Bilt Transfer Partners Overview
By John Ta - December 29, 2023
Bilt is the new kid on the block but has ascended to the upper echelons of points enthusiasts. With incredible transfer partners and a gamified credit card experience, there’s a lot to be impressed by for a no-annual fee card.
Bilt’s Transfer Partners
Bilt has a total of 13 airline and 3 hotel transfer partners, totaling 16. What makes Bilt particularly special is that they are the sole, exclusive transfer partner of American Airlines (no other card allows you to transfer your miles to AA) while also having access to United transfers. Being able to access two competitor’s loyalty programs through one card issuer’s transferable points has never been seen before.
Furthermore, Bilt actually has strong transfer partner options, including the likes of Aeroplan and Hyatt. These additions to Bilt’s other transfer partners help improve the general valuation of Bilt points.
BRAND
Airline Transfer Partner
Transfer Ratio
(Bilt → Partner)
Transfer Time
Aer Lingus AerClub
1:1
Up to a few days
Air Canada Aeroplan
1:1
Usually instant
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
1:1
Usually instant
NEW: Alaska Airlines
1:1
Usually instant
American Airlines (expiring June 2024)
1:1
Up to 24 hours
Avianca
1:1
Usually instant
British Airways
1:1
Usually instant
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
1:1
Usually instant
Emirates
1:1
Usually instant
Hawaiian
1:1
Usually instant
Iberia Plus
1:1
Up to a few days
Turkish
1:1
Usually instant
United Airlines
1:1
Usually instant
Virgin Atlantic
1:1
Usually instant
BRAND
Hotel Transfer Partner
Transfer Ratio
(Bilt → Partner)
Transfer Time
IHG One Rewards
1:1
Usually instant
Marriott Bonvoy
1:1
Up to 48 hours
World of Hyatt
1:1
Usually instant
What Card Do I Need To Transfer My Points?
There is only one card on the market that earns Bilt points: the Bilt Mastercard® issued by Wells Fargo Bank. This card emerges as a game-changer in the credit card arena, particularly for renters who could never before earn rewards on their largest monthly expenditure—rent (up to 100,000 points per calendar year). To earn points on rent and other categories, cardholders must use the card at least 5 times per statement period.
The only major downside of this card is that it doesn’t have a sign up bonus, but it makes up for that by enabling you to earn points on areas you normally wouldn’t be able to.
Examples of High Value Transfer Partners
Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
Bilt is one of three partners with Turkish Airlines (the others being Citi & Capital One), and the value that Turkish provides for its award bookings is enough for some to consider getting a card purely to access Turkish miles. Turkish uses an award chart that has some incredible sweet spot opportunities.
The best one is the ability to fly to Hawaii to/from contiguous North America for just 7,500 miles one-way in economy (or just 12,500 miles in business class) on United Airlines. Why not book United award flights directly through United using United miles? Simply because award charts can offer tremendous value if the right conditions are met; sometimes, booking via a partner is better than booking direct. Turkish considers Hawaii as a part of the U.S. when pricing award tickets, so even an east coast flight to Hawaii is considered a “domestic” flight and is priced 7,500 miles at the lowest (even when flying East Coast to Hawaii). United would likely price the same flight 3x or 4x more.
British Airways / Iberia / Aer Lingus / Qatar Airways Avios
Despite some devaluations, Avios still have significant use cases for a variety of sweet spots. Avios has an unpublished award chart that is based on distance traveled as opposed to regions (however, there are many exceptions to this, as its theorized that British Airways is moving to a dynamic pricing system). Consequently, this makes Avios a really good use of points for certain routes, but not so good for others.
Notably, for North American domestic flights, the best value really comes in for flights between 2,001-3,000 miles. These cost roughly 16,000 miles on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines. So, in theory, you can fly BOS to SFO (approximately 2,700 miles) for just 16k Avios. Not bad!
Additionally, Qatar Airways long haul flights have pretty solid pricing across the board. For example, economy one ways from LAX to Doha cost a measly 35,000 Avios, whereas business flights cost a whopping 140,000 Avios. However, given the cash cost of that business flight and the fact that it is among the best Qatar airlines flights in the world, it could be worth shelling out for the experience.
Examples of Low Value Transfer Partners
Marriott Bonvoy
You might be surprised to see Marriott on the list of low value transfer partners, but considering the average redemption value of one Marriott point is generally worth less than 1 cent per point, Bilt points have much better value elsewhere.
For instance, this Seattle hotel near Pike Place Market costs about $250 per night, but costs 50,000 points. That is a terrible redemption value of 0.5 cents per point. Alternatively, you could transfer your Bilt points to Hyatt and get an easy 1.5 cents per point or more.
It is incredibly important to always compare the points cost to the cash cost to ensure you’re making the most of your points.
Conclusion
Bilt points have gained significant traction in the points/miles community. Being the only currency able to transfer to both American Airlines and United Airlines, they hold a unique foothold when considering their value. You can accumulate Bilt points with a Bilt card, widely considered to be among the top no annual fee cards out there.
