Is the Bilt Obsidian Card worth the higher annual fee?

The Bilt Obsidian Card costs $95/yr vs $0/yr for the Birch Lane Mastercard. 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 Obsidian Card or Birch Lane Mastercard?

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 Obsidian Card have that the Birch Lane Mastercard doesn't?

The Bilt Obsidian Card offers cell phone protection. The Birch Lane Mastercard focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.

Should I get the Bilt Obsidian Card or the Birch Lane Mastercard?

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Birch Lane Mastercard 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 Obsidian Card vs Birch Lane Mastercard

Annual fees: Bilt Obsidian Card $95/yr, Birch Lane Mastercard $0/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Bilt Obsidian Card on rent and dining, Birch Lane Mastercard on grocery stores.

Card data as of November 13, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Bilt Obsidian Card Cardless · $95/yr	Birch Lane Mastercard Citi · No annual fee
Annual fee	$95	$0 Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	$200 in rewards	$40 discount
Rewards	Bilt Points	Wayfair Rewards
Foreign transaction fee	None Lowest	3%
Network	Mastercard World Elite	Mastercard
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Dining	3x Highest	1x
Grocery Stores	3x	3x
Online Shopping	1x	2x Highest
Travel	2x Highest	1x
Mortgage	1.25x Highest	1x
Rent	1.25x Highest	1x
Everything else	1x	1x
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Travel	$100 hotel credit	—
Shopping & wellness	—	$40 off your first qualifying order of $250+ · $40 one-time
Perks & access— means none on record
Other perks	10% intro APR for 12 months 0% foreign transaction fees	0% financing up to 24 months on orders $199+ Free shipping on eligible Birch Lane orders
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	MasterRental Coverage	—
Purchase & returns	Purchase Assurance	Zero Liability on unauthorized transactions
Extended warranty	Extended warranty up to $10,000/claim	—
Cell phone	Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection	—
Other protections	—	24/7 lost/stolen card assistance worldwide
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)	—
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	—
	Card details	Card details

Bilt Obsidian Card
Cardless · $95/yr
Birch Lane Mastercard
Citi · No annual fee

Overview

Annual fee: Bilt Obsidian Card
$95
Birch Lane Mastercard
$0
Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Bilt Obsidian Card
$200 in rewards
Birch Lane Mastercard
$40 discount
Rewards: Bilt Obsidian Card
Bilt Points
Birch Lane Mastercard
Wayfair Rewards
Foreign transaction fee: Bilt Obsidian Card
None
Lowest
Birch Lane Mastercard
3%
Network: Bilt Obsidian Card
Mastercard World Elite
Birch Lane Mastercard
Mastercard

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Dining: Bilt Obsidian Card
3x
Highest
Birch Lane Mastercard
1x
Grocery Stores: Bilt Obsidian Card
3x
Birch Lane Mastercard
3x
Online Shopping: Bilt Obsidian Card
1x
Birch Lane Mastercard
2x
Highest
Travel: Bilt Obsidian Card
2x
Highest
Birch Lane Mastercard
1x
Mortgage: Bilt Obsidian Card
1.25x
Highest
Birch Lane Mastercard
1x
Rent: Bilt Obsidian Card
1.25x
Highest
Birch Lane Mastercard
1x
Everything else: Bilt Obsidian Card
1x
Birch Lane Mastercard
1x

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

Travel: Bilt Obsidian Card
$100 hotel credit
Birch Lane Mastercard
—
Shopping & wellness: Bilt Obsidian Card
—
Birch Lane Mastercard
$40 off your first qualifying order of $250+ · $40 one-time

Perks & access— means none on record

Other perks: Bilt Obsidian Card
10% intro APR for 12 months
0% foreign transaction fees
Birch Lane Mastercard
0% financing up to 24 months on orders $199+
Free shipping on eligible Birch Lane orders

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance: Bilt Obsidian Card
Trip cancellation up to $2,000/trip
Trip Delay
Birch Lane Mastercard
—
Baggage: Bilt Obsidian Card
Luggage insurance up to $1,500
Birch Lane Mastercard
—
Rental car: Bilt Obsidian Card
MasterRental Coverage
Birch Lane Mastercard
—
Purchase & returns: Bilt Obsidian Card
Purchase Assurance
Birch Lane Mastercard
Zero Liability on unauthorized transactions
Extended warranty: Bilt Obsidian Card
Extended warranty up to $10,000/claim
Birch Lane Mastercard
—
Cell phone: Bilt Obsidian Card
Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection
Birch Lane Mastercard
—
Other protections: Bilt Obsidian Card
—
Birch Lane Mastercard
24/7 lost/stolen card assistance worldwide

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)
Birch Lane Mastercard
—
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
Birch Lane Mastercard
—

Card details

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

Category-by-Category Winner

The Bilt Obsidian Card wins in 3 of 4 categories. The Birch Lane Mastercard leads in 1. 1 more category depend on booking channel or caps.

Rent

Bilt Obsidian Card earns 1.25X vs 1X

1.25X via tiered option or up to 1X via Bilt Cash option; no transaction fee; no annual cap on housing payments

Mortgage

Bilt Obsidian Card earns 1.25X vs 1X

1.25X via tiered option or up to 1X via Bilt Cash option; no transaction fee

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; Birch Lane Mastercard earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Travel

Bilt Obsidian Card earns 2X vs 1X

Online Shopping

Birch Lane Mastercard earns 2X 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 Bilt Obsidian Card on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).

Scenario	Bilt Obsidian Card	Birch Lane Mastercard	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: $156 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $156 Year one: $232	Bilt Obsidian Card	Bilt Obsidian Card
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $1,056 Credits (our usable estimate): $20 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $981 Year one: $1,181	Rewards: $624 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $624 Year one: $700	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 Birch Lane Mastercard (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

The Bottom Line

Both scenarios favor the Bilt Obsidian Card on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).

Published annual fees: Bilt Obsidian Card $95/yr, Birch Lane Mastercard $0/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 Birch Lane Mastercard. 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 Obsidian Card or Birch Lane Mastercard?: 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 Obsidian Card have that the Birch Lane Mastercard doesn't?: The Bilt Obsidian Card offers cell phone protection. The Birch Lane Mastercard focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.
Should I get the Bilt Obsidian Card or the Birch Lane Mastercard?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Birch Lane Mastercard 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 · Citi cards

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.