First-year winner

Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card
$296 Year 1 edge
$687 vs $392
Compare Cards
Compare two cards side by side with your real spend, credits, fees, and rewards.
Card A

Card B

Monthly spend
Reward assumptions
Credits & benefits
Count the credits and perks you actually expect to use. Credit rows start with conservative default values; edit them for your own merchant, timing, or travel friction.
Card A
Counted benefits
$0
Credits
None
Cash-like credits counted in the model
Perks
None
Optional user-valued benefits
Rewards on Eligible Housing Payments
Other · No listed cash value
The current no-annual-fee Bilt card can earn rewards on eligible rent or mortgage payments made through the Bilt app or website without a transaction fee.
Flexible Rewards Options
Other · No listed cash value
Cardholders can choose between a Housing-only Option that earns Bilt Points on eligible housing payments or a Flexible Bilt Cash Option that earns Bilt Cash on everyday spend.
Bilt Partner Rewards
Other · No listed cash value
The broader Bilt Rewards ecosystem includes additional partner earning opportunities across Lyft, Bilt Dining, Bilt Travel, Bilt Fitness, Walgreens, Metropolis parking, and home delivery offers.
Card B
Counted benefits
$0
Credits
None
Cash-like credits counted in the model
Perks
None
Optional user-valued benefits
Preferred Rewards Upside
Other · No listed cash value
Eligible Bank of America relationship customers can unlock higher effective earnings through the issuer’s relationship-based rewards boost programs.
No Annual Fee
Other · No listed cash value
You can keep the card long term without paying a recurring annual fee.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
Other · No listed cash value
Eligible international purchases do not incur an added foreign transaction surcharge.
Travel Rewards Ecosystem
Other · No listed cash value
The card is designed to fit into a broader travel-rewards setup through issuer redemptions, hotel stays, flights, or travel-portal bookings.
Verdict
First-year winner

$296 Year 1 edge
$687 vs $392
Winner after year 1

$146 ongoing edge
$437 vs $292
Long-term breakeven: the higher-reward option needs roughly $0 per year in this spend mix to overcome the fee and benefit gap.
Bilt

Year One
$392
Welcome offer + annual rewards + counted benefits - fee
After Year 1
$292
Annual rewards + counted benefits - fee
Annual Rewards
$292
1.00% effective return
Welcome Offer
$100
Current listed first-year bonus value
Credits + Perks
None
$0 credits + $0 perks
Bonus Spend
No listed offer
No spend threshold in dataset
Why it wins
Watch for
Bank of America

Year One
$687
Welcome offer + annual rewards + counted benefits - fee
After Year 1
$437
Annual rewards + counted benefits - fee
Annual Rewards
$437
1.50% effective return
Welcome Offer
$250
Current listed first-year bonus value
Credits + Perks
None
$0 credits + $0 perks
Bonus Spend
$1,000
3 mo window · $333/mo pace · Comfortable
Why it wins
Watch for
Spend Mix Math
Category returns are based on the spend mix you entered, your point-value assumption, and the benefits you chose to count.
Dining
1x
$5,400
Bilt Blue
$54
1.00%
Bank of America Travel
$81
1.50%
Groceries
1x
$7,800
Bilt Blue
$78
1.00%
Bank of America Travel
$117
1.50%
Travel
1x
$3,000
Bilt Blue
$30
1.00%
Bank of America Travel
$45
1.50%
Gas
1x
$1,920
Bilt Blue
$19
1.00%
Bank of America Travel
$29
1.50%
General
1x
$11,040
Bilt Blue
$110
1.00%
Bank of America Travel
$166
1.50%
Total annual spend
$29,160 across this mix
Raw Breakdown
Use the spec table below when you want the literal field-by-field differences in rewards, benefits, transfer partners, fees, and approval profile.
| Metric | Bilt Blue Card | Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card |
|---|---|---|
| Costs | ||
| Annual fee | Free | Free |
| Foreign transaction fee | None | None |
| Rewards | ||
| Other rewards | 1.25x Up to 1.25x Bilt Points on eligible housing payments under the Housing-only Option, based on Everyday Spend Ratio thresholds, with a monthly floor of 250 points. | — |
| All rewards | 1x 1x Bilt Points on other eligible purchases. | 1.5x |
| Offer | ||
| Welcome offer | $100 Bilt Cash Earn $100 of Bilt Cash when you apply and get approved. | 25,000 online bonus points Spend $1,000 in 3 mo |
| Benefits | ||
| Estimated benefits | 3 listed | 4 listed |
| Benefit highlights | Rewards on Eligible Housing Payments · Flexible Rewards Options · Bilt Partner Rewards | Preferred Rewards Upside · No Annual Fee · No Foreign Transaction Fees · +1 more |
| Profile | ||
| Credit needed | Good | Good |
| Network | visa | visa |
| Reward type | Points | Points |
Annual fee
Bilt Blue Card
Free
Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card
Free
Foreign transaction fee
Bilt Blue Card
None
Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card
None
Other rewards
Bilt Blue Card
1.25x
Up to 1.25x Bilt Points on eligible housing payments under the Housing-only Option, based on Everyday Spend Ratio thresholds, with a monthly floor of 250 points.
Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card
—
All rewards
Bilt Blue Card
1x
1x Bilt Points on other eligible purchases.
Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card
1.5x
Welcome offer
Bilt Blue Card
$100 Bilt Cash
Earn $100 of Bilt Cash when you apply and get approved.
Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card
25,000 online bonus points
Spend $1,000 in 3 mo
Estimated benefits
Bilt Blue Card
3 listed
Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card
4 listed
Benefit highlights
Bilt Blue Card
Rewards on Eligible Housing Payments · Flexible Rewards Options · Bilt Partner Rewards
Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card
Preferred Rewards Upside · No Annual Fee · No Foreign Transaction Fees · +1 more
Credit needed
Bilt Blue Card
Good
Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card
Good
Network
Bilt Blue Card
visa
Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card
visa
Reward type
Bilt Blue Card
Points
Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card
Points