cards (our take: 🔥🔥🔥 for the Gold) ends April 1
125k pointson the Chase Sapphire Reserve*(our take: 🔥🔥🔥)
175k points on the Hilton Aspire (our take: 🔥🔥) ends April 15
200k points on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (our take: 🔥🔥)
70-130k points + free night on the Hilton Honors/Surpass (our take: 🔥) ends April 15
75k points on the Chase Sapphire Preferred* (our take: 🔥)
75k points + $250 travel credit on the Capital One Venture Rewards (our take: 🔥)
60k points on the no-fee Choice Privileges Mastercard (our take: 🔥)
70k points on the JetBlue Plus (our take: 🔥)
Up to 100/175k on the Amex Gold/Platinum (our take)
Lazy Pick ✅ (Referral)
Last chance for $50 via Rakuten. March 31st is the last day to sign up for the Rakuten shopping portal to get $50 cash back after spending $50 in the first 90 days after signing up. That’s the best ever sign-up offer, although I suspect we will see it again in 2026. Rakuten is my default shopping portal—I use the Safari extension to get a heads up when cashback is available—and I prefer it because I can get my rewards in Bilt or Amex points. But there are other options, and for big purchases I always recommend looking for the best deal on an aggregator like Cashback Monitor. (If you use my link, I’ll also earn cash back. Thanks for your support!)
Enjoy the weekend! 🦥
Here’s hoping for a speedy end to TSA delays—here are a few tips if you get stuck in one.