BofA Atmos Card Relationship Bonus: June 2026
NCnextcard team
What is Bilt Rewards? (2026)
NC
nextcard teamPublished Jan 25, 2026Updated Jun 4, 2026
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You might be surprised to find out that you don’t need a Bilt card to earn Bilt points. I have to admit I was surprised as well. All you have to do to get started is sign up online for a Bilt Rewards account—no credit card required. You’ll then be able to earn points via opportunities like Bilt Dining, Lyft rides and Bilt Neighborhood Fitness.
And you can then use your Bilt points for all sorts of things including transferring them to amazing airline & hotel partners.
In order to get a Bilt Rewards account, you’ll need to first go to the Bilt Rewards site. Follow the link below to get started:
And then you will see on the left where it says "Start earning today" or the top right that says "Sign up/Log in." Click on either CTA and follow the prompts to sign up (again, no Bilt credit card needed):
After completing the sign-up process, you will be directed to link your credit cards. Bilt typically is able to identify some of the credit cards you already have without your input.
In my case, they knew some of my existing cards but they didn't have all of them.
Linking your credit cards sets you up to earn extra Bilt points on different types of purchases. And I knew that there was an opportunity to link my new Bilt Rewards account to my Lyft account. I went to check my Lyft app to link the accounts but I saw that my Bilt & Lyft accounts were already linked! It seems as though they automatically link upon account creation—just double check your Lyft app to make sure.
When your cards are linked to your Bilt Rewards account, there are a number of interesting ways for you to earn Bilt Points without even needing one of the Bilt credit cards:
I find the 2x Bilt points on Lyft rides and up to 3x Bilt Points on Neighborhood Restaurants to be most intriguing. I live in the Greater Boston area and take Lyfts every so often. I previously was earning Atmos Rewards on my Lyft account but Bilt points are much more appealing. And earning extra points on restaurants is always great.
Btw just to be crystal clear: these points are additive ontop of what you would normally earn with your credit card. So it essentially stacks on top of each other. For instance, for a $10 Lyft rideshare, here's how my rewards stack up:
So I get 7x total points across two powerful ecosystems for every $1 I spend on Lyft, very nice.
There's so much transferability that lies with Bilt.
I can transfer Bilt Points to Alaska Airlines/Atmos Rewards, but I can also transfer them to partners like Hyatt, United, etc. Why would I earn 2x Atmos points when I have the ability to earn a more flexible travel currency?
| Category | Atmos/Lyft | Bilt/Lyft |
|---|---|---|
| Standard rides (standard, XL, priority pick-up) | 2x Atmos Points | 2x Bilt Points |
| Airport & premium rides (Extra Comfort, Black, Black SUV) | 3x Atmos Points | 2x Bilt Points |
| Transfer to multiple programs | No (Atmos only) | Yes (19+ airlines, 6 hotels) |
| Setup required | Select Atmos as your active loyalty partner in the Lyft app | Link Bilt and Lyft accounts, then select Bilt as your active loyalty partner |
I never ride "high value mode rides", so I'd always rather earn 2x Bilt Points than 2x Atmos Points.
Bilt has arguably the most extensive and best group of transfer partners.
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of all the ways you can use your Bilt points:
The best way to use your Bilt points are to transfer them to airline & hotel partners. My personal favorites are Japan Airlines and Hyatt hotels. I also really enjoy Avianca LifeMiles for their inexpensive redemptions to and from South America.
If you’re looking to earn more Bilt points, it might be worth looking into one of the three Bilt 2.0 cards. To start, the Bilt Palladium Card card has a solid welcome bonus (subject to approval) where you can receive 50,000 Bilt points after spending $4,000 in three months from the account opening on non-rent purchases + $300 of Bilt Cash upon account opening.
While the other two Bilt cards don't have Bilt Points as a part of their welcome bonus, you can get Bilt Cash upon account opening/approval that you can use to convert into points when redeeming them against your rent.
But all three cards have pretty solid earn rates on rent spending and non-rent spending. I won’t get all into the nitty gritty since we have written previous articles and have a calculator for the new cards.
Housing Only Rewards awards points based on how much nonrent spend relative to your rent you put on the card per month. So the earn rate varies.
Flexible Bilt Cash earns 4% Bilt Cash for every dollar you spend on nonrent spend. You can then redeem that Bilt Cash for Bilt Points when paying your monthly housing bill.
You could absolutely redeem that Bilt Cash for other things, but there are a lot of limits/restrictions to be aware of.
Signing up for Bilt Rewards is an easy way to potentially earn more Bilt points. For most folks, I see the easiest way to make use of Bilt Rewards via Lyft rides or eating out at Bilt Neighborhood dining restaurants.
And if your pharmacy is a Walgreens, you’ll earn extra points every time you shop there or pick up a prescription.
The best part is that you don’t even need a Bilt card to earn Bilt points. You will earn Bilt points by simply linking any credit card and taking advantage of the multitude of point earning opportunities. Of course if you’re looking for even more earning potential you might want to check out one of the Bilt 2.0 cards….
No, you don't need a Bilt card at all. You can sign up for a free Bilt Rewards account and start earning points on things like Lyft rides, Bilt Neighborhood Dining, Walgreens purchases, and rent payments made with a linked non-Bilt credit card.
When you pay rent through the Bilt using a linked Mastercard, Visa, American Express, or Discover credit card, you earn 1 Bilt Point per $2 spent (with a 3% fee). For Rent payments made via ACH, debit card, or other card networks, you'll earn a flat 250 points per monthly rent payment.
In most cases, your Lyft and Bilt accounts link automatically when you create your Bilt Rewards account. They use your email to connect them. Just double-check your Lyft app to confirm Bilt is set as your active loyalty partner. Once linked, you'll earn 2x Bilt Points on every Lyft ride.
Transferring Bilt points to airline and hotel partners tends to get you the most value. Japan Airlines and Hyatt are two of the strongest options. Avianca LifeMiles is a great pick if you travel to or from South America. You can also redeem points through the Bilt Travel Portal at 1.25 cents each, or put them toward fitness classes, Lyft rides, and gift cards.
Bilt has one of the largest transfer partner lineups of any rewards program. On the airline side, you can transfer to United, British Airways, Air France-KLM (Flying Blue), Japan Airlines, Southwest, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Avianca LifeMiles, Qatar Airways, and more. Hotel partners include Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton, IHG, and Accor.
