Is the Bilt Palladium Card worth the higher annual fee?

The Bilt Palladium Card costs $495/yr vs $0/yr for the Joss & Main Mastercard. 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 Joss & Main Mastercard?

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 Joss & Main Mastercard doesn't?

The Bilt Palladium Card offers lounge access, cell phone protection. The Joss & Main Mastercard focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.

Should I get the Bilt Palladium Card or the Joss & Main Mastercard?

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Joss & Main Mastercard has a lower $0/yr fee; the Bilt Palladium Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $495/yr.

Bilt Palladium Card vs Joss & Main Mastercard

Annual fees: Bilt Palladium Card $495/yr, Joss & Main Mastercard $0/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Bilt Palladium Card on rent and travel, Joss & Main Mastercard on grocery stores.

Card data as of October 12, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Bilt Palladium Card Cardless · $495/yr	Joss & Main Mastercard Citi · No annual fee
Annual fee	$495	$0 Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	50,000 points	$40 discount
Rewards	Bilt Points	Joss & Main
Foreign transaction fee	None	—
Network	Mastercard	Mastercard
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Grocery Stores	2x	3x Highest
Online Shopping	2x	2x
Travel	2x Highest	1x
Mortgage	1.25x Highest	1x
Rent	1.25x Highest	1x
Everything else	2x Highest	1x
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Travel	$400 hotel credit	—
Shopping & wellness	$200 Bilt Cash	—
Other credits	—	$40 off first order · $40 one-time
Perks & access— means none on record
Lounges	Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access	—
Other perks	—	No Interest Financing
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Trip insurance	Trip Delay	—
Rental car	MasterRental Coverage	—
Purchase & returns	Purchase Assurance · up to $1,000 Price Drop Protection · up to $250	Zero Liability on unauthorized transactions
Cell phone	Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection · up to $800	—
Other protections	—	24/7 lost/stolen card assistance worldwide
Pros & cons
Pros	$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	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 Palladium Card
Cardless · $495/yr
Joss & Main Mastercard
Citi · No annual fee

Overview

Annual fee: Bilt Palladium Card
$495
Joss & Main Mastercard
$0
Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Bilt Palladium Card
50,000 points
Joss & Main Mastercard
$40 discount
Rewards: Bilt Palladium Card
Bilt Points
Joss & Main Mastercard
Joss & Main
Foreign transaction fee: Bilt Palladium Card
None
Joss & Main Mastercard
—
Network: Bilt Palladium Card
Mastercard
Joss & Main Mastercard
Mastercard

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Grocery Stores: Bilt Palladium Card
2x
Joss & Main Mastercard
3x
Highest
Online Shopping: Bilt Palladium Card
2x
Joss & Main Mastercard
2x
Travel: Bilt Palladium Card
2x
Highest
Joss & Main Mastercard
1x
Mortgage: Bilt Palladium Card
1.25x
Highest
Joss & Main Mastercard
1x
Rent: Bilt Palladium Card
1.25x
Highest
Joss & Main Mastercard
1x
Everything else: Bilt Palladium Card
2x
Highest
Joss & Main Mastercard
1x

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

Travel: Bilt Palladium Card
$400 hotel credit
Joss & Main Mastercard
—
Shopping & wellness: Bilt Palladium Card
$200 Bilt Cash
Joss & Main Mastercard
—
Other credits: Bilt Palladium Card
—
Joss & Main Mastercard
$40 off first order · $40 one-time

Perks & access— means none on record

Lounges: Bilt Palladium Card
Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
Joss & Main Mastercard
—
Other perks: Bilt Palladium Card
—
Joss & Main Mastercard
No Interest Financing

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance: Bilt Palladium Card
Trip Delay
Joss & Main Mastercard
—
Rental car: Bilt Palladium Card
MasterRental Coverage
Joss & Main Mastercard
—
Purchase & returns: Bilt Palladium Card
Purchase Assurance · up to $1,000
Price Drop Protection · up to $250
Joss & Main Mastercard
Zero Liability on unauthorized transactions
Cell phone: Bilt Palladium Card
Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection · up to $800
Joss & Main Mastercard
—
Other protections: Bilt Palladium Card
—
Joss & Main Mastercard
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
Joss & Main Mastercard
—
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
Joss & Main Mastercard
—

Card details

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

Category-by-Category Winner

The Bilt Palladium Card wins in 4 of 5 categories. The Joss & Main Mastercard leads in 1.

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

Bilt Palladium Card earns 2X vs 1X

Grocery Stores

Joss & Main Mastercard earns 3X vs 2X

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 Palladium Card	Joss & Main Mastercard	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: $156 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $156 Year one: $204	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use	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: $624 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $624 Year one: $672	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 Joss & Main Mastercard (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 Joss & Main Mastercard 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 Joss & Main Mastercard if you:

+Do most of your spending at grocery stores

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 Palladium Card $495/yr, Joss & Main Mastercard $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 Joss & Main Mastercard. 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 Joss & Main Mastercard?: 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 Joss & Main Mastercard doesn't?: The Bilt Palladium Card offers lounge access, cell phone protection. The Joss & Main Mastercard focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.
Should I get the Bilt Palladium Card or the Joss & Main Mastercard?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Joss & Main Mastercard has a lower $0/yr fee; the Bilt Palladium Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $495/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 October 12, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.