Bilt × United: How to Earn 2X United Miles on Rent, And When It Actually Makes Sense
As of December 4, 2025, Bilt has officially launched a partnership with United Airlines and Chase that lets eligible United MileagePlus cardholders earn 2 total United miles per dollar on rent paid through Bilt Rewards. For renters who fly United frequently or want elite status with the airline, this is a big deal. But should you use it, and is it a big deal for you?
Let’s break down exactly how the new Bilt × United benefit works, whether it’s worth the 3% fee, and the specific situations where earning United miles beats earning Bilt Points.
How the New Bilt × United Benefit Works
- You earn 2 United miles per $1 of rent, up to $50,000 per year, when you pay through Bilt using an eligible United card.
- The 2 miles are earned as follows:
- 1 mile posts as a “Bilt Rent Cardmember Bonus Mile”
- 1 mile posts as a regular “United MileagePlus Award Mile”
- A 3% fee applies to rent payments made via a linked United card.
- When you use a United card through Bilt, you do NOT earn Bilt Rewards points on that rent transaction.
Eligible Cards Include
- United Gateway Card
- United Explorer Card
- United Quest Card
- United Club Card
- United Presidential Plus.
Bilt Points vs. United Miles: What You Earn Depends on How You Pay
| Payment. Method | Rewards Earned | Fee | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bilt Mastercard | 1× Bilt Point per $1 | $0 | Flexible, high-value points that transfer to Bilt’s partners |
| Eligible United MileagePlus Card via Bilt | 2× United miles per $1 | 3% | High-value United redemptions; elite status via PQP |
| Other on-Bilt card via Bilt | 1× Bilt Point per $2 + your usual card rewards | 3% | Hitting minimum spend; unique bank transfer partners |
If your goal is flexible travel currency, the Bilt Mastercard remains superior. But if you’re laser-focused on United redemptions or elite status, the United partnership has potential.
Is 2X United Miles on Rent Worth the 3% Fee?
This is the real question most renters should ask themselves. The value proposition depends on:
- Whether and how much PQP matters for you
- How much you value United miles
- Whether you have an immediate (especially high-value) use for them
- Your rent amount
For example:
- At a rent of $2,000, a 3% fee = $60
- You’d earn 4,000 United miles
- You’d earn no Bilt miles
This can be a good deal if you’re close to booking a highly-coveted business class seat and you’re just barely short of the miles necessary to complete the transaction, but not good if you’re just stockpiling miles aimlessly.
When It Does Make Sense to Use Bilt × United
1. You’re Close to a High-Value United Redemption
If you’re only a few thousand miles short of a premium cabin redemption, this method is cheaper than buying United miles outright.
2. You’re Pushing Toward United Premier Elite Status
This is arguably the biggest hidden value: rent paid through an eligible United card earns PQP. That means your housing payment can help you reach:
- Premier Silver
- Premier Gold
- Premier Platinum
- Premier 1K
This is huge for flyers who struggle to close the PQP gap by year-end.
3. You Fly United Frequently and Prefer United Miles Over Flexible Points
For travelers who consistently redeem with United miles this may make strategic sense, especially for some domestic routes. However, if for some reason you do prefer United miles over flexible, transferrable points: double-down, review your travel goals, and ask yourself why. It’s often much cheaper to book United flights through United’s partners (such as Air Canada, Turkish Airlines, and ANA) than to book using United miles.
When It Does NOT Make Sense to Use This Feature
1. You Prefer Flexible Currency (Bilt Points > United Miles)
In our opinion, flexible points nearly always win in the long-term unless you have specific uses in mind for fixed airline miles.
2. You Don’t Have an Immediate Redemption Goal
As a reminder, miles are a constantly-depreciating currency. Paying a 3% fee to stockpile miles “just because” is a losing game.
3. You Rarely Fly United
If your typical redemptions involve other domestic airlines or foreign carriers, it makes no sense to focus on earning United miles.
4. Your Rent Is High and You Don’t Get Enough Value Back
The larger your rent, the more costly the 3% fee becomes. If you’re not getting premium-cabin value or PQP, it’s probably not worth paying extra for those miles.
Bottom Line: Should You Use Bilt × United for Rent?
The new Bilt × United benefit is powerful, but only in specific situatios. If you are:
- Close to a important United redemption and topping up your miles, or
- Pushing for Premier elite status,
…then earning 2× United miles on rent (and PQP!) can be absolutely worth the 3% fee. In many cases, it’s cheaper than buying miles, and still more productive than letting your rent earn nothing.
But for most renters who value flexibility or aren’t actively planning a United redemption, the smarter long-term play is sticking with the fee-free Bilt Mastercard and earning higher-value Bilt Rewards Points.
So our advice? Leverage the Bilt × United partnership when it solves a real problem, not as your default rent strategy.
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Note: Opinions expressed here are ours alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Feature photo credits to Bilt Rewards.
