Bilt Palladium Card vs Imagine Visa Credit Card

The Bilt Palladium Card leads on rent and travel; the Imagine Visa Credit Card leads on gas stations. See category winners and spend scenarios below.

Card data as of October 11, 2026.

Overview

Annual fee
Bilt Palladium Card
$495
Imagine Visa Credit Card
$99 or $125 or $175
$99 ($400 initial limit (first year)) or $125 ($500 initial limit (first year)) or $175 ($700 or $1,000 initial limit (first year)), set at approval
Welcome offerCurrent public offer
Bilt Palladium Card
50,000 points
Imagine Visa Credit Card
—
Rewards
Bilt Palladium Card
Bilt Points
Imagine Visa Credit Card
—
Foreign transaction fee
Bilt Palladium Card
None
Lowest
Imagine Visa Credit Card
3%
Network
Bilt Palladium Card
Mastercard
Imagine Visa Credit Card
Visa

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Gas Stations
Bilt Palladium Card
2x
Imagine Visa Credit Card
3x
Highest
Grocery Stores
Bilt Palladium Card
2x
Imagine Visa Credit Card
3x
Highest
Utilities
Bilt Palladium Card
2x
Imagine Visa Credit Card
3x
Highest
Travel
Bilt Palladium Card
2x
Highest
Imagine Visa Credit Card
1x
Mortgage
Bilt Palladium Card
1.25x
Highest
Imagine Visa Credit Card
1x
Rent
Bilt Palladium Card
1.25x
Highest
Imagine Visa Credit Card
1x
Everything else
Bilt Palladium Card
2x
Highest
Imagine Visa Credit Card
1x

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

Travel
Bilt Palladium Card
  • $400 hotel credit
Imagine Visa Credit Card
—
Shopping & wellness
Bilt Palladium Card
  • $200 Bilt Cash
Imagine Visa Credit Card
—

Perks & access— means none on record

Lounges
Bilt Palladium Card
  • Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
Imagine Visa Credit Card
—
Other perks
Bilt Palladium Card
—
Imagine Visa Credit Card
  • Easy account management online and mobile
  • Unsecured card—no deposit needed

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance
Bilt Palladium Card
  • Trip Delay
Imagine Visa Credit Card
—
Rental car
Bilt Palladium Card
  • MasterRental Coverage
Imagine Visa Credit Card
—
Purchase & returns
Bilt Palladium Card
  • Purchase Assurance · up to $1,000
  • Price Drop Protection · up to $250
Imagine Visa Credit Card
—
Cell phone
Bilt Palladium Card
  • Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection · up to $800
Imagine Visa Credit Card
—
Other protections
Bilt Palladium Card
—
Imagine Visa Credit Card
  • 3-bureau credit reporting
  • $0 fraud liability—you're protected

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
Imagine Visa Credit Card
  • No security deposit required (unsecured card)
  • Reports to all three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion)
  • Available to consumers with poor or limited credit
  • Earns 3% cash back on gas, grocery, and utility purchases, 1% elsewhere
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
Imagine Visa Credit Card
  • High annual fee ($99 to $175 in the first year depending on initial credit limit, then $49 a year)
  • Additional monthly maintenance fee ($15/month after the first 12 months) and a $2 monthly paper statement fee
  • Very high APR (36%)
  • Cash back redeems only as an automatic annual statement credit
  • Low initial credit limit (typically $300)
Add a 3rd or 4th card to this comparison →

Category-by-Category Winner

The Bilt Palladium Card wins in 4 of 7 categories. The Imagine Visa Credit Card leads in 3.

W

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

W

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

W

Travel

Bilt Palladium Card earns 2X vs 1X

W

Gas Stations

Imagine Visa Credit Card earns 3X vs 2X

W

Grocery Stores

Imagine Visa Credit Card earns 3X vs 2X

W

Utilities

Imagine Visa Credit Card earns 3X vs 2X

W

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.

ScenarioBilt Palladium CardImagine Visa Credit CardOngoing winnerYear-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month
Rewards: $528
Credits (our usable estimate): $300
− Annual fee ($495)
Ongoing: $333
Year one: $1,433
Rewards: $180
Credits (our usable estimate): $0
Annual fee $99 ($400 initial limit (first year)) or $125 ($500 initial limit (first year)) or $175 ($700 or $1,000 initial limit (first year)), set at approval; net est. $81 ($400 initial limit (first year)) or $55 ($500 initial limit (first year)) or $5 ($700 or $1,000 initial limit (first year))
Ongoing: —
Year one: —
——
Heavy spender: $4,000/month
Rewards: $2,112
Credits (our usable estimate): $300
− Annual fee ($495)
Ongoing: $1,917
Year one: $3,017
Rewards: $720
Credits (our usable estimate): $0
Annual fee $99 ($400 initial limit (first year)) or $125 ($500 initial limit (first year)) or $175 ($700 or $1,000 initial limit (first year)), set at approval; net est. $621 ($400 initial limit (first year)) or $595 ($500 initial limit (first year)) or $545 ($700 or $1,000 initial limit (first year))
Ongoing: —
Year one: —
——

Which Card Is Right for You?

Get the Bilt Palladium Card if you:

  • +Prefer a high flat rate across all spending

Get the Imagine Visa Credit Card if you:

  • +Do most of your spending at grocery stores

The Bottom Line

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Which card earns more rewards, the Bilt Palladium Card or Imagine Visa Credit 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 Palladium Card have that the Imagine Visa Credit Card doesn't?
The Bilt Palladium Card offers lounge access, cell phone protection. The Imagine Visa Credit Card focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.
Should I get the Bilt Palladium Card or the Imagine Visa Credit Card?
Choose based on which bonus categories and benefits 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 October 11, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.

Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published October 11, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.