Examined Oct 2, 2026 Paid in Bilt Cash, not cash One bonus per lifetime Bilt's no-fee Blue card hands you $100 in Bilt Cash the day it opens, once in your lifetime, and gives you 30 days to complain if it does not arrive.
Bilt Cash is not cash. Bilt's card page says it spends at partner merchants such as Lyft and Walgreens, and that “Bilt Cash expires December 31st each calendar year; up to $100 carries over to the next year.” The published amount also holds only “unless you are presented with an alternate Welcome Bonus offer in the Bilt app or website.”
What pays what
| Bilt Blue Card, $0 a year, approved as the primary cardholder | $100 Bilt Cash at opening |
|---|---|
| Bilt Obsidian Card, $95 a year | $200 Bilt Cash at opening |
| Bilt Palladium Card, $495 a year | $300 Bilt Cash at opening |
| Palladium, plus $4,000 of everyday spend posted within 90 days | 50,000 Bilt Points and Gold Elite Status |
| Palladium, with rent or mortgage payments making up the $4,000 | $300 Bilt Cash only |
| Anyone who has held a Bilt Card 2.0, or received its bonus, ever | $0 |
Welcome bonuses are available only to those who do not currently hold a Bilt Card 2.0 issued by Column N.A., Member FDIC, have not previously held a Bilt Card 2.0 issued by Column N.A., Member FDIC and have not received a Bilt Card 2.0 issued by Column N.A., Member FDIC Welcome Bonus in the past.
On October 2, 2026 the terms carry the line “Last Updated: Aug 28, 2026”; the version we read on September 25 said September 18, 2026.
Do this, in this order
- Check the lifetime rule before anything else. If you have ever held a Bilt Card 2.0 from Column N.A., or received its welcome bonus, stop: the terms pay nothing.
- Read the offer on your screen, and keep a copy. All three welcome bonuses carry the same escape: “If you are offered an alternate Welcome Bonus, different terms apply instead and will be presented with the offer.” Bilt does not publish what those alternate offers are.
- Pick the card by the fee, not the bonus. The terms set the annual fee at “$0 for Bilt Blue Cards, $95 for Bilt Obsidian Cards, and $495 for Bilt Palladium Cards.” Obsidian's $200 minus its $95 fee leaves $105 of Bilt Cash in year one; Palladium's $300 minus $495 leaves you $195 behind before the points. On the paid cards each authorized user costs more: $50 a year on Obsidian, $95 on Palladium, $0 on Blue.
- Palladium: make the $4,000 post inside 90 days, and do not send it back. “Bilt Housing Payments do not count toward this $4,000 spending requirement.” Purchases count on the date the merchant processes them, and anything that posts after the window ends does not count, whenever you bought it. “Returning, canceling, or disputing purchases made to meet a spending requirement;” is on the abuse list.
- Do not close or downgrade in the first weeks. Close the account within 30 days of opening and Bilt reserves the right to take the bonus back, including by charging it to the card. Switch to another Bilt card and the terms say “The difference in the Welcome Bonus will also be deducted or adjusted.”
- Spend the Bilt Cash before December 31. The card page says it expires at the end of the calendar year it was earned, with up to $100 rolling over. On Blue that covers the whole bonus; on Obsidian or Palladium, anything above $100 left on New Year's Day is gone.
- If the bonus is missing, write to Bilt within 30 days. The terms say the Blue bonus is typically credited immediately, but “please allow up to 6-8 weeks for processing in certain circumstances.” The dispute clock runs from the expected benefit date or the day you noticed.
The 30-day clock, and the rest of the fine print
Complaints have a deadline. Disputes about any benefit, points or Bilt Cash must be reported to support@biltrewards.com within 30 days of the expected benefit date or the date you became aware of the problem. “Failure to report disputes within this thirty (30) day period shall constitute a waiver of all claims related to such dispute.”
The offer can change without notice, for people who have not yet applied. “Bilt reserves the right to modify or revoke Welcome Bonus and/or Bonus Offers at any time without notice for future applicants.” Once approved, your terms stay while the account is open and in good standing. No end date is printed for any of the three bonuses.
Interest, late fees, and when Bilt Cash is lost. The rates and fees sheet gives all three cards a 10.00% introductory APR on new purchases for 12 billing cycles, then a variable purchase APR of 26.74% to 34.74%, and a late payment fee of up to $41. The Bilt Cash Program Terms of Use, a PDF at biltrewards.com/terms/bilt-cash, match the card page: Bilt Cash earned in a calendar year “will expire at the end of that Year”, with $100 allowed to roll over. They add that if your Bilt Account is closed, by you or by Bilt, “any unredeemed Bilt Cash will immediately be forfeited”, and that Bilt Cash “is not redeemable for cash”.
Where Bilt's own pages differ
When the Bilt Cash lands. The card page promises “$100 of Bilt Cash when you apply and get approved”. The offer terms say “you will receive $100 in Bilt Cash on or about the Account Open Date”, then allow up to 6 to 8 weeks.
How long the Palladium window is. The card page says the first 90 days. The offer terms say 90 days in one paragraph, “within 3 months of Account Open Date” in the next, and then that the period may be shorter if card delivery, identity verification or account setup run late.
Is it worth your time?
If you pay rent or a mortgage and were going to route it through Bilt anyway, take the Blue card: $100 in Bilt Cash for an application, no annual fee, no spending target, and no lookback other than never having held a Bilt Card 2.0 before. Then treat the $100 as store credit for Bilt's partners with a December 31 expiry, not as money, and put the 30-day dispute deadline in your calendar the day the account opens.
The paid cards are a different decision. Obsidian's $200 is $105 ahead of its fee in year one, in Bilt Cash. Palladium's $495 fee is more than its $300 Bilt Cash, and the 50,000 points need $4,000 of everyday spending in a window Bilt says can be shorter than 90 days; its case rests on ongoing credits such as $200 of Bilt Cash a year and a $400 hotel credit tied to two-night bookings through Bilt's travel portal.
