Bilt Palladium Card vs Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured
Annual fees: Bilt Palladium Card $495/yr, Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured $0/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Bilt Palladium Card on rent and travel, Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured on dining.
Card data as of October 12, 2026.
- Bilt Palladium Card
Cardless · $495/yr
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards SecuredBank of America · No annual fee
Overview
- Annual fee
- Bilt Palladium Card$495Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured$0Lowest
- Welcome offerCurrent public offer
- Bilt Palladium Card50,000 pointsBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured—
- Rewards
- Bilt Palladium CardBilt PointsBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards SecuredCash back
- Foreign transaction fee
- Bilt Palladium CardNoneLowestBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured3%
- Network
- Bilt Palladium CardMastercardBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards SecuredVisa
Earn ratesPer $1 spent · points and cash back aren’t ranked against each other
- Cable TV
- Bilt Palladium Card2xBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured3%
- Dining
- Bilt Palladium Card2xBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured3%
- Drugstores
- Bilt Palladium Card2xBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured3%
- Gas Stations
- Bilt Palladium Card2xBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured3%
- Home Improvement
- Bilt Palladium Card2xBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured3%
- Online Shopping
- Bilt Palladium Card2xBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured3%
- Streaming
- Bilt Palladium Card2xBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured3%
- Telecom
- Bilt Palladium Card2xBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured3%
- Travel
- Bilt Palladium Card2xBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured3%
- Grocery Stores
- Bilt Palladium Card2xBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured2%
- Wholesale Clubs
- Bilt Palladium Card2xBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured2%
- Mortgage
- Bilt Palladium Card1.25xBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured1%
- Rent
- Bilt Palladium Card1.25xBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured1%
- Everything else
- Bilt Palladium Card2xBank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured1%
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
- Travel
- Bilt Palladium Card
- $400 hotel credit
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured— - Shopping & wellness
- Bilt Palladium Card
- $200 Bilt Cash
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured—
Perks & access— means none on record
- Lounges
- Bilt Palladium Card
- Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured— - Other perks
- Bilt Palladium Card—Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured
- Periodic deposit refund reviews
- Tap-to-pay contactless chip technology
- Apple Pay, Google Pay & Samsung Pay compatible
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
- Trip insurance
- Bilt Palladium Card
- Trip Delay
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured— - Rental car
- Bilt Palladium Card
- MasterRental Coverage
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured— - Purchase & returns
- Bilt Palladium Card
- Purchase Assurance · up to $1,000
- Price Drop Protection · up to $250
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured- Zero Liability on unauthorized charges
- Cell phone
- Bilt Palladium Card
- Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection · up to $800
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured— - Other protections
- Bilt Palladium Card—Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured
- Monthly reporting to all 3 credit bureaus
- Monthly FICO score monitoring
- 24/7 fraud monitoring on all transactions
- Overdraft protection with Balance Connect
- 24/7 lost/stolen card assistance worldwide
Pros & cons
- Pros
- 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
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured— - Cons
- 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
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured—
Category-by-Category Winner
The Bilt Palladium Card wins in 3 of 3 categories. The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured leads in 0. 9 more categories depend on booking channel or caps.
Rent
Bilt Palladium 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 Palladium Card earns 1.25X vs 1X
1.25X via tiered option or up to 1X via Bilt Cash option; no transaction fee
Travel
Depends: up to $2,500/quarter
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured earns 3X when conditions are met; Bilt Palladium Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Dining
Depends: up to $2,500/quarter
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured earns 3X when conditions are met; Bilt Palladium Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Drugstores
Depends: up to $2,500/quarter
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured earns 3X when conditions are met; Bilt Palladium Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Gas Stations
Depends: up to $2,500/quarter
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured earns 3X when conditions are met; Bilt Palladium Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Home Improvement
Depends: up to $2,500/quarter
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured earns 3X when conditions are met; Bilt Palladium Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Online Shopping
Depends: up to $2,500/quarter
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured earns 3X when conditions are met; Bilt Palladium Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Streaming
Depends: up to $2,500/quarter
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured earns 3X when conditions are met; Bilt Palladium Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Telecom
Depends: up to $2,500/quarter
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured earns 3X when conditions are met; Bilt Palladium Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Cable TV
Depends: up to $2,500/quarter
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured 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.
Both scenarios favor the Bilt Palladium Card on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).
| Scenario | Bilt Palladium Card | Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured | Ongoing winner | Year-one winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light spender: $1,000/month | Rewards: $480 Credits (our usable estimate): $300 − Annual fee ($495) Ongoing: $285 Year one: $1,285 | Rewards: $120 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $120 Year one: $120 | Bilt Palladium Card | Bilt Palladium Card |
| Heavy spender: $4,000/month | Rewards: $1,920 Credits (our usable estimate): $300 − Annual fee ($495) Ongoing: $1,725 Year one: $2,725 | Rewards: $480 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $480 Year one: $480 | Bilt Palladium Card | Bilt Palladium Card |
Is the Fee Difference Worth It?
The Bilt Palladium Card costs $495/yr — that's $495 more than the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured (no annual fee). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $495 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 $495 fee gap for your own usage.
Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $495 fee gap means the Bilt Palladium Card needs roughly $495 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 Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured means losing:
- -Airport lounge access
Which Card Is Right for You?
Get the Bilt Palladium Card if you:
- +Fly frequently and value airport lounge access
- +Prefer a high flat rate across all spending
Get the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured if you:
- +Spend $300+/month on restaurants and dining out
- +Do most of your spending at grocery stores
The Bottom Line
Both scenarios favor the Bilt Palladium Card on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).
Everyday (non-bonus) spend earns 2X on the Bilt Palladium Card vs 1X on the other card.
Published annual fees: Bilt Palladium Card $495/yr, Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured $0/yr — a $495 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 $0/yr for the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $495 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 Palladium Card or Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured?
- 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 Palladium Card have that the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured doesn't?
- The Bilt Palladium Card offers lounge access, cell phone protection. The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.
- Should I get the Bilt Palladium Card or the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured?
- Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured has a lower $0/yr fee; the Bilt Palladium Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $495/yr.
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.