More Bilt 2.0 News
Tl;dr: Bilt 2.0 is coming in Feb 2026, with a new issuer and a 3-card lineup. One could become the new best no-fee card on the market. Also: Citi’s 80k AA bonus might fly you to Japan.
Story of the Week: Bilt 2.0 Coming February 2026
Turns out building the best rewards system in the industry pays off: Bilt is now valued at over $10 billion. 📈 They released a state-of-the-company email this week discussing their success so far and plans for further world domination, including upcoming developments in their credit card portfolio (which accounts for a surprisingly small 15% share of their rent-paying members).
Longtime readers (both of you—hi!) know I love the Bilt Mastercard—and I’m cautiously optimistic about what ‘Bilt 2.0’ might bring. This week’s release added or confirmed a few details about the changes for those of us that have or want a Bilt credit card:
The new cards will launch in February 2026
Cardless (yes, they issue physical cards 🤔) will replace Wells Fargo as the issuer
There will be three products: a no-fee, a $95-fee, and a $495-fee card
More details will roll out as we get closer to the February launch. Bilt floated some possibilities back in February, and some were quite promising. Those included a no-fee card that earns 1.5x on all purchases and a $95-fee card that maintains the current card’s 3x on dining and 2x on travel.
If that no-fee 1.5x card comes to pass, it could pair brilliantly with an Alaska or Hyatt-focused strategy. Meanwhile, the $95 version could topple the Sapphire Preferred—especially if it matches Chase’s travel and purchase protections.
Beyond the cards themselves, Bilt will plans to offer points on new categories in the coming months, including mortgages and student housing.
Quick Points of the Week ⚡
Major news 🚨
Keep your shoes on. TSA will no longer require people to remove their shoes while going through the regular airport security line. Finally. 👟
Change your Alaska password. Frequent Miler reports an uptick in hacked accounts.
Extra points 🪙
Staying at a Hilton before the end of September? Get 750 Qatar Airways Avios (which can be transferred to other Avios-based rewards programs like British Airways). Just remember to set your preferred airline partner to Qatar and enter your frequent flyer number.
Have a United credit card? You may be able to get bonus points for paying with a digital wallet. Awardwallet has more.
What about a Delta card? You can get up to 6x miles at gas stations with a summer offer. (If it works; I keep getting an error message. 😤)
Shopping for a mortgage? Earn 50k precious Alaska miles for a new mortgage or refinance via Rate.com. Frequent Miler has details, and an important reminder that those points are definitely not worth overpaying for a bad mortgage.
Sign-up bonus of the week 🎯
This week, I’m highlighting the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select
Citi.com
Citi is currently offering 80,000 AA miles after spending $3,500 in purchases in the first four months. This is the best-ever offer on this card and well above the typical 50-60k base offer, although 75k-mile offers come around pretty frequently, in my experience. I just hopped onto the AA website and within 5 minutes I found flights from both the West (SFO) and East (IAD) coasts to Japan for 70k miles round trip. So this single offer could probably net you a free flight to Asia, and maybe even multiple flights to other international destinations if you use your miles wisely.
The card itself is nothing special; with only 2x points, and only on gas and dining, you can earn more rewards with another card no matter what you’re spending on. There are no credits to offset the $99 annual fee, so you’ll have to pay to hold the card unless you get real value from the free checked bag benefit. And if you are chasing AA elite status, the card does earn Loyalty Points. In all, this probably isn’t a keeper card for most people, but as a vehicle for an easy, low-cost flight to a far flung destination, this offer is excellent.
Other great current bonuses
100k + $500 on the Chase Sapphire Reserve (our take)
175k points on the Hilton Aspire (our review)
50k points on the Mesa Homeowner’s Card (our take)
80-100k miles on Delta cards (our take)
75k miles on the Chase Sapphire Preferred (our hot take 🔥)
Up to 100k on the Amex Gold (including via referral link) (our take)
Up to 175k points on the Amex Platinum
$250 on the Amazon Prime Visa (our take)
5 free nights with the IHG Premier (our take)
Enjoy the weekend! 🦥
Don’t lose too much sleep dreaming about Bilt 2.0 💭