Is the Bilt Obsidian Card worth the higher annual fee?

The Bilt Obsidian Card costs $95/yr vs $0/yr for the SoFi Smart 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 Obsidian Card or SoFi Smart Card?

The Bilt Obsidian Card has a higher base earn rate (1X vs 0X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.

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

The Bilt Obsidian Card offers cell phone protection. The SoFi Smart Card focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.

Should I get the Bilt Obsidian Card or the SoFi Smart Card?

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the SoFi Smart 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 Obsidian Card vs SoFi Smart Card

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

Card data as of October 12, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Bilt Obsidian Card Cardless · $95/yr	SoFi Smart Card SoFi · No annual fee
Annual fee	$95	$0 Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	$200 in rewards	—
Rewards	Bilt Points	Cash back
Foreign transaction fee	None	—
Network	Mastercard World Elite	Mastercard
Earn ratesPer $1 spent · points and cash back aren’t ranked against each other
Grocery Stores	3x	5%
Dining	3x	— Rate not published
Travel	2x	— Rate not published
Mortgage	1.25x	— Rate not published
Rent	1.25x	— Rate not published
Everything else	1x	— Rate not published
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Travel	$100 hotel credit	Not yet documented
Perks & access— means none on record
Other perks	10% intro APR for 12 months 0% foreign transaction fees	Not yet documented
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Trip insurance	Trip cancellation up to $2,000/trip Trip Delay	Not yet documented
Baggage	Luggage insurance up to $1,500	Not yet documented
Rental car	MasterRental Coverage	Not yet documented
Purchase & returns	Purchase Assurance	Not yet documented
Extended warranty	Extended warranty up to $10,000/claim	Not yet documented
Cell phone	Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection	Not yet documented
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)	Secured by your SoFi Checking and Savings balance, with no hard credit pull to apply Unlimited 5% cash back rewards on eligible grocery store purchases No annual fee SoFi reports Smart Card activity to Experian, so on-time payments can help build credit
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	Secured card - you need a SoFi Checking and Savings account, and the balance sets your spending limit The balance must be paid in full each month Superstores, warehouse clubs, convenience stores and grocery delivery do not count as grocery stores for the 5% rate Reports to Experian only
	Card details	Card details

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

Overview

Annual fee: Bilt Obsidian Card
$95
SoFi Smart Card
$0
Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Bilt Obsidian Card
$200 in rewards
SoFi Smart Card
—
Rewards: Bilt Obsidian Card
Bilt Points
SoFi Smart Card
Cash back
Foreign transaction fee: Bilt Obsidian Card
None
SoFi Smart Card
—
Network: Bilt Obsidian Card
Mastercard World Elite
SoFi Smart Card
Mastercard

Earn ratesPer $1 spent · points and cash back aren’t ranked against each other

Grocery Stores: Bilt Obsidian Card
3x
SoFi Smart Card
5%
Dining: Bilt Obsidian Card
3x
SoFi Smart Card
—
Rate not published
Travel: Bilt Obsidian Card
2x
SoFi Smart Card
—
Rate not published
Mortgage: Bilt Obsidian Card
1.25x
SoFi Smart Card
—
Rate not published
Rent: Bilt Obsidian Card
1.25x
SoFi Smart Card
—
Rate not published
Everything else: Bilt Obsidian Card
1x
SoFi Smart Card
—
Rate not published

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

Travel: Bilt Obsidian Card
$100 hotel credit
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented

Perks & access— means none on record

Other perks: Bilt Obsidian Card
10% intro APR for 12 months
0% foreign transaction fees
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance: Bilt Obsidian Card
Trip cancellation up to $2,000/trip
Trip Delay
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented
Baggage: Bilt Obsidian Card
Luggage insurance up to $1,500
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented
Rental car: Bilt Obsidian Card
MasterRental Coverage
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented
Purchase & returns: Bilt Obsidian Card
Purchase Assurance
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented
Extended warranty: Bilt Obsidian Card
Extended warranty up to $10,000/claim
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented
Cell phone: Bilt Obsidian Card
Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection
SoFi Smart Card
Not yet documented

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)
SoFi Smart Card
Secured by your SoFi Checking and Savings balance, with no hard credit pull to apply
Unlimited 5% cash back rewards on eligible grocery store purchases
No annual fee
SoFi reports Smart Card activity to Experian, so on-time payments can help build credit
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
SoFi Smart Card
Secured card - you need a SoFi Checking and Savings account, and the balance sets your spending limit
The balance must be paid in full each month
Superstores, warehouse clubs, convenience stores and grocery delivery do not count as grocery stores for the 5% rate
Reports to Experian only

Card details

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Category-by-Category Winner

The Bilt Obsidian Card wins in 3 of 3 categories. The SoFi Smart Card leads in 0. 2 more categories 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; SoFi Smart Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Travel

Bilt Obsidian Card earns 2X vs 1X

Grocery Stores

Depends: Excludes Walmart, Target, Costco, Sams Club, Instacart, Wholesale Clubs, Grocery Delivery. Other superstores and warehouse clubs, convenience stores, grocery delivery services and meal-kit delivery services are also not grocery stores. Available only to individual SoFi Checking and Savings accountholders, subject to application, approval and funding; the balance must be paid in full each month and SoFi Member Rewards terms apply.

SoFi Smart Card earns 5X when conditions are met; Bilt Obsidian Card earns 3X (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.

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

Scenario	Bilt Obsidian Card	SoFi Smart 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: $120 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $120 Year one: $120	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: $480 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $480 Year one: $480	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 SoFi Smart 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

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, SoFi Smart Card $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 SoFi Smart 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 Obsidian Card or SoFi Smart Card?: The Bilt Obsidian Card has a higher base earn rate (1X vs 0X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.
What benefits does the Bilt Obsidian Card have that the SoFi Smart Card doesn't?: The Bilt Obsidian Card offers cell phone protection. The SoFi Smart Card focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.
Should I get the Bilt Obsidian Card or the SoFi Smart Card?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the SoFi Smart 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 · SoFi cards

Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published October 12, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.