Bilt is back with another Rent Day promotion, and it’s a good one for travelers with their sights set on Europe, Africa… or just about anywhere, really.
On Saturday, Feb. 1, Bilt Rewards is offering members a transfer bonus of up to 100% when moving points to Avianca LifeMiles.
This transfer bonus is based on your level of Bilt status and ranges between 20% and 100%. Here’s how things shake out.
| Bilt Status | Transfer Bonus |
|---|---|
| Blue | 20% (1,000 Bilt Points = 1,200 LifeMiles) |
| Silver | 40% (1,000 Bilt Point = 1,400 LifeMiles) |
| Gold | 50% (1,000 Bilt Point = 1,500 LifeMiles) |
| Platinum | 100% (1,000 Bilt Point = 2,000 LifeMiles) |
Sadly, LifeMiles don’t go quite as far as they used to after a nasty devaluation last summer – the program raised many award rates to Europe, Asia, and beyond by 30% or more. Yet it remains an excellent way to book flights on many Star Alliance airlines for fewer points – including some unbelievable sweet spots like flying to London Heathrow (LHR) in business class for just 45,000 miles!
Using transfer partners is one of the best ways to put your Bilt points to use for even more value. This transfer bonus makes it even better – think of it as a way to get some free airline miles.
Just keep in mind: These transfers are a one-way street – once you send points to Avianca, you can’t get them back to your Bilt account. That’s why we typically urge travelers to scope out award availability to ensure the flights they want are bookable before transferring any points.
Read on for more details about this transfer bonus and to see what else Bilt has in store for this month’s Rent Day.
How to Use Avianca LifeMiles
It’s far from perfect, but LifeMiles can be one of the best mileage programs in the world for booking Star Alliance airlines like Lufthansa or SWISS to Europe, EVA Air to Asia, or United and Turkish Airlines all over the world. It combines low mileage rates with just $50 to $100 in award taxes and fees. That makes it a go-to for travelers looking to book business or first class seats with their points and miles.
Heading to Europe? After that recent increase, you’ll now generally pay 70,000 miles one-way for a business class award to Europe with Avianca LifeMiles. That’s true whether you’re hopping on a short overseas flight from the East Coast … or a much longer journey, like this Turkish Airlines business class fight from Los Angeles (LAX) all the way to Istanbul.
With a 20% bonus, you’d only need to transfer 59,000 Bilt points to make it a reality – or as few as 35,000 if you’ve got Bilt’s top-tier Platinum status.
But LifeMiles is full of oddities … in a good way: There are a handful of routes that price out even cheaper. For example, you can head to Switzerland on this SWISS business class route from New York City (JFK) to Zurich (ZRH) for just 55,000 miles. Factor in that 20% transfer bonus for basic Blue members, and you need just 46,000 Bilt points to book! And if you’ve got any level of Bilt status, it could be even cheaper.
I’ll do you one better: How about a nonstop to London-Heathrow (LHR) in United Polaris business class for just 45,000 miles? Or, with this transfer bonus, you could use as few as 23,000 Bilt points! Even with the lowest 20% transfer bonus, it would only cost you 38,000 Bilt points.
The beauty of these LifeMiles deals isn’t just the cheap rates – made even cheaper for Bilt members with this transfer bonus. No, they’re also outstanding because LifeMiles doesn’t pass on a mountain of surcharges and fees. You’ll generally pay no more than $50 each way for departures from the U.S.
Maybe Africa is more your style. While it may not win awards for the fanciest business class seats, Ethiopian Airlines is often the quickest way to fly to almost anywhere in Africa.
For instance, you could fly from Toronto (YYZ) to Cape Town (CPT) with a stop in Addis Ababa (ADD) for 78,000 miles one-way in lie-flat business class. With a 20% bonus, your cost drops to just 65,000 points for flights all the way from North America to South Africa!
If you’re not concerned with flying at the front of the plane and just want to get to your destination for even less, LifeMiles has plenty of solid deals flying economy too:
- LifeMiles generally charges 7,500 miles each way for most routes flying United Airlines within the U.S. – or sometimes less!
- Routes to Europe typically cost 30,000 miles each way, though you’ll find some still price out closer to 20,000 miles.
- Down to South America, you can book for 20,000 to 30,000 miles each way
Need more guidance on putting your LifeMiles to use? Read our complete guide to booking the best LifeMiles Sweet Spots!
Other Rent Day Promotions
Other Rent Day staples like Bilt’s “Rent Free” game show are making a comeback as well. Each month Bilt brings on a well-known individual to play its Family Feud-esque game show and determine how much free rent will be paid. This month’s guest is Grammy award winner and Latin music super star J Balvin.
Finally, Rent Day Rides is returning for another month. Bilt members can reserve a complimentary bike at one of the more than 50 SoulCycle locations around the country. One lucky rider at all the studios participating in Rent Day Rides will even win a free month of rent, courtesy of Bilt.
Earn Double Points on Rent Day
There’s another thing to keep in mind on Rent Day: You’ll earn double the points (up to 1,000 bonus points) for every non-rent dollar spent on your *bilt rewards card* on the first of the month.
So long as you make at least five purchases each statement cycle, you’ll earn points at the following rates on Rent Day:
- 6x Bilt points on dining (usually 3x)
- 4x Bilt points on travel (usually 2x)
- 2x Bilt points on other spend (usually 1x)
This is all in addition to the 1x Bilt points you earn on rent payments with the Bilt Mastercard.
Read more: Paying Rent? You Need to Have This Card in Your Wallet
Learn more about the *bilt rewards card*.
How to Use Bilt Rewards Points
Just because the points can be fairly difficult to earn doesn’t mean they aren’t useful – just the opposite. There are many ways to use Bilt points. And once you’ve got them, they’re some of the most valuable points in the world of travel.
The easiest way to use them is to book through the Bilt Rewards travel portal, where each point will be worth 1.25 cents apiece. That means 10,000 Bilt points are worth $125 toward travel.
But you’ll get the best value for your Bilt points by transferring points to one of its 14 travel partners, including World of Hyatt, Alaska Airlines, Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles, United Mileage Plus, and British Airways Avios, among many others.
Just keep in mind that unless you’ve earned Bilt status, you’ll need to transfer a minimum of 2,000 points to get started.
Here’s the full list:
| Program | Type | Transfer Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus Avios | Airline | 1:1 |
| Air France/KLM Flying Blue | Airline | 1:1 |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Airline | 1:1 |
| Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan | Airline | 1:1 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Airline | 1:1 |
| British Airways Avios | Airline | 1:1 |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | Airline | 1:1 |
| Emirates Skywards | Airline | 1:1 |
| Iberia Avios | Airline | 1:1 |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | Airline | 1:1 |
| Turkish Miles & Smiles | Airline | 1:1 |
| United MileagePlus | Airline | 1:1 |
| Virgin Red | Airline | 1:1 |
| Accor | Hotel | 3:2 |
| World of Hyatt | Hotel | 1:1 |
| IHG Hotels | Hotel | 1:1 |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Hotel | 1:1 |
| Hilton Honors | Hotel | 1:1 |
If you prefer to use your points for something other than travel, Bilt recently introduced the ability to “cash out” Bilt Rewards points (at a rate of .55 cents per point) by applying them as a statement credit to the outstanding balance on your Bilt Rewards Card. At approximately a half-cent per point, redeeming them this way represents poor value and should really only be done as a last resort.
Prior Rent Day Promotions
Over the years, Bilt has done a good job leveraging its partners to come up with some really creative (and often incredibly lucrative) promotions. While not every month’s promo is a home run for travelers, the majority of Bilt’s Rent Day promos do a good job engaging members on a day that’s otherwise un-celebrated.
Here’s a look back at some of the other Rent Day promotions from the past year:
| January 2025 | Accor status match |
| December 2024 | Amazon redemption bonus |
| November 2024 | Up to 100% British Airways transfer bonus |
| October 2024 | Free Hilton Gold status |
| September 2024 | Up to 100% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic and 50% to Avianca |
| August 2024 | Virgin Voyages: Second guest sails free |
| July 2024 | Up to 100% transfer bonus to Alaska Airlines |
| June 2024 | 16x points on dining |
| May 2024 | 100% points back when redeemed for rent to use for Bilt Home Collection purchases |
| April 2024 | BOGO fitness class credit and free fitness experiences |
| March 2024 | 1,000 Bilt points per new linked card |
| February 2024 | Up to 150% transfer bonus to Air Canada Aeroplan |
| January 2024 | Up to 150% transfer bonus to KLM/Air France Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, or IHG One Rewards |
Most of Bilt’s Rent Day promotions are centered on travel and even the ones that aren’t are still valuable for most Bilt Rewards members. Looking at prior Rent Day promos, you have to wonder how Bilt can continue to raise the bar month after month.
Bottom Line
Bilt Rewards’ Rent Day promo for February is a good one for travelers.
Saturday, Feb. 1 – and only Feb. 1 – you can get up to a 100% bonus when transferring Bilt points to Avianca LifeMiles. This transfer bonus is based on status and ranges between 20% and 100%.
If you’ve got a *Bilt Mastercard* in your wallet, you’ll earn even more when you spend on the first of the month.
