Bilt Blue Card vs Chase Freedom Flex
Both cards cost $0/yr. The Bilt Blue Card leads on rent and dining; the Chase Freedom Flex on rotating quarterly.
Card data as of November 13, 2026.
Bilt Blue CardCardless · No annual fee
Chase Freedom FlexChase · No annual fee
Overview
- Annual fee
- Bilt Blue Card$0Chase Freedom Flex$0
- Welcome offerCurrent public offer
- Bilt Blue Card$100 in rewardsChase Freedom Flex$200 cash back
- Rewards
- Bilt Blue CardBilt PointsChase Freedom FlexCash back
- Foreign transaction fee
- Bilt Blue CardNoneChase Freedom FlexNone
- Network
- Bilt Blue CardMastercard World EliteChase Freedom FlexMastercard World Elite
Earn ratesPer $1 spent · points and cash back aren’t ranked against each other
- Rotating Quarterly
- Bilt Blue Card1xChase Freedom Flex5%
- Dining
- Bilt Blue Card1xChase Freedom Flex3%
- Drugstores
- Bilt Blue Card1xChase Freedom Flex3%
- Mortgage
- Bilt Blue Card1.25xChase Freedom Flex1%
- Rent
- Bilt Blue Card1.25xChase Freedom Flex1%
- Everything else
- Bilt Blue Card1xChase Freedom Flex1%
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
- Dining & delivery
- Bilt Blue Card—Chase Freedom Flex
- DoorDash DashPass · $60 one-time
- DoorDash DashPass · $10 quarterly
Perks & access— means none on record
- Other perks
- Bilt Blue Card
- No foreign transaction fees
Chase Freedom Flex- No foreign transaction fees on purchases worldwide
- 24/7 roadside assistance for towing and emergencies
- 24/7 travel assistance anywhere in the world
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
- Trip insurance
- Bilt Blue Card—Chase Freedom Flex
- Up to $6,000 trip cancellation and interruption coverage
- Rental car
- Bilt Blue Card
- Secondary rental car collision damage waiver
Chase Freedom Flex- Secondary rental coverage when you skip the counter option
- Purchase & returns
- Bilt Blue Card
- $1,000 purchase protection per item for 90 days
Chase Freedom Flex- 24/7 fraud monitoring
- Credit Journey
- Up to $500 protection for damaged or stolen purchases
- Extended warranty
- Bilt Blue Card—Chase Freedom Flex
- Add an extra year to manufacturer warranties
- Cell phone
- Bilt Blue Card
- Up to $800 cell phone protection per claim
Chase Freedom Flex— - Other protections
- Bilt Blue Card—Chase Freedom Flex
- 24/7 lost/stolen card assistance worldwide
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)
Chase Freedom Flex- 5% on rotating categories up to $1,500/quarter when activated
- 3% on dining and drugstores with no annual cap
- 5X on Chase Travel portal purchases
- $0 annual fee with Mastercard World Elite benefits
- No foreign transaction fees (new for 2026)
- 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
Chase Freedom Flex- Must activate quarterly categories or miss 5% bonus
- $1,500 quarterly cap on 5% categories ($300 max bonus/quarter)
- Points worth only 1 cent without Sapphire card pairing
- Welcome bonus lower than Sapphire cards
Category-by-Category Winner
Both cards win in 2 categories each — it comes down to which categories matter most to you. 5 more categories depend on booking channel or caps.
Rent
Bilt Blue Card earns 1.25X vs 1X
1.25X via tiered option or up to 1X via Bilt Cash option; no transaction fee
Mortgage
Bilt Blue Card earns 1.25X vs 1X
1.25X via tiered option or up to 1X via Bilt Cash option; no transaction fee
Rotating Quarterly
Depends: up to $1,500/quarter; Must activate each quarter before deadline
Chase Freedom Flex earns 5X when conditions are met; Bilt Blue Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Travel
Depends: via issuer travel portal
Chase Freedom Flex earns 5X when conditions are met; Bilt Blue Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Hotels
Depends: via Chase Travel portal - the Chase Travel travel rate restated per bookable subcategory, as Capital One and Citi portal rates are recorded
Chase Freedom Flex earns 5X when conditions are met; Bilt Blue Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Flights
Depends: via Chase Travel portal - the Chase Travel travel rate restated per bookable subcategory, as Capital One and Citi portal rates are recorded
Chase Freedom Flex earns 5X when conditions are met; Bilt Blue Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Car Rentals
Depends: via Chase Travel portal - the Chase Travel travel rate restated per bookable subcategory, as Capital One and Citi portal rates are recorded
Chase Freedom Flex earns 5X when conditions are met; Bilt Blue Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Dining
Chase Freedom Flex earns 3X vs 1X
Drugstores
Chase Freedom Flex earns 3X vs 1X
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.
Both scenarios favor the Chase Freedom Flex on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).
| Scenario | Bilt Blue Card | Chase Freedom Flex | Ongoing winner | Year-one winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light spender: $1,000/month | Rewards: $240 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $240 Year one: $340 | Rewards: $281 Credits (our usable estimate): $20 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $301 Year one: $531 | Chase Freedom Flex | Chase Freedom Flex |
| Heavy spender: $4,000/month | Rewards: $960 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $960 Year one: $1,060 | Rewards: $1,123 Credits (our usable estimate): $20 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $1,143 Year one: $1,373 | Chase Freedom Flex | Chase Freedom Flex |
Which Card Is Right for You?
Get the Chase Freedom Flex if you:
- +Spend $300+/month on restaurants and dining out
The Bottom Line
Both scenarios favor the Chase Freedom Flex on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which card earns more rewards, the Bilt Blue Card or Chase Freedom Flex?
- 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 Chase Freedom Flex doesn't?
- The Bilt Blue Card offers cell phone protection. The Chase Freedom Flex offers dining credits.
- Should I get the Bilt Blue Card or the Chase Freedom Flex?
- Both cards have the same $0/yr fee. Choose based on which bonus categories match your spending — check the earn rate comparison above.
Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published November 13, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.