Today Only: Get Up to a 100% Bonus on Bilt Transfers to British Airways, Aer Lingus & Iberia!

Bilt is back with another Rent Day promotion, and it's a good one for travelers with their sights set on Europe, the Middle-East … or just about anywhere, really.

No fooling around here: Today, April 1, Bilt Rewards is offering members a transfer bonus of up to 100% when moving points to a trio of airlines: British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia. But this big transfer bonus is only available today! If you've got a good use for Avios – and trust us, there are plenty – this is a deal worth your attention. 

Exactly how big of a bonus you get is based on your level of Bilt status and ranges between 50% and 100%. Here's how things shake out. 

Sadly, Avios don't go quite as far as they used to on Oneworld partners like American Airlines and Alaska. But they're still great for flights to Europe and beyond – including some sweet spots like flying to Madrid (MAD) in business class for just 34,000 miles! And while this bonus only works when transferring to British Airways, Aer Lingus, or Iberia, you can easily combine Avios to use them with additional airlines like Finnair and Qatar Airways.

This opens the door to some additional deals like booking Qatar Qsuites from the U.S. to Doha (and beyond) from 70,000 Avios one way or flying Finnair to Northern Europe from 63,000 Avios one way.

Using transfer partners is one of the best ways to use your Bilt points for even more value. This transfer bonus makes it even better – think of it as a way to get some free airline miles. 

Just keep in mind: These transfers are a one-way street – once you send points to Avios, you can't get them back to your Bilt account. That's why we typically urge travelers to scope out award availability to ensure the flights they want are bookable before transferring any points.

Read on for more details about this transfer bonus and to see what else Bilt has in store for this month's Rent Day.

How to Use Avios

It's far from perfect, but Avios remains one of the most valuable points currencies on the planet thanks to the sheer number of airlines they can be used on. Not only can you redeem them to fly British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, Finnair, and Qatar Airways, but you can also book flights on Oneworld airlines, like American and Alaska, and a few other one-off partners. 

Let's take a look at some of our favorite ways to put this big transfer bonus to use! 

Hawaii and Back for 33K Points 

Even after last year's devaluation, one of the best ways to book flights to Hawaii is using British Airways Avios. I know, it doesn't make much sense … but it's true.

You can book flights to Hawaii with miles from the massive U.K. carrier, using British Airways Avios to book flights on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines out to the islands.

While American and Alaska frequently charge 60,000 miles or more for these flights, you can fly from the West Coast to Hawaii for just 40,000 Avios roundtrip. Factor in the 50% transfer bonus for Bilt Blue status, and you need just 27,000 Bilt points to make it happen. If you've got Bilt's highest Platinum status, it gets even better: You'd only need 20,000 points to book these exact same flights! 

The trick to getting these ultra-low rates is starting your search in Los Angeles (LAX) or Phoenix (PHX), both of which have nonstop service to the islands. You can also start from other cities like Seattle (SEA), Portland (PDX), San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), or San Diego (SAN), as Alaska Airlines nonstops to Hawaii are also bookable at these rates.
 

Read more on the cheapest ways to get to Hawaii using points and miles!

Availability to book these American Airlines flights via British Airways is typically quite solid – especially if you’re looking at least a few months in advance. The same is true of Alaska Airlines.

It's an easy redemption and a solid way to make use of this limited-time transfer bonus. Willing to put in some extra legwork? This deal can get even better.

While this transfer bonus only works for British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia, you can transfer Avios between British Airways and Finnair, as well as Qatar Airways. That means you could send your Bilt points to British Airways, get a bonus, and then kick them over to Finnair.

And you might want to: Finnair charges just 15,000 Avios each way for American Airlines flights between the mainland and Hawaii … or 13,500 miles on Alaska! And while you'll pay that rate for nonstop flights from the West Coast, it even applies to one- and two-stop trips from the Midwest and beyond!

Factor in the 50% transfer bonus, and you could book roundtrip flights to Hawaii from all across the U.S. for as low as 14,000 Bilt points!

The problem is that you won't find these flights online at Finnair.com, so you'll need to call the airline at +1 929 474 6049 or +1 323 694 7646 in order to book. Search through British Airways' website first to find flights that are available. And even then, it may require some trial and error: Not every Finnair agent knows how to book these American or Alaska flights.

Roundtrip to Spain for 29K Points 

Most airlines charge about 60,000 to 70,000 miles to fly from the U.S. to Europe and back. One airline can get you there and back for half that price.

It’s Iberia, the Spanish flag carrier. Depart from the right cities and at the right time, and you can score round-trip flights straight to Madrid (MAD) for just 34,000 miles plus about $200 in taxes and fees – or just 23,000 Bilt points with a 50% transfer bonus. If you've got Bilt Platinum status, it would only cost you 17,000 Bilt points for roundtrip flights to Europe! 
 

The trick? Iberia’s distance-based award pricing system means you have to start your journey from the East Coast hubs of Boston (BOS), Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD), or New York City (JFK). Luckily for Midwesterners, Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) still works at this price, too. Departing from other Iberia outposts like Miami (MIA), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), San Francisco (SFO), or Los Angeles (LAX) will cost you more miles.

You also need to time it right. Iberia uses peak and off-peak pricing, which means getting these cheap flights at 34,000 miles requires traveling during the off-peak season. Luckily, Iberia’s definition of “off-peak” is typically quite generous: It means you can fly at the lowest rates for nearly 2/3 of the year. Mid-June through mid-September is generally considered the peak summer season, with some scattered weekends and holidays blocked off, too. 

… Or Do it in Business Class from 46K 

Flying business class to Europe doesn't get much cheaper than this. In fact, we consider it one of the best deals in points and miles. And with a big transfer bonus to British Airways or Iberia, the best somehow gets even better.

You can book Iberia business class between the U.S. and Madrid (MAD) for just 34,000 Avios each way. After transferring to Iberia or British Airways with this new bonus, it brings your final tally to just 23,000 points for a one-way Iberia business class flight to Madrid – or as few as 17,000 points with Platinum status! With roundtrips costing twice that, you'd need fewer than 50,000 Bilt points to fly both ways in luxury.

That’s a roundtrip flight in business class for less than what almost every other airline would charge you to fly in economy. Why not fly like this rather than back in economy when you can do it using fewer points?
 

Read our full review of Iberia business class!

Booking Iberia business class flights follows the same script as the economy example above. Focus on flights from New York City, Boston, Washington DC, and Chicago to Madrid to get the lowest rates. Off-peak travel times are key. And you can book for these ultra-low rates through both British Airways and Iberia itself.

Oh, and here's a word of advice if you're looking to take advantage of this deal. It pays to plan far, far ahead: Often, your best bet for snagging these business class seats is by booking 10-plus months in advance.
 

Need more info? Read our guide to booking Iberia business class! 

Struggling to find these flights with your miles? We recently sent Thrifty Traveler Premium members an alert for some excellent award space flying Iberia business class early next year. 
 

Finnair Biz Class from 32K Bilt Points

One of the newest business class seats in the sky is from Finnair, which is also the newest entrant to the world of Avios. It takes some trickery to book it – more on that shortly – but it's one of the most affordable. And this transfer bonus makes it even cheaper.

Here's the deal: The airline charges just 62,500 of its own Avios to book a one-way in Finnair business class from the U.S. to its Helsinki (HEL) hub, plus a reasonable amount of taxes and fees. Unlike many other airlines, Finnair business class is relatively easy to book using miles.

I know what you're thinking: “But Finnair isn't a Bilt transfer partner.” You're right … but British Airways is.

That means you can take advantage of that 50% bonus and transfer just 42,000 Bilt points to British Airways – or 32,000 Bilt points with Platinum status. Once those hit your BA account, kick them over to Finnair using our handy guide, and you're ready to book one of the coziest and coolest lie-flat seats crossing the Atlantic today. 

Flying solo, it's a cinch to find the award availability to book these seats – especially booking 10-plus months in advance. But if you're traveling with a companion, you might need to use a trick to find award availability for two.

International airlines have been throttling business class award space for U.S.-based travelers, and Finnair might be one of the worst offenders. You can only book one seat in Finnair business class from the States ……unless you set your location to “Finland” or another European country on Finnair's website.

Voila: Two business class seats are suddenly available. And thanks to this transfer bonus, you can book the pair of them for just 82,000 (or as few as 63,000) Bilt points.

You can even connect onward throughout much of Northern Europe for the same rates! 

Book Qsuites for Cheap

We saved the best for last.

Thanks to Qatar Airways' adoption of Avios, the floodgates are open to book Qatar's world-leading Qsuite business class seats using Bilt points. Factor in this transfer bonus, and you can do it for fewer points.
 

Check out our full review of Qatar Qsuites!

Here's the easiest route: You could book a simple nonstop from many cities in the U.S. over to Doha (DOH) for just 70,000 British Airways Avios. Find the award availability you want, transfer 47,000 Bilt points – or as few as 35,000 with Platinum status – to your BA account, and book it. Done. It doesn't get much cheaper or easier than that.

Sadly, both Qatar and British Airways recently raised taxes and fees on these business class redemptions. What was once a $100-or-so charge has increased to roughly $235. That's a small price to pay to fly the world's best business class if you ask us … especially at these rock-bottom rates. 

We send Thrifty Traveler Premium members award alerts when they can book the world's best business class using their points, plus cheap cash fares too!

If you want to take it next level and connect elsewhere – Dubai (DXB) or Muscat (MCT) in the Middle East, Cairo (CAI), or maybe even the Maldives (MLE) or down to Cape Town (CPT) in South Africa – you'll want to turn to Qatar Airways Avios. And even though you can't directly transfer Bilt points to Qatar, you can easily combine your Avios balances between British Airways and Qatar.

And these multi-segment awards wind up being much cheaper by booking through Qatar itself than British Airways. If you are booking through Qatar, you could fly in Qsuites to …

• Middle Eastern destinations like Dubai (DXB), Abu Dhabi (AUH) or Muscat (MCT) for 75,000 miles – just 50,000 Bilt points (or as few as 38,000 points) after the transfer bonus!
• Other destinations like Amman (AMM) and Cairo (CAI) as well as major Indian cities go up to 80,000 miles each way, or 54,000 Bilt points (or as few as 40,000 points) with this bonus.
• Getting to the Seychelles (SEZ) or Maldives (MLE) will run you 85,000 miles each way, which works out to 57,000 Bilt points (or as few as 43,000 points).
• Both Southeast Asia and South Africa typically cost 95,000 miles each way – 64,000 Bilt points (or as few as 48,000 Bilt points).

These flights with connections raise your final cash costs even higher – typically to around $300 or more.

Take our advice: Book a flight that connects onward to the Middle East so you can access Qatar's incredible Al Safwa Lounge during your layover. There's even a sneaky way to connect onward in Qatar Airways First Class all the way to the Maldives (MLE), Bangkok (BKK), Hong Kong (HKG), or Perth (PER) in Australia … for the same rate as flying business class the whole way.

No matter which route you take, you won't regret it.
 

Read our full guide on the best ways to book Qsuites!

Other Rent Day Promotions

The new transfer bonuses are the biggest highlight for this month's Rent Day, but it's not the only travel-adjacent promotion. Bilt recently expanded its partnership with Lyft, allowing members to redeem Bilt points for rides directly through the Lyft app. The downside? These redemptions represent really poor value for your points, with each one being worth just .7 cents each when used for a Lyft. 

But to help promote this new feature, Bilt is sweetening things a bit for the next few days. From now until April 1 at 11:59 MT, members can enjoy a bonus when they redeem Bilt points for Lyft rides once they’ve linked their Lyft and Bilt accounts.

Here's how it shakes out depending on your Bilt status:

• Blue and Silver Status: Get a 50% redemption bonus (1 cent per point)
• Gold and Platinum Status: Get a 100% redemption bonus (1.4 cents per point)
• Members will see the updated redemption value when they choose to pay with points in the Lyft app 

Other Rent Day staples like Bilt's “Rent Free” game show are making a comeback as well. Each month, Bilt brings on a well-known individual to play its Family Feud-esque game show and determine how much free rent will be paid. This month's guest is comedian Chris Distefano.

Finally, Bilt's Neighborhood Fitness program is returning for another month. Bilt members can reserve a complimentary fitness class at SoulCycle and Barry's locations around the country. Bilt members will also receive exclusive add-ons with each fitness partner.

Earn Double Points on Rent Day

There's another thing to keep in mind on Rent Day: You'll earn double the points (up to 1,000 bonus points) for every non-rent dollar spent on your *bilt rewards card* on the first of the month. 

So long as you make at least five purchases each statement cycle, you'll earn points at the following rates on Rent Day:

• 6x Bilt points on dining (usually 3x)
• 4x Bilt points on travel (usually 2x)
• 2x Bilt points on other spend (usually 1x)

This is all in addition to the 1x Bilt points you earn on rent payments with the Bilt Mastercard.

Read more: Paying Rent? You Need to Have This Card in Your Wallet
 

Learn more about the *bilt rewards card*.

How to Use Bilt Rewards Points

Just because the points can be fairly difficult to earn doesn't mean they aren't useful – just the opposite. There are many ways to use Bilt points. And once you've got them, they're some of the most valuable points in the world of travel.

The easiest way to use them is to book through the Bilt Rewards travel portal, where each point will be worth 1.25 cents apiece. That means 10,000 Bilt points are worth $125 toward travel.

But you'll get the best value for your Bilt points by transferring points to one of its 14 travel partners, including World of Hyatt, Alaska Airlines, Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles, United Mileage Plus, and British Airways Avios, among many others.

Just keep in mind that unless you've earned Bilt status, you'll need to transfer a minimum of 2,000 points to get started.

Here's the full list:
 

If you prefer to use your points for something other than travel, Bilt recently introduced the ability to “cash out” Bilt Rewards points  (at a rate of .55 cents per point) by applying them as a statement credit to the outstanding balance on your Bilt Rewards Card. At approximately a half-cent per point, redeeming them this way represents poor value and should really only be done as a last resort.

Prior Rent Day Promotions

Over the years, Bilt has done a good job leveraging its partners to come up with some really creative (and often incredibly lucrative) promotions. While not every month's promo is a home run for travelers, the majority of Bilt's Rent Day promos do a good job engaging members on a day that's otherwise un-celebrated.

Here's a look back at some of the other Rent Day promotions from the past year:

Most of Bilt's Rent Day promotions are centered on travel and even the ones that aren't are still valuable for most Bilt Rewards members. Looking at prior Rent Day promos, you have to wonder how Bilt can continue to raise the bar month after month.

Bottom Line

Bilt Rewards' Rent Day promo for February is a good one for travelers.

Today, April 1 – and only April 1 – you can get up to a 100% bonus when transferring Bilt points to British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia. This transfer bonus is based on status and ranges between 50% and 100%. 

If you've got a *Bilt Mastercard* in your wallet, you'll earn even more when you spend on the first of the month.