Is the Bilt Obsidian Card worth the higher annual fee?

The Bilt Obsidian Card costs $95/yr vs $0/yr for the Bilt Blue Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $95 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use.

Which card earns more rewards, the Bilt Blue Card or Bilt Obsidian Card?

Both cards earn 1X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.

What benefits does the Bilt Blue Card have that the Bilt Obsidian Card doesn't?

The Bilt Blue Card offers cell phone protection. The Bilt Obsidian Card offers cell phone protection.

Should I get the Bilt Blue Card or the Bilt Obsidian Card?

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Bilt Blue Card has a lower $0/yr fee; the Bilt Obsidian Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $95/yr.

Bilt Blue Card vs Bilt Obsidian Card

Annual fees: Bilt Blue Card $0/yr, Bilt Obsidian Card $95/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Bilt Blue Card on rent and dining, Bilt Obsidian Card on rent and dining.

Card data as of October 11, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Bilt Blue Card Cardless · No annual fee	Bilt Obsidian Card Cardless · $95/yr
Annual fee	$0 Lowest	$95
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	$100 in rewards	$200 in rewards
Rewards	Bilt Points	Bilt Points
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Network	Mastercard World Elite	Mastercard World Elite
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Dining	1x	3x Highest
Grocery Stores	1x	3x Highest
Travel	1x	2x Highest
Mortgage	1.25x	1.25x
Rent	1.25x	1.25x
Everything else	1x	1x
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Travel	—	$100 hotel credit
Perks & access— means none on record
Other perks	No foreign transaction fees	10% intro APR for 12 months 0% foreign transaction fees
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Trip insurance	—	Trip cancellation up to $2,000/trip Trip Delay
Baggage	—	Luggage insurance up to $1,500
Rental car	Secondary rental car collision damage waiver	MasterRental Coverage
Purchase & returns	$1,000 purchase protection per item for 90 days	Purchase Assurance
Extended warranty	—	Extended warranty up to $10,000/claim
Cell phone	Up to $800 cell phone protection per claim	Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection
Pros & cons
Pros	No annual fee Earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage with no transaction fees 4% Bilt Cash on all non-housing spend (stackable with 1X points) $100 Bilt Cash welcome bonus with no spending requirement Transferable points to 20+ airline and hotel partners (valued at 2.2 cents each by TPG)	3x points on your choice of dining or grocery (up to $25K/year on grocery) 2x points on travel Earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage with no transaction fees $200 Bilt Cash welcome bonus upon approval (no spending required) $100 annual Bilt Travel hotel credit ($50 semiannually)
Cons	Only 1X points on non-housing purchases (below average for flat-rate cards) Unlocking housing points requires regular non-housing spend or Bilt Cash redemptions Most Bilt Cash expires at year-end (only $100 rolls over) No bonus categories like dining or travel (those are Obsidian features) Fewer card-specific protections than Obsidian or Palladium	$95 annual fee plus $50 per authorized user Complex earning structure for housing rewards (requires spending tiers or Bilt Cash redemption) Bilt Cash expires at year-end with only $100 rollover Grocery bonus category capped at $25K/year spending Hotel credit requires 2-night minimum via Bilt Travel portal
	Card details	Card details

Bilt Blue Card
Cardless · No annual fee
Bilt Obsidian Card
Cardless · $95/yr

Overview

Annual fee: Bilt Blue Card
$0
Lowest
Bilt Obsidian Card
$95
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Bilt Blue Card
$100 in rewards
Bilt Obsidian Card
$200 in rewards
Rewards: Bilt Blue Card
Bilt Points
Bilt Obsidian Card
Bilt Points
Foreign transaction fee: Bilt Blue Card
None
Bilt Obsidian Card
None
Network: Bilt Blue Card
Mastercard World Elite
Bilt Obsidian Card
Mastercard World Elite

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Dining: Bilt Blue Card
1x
Bilt Obsidian Card
3x
Highest
Grocery Stores: Bilt Blue Card
1x
Bilt Obsidian Card
3x
Highest
Travel: Bilt Blue Card
1x
Bilt Obsidian Card
2x
Highest
Mortgage: Bilt Blue Card
1.25x
Bilt Obsidian Card
1.25x
Rent: Bilt Blue Card
1.25x
Bilt Obsidian Card
1.25x
Everything else: Bilt Blue Card
1x
Bilt Obsidian Card
1x

Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record

Travel: Bilt Blue Card
—
Bilt Obsidian Card
$100 hotel credit

Perks & access— means none on record

Other perks: Bilt Blue Card
No foreign transaction fees
Bilt Obsidian Card
10% intro APR for 12 months
0% foreign transaction fees

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance: Bilt Blue Card
—
Bilt Obsidian Card
Trip cancellation up to $2,000/trip
Trip Delay
Baggage: Bilt Blue Card
—
Bilt Obsidian Card
Luggage insurance up to $1,500
Rental car: Bilt Blue Card
Secondary rental car collision damage waiver
Bilt Obsidian Card
MasterRental Coverage
Purchase & returns: Bilt Blue Card
$1,000 purchase protection per item for 90 days
Bilt Obsidian Card
Purchase Assurance
Extended warranty: Bilt Blue Card
—
Bilt Obsidian Card
Extended warranty up to $10,000/claim
Cell phone: Bilt Blue Card
Up to $800 cell phone protection per claim
Bilt Obsidian Card
Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection

Pros & cons

Pros: Bilt Blue Card
No annual fee
Earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage with no transaction fees
4% Bilt Cash on all non-housing spend (stackable with 1X points)
$100 Bilt Cash welcome bonus with no spending requirement
Transferable points to 20+ airline and hotel partners (valued at 2.2 cents each by TPG)
Bilt Obsidian Card
3x points on your choice of dining or grocery (up to $25K/year on grocery)
2x points on travel
Earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage with no transaction fees
$200 Bilt Cash welcome bonus upon approval (no spending required)
$100 annual Bilt Travel hotel credit ($50 semiannually)
Cons: Bilt Blue Card
Only 1X points on non-housing purchases (below average for flat-rate cards)
Unlocking housing points requires regular non-housing spend or Bilt Cash redemptions
Most Bilt Cash expires at year-end (only $100 rolls over)
No bonus categories like dining or travel (those are Obsidian features)
Fewer card-specific protections than Obsidian or Palladium
Bilt Obsidian Card
$95 annual fee plus $50 per authorized user
Complex earning structure for housing rewards (requires spending tiers or Bilt Cash redemption)
Bilt Cash expires at year-end with only $100 rollover
Grocery bonus category capped at $25K/year spending
Hotel credit requires 2-night minimum via Bilt Travel portal

Card details

Add a 3rd or 4th card to this comparison →

Category-by-Category Winner

The Bilt Obsidian Card wins in 1 of 1 categories. The Bilt Blue Card leads in 0. 2 more categories depend on booking channel or caps.

Dining

Depends: 3X applies only while dining is the elected 3X category (dining or grocery). Dining is the default at account opening; grocery can be chosen within 30 days of opening or each January.

Bilt Obsidian Card earns 3X when conditions are met; Bilt Blue Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Travel

Bilt Obsidian Card earns 2X vs 1X

Grocery Stores

Depends: up to $25,000/yr; 3X applies only if grocery replaces the default dining as the elected 3X category (switch within 30 days of opening or each January); grocery 3X is limited to $25,000 a year.

Bilt Obsidian Card earns 3X when conditions are met; Bilt Blue Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Year One vs Ongoing Value

Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.

The better card depends on how much you spend.

Scenario	Bilt Blue Card	Bilt Obsidian Card	Ongoing winner	Year-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month	Rewards: $264 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $264 Year one: $364	Rewards: $290 Credits (our usable estimate): $20 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $215 Year one: $415	Bilt Blue Card	Bilt Obsidian Card
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $1,056 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $1,056 Year one: $1,156	Rewards: $1,162 Credits (our usable estimate): $20 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $1,087 Year one: $1,287	Bilt Obsidian Card	Bilt Obsidian Card

Is the Fee Difference Worth It?

The Bilt Obsidian Card costs $95/yr — that's $95 more than the Bilt Blue Card (no annual fee). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $95 in annual value from the card's higher earn rates and benefits.

Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $95 fee gap means the Bilt Obsidian Card needs roughly $95 more in annual rewards (or credits you will use) to break even on dining and grocery stores and everyday spend.

Which Card Is Right for You?

Get the Bilt Obsidian Card if you:

+Spend $300+/month on restaurants and dining out
+Do most of your spending at grocery stores

The Bottom Line

The better card depends on how much you spend.

Published annual fees: Bilt Blue Card $0/yr, Bilt Obsidian Card $95/yr — a $95 difference before welcome offers and credits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Bilt Obsidian Card worth the higher annual fee?: The Bilt Obsidian Card costs $95/yr vs $0/yr for the Bilt Blue Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $95 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use.
Which card earns more rewards, the Bilt Blue Card or Bilt Obsidian Card?: Both cards earn 1X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.
What benefits does the Bilt Blue Card have that the Bilt Obsidian Card doesn't?: The Bilt Blue Card offers cell phone protection. The Bilt Obsidian Card offers cell phone protection.
Should I get the Bilt Blue Card or the Bilt Obsidian Card?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Bilt Blue Card has a lower $0/yr fee; the Bilt Obsidian Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $95/yr.

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Official issuer pages: Cardless cards

Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published October 11, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.