Bilt Rent Day Promo: Get Free Hilton Gold Status (& A Chance to Extend it Until 2026!)

Bilt is coming back with another Rent Day promotion, and it's a good one for travelers looking for an easy way to earn hotel elite status. This Sunday, Oct. 1, Bilt Rewards is offering all members free Hilton Honors Gold Status through the end of the year, and the opportunity to extend that status all the way into 2026. 

To get complimentary Hilton Gold status, Bilt members must opt in on the Bilt app or website by Oct. 2 at 2:59 a.m. Members will keep their Hilton Gold status through Dec. 31, 2024 unless they complete the following requirements to extend (or upgrade) it: 

• Any Bilt members who stay eight nights at Hilton properties before Dec. 31, 2024 will extend their Gold Status until March 31, 2026 
• Blue (basic members), Silver and Gold: Stay 14 nights at Hilton properties before Dec. 31, 2024 to upgrade to Diamond status through March 31, 2026!
• Platinum: Stay 10 nights at Hilton properties before Dec. 31, 2024 to upgrade to Diamond Status until March 31, 2026!

While the lower levels of elite hotel status with most hotel chains are nothing special, Hilton Honors is different. With Hilton Gold status, you get free breakfast for two at almost any Hilton hotel worldwide – or a daily food or beverage credit for stays within the U.S. That benefit alone can save you hundreds of dollars on your next trip! 

So whether you've already got a Hilton stay on the books or are considering booking a Hilton hotel for your next trip, this promotion is worth taking advantage of! 

Here's everything you need to know about this month's Rent Day promo.

Read more: Free Breakfast: Why Hilton Gold (& Diamond) Status Reign Supreme

Hilton Honors Status Match Challenge

This is one of the easiest ways to get hotel status we've ever seen. Simply by having a Bilt Rewards account (and it's free to sign up!), regardless of status tier, you'll be eligible for Hilton Honor's Gold Status.

All you have to do is opt in for the status match in the Bilt app or website between Oct. 1 and Oct. 2 and you'll get complimentary Hilton Gold status through at least Dec. 31, 2024, unless you meet the requirements to extend (or upgrade) it. 

Hilton has three different levels of elite status: Silver, Gold, and Diamond. Here's a look at the benefits you get at every Hilton status tier:

With Gold and Diamond status, you get perks like a daily food and beverage credit in the U.S. or free continental breakfast internationally, and space-available room upgrades. Diamond elites also get access to the executive lounge at properties where it's available – a separate lounge with complimentary food and drinks. Regardless, it's a great way to save on food costs while traveling!

Better yet, that food and beverage credit or free breakfast perk covers not only you, but another person, too, so long as they're listed as a registered guest on your reservation. 

Here's a quick look at the credit that you get within the U.S.

While the free breakfast benefit offered to Hilton Gold and Diamond members is technically for continental breakfast, many hotels, especially those outside the U.S., offer elite members a full breakfast or credits to be used at on-property restaurants.

Take my recent stay at the Conrad Tokyo, for example. With my Hilton status, I got to order from the à la carte menu while also having access to the full breakfast buffet. As I was traveling with another person, both of us would've had to pay $90 total. Fortunately, our entire meal was completely free, thanks to status.

Typically, to earn Hilton's mid-tier Gold elite status, you'll need to stay at least 40 nights at Hilton properties during the status year, or more than 60 nights for Hilton's top-tier Diamond status, so the opportunity to get free Hilton Gold status simply by being a Bilt member and enrolling in the promotion is an incredible deal. 

While you'll only have Hilton Honors Gold status until the end of the year, you can stay a few nights at Hilton's properties to extend (or upgrade) your status all the way into 2026.  

Related reading: Free Breakfast: Why Hilton Gold (& Diamond) Status Reign Supreme

Other Rent Day Promotions

If a sweet status match isn't your thing, Bilt has even more travel deals in store this month.

For the second month in a row, Bilt members will be able to participate in a “Buy One Sailor, Get Second Sailor 100% Off” offer when booking an eligible Virgin Voyage. All eligible cruises and cabins will be available on a Virgin Voyages landing page accessed through the Bilt Rewards app and need to be booked between now and Oct. 2 at 3 a.m. ET.

Additionally, if you use the Bilt Access Key “VVBILT” when booking, you'll get some extra onboard perks: 

• Unlimited premium Wi-Fi
• Two specialty coffees per day
• A $100 bar tab credit
• Access to an exclusive cocktail event
• Complimentary laundry
• Priority boarding at embarkation

Other Rent Day staples like Bilt's “Rent Free” game show is 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 American icon and businesswoman, Paris Hilton. You can play Rent Free right now and can also compete for a chance to win 500,000 Hilton Honors points!

Finally, Rent Day Rides is returning for another month. Bilt members can reserve a complimentary bike at one of the more than 50 SoulCycle locations around the country. One lucky rider at all the studios participating in Rent Day Rides will even win a free month of rent, courtesy of Bilt.

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 months, 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 October is a good one for travelers. On Sunday, Oct. 1 – and only Oct. 1 – you get Hilton Honors status – and have the opportunity to extend it, depending on your Bilt status and how many nights you stay at Hilton properties. Add in a BOGO cruise offer from Virgin Voyages and it's an all-around great Rent Day for travelers.

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

Lead image courtesy of Hilton