Bilt Mastercard vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred: Comparing a renter’s dream with a mid-tier titan

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. TPG founder Brian Kelly is a Bilt adviser and investor.

The Bilt Mastercard® (see rates and fees) and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) are two of the most popular credit cards available. They both target specific people, with the Bilt Mastercard aimed at renters and the Sapphire Preferred geared toward everyday travelers.

That said, the two cards overlap in some key areas. We’ll go through the details of the Bilt Mastercard and the Chase Sapphire Preferred so you can decide which is right for you — or if it makes sense to have both.

Bilt Mastercard vs. Sapphire Preferred comparison

Bilt Mastercard vs. Sapphire Preferred welcome bonus

There isn’t a lot of competition here. The Bilt Mastercard doesn’t offer a welcome bonus, unlike the Sapphire Preferred.

Currently, new Sapphire Preferred cardholders can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

According to TPG’s April 2025 valuations, 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth $2,050.

Welcome bonuses are a heavy factor in determining what card TPG credit cards editor Olivia Mittak opens, so the Bilt Mastercard lacking one has caused her to delay opening it in favor of other cards.

Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred. Since the Bilt Mastercard doesn’t have a welcome offer, the winner is clear here.

Related: The ultimate guide to credit card application restrictions

Bilt Mastercard vs. Sapphire Preferred benefits

Both of these cards offer great benefits. The Bilt Mastercard’s most well-known perk is its ability to earn you points (up to 100,000 points in a calendar year) on rent without incurring additional transaction fees (see rates and fees).

Additionally, the card offers special perks on the first of every month, dubbed “Bilt Rent Day.”

These Bilt Rent Day benefits can vary, but in the past, we’ve seen perks like complimentary Hilton Gold status for a limited time, transfer bonuses when moving points to airline partner programs and special cruise deals.

Given that the Bilt Mastercard has no annual fee (see rates and fees), we’re a big fan of this particular benefit.

Other notable benefits include no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees) and travel protections, such as:

• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
• Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection
• Trip Delay Reimbursement

The Sapphire Preferred offers great benefits for a $95 annual fee. With this card, you’ll receive a $50 annual credit for hotel purchases booked through Chase Travel.

Olivia’s favorite perk with this card is its complimentary DashPass membership (when activated by Dec. 31, 2027). She loves to order food delivery at the end of a busy week, so having her membership cost covered by her Sapphire Preferred is a fantastic benefit for her.

The Sapphire Preferred also provides bonus points equal to 10% of your spending in the previous year, delivered to your Ultimate Rewards account after your account anniversary.

Plus, this card gives cardholders access to Chase’s transfer partners so they can redeem Ultimate Rewards points for maximum value.

Like the Bilt Mastercard, the Sapphire Preferred has no foreign transaction fees and includes certain travel protections, including:

• Auto rental collision damage waiver
• Baggage delay insurance
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
• Trip delay reimbursement
• Travel and emergency assistance services

Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred. This card has a few more benefits than the Bilt Mastercard, including additional travel protections and a statement credit. Despite that, it’s a close race. The Bilt Mastercard also has a lot to offer.

Earning points on the Bilt Mastercard vs. the Sapphire Preferred

Both cards earn points on similar purchases, but the Sapphire Preferred has more bonus categories than the Bilt Mastercard.

With the Bilt Mastercard, you’ll earn:

• At least 5 points per dollar with Bilt Neighborhood Dining partners
• 5 points per dollar spent with Lyft after linking your Bilt and Lyft accounts
• 3 points per dollar spent on other dining purchases
• 2 points per dollar spent on travel and on select purchases at Walgreens
• 1 point per dollar spent on rent payments (up to 100,000 points per year)
• 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases

Meanwhile, Sapphire Preferred cardholders earn:

• 5 points per dollar on Lyft (through Sept. 2027)
• 5 points per dollar spent on travel booked through Chase Travel
• 3 points per dollar spent on dining (including takeout and delivery), online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs) and select streaming services
• 2 points per dollar spent on all other travel purchases
• 1 point per dollar spent on everything else

A great perk of the Bilt Mastercard is that it earns double points on the first of each month, excluding rent payments. That means you’ll earn 10 points per dollar on Lyft, 6 points per dollar on select dining, 4 points per dollar on travel and 2 points per dollar on all other purchases.

Extra points are capped at 1,000 points each Bilt Rent Day, but if you can maximize it, this is a nice bonus-earning opportunity each month. Just keep in mind that you must use your Bilt Mastercard five times each statement period to earn points.

Winner: Bilt Mastercard. While the Sapphire Preferred has strong bonus categories, the Bilt Mastercard earns points on rent and offers a double points bonus once each month.

Redeeming points on the Bilt Mastercard vs. the Sapphire Preferred

With the Bilt Mastercard, you can redeem your points for fitness classes, merchandise from the Bilt Collection, Amazon purchases, rent payments, down payments and travel.

Redeeming your points for travel will always give the best value, but the other redemption options are interesting. Amazon and merchandise are common redemption choices, but being able to redeem points for rent or a down payment on a house makes the Bilt Mastercard stand out among the competition.

As for the Sapphire Preferred, you can redeem your Ultimate Rewards points for statement credits, gift cards, merchandise, travel and curated experiences through Chase. As with Bilt points, the most valuable way to use your Ultimate Rewards points is for travel.

One important note is that both cards offer cardholders the ability to redeem points through their travel portal at a rate of 1.25 cents per point — a higher value than the 1 cent per point you’ll get with many other cards.

Winner: Tie. Both cards offer a variety of valuable redemption options.

Related: Why I chose the Chase Sapphire Preferred as my next credit card

Transferring points with the Bilt Mastercard vs. the Sapphire Preferred

Both of these cards have airline and hotel partners, so cardholders can transfer points. Currently, Bilt offers 18 total transfer partners, while Chase comes in slightly behind with 14 partners.

Notable partners that both cards share include:

• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• British Airways Executive Club
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• World of Hyatt

Bilt has a few transfer partners that Chase does not, including Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Avianca LifeMiles and Turkish Miles&Smiles.

Meanwhile, Chase cardholders enjoy access to Singapore KrisFlyer, Southwest Rapid Rewards and JetBlue TrueBlue, all airlines that Bilt cardholders can’t transfer to.

TPG credit cards writer Augusta Stone used Bilt points to help pay for a trip to Miami for a cruise. She transferred 9,000 points to World of Hyatt to top off her account for a 12,000-point redemption. She also transferred an additional 19,000 points to American Airlines AAdvantage to put toward a 31,000-point award ticket.

While American Airlines is no longer a Bilt transfer partner, this is a great example of how to get a lot of value from transfer partners.

Winner: Tie. This matchup comes down to personal preference since both cards share major transfer partners and have options that the other does not.

Should I get the Bilt Mastercard or the Sapphire Preferred?

Both of these cards have great benefits, solid earning categories and a fantastic range of transfer partners. If you rent an apartment and spend a lot on dining, we recommend choosing the Bilt Mastercard. However, we recommend the Sapphire Preferred if you travel frequently or find Chase’s transfer partners more appealing.

Bottom line

While you might be in a position where you have to choose one or the other, these cards can make a powerful pair in your wallet. Having both cards opens up a huge range of transfer partners for you to access and covers many common bonus categories. Plus, only one of these cards has an annual fee (see Bilt Mastercard rates and fees).

Before applying for either card, carefully weigh the pros and cons of each and consider your personal goals. Regardless of which option you pick, you’ll have a powerful card to add to your wallet.

To learn more, check out our full reviews of the Bilt Mastercard and the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

Apply here: Bilt Mastercard
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred

For rates and fees on the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
For rewards and benefits on the Bilt Mastercard, click here.