BillPay By Bilt: Bilt Updates Rent Payment Process

I’ve written extensively about the Bilt Mastercard® (review), which is an innovative and rewarding credit card. The greatest selling point of the card is that you can earn points for paying your rent.

Bilt has just announced that it’s making some updates to how these payments are processed. Don’t worry, nothing is actually changing about the rewards structure, but most members will have to take a moment to update their account, to be sure that rent payments aren’t interrupted.

Bilt updates payment process for paying rent by card

Bilt has updated its BillPay by Bilt system, and Bilt members who live in a property outside of the Bilt partner network will have to make an update to their account by April 29, 2025. Let me emphasize once again that this has no effect on the points you earn, their value, or how you can redeem points.

Going forward, members living at a property outside of the Bilt partner network can pay rent in one of two days:

• Pre-authorize the payment in the Bilt app; this includes selecting the rent amount and how you want to pay rent (Bilt Mastercard for 1x points and waived fees, Alaska Visa for 3x miles but with fees, etc.)
• Submit rent payments as usual through the property’s payment portal, making sure to submit the payment within five days of authorizing it in the Bilt app

If you use the former method, you’ll receive new BillPay by Bilt routing and account numbers the first time you do this, and will need to update it in your property’s payment portal. You’ll only need to do this the first time, and it needs to be done by April 29, 2025.

If you live in a building in the Bilt network or pay rent by check, there is no change to how you pay rent today.

Why is Bilt making this change?

So, why is Bilt making this change to its payment process? Here’s how the company describes it:

We recognize this update changes your monthly routine by shifting from post-payment verification to pre-payment authorization. This new approach enhances security by ensuring the system only processes payments you’ve specifically approved through the Bilt app.

This is an essential step as we expand our platform capabilities and scale – paving the way for new payment categories like our upcoming mortgage rewards program and other future bill payments.

We’re committed to continuously investing in the BillPay experience to make it more seamless and secure for you. We’re proud to be the only platform offering rewards on rent payments at any property nationwide. While Bilt partner properties offer our most integrated experience, BillPay ensures all members can earn valuable rewards on housing payments regardless of where they live.

Bottom line

Bilt is making updates to the process by which members pay rent outside of the Bilt network. The changes are minor, as Bilt is just switching from post-payment verification to pre-payment authorization. So make sure you log into your Bilt account by April 29, 2025, so that you can keep earning rewards for rent payments.

What do you make of these Bilt updates?