Bilt Rewards vs Chase Sapphire Preferred
Last updated July 2026
Bilt Mastercard
The only credit card that earns points on rent
Advantages
- 1x points on rent up to 100K points/yr with no transaction fee (unique to Bilt)
- No annual fee
- 3x on dining, 2x on travel, 1x on everything else
- Transfer partners include Hyatt, American, United, Air France/KLM, Marriott, and 15+ others
- Rent day (1st of month) doubles multipliers on non-rent spending
Drawbacks
- Must use the card 5+ times per statement to earn any rewards, easy to miss
- Base 1x on non-bonus categories same as Sapphire Preferred
- Points from rent capped at 100,000/yr
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Flexible mid-tier travel card at only $95/yr
Advantages
- 3x on dining, 3x on online groceries, 3x on select streaming
- 5x on Chase Travel bookings
- Ultimate Rewards transfer partners include United, Hyatt, and Southwest
- 10% anniversary point bonus every year
- Strong sign-up bonuses (60K-100K points regularly)
Drawbacks
- $95 annual fee
- No way to earn points on rent
- 1x base rate on non-category spending
Bilt Rewards is the only mainstream credit card that earns transferable travel points on rent, and it charges no annual fee. Chase Sapphire Preferred is the reigning mid-tier travel card with better multipliers and stronger domestic transfer partners. Renters pay heavily for the difference.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Bilt Mastercard | Chase Sapphire Preferred |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $0 | $95 |
| Base Rewards Rate | 1x on most spending | 1x on most spending |
| Bonus Categories | 1x rent (up to 100K/yr), 3x dining, 2x travel | 3x dining, online groceries, streaming; 5x Chase Travel |
| Transfer Partners | 15+ including Hyatt, American, United, Air France | 14 partners including United, Hyatt, Southwest |
| Unique Feature | Only card that earns points on rent with no fee | 10% anniversary point bonus |
| Earn Requirement | Must use card 5+ times/month to earn rewards | None |
| Insurance Protections | Cell phone protection; rental car secondary | Trip cancellation, primary rental car, purchase protection |
| Sign-Up Bonus | No traditional bonus; occasional targeted offers | Typically 60K-100K UR points |
Bilt Mastercard Wins
Bilt wins for renters because the ability to earn points on rent is genuinely unique and the card has no annual fee.
If you pay $2,000/mo in rent, Bilt earns you 24,000 free points per year for spending you'd already do, worth roughly $360 in transferred travel. That's before dining, travel, and Rent Day multipliers. Chase Sapphire Preferred is still the better pick if you don't rent, spend heavily on dining out (3x on more categories), or want a strong signup bonus to jumpstart your points balance. Renters should hold both.
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