Is the Bilt Palladium Card worth the higher annual fee?

The Bilt Palladium Card costs $495/yr vs $95/yr for the Bilt Obsidian Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $400 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the Bilt Palladium Card also lists lounge access).

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

The Bilt Palladium Card has a higher base earn rate (2X vs 1X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.

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

The Bilt Obsidian Card offers cell phone protection. The Bilt Palladium Card offers lounge access, cell phone protection.

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

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Bilt Obsidian Card has a lower $95/yr fee; the Bilt Palladium Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $495/yr.

Bilt Obsidian Card vs Bilt Palladium Card

Annual fees: Bilt Obsidian Card $95/yr, Bilt Palladium Card $495/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Bilt Obsidian Card on rent and dining, Bilt Palladium Card on rent and travel.

Card data as of November 13, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Bilt Obsidian Card Cardless · $95/yr	Bilt Palladium Card Cardless · $495/yr
Annual fee	$95 Lowest	$495
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	$200 in rewards	50,000 points
Rewards	Bilt Points	Bilt Points
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Network	Mastercard World Elite	Mastercard
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Dining	3x Highest	2x
Grocery Stores	3x Highest	2x
Travel	2x	2x
Mortgage	1.25x	1.25x
Rent	1.25x	1.25x
Everything else	1x	2x Highest
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Travel	$100 hotel credit	$400 hotel credit
Shopping & wellness	—	$200 Bilt Cash
Perks & access— means none on record
Lounges	—	Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
Other perks	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	Trip Delay
Baggage	Luggage insurance up to $1,500	—
Rental car	MasterRental Coverage	MasterRental Coverage
Purchase & returns	Purchase Assurance	Purchase Assurance · up to $1,000 Price Drop Protection · up to $250
Extended warranty	Extended warranty up to $10,000/claim	—
Cell phone	Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection	Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection · up to $800
Pros & cons
Pros	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)	$600+ in annual credits ($400 hotel + $200 Bilt Cash) partially offsets $495 fee Earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage with no transaction fees 2X points on all everyday purchases 50,000 points + $300 Bilt Cash welcome bonus (highest among Bilt cards) Transferable points to major airline and hotel partners
Cons	$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	Requires high spending volume to qualify and maintain Palladium status No card-level bonus categories beyond the 2X flat rate (headline multipliers are membership-inclusive composites) Housing multiplier (up to 1.25X) depends on everyday-spend tiers or Bilt Cash redemption Benefits still lag behind premium travel cards from Chase/Amex
	Card details	Card details

Bilt Obsidian Card
Cardless · $95/yr
Bilt Palladium Card
Cardless · $495/yr

Overview

Annual fee: Bilt Obsidian Card
$95
Lowest
Bilt Palladium Card
$495
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Bilt Obsidian Card
$200 in rewards
Bilt Palladium Card
50,000 points
Rewards: Bilt Obsidian Card
Bilt Points
Bilt Palladium Card
Bilt Points
Foreign transaction fee: Bilt Obsidian Card
None
Bilt Palladium Card
None
Network: Bilt Obsidian Card
Mastercard World Elite
Bilt Palladium Card
Mastercard

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

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

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

Travel: Bilt Obsidian Card
$100 hotel credit
Bilt Palladium Card
$400 hotel credit
Shopping & wellness: Bilt Obsidian Card
—
Bilt Palladium Card
$200 Bilt Cash

Perks & access— means none on record

Lounges: Bilt Obsidian Card
—
Bilt Palladium Card
Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
Other perks: Bilt Obsidian Card
10% intro APR for 12 months
0% foreign transaction fees
Bilt Palladium Card
—

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance: Bilt Obsidian Card
Trip cancellation up to $2,000/trip
Trip Delay
Bilt Palladium Card
Trip Delay
Baggage: Bilt Obsidian Card
Luggage insurance up to $1,500
Bilt Palladium Card
—
Rental car: Bilt Obsidian Card
MasterRental Coverage
Bilt Palladium Card
MasterRental Coverage
Purchase & returns: Bilt Obsidian Card
Purchase Assurance
Bilt Palladium Card
Purchase Assurance · up to $1,000
Price Drop Protection · up to $250
Extended warranty: Bilt Obsidian Card
Extended warranty up to $10,000/claim
Bilt Palladium Card
—
Cell phone: Bilt Obsidian Card
Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection
Bilt Palladium Card
Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection · up to $800

Pros & cons

Pros: 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)
Bilt Palladium Card
$600+ in annual credits ($400 hotel + $200 Bilt Cash) partially offsets $495 fee
Earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage with no transaction fees
2X points on all everyday purchases
50,000 points + $300 Bilt Cash welcome bonus (highest among Bilt cards)
Transferable points to major airline and hotel partners
Cons: 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
Bilt Palladium Card
Requires high spending volume to qualify and maintain Palladium status
No card-level bonus categories beyond the 2X flat rate (headline multipliers are membership-inclusive composites)
Housing multiplier (up to 1.25X) depends on everyday-spend tiers or Bilt Cash redemption
Benefits still lag behind premium travel cards from Chase/Amex

Card details

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

Category-by-Category Winner

The Bilt Palladium Card wins in 1 of 1 categories. The Bilt Obsidian 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 Palladium Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)

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 Palladium Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)

Everyday purchases

Bilt Palladium Card earns 2X on all other spending 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.

Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.

Scenario	Bilt Obsidian Card	Bilt Palladium Card	Ongoing winner	Year-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month	Rewards: $264 Credits (our usable estimate): $20 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $189 Year one: $389	Rewards: $480 Credits (our usable estimate): $300 − Annual fee ($495) Ongoing: $285 Year one: $1,285	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use	Bilt Palladium Card
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $1,056 Credits (our usable estimate): $20 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $981 Year one: $1,181	Rewards: $1,920 Credits (our usable estimate): $300 − Annual fee ($495) Ongoing: $1,725 Year one: $2,725	Bilt Palladium Card	Bilt Palladium Card

Is the Fee Difference Worth It?

The Bilt Palladium Card costs $495/yr — that's $400 more than the Bilt Obsidian Card ($95/yr). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $400 in annual value from the card's higher earn rates and benefits.

The Bilt Palladium Card includes lounge access. Those perks are not included in the earn-rate scenario table above — compare their dollar value to the $400 fee gap for your own usage.

Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $400 fee gap means the Bilt Palladium Card needs roughly $400 more in annual rewards (or credits you will use) to break even on travel and rent and everyday spend.

What You Give Up

Choosing one card means missing out on these benefits from the other.

Choosing Bilt Obsidian Card means losing:

-Airport lounge access

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

Get the Bilt Palladium Card if you:

+Fly frequently and value airport lounge access
+Prefer a high flat rate across all spending

The Bottom Line

Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.

Everyday (non-bonus) spend earns 2X on the Bilt Palladium Card vs 1X on the other card.

Published annual fees: Bilt Obsidian Card $95/yr, Bilt Palladium Card $495/yr — a $400 difference before welcome offers and credits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Bilt Palladium Card worth the higher annual fee?: The Bilt Palladium Card costs $495/yr vs $95/yr for the Bilt Obsidian Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $400 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the Bilt Palladium Card also lists lounge access).
Which card earns more rewards, the Bilt Obsidian Card or Bilt Palladium Card?: The Bilt Palladium Card has a higher base earn rate (2X vs 1X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.
What benefits does the Bilt Obsidian Card have that the Bilt Palladium Card doesn't?: The Bilt Obsidian Card offers cell phone protection. The Bilt Palladium Card offers lounge access, cell phone protection.
Should I get the Bilt Obsidian Card or the Bilt Palladium Card?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Bilt Obsidian Card has a lower $95/yr fee; the Bilt Palladium Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $495/yr.

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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.