Credit Cards

Bilt and Point.Me Partner for Award Flight Search Integration

With several credit cards, customers can earn points that can then be transferred to various travel programs and redeemed for flights or hotel bookings. Unfortunately, finding and booking the best award travel deals isn’t always as straightforward as one might assume. To assist with that, Bilt has unveiled a new integration with Point.Me that will help its rewards members search for award flights on airlines that participate in Bilt’s transfer program.

Using the Point.Me tool in Bilt, members can enter their start point and destination along with a departure date in order to search available award flights and prices from a dozen of Bilt travel partner airlines. Users can also choose whether to search for economy or business class fares. To find this search option, customers can open the Bilt app, select the Rewards tab, tap Travel, and toggle on the Transfer Partners next to Bilt Travel Portal.

Proving how convoluted award travel bookings can be, this integration will also show users how to book flights even if it’s through using a different loyalty program. For example, looking at flight options from Atlanta to London Heathrow, Point.Me highlights a booking option from Flying Blue (Air France and KLM’s loyalty program) despite the flight itself being operated by Virgin Atlantic. Tapping the “Additional Option” button then reveals an option from Virgin Atlantic Fly Club — which, in this case, uses few points but requires a higher cash payment. Once customers find an booking they like, they can tap “Transfer” to begin the process of linking their account and moving their points.

Commenting on the partnership and the inspiration behind it, Bilt Rewards Senior Travel Director Richard Kerr noted, “The process of booking reward travel can oftentimes be confusing and time consuming for our members who are not loyalty experts. Point.Me’s algorithm easily helps travelers find the clearest path to an award flight they want and provides a simple platform to compare all of your points and miles options. We know that Bilt members will love seeing how they can book the best flight options with our amazing airline partners.” 

Similarly, Point.Me president and co-founder Tiffany Funk said of working with Bilt, “We believe we can fundamentally change the loyalty space from both a consumer and business standpoint, much as Bilt Rewards has revolutionized rent payments. Bilt provides members with unique and practical benefits, from earning points on rent to a broad range of redemption opportunities. We are excited to help Bilt members find further value by providing a transparent and straightforward search experience that allows them to see the incredible rewards options available through Bilt’s airline loyalty partners.”

This integration with Point.Me is the latest update to come to Bilt and follows a busy 2022 for the platform. First, the Bilt Mastercard gained a new issuer in Wells Fargo last March, making the offering available to all. In July, the company launched its travel portal in partnership with Expedia, allowing customers to redeem their Bilt Rewards points at a value of 1.25¢ each toward travel bookings. Then, in October, Bilt unveiled its monthly Rent Day promotion, which (among other things) includes a perk that enables cardholders to earn double points on all purchases excluding rent on the first of the month.

Considering how elaborate the world of award travel can be, adding Point.Me’s powerful tool to Bilt can not only help simplify the process but also helps customers see how valuable their earned rewards points can be. What’s more, this partnership once again shows how Bilt is breaking the mold and continuing to evolve its product even when there’s seemingly not much pressure on them to do so. For those reasons Bilt is definitely one to watch. Meanwhile, those who rent may also want to take a closer look at the Bilt Mastercard to see if it makes sense for them.

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