Points Insider

Category: Bilt

  • Bilt Is Cutting Its Hyatt Transfer Ratio to 4:3 in 2027

    Bilt Is Cutting Its Hyatt Transfer Ratio to 4:3 in 2027

    In a few months’ time, Bilt will water down transfers to one of its top hotel partners.

    On October 1, Bilt announced that effective January 1, the transfer ratio to World of Hyatt will drop from 1:1 to 4:3. In other words, a transfer of 10,000 Bilt Points to Hyatt will soon net 7,500 points compared to 10,000 today.

    This change isn’t entirely unprecedented. Today, Chase officially enacted a similar change by trimming its Ultimate Rewards transfer ratio to Hyatt to an identical 4:3 on select cards.

    But unlike Chase, there doesn’t appear to be a way to salvage 1:1 transfers, even if you hold Bilt’s most premium credit card with a $495 annual fee.

    There’s Still Three Months at 1:1

    Thankfully, nothing is changing today.

    But if the strategy is earning Bilt Points and transferring them to Hyatt, consider this fair warning.

    December 31 will be the last day Bilt offers transfers to Hyatt at 1:1. Starting the day after, that ratio will get a 25% haircut.

    It goes without saying that changes like this are broadly unappealing. Hyatt has long been viewed as one of the darling transfer partners in the world of points and miles.

    But after recent award chart changes, and now two announcements of watered-down transfer ratios from Chase and Bilt, that reputation might be losing a bit of its luster.

    Sure, World of Hyatt recently made some award nights cheaper with that award chart expansion, but it’ll soon require more transferable points to book free nights.

  • Bilt Adds Amtrak as Its First Rail Transfer Partner

    Bilt Adds Amtrak as Its First Rail Transfer Partner

    Bilt Rewards added a new way to use its points for travel, and this one doesn’t involve an airline or hotel.

    On Wednesday, September 23, Bilt added Amtrak Guest Rewards as its newest transfer partner, allowing Bilt Points to be converted into Amtrak points and used toward train tickets.

    Amtrak is Bilt’s first rail transfer partner and its 26th travel partner overall. And the partnership could be particularly useful in situations where taking the train can make more sense than flying.

    How Bilt Transfers to Amtrak Work

    Transfers are available now after linking an Amtrak Guest Rewards account to Bilt.

    Bilt Points transfer in increments of 1,000. Members who have earned Bilt status can transfer as few as 1,000 points at a time, while members with entry-level Blue status (which everyone receives when joining Bilt) need to transfer at least 2,000.

    Amtrak tickets can start at 400 Guest Rewards points, or 100 points when combining points and cash. Points can also be used for lounge passes starting at 1,500 points and one-class upgrade coupons starting at 2,500 points.

    The important number to check before transferring is how many Amtrak points a particular trip requires. Since Bilt Points become half as many Amtrak points, a ticket costing 2,500 Amtrak points would require transferring 5,000 Bilt Points.

    Bilt Continues to Expand Beyond Traditional Travel Rewards

    Amtrak also fits into something broader happening at Bilt.

    Airline and hotel transfers are still a big part of the program, but Bilt has increasingly added ways to use points outside the usual airline-hotel playbook. Points can go toward fitness classes, student loan payments, and other expenses tied more closely to everyday life.

    Train travel fits neatly into that expansion. It’s transportation, but for plenty of people, especially along the Northeast Corridor, it’s also part of life in a way that an airline transfer partner might not be.