Bilt's $495 premium card launched in January 2026. It carries $600 in credits, 5x on dining, and it is the only card in our calculator that earns points on rent or a mortgage without a transaction fee. Here is the break-even, and what rent adds on top.
Yes, if you will use the hotel credit and the Bilt Cash. Those two credits total $600 against a $495 fee, so the card is $105 ahead before you count Priority Pass, before a single point from spending, and before rent. Then 5x dining and 2x on everything else do the rest: on our average spender profile the Palladium nets about $1,700 a year from Year 2 on, with no rent at all. Add a $2,500 monthly rent and it is closer to $2,255.
New card, modeled terms. The Palladium launched in January 2026. PerkMath's earn rates for it are modeled estimates, and the two credits below are as the calculator defines them. Confirm current terms on Bilt's site before applying.
| Annual fee | $495 |
|---|---|
| Hotel credit | $400 a year on Bilt Travel hotels, paid as $200 every six months |
| Bilt Cash | $200 a year |
| Lounges | Priority Pass membership, modeled at $150 a year (slide it up to $400 in the calculator) |
| Modeled credits, total | $750 |
| Earning (modeled) | 5x dining; 3x Bilt Travel; 2x flights and hotels booked direct; 2x everything else; about 1x on rent or mortgage with no transaction fee |
| Points valued at | 1.85¢ (PerkMath default for Bilt points) |
| Sign-up bonus (modeled) | 50,000 points, about $925 at 1.85¢; confirm the current public offer |
Break-even: $495 divided by $750 of modeled credits is 66%. The two cash-like credits get you past the fee without touching the lounge line. If you skipped every credit, you would need about $13,400 of 2x spend, or about $5,350 of 5x dining, to earn back the fee in points.
Not counted above, per the calculator: Mastercard World Legend protections (baggage delay, lost or damaged luggage, purchase protection).
PerkMath's "average NYC young professional" profile: $7,800 a year on dining, $1,800 on flights booked direct, $1,080 on hotels booked direct, $720 through the card's travel portal, and $15,600 on everything else. On the Palladium that is 39,000 + 3,600 + 2,160 + 2,160 + 31,200 = 78,120 points, worth $1,445 at 1.85¢.
Year 2 and after: $750 in modeled credits + $1,445 in points − $495 fee = $1,700 net. Year 1 adds the 50,000-point bonus (about $925) for roughly $2,625.
$30,000 a year of rent at about 1x adds 30,000 points, worth $555, with no transaction fee eating into it. Points rise to 108,120, worth $2,000. Year 2+: $750 + $2,000 − $495 = $2,255 net. Rent is not what makes the card pay for itself, but it is roughly $555 a year that no other card in our calculator can match.
$2,000 on dining and $8,000 on everything else: 10,000 + 16,000 = 26,000 points, worth $481. Year 2+: $750 + $481 − $495 = $736. The credits carry it.
The Sapphire Reserve on the same average profile, no rent: 56,280 points worth $1,013 at 1.8¢, plus $1,280 in modeled credits, minus $795 = $1,498. The Palladium's $1,700 is $202 ahead, and that gap comes almost entirely from everyday earning: 5x versus 3x on dining, 2x versus 1x on everything else.
The CSR earns more on travel (4x direct, 8x through Chase Travel against Bilt's modeled 2x and 3x) and has the deeper credit stack and Sapphire Lounges. If you fly a lot and would use all $1,280 of the CSR's credits, it can close the gap. If your spend is mostly dining and everyday purchases, Bilt's model wins.
| Bilt Palladium | Sapphire Reserve | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $495 | $795 |
| Modeled credits | $750 | $1,280 |
| Points on the average profile | $1,445 | $1,013 |
| Year 2+, all credits used, no rent | $1,700 | $1,498 |
| Add $2,500/mo rent | $2,255 | $1,498 |
The calculator opens with the Bilt Palladium against the Sapphire Reserve. Enter your rent in the rent/mortgage row, tick the credits you would actually use, and compare Year 1 and Year 2+:
Figures are PerkMath's conservative model (points at 1.85¢, credits at full value, Bilt earn rates as modeled estimates) as of September 2026, not an offer and not financial advice. Card terms change; confirm current terms on Bilt's site before applying. Free tool, no affiliate links.