More Bilt 2.0 Details
This is the January 4, 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.
Welcome to 2026! This week, I wanted to talk about what I have planned for the new year as a lazy traveler… but that would be premature, because Bilt 2.0 is just around the corner, and the new card lineup could have big implications for my Alaska Atmos-centric plans for the year.
We already knew that Bilt would offer three new cards, with $0, $95, and $495-fee options. We also know that cardmembers’ Wells Fargo accounts would be replaced with Autograph cards. We have also seen some transitions already take place, like this week’s transition from milestone rewards to Bilt Cash.
This Week, Bilt Travel GM Richard Kerr provided more details on the transition and answered some questions on Reddit (h/t FrequentMiler). Here are the key takeaways:
The new cards will be released on January 14th
Those without current Bilt cards will be able to apply then, with a hard credit pull required
Current Bilt cardmembers will have until January 30th to select a transition path:
You can choose (only) one of the new cards, and will not be able to change your selection for a year
Selecting a new card will require a soft credit pull, and will be reported as a new account on your credit report if approved
You can decline to transition to a Bilt 2.0 card
You can also decline the new Autograph card if you want to close your Wells Fargo account
You should not need to unfreeze your credit if it is frozen
The new cards can be used to pay and earn points on both mortgage and HOA payments
If you decline to transition to the new cards, you will still keep your Bilt membership, points, and status
If you like to read tea leaves, in addition to the news coming from Bilt, there have been some interesting rumors about potential details on the new cards (sign-up bonuses?); you can read some on View From the Wing and Danny the Deal Guru.
Whatever the final details are on January 14th, we’ll be reviewing them from a lazy perspective in the blog!
This week on the blog 📝
We closed out 2025 by reviewing all the changes in Japan award travel last year (spoiler alert: it’s a good time to travel to Japan with points).
I also updated our Citi Strata Premier review—it’s a much more compelling card now that Citi offers points transfer to American Airlines.
Quick Points of the Week ⚡
Outside of Bilt news, it was a quiet week.
Last chance ⏳
Capital One Venture X offer ends tomorrow. That 100,000-mile welcome offer on the Venture X ends tomorrow, January 5th. (CNBC)
Rumors 👀
Up to $400 not to cancel your Sapphire Reserve? Lots of reports suggest Chase is offering incentives to retain customers who are considering cancelling their cards—though the incentive, if any, may vary. (Thrifty Traveler)
Sign-up bonus of the Week 🎯
Nothing caught my eye this week, but the $65 Rakuten offer on the Chase Freedom Unlimited I mentioned last week appears to be down to $25. But $325 in sign-up rewards for a no-fee card with a standard offer of $200 is still solid value.
Other great current bonuses
100k points on the Capital One Venture X (our take: 🔥🔥🔥🔥) ends 1/5/26!
100k points on the Citi Strata Elite (our take: 🔥🔥🔥)
125k (175k?) points on the Chase Sapphire Reserve (our take: 🔥🔥🔥)
175k points on the Hilton Aspire (our take: 🔥🔥)
75k points on the Chase Sapphire Preferred (our take: 🔥)
$300 on the Chase Freedom Unlimited, plus cash back (our take: 🔥)
$250 gift card on the Amazon Prime Visa (our take: 🔥)
Up to 100/175k on the Amex Gold/Platinum (our take)
Enjoy the weekend! 🦥
2026 resolution: send a newsletter without mentioning Bilt or Japan. Wish me luck!