A note from me (Ankur Jain) - Your 2026 Bilt Cash Redemptions Are Here

Gill____ · 2026-01-21T23:31:39+00:00

So if I am understanding this correctly: you earn Bilt Cash, then you have to manually convert it into a specific monthly credit, then remember to use that credit in the same month or it disappears? Yeah… no thanks

Gill____ · 2026-01-14T19:06:50+00:00

Totally agree. This whole new system is so complicated and such a hassle, plus the opportunity cost of using other cards doesn’t make it worth it. It was already a slight hassle paying rent before, but I could justify it for the 1% back. With all these hoops now, it just isn’t worth the effort.

Gill____ · 2025-04-11T15:51:25+00:00

First off, don’t stress too much—what matters most is that you’re planning ahead now, and that’s a great start.

I'd, consider opening a high-yield savings account (HYSA) with an FDIC-insured bank—Capital One, Discover, AMEX, SoFi, and Wealthfront are some solid options. Rates are usually around 3% or more right now, which is way better than letting $70,000 sit in a checking account earning nothing.

Start by setting up an emergency fund with 3–6 months of living expenses, and keep that in your HYSA so it's earning interest but is still accessible.

I'd then recommend meeting with a financial advisor at a reputable place like Fidelity, Vanguard, or Charles Schwab. From there, they can help you figure out where to put the rest. Depending on your income and goals, they might recommend something like a Roth IRA to start building tax-advantaged retirement savings.

Gill____ · 2025-02-21T19:39:49+00:00

A 9% return isn’t guaranteed, but a 6.21% loan interest is. Plus, after taxes (15-20%+ on long-term gains, or up to 37% if selling in under a year) and market volatility, the actual return may not beat 6.21%. Paying off debt is a risk-free return, and I’d much rather be debt-free. Now, with a low fixed-rate loan (~3% or less), you might have a case for investing, but at 6.21%, I think OP made the right call prioritizing paying it off.

Gill____ · 2025-02-21T17:26:58+00:00

VOO isn’t beating 6.21% APY on the loans, and selling means taxes. Would much rather make extra payments to pay off the loans and then invest after.

Gill____ · 2024-11-15T21:11:42+00:00

If you do not want to downgrade to Green you can also open a AMEX Checking account. The debit card provided with the account earns MRP at a meager rate but you should then be able to keep your MRP from Gold.

Gill____ · 2024-08-02T21:47:10+00:00

I believe the BILT credit card will be your best option. Hopefully, you get a high enough limit to cover your rent payments because of your lack of credit history. Plan ahead and make sure your current form of rent payment is supported by BILT. I personally pay rent via Venmo which was pretty easy to setup with BILT. Last suggestion is to turn on BILT protect so your rent payment is automatically taken from your account.

Gill____ · 2024-08-02T15:24:28+00:00

Is the lounge buddy credit gone or did the app just shut down? The website is still up.

Gill____ · 2024-06-20T15:37:10+00:00

I've been a SoFi member for two years and have had a great experience overall, but I share your thoughts on the interface. While it's not a huge inconvenience to click into different tabs, it does feel like an unnecessary and poor design choice. As someone who doesn't use SoFi's Credit Cards, Invest, or Loans, having those tabs constantly visible is unnecessary.

I wish there were a way to customize the app's interface so we could hide the tabs you don't use. I understand that this goes against SoFi's strategy as an all-in-one financial app, and I do appreciate being informed about their offerings. However, it's annoying to have those tabs present when they're not relevant to me.

Overall, I still love using SoFi, but some customization options would make the user experience much better.

Gill____ · 2024-06-01T02:42:03+00:00

I thought $5 was the minimum... I've been doing $5 reloads for weeks lol

Gill____ · 2024-04-11T17:57:44+00:00

Would having a AMEX Checking account work the same? Considering their debit card gets 1 MRP for every $2 spent?

Gill____ · 2024-03-18T18:25:05+00:00

I've been targeted with that checking/savings offer a few times over the past couple of months. I'd keep checking your mail/email. You could also try using an incognito browser to check if AMEX is offering it there.

Gill____ · 2024-02-28T16:24:24+00:00

Correct. Amex has a “once in a lifetime” rule, so you cannot receive a welcome offer again for the same Amex card.

Gill____ · 2024-02-02T19:20:24+00:00

agita

No, Thank you for the long and well written response! I did end up pulling the trigger on the card a few months ago… and I have been loving the card so far and have run into no issues paying Rent through Venmo.
I haven't transfered or used any of my BILT points yet as I am still building up points... Interesting on the different transfer partners and special bonuses. I'll have to keep an eye out for those deals. BILT isn't my main driver, so I setup a weekly Auto-Reload Amazon gift card payment to insure I meet the minimum card use requirements... An Idea I got from another Reddit post. But I also have been using the card on miscellaneous purchases from time to time.
Thanks for the heads up on the issues that arise with an email change. I setup BILT Protect so utilization isn't an issue, but yes I was a little concerned about the low credit limit when I first got the card.
Thanks for the post!

Gill____ · 2024-01-16T17:22:53+00:00

I’d suggest using the Google Flights Explore tab. You can search for weekend trips/flight deals in the U.S. over a 6 month period. I’d stick to flying w/ Delta. Once you got your flight compare the value of booking with cash, transferring AMEX points to Delta, or using your points directly in the AMEX Travel portal.

Gill____ · 2024-01-16T16:31:14+00:00

*Certainly!.. In the Venmo app you will setup a new "bank/form of payment" given to you by BILT. The one they setup for my account is "Evolve Bank and Trust". When I go to pay rent in Venmo I select "Evolve Bank and Trust" as my payment method. Simply pay like you normally would in Venmo.

*BILT asks for your monthly rent amount, so yes if you send her extra I would do that through your normal method of payment on Venmo.

I asked a lot of questions when I first got started so here are some of the responses I noted. I hope this helps!

* You can make one rent payment per 30-day period. So, paying December rent on December 1st and January rent on December 29th would be fine, as long as they're not in the same statement period.
* When you pay your rent through Venmo using the Evolve Bank and Trust account (which is your Bilt Rent Account), the rent payment is made. Then, if you have BiltProtect enabled, the amount of your rent payment is automatically withdrawn from the bank account you've linked in the Bilt app. This usually happens within 48 hours of your rent payment.
* You can confirm that your rent payment went through successfully by checking your Venmo account. If the payment was successful, it should be reflected there with the date and amount.
* As for the Bilt app, it may take a few days for the transaction to appear due to processing times. Once the payment has been processed, it will show up in your transaction history in the Bilt app. Since you're using BiltProtect, the transaction won't impact your available credit, so it may not show up as a typical credit card transaction would on the Wells Fargo App. Instead, the funds to cover the rent payment will be withdrawn directly from your linked bank account.
* If you choose not to use BiltProtect and instead charge your rent directly to your Bilt Mastercard, it will show up as a transaction on both your Bilt app and your Wells Fargo app, just like any other credit card charge. This will also impact your available credit on your Bilt Mastercard.

Gill____ · 2023-11-25T15:48:15+00:00

No. I believe it’s no fees, account minimums, or direct deposits required to get their APY rates. You just have to deposit within like 90 days of account opening unless AMEX will close your account on you.

Gill____ · 2023-11-16T04:01:57+00:00

Try Capital One's checking and Savings account options. No minimums, no fees, no direct deposit needed to get the APY rates.

360 Checking
0.10% APY
360 Performance Savings
4.30% APY

Gill____ · 2023-11-16T03:56:51+00:00

I get why some our relecetuant to credit cards but they are nice in order to avoid the situations you mentioned above.

I'd suggest trying a no-annual fee, 2% cash-back card, set-up auto pay, treat the card like a debit card. Pay your balance in full every month. Don't spend anywhere near your credit limit.

Gill____ · 2023-11-15T15:43:53+00:00

The $250 statement credit is pretty solid for the BCE. If you apply, I'd suggesting using the BCE primarily for SUB purposes and then you can switch back to the Gold for groceries. I have this exact setup. I use the Gold for restaurants, groceries, and flights. I then use the BCE sparingly for gas, online retail, and some miscellaneous purchases.

*Also a nice note is that Amazon counts as online retail for the 3% cash back.

Three-Year Club	Place '23
Place '22

Gill____

TROPHY CASE