Bilt Rewards, a loyalty program known for letting users earn rewards on rent and its co-branded credit card, keeps expanding its list of transfer partners. As of Oct. 10, 2024, Bilt has added two more transfer partners: TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go and Accor Live Limitless (ALL). You can now transfer Bilt Rewards points to TAP at a 1:1 ratio and Accor at 3:2 ratio.
These new partners give you more flexibility in how you use your Bilt points. TAP Air Portugal, a Star Alliance member, opens up opportunities for affordable flights to Europe and beyond. Meanwhile, Accor Live Limitless expands your hotel options, especially in Europe and luxury markets.
More options are usually a good thing, but in this case — unless you have a specific sweet-spot award in mind — these partners are mostly a wash compared to others already available through
Bilt Rewards
.
Before transferring, make sure to evaluate your travel plans and consider potential drawbacks, such as award availability and point-transfer ratios. These partners can be handy for European travel especially, but you should run the numbers to get the most out of your Bilt points.
TAP Miles&Go overview
TAP Miles&Go
has a few competitive mileage redemptions for award flights between the U.S. and Europe, Europe and Africa and within Asia. You can book one-way business-class flights to Europe for relatively low point costs compared to other airlines on certain travel days. That’s a big advantage if your dates are flexible.
TAP is also a
Star Alliance member
, which means you can book award flights on over two dozen partner airlines. That sounds impressive, but Bilt Rewards members are spoiled for choice with other Star Alliance airlines. Bilt Rewards also transfer at a 1:1 ratio to:
TAP Miles&Go sweet spots
TAP Miles&Go redemption rates vary. If you’re flexible with dates, you can find some deals including:
One-way in business class between the U.S. and Europe for 100,000 miles with minimal taxes and fees.
One-way in economy between the U.S. and Europe for 29,000 miles.
One-way in business class between Europe and Africa for 66,000 miles.
TAP Miles&Go drawbacks
There are some major hurdles to using the TAP Miles&Go program. First, TAP’s website is notoriously buggy and can be difficult to use.
Once you are able to run searches, the award prices also may not be meaningfully cheaper than what you can find with other airlines. Award availability can be limited, especially for business-class seats. Some routes may include surcharges, which reduce the overall value of your points.
If you are flying TAP Air Portugal on miles, the route will almost always require you to connect in Portugal, which can be inconvenient for people flying to other destinations.
So while adding TAP Miles&Go as a Bilt transfer partner is a positive development for a few specific use cases, most Bilt Rewards members should also check other transfer options.
Complete list of Bilt transfer partners
Accor Live Limitless overview
Accor Live Limitless (ALL) is another niche, new transfer partner for Bilt. The Accor portfolio includes well-known brands like Fairmont, Sofitel and Ibis, offering options from budget-friendly to luxury stays. This makes ALL a potential option for European travel or high-end properties around the world.
ALL award stays
ALL doesn’t have any sweet spots. Instead, the rewards function more like a rebate program — and every 2,000 points is worth 40 euros (or about $44) toward the cash price of your stay.
If you transfer 3,000 Bilt Rewards, you’d get 2,000 ALL points. So 3,000 Bilt points would be worth around $44, or roughly 1.5 cents each. That’s not a bad redemption considering other hotel brands like
Marriott are only worth
about
0.9 cent
each when redeemed for award stays — and that’s with a 1:1 transfer ratio with Bilt.
You could use ALL points for affordable hotel stays in Europe, especially at mid-range brands like Novotel and Ibis. Because the program doesn’t require you to pay for the entire booking in points, you could also use a combination of cash and points to offset the high cost of luxury hotels like Fairmont and Sofitel properties.
ALL drawbacks
Considering the value of ALL points is fixed, you may be able to realize higher value on an award stay with another hotel program.
Bilt Rewards also partners with
Hilton Honors
,
IHG One Rewards
,
Marriott Bonvoy
and
World of Hyatt
— all of which have comparatively large hotel collections. You have to be really committed to staying at an Accor hotel to redeem your Bilt points this way. The 3:2 transfer ratio could still reduce the value of your points compared to other 1:1 hotel transfer partners.
Accor has a limited footprint in the U.S., making it less appealing if most of your travel is domestic.
Top photo courtesy of TAP Air Portugal.
How to maximize your rewards
Conclusion Section
In conclusion, the addition of TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go and Accor Live Limitless as transfer partners for Bilt Rewards offers members more options for redeeming their points. While these new partners may not offer significant advantages over existing options, they do provide flexibility for different travel preferences, especially in Europe and luxury markets.
When considering transferring points to these new partners, it’s important to evaluate your travel plans, including award availability and point ratios, to ensure you are maximizing the value of your Bilt points. While TAP Miles&Go can be a good choice for affordable flights to Europe and beyond, the program may have limitations such as website functionality and route options. Accor Live Limitless offers a unique rebate-style redemption system, which can be beneficial for offsetting hotel costs in Europe.
Overall, the expansion of transfer partners for Bilt Rewards opens up new possibilities for members to use their points effectively. By understanding the strengths and drawbacks of each partner, you can make informed decisions on how to make the most of your loyalty rewards.
