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There are many credit cards that offer great perks on restaurant purchases. One of the most popular points cards for all food purchases is the American Express® Gold Card, which lets you earn 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year) and restaurants around the world.
While 4 points per dollar is certainly a great rate, you can also earn even more points when you eat. That's thanks to Bilt Rewards, Bilt Mastercard® (see rates and fees), and the Bilt Dining program. With this trio, you can earn up to 16 points per dollar spent when dining out.
Let's take a closer look at how smart users can earn tons of points the next time they eat out.
What is Built Dining?
In April 2023, the Built Dining program debuted, offering select restaurants in several cities. All housed within the Bilt app, you can earn bonus points when you dine at or make reservations at these participating restaurants (although the latter is not a requirement to earn points).
The great thing about Bilt Dining is that you don't necessarily need a Bilt Mastercard to earn points (though we'll explain why you should apply for one later). Anyone can link their Mastercard, Visa, or American Express debit or credit card to Bilt Wallet and earn up to 10 points per dollar spent at participating restaurants.
Bilt Dining has expanded since its debut and is available in approximately 20 major U.S. cities. If you live near these areas, you can see a list of available restaurants and their current bonus point offers in the Bilt app.
Let's say you eat at a restaurant that offers up to 10 points per dollar. Not only will you earn 10 Bilt points per dollar spent, but you'll also earn rewards from your chosen credit card. If you have a Bilt Mastercard, you'll earn 3 points per dollar spent on dining. This is the normal rate for all restaurant spending. So you'll earn a total of 13 points per dollar spent at participating restaurants.
But if you plan strategically and eat out during Bilt's monthly Rental Day promotion, which takes place on the 1st of every month, you'll get even better deals. On rental days, he will earn 2x points on all Bilt Mastercard purchases. This means you can earn 6 points per dollar spent on dining, which when combined with Built Dining, totals a whopping 16 points per dollar.
Other benefits of Bilt Mastercard
The Bilt Mastercard is well-known for its ability to earn points on rentals without incurring any additional fees. Bilt Rewards offers generous ways for members to earn points each month, and leveraging Bilt Dining is a small but powerful strategy to keep earning points.
Not a renter? no problem. This no-annual-fee credit card boasts an impressive earning percentage. Earn 3 points per dollar spent on dining, 2 points on travel, and 1 point on all other eligible purchases.
In other words, even if you're not dining at a participating Bilt Dining restaurant, the Bilt Mastercard remains your top choice for getting the most out of your restaurant purchases. You'll still earn 3 points per dollar spent on all restaurants and 6 points per dollar spent on Rent Day.
Bilt Rewards points are extremely valuable, thanks in large part to an impressive list of travel transportation partners that includes Alaska Mileage Plan, United MileagePlus, World of Hyatt, and more.
Travel website The Points Guy values Bilt Rewards points at 2.05 cents per point. This means he can expect a return of over 33% if he plays his cards right.
conclusion
With the cost of living (and eating out) on the rise, taking advantage of these small perks is a great way to maximize your spending on everyday purchases. Bilt Dining is probably one of the best dining programs we've seen in a while, and there's a good chance members will get an exceptional return on their next bill.
Looking for a travel credit card? Find out which one CNN Money with Underscore selected as best travel credit cards Currently available.
Editorial Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are solely those of the authors and not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline, or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any such entity. Is not …
Note: The above offers are accurate at the time of publication, but are subject to change at any time and may be subject to change or no longer available.
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