Zero annual fee travel card
Dont sleep on on the Bilt World Elite Mastercard
Our Expert Take
The Bilt World Elite Mastercard® (rates & fees) is our favorite pick for anyone who wants a no annual fee credit card without foreign transaction fees.
Why We Like It
The Bilt Card can compete with many midrange travel cards in terms of benefits. You’ll find a number of included trip protections and flexible, transferable rewards (with familiar partners like Alaska Airlines, United Airlines and World of Hyatt).
The card also offers a path to earn up to 100,000 points on rent each calendar year with no transaction fees, which makes it a unicorn among other credit cards. Just know that to earn points in a given statement period, you must use your card at least five times (rewards & benefits).
What We Don’t Like
There’s a glaring goose egg in terms of a welcome bonus on this card. Considering that most other travel cards have offers valued at several hundred dollars (or more), this is a huge opportunity cost.
Who It’s Best For
The Bilt Mastercard is an especially good choice for renters since it’s a fast way to earn points, but it could make sense for anyone who wants to skip foreign transaction fees on a card without an annual fee.
Expert Commentary
Julian Kheel
Credit Cards and Travel Rewards Expert
It’s almost impossible to earn rewards on what is the biggest monthly expense for many people, which is why anyone who pays rent should have a Bilt Mastercard in their wallet. Not only will you earn points just from paying your rent (up to 100,000 points in a calendar year), you’ll do it without being charged a fee for the transaction, and Bilt points are among the most versatile travel points around. (Pro Tip: Don’t redeem Bilt points to pay rent when you can get much more value for them for travel!).
Pros & Cons
Dont sleep on on the Bilt World Elite Mastercard
Our Expert Take
The Bilt World Elite Mastercard® (rates & fees) is our favorite pick for anyone who wants a no annual fee credit card without foreign transaction fees.
Why We Like It
The Bilt Card can compete with many midrange travel cards in terms of benefits. You’ll find a number of included trip protections and flexible, transferable rewards (with familiar partners like Alaska Airlines, United Airlines and World of Hyatt).
The card also offers a path to earn up to 100,000 points on rent each calendar year with no transaction fees, which makes it a unicorn among other credit cards. Just know that to earn points in a given statement period, you must use your card at least five times (rewards & benefits).
What We Don’t Like
There’s a glaring goose egg in terms of a welcome bonus on this card. Considering that most other travel cards have offers valued at several hundred dollars (or more), this is a huge opportunity cost.
Who It’s Best For
The Bilt Mastercard is an especially good choice for renters since it’s a fast way to earn points, but it could make sense for anyone who wants to skip foreign transaction fees on a card without an annual fee.
Expert Commentary
Julian Kheel
Credit Cards and Travel Rewards Expert
It’s almost impossible to earn rewards on what is the biggest monthly expense for many people, which is why anyone who pays rent should have a Bilt Mastercard in their wallet. Not only will you earn points just from paying your rent (up to 100,000 points in a calendar year), you’ll do it without being charged a fee for the transaction, and Bilt points are among the most versatile travel points around. (Pro Tip: Don’t redeem Bilt points to pay rent when you can get much more value for them for travel!).
Pros & Cons
- Earn rewards on rent (up to 100,000 points per calendar year)
- No annual fee
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
- Points can be transferred to partners
- Requires five card transactions per statement period to earn rewards
- No welcome bonus
- Rewards outside of rent spend are relatively low compared to other cards
- $0 Annual Fee
- Earn 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year
- Earns 3x points on dining
- Earn 2x points on travel
- Earn 1x points on other purchases
- Earn double points on the first of each month (excluding rent, up to 1,000 bonus points)
- Use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points
- Earn up to 5x Bilt Points on Lyft rides when you link your Bilt account and pay with your Bilt card
- Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent payments, credit card statements, toward a down payment on a home, etc.
