Is the Bilt Palladium Card worth the higher annual fee?

The Bilt Palladium Card costs $495/yr vs $0/yr for the Menards® BIG Card. 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 Menards® BIG Card?

The Bilt Palladium Card has a higher base earn rate (2X vs 0X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.

What benefits does the Bilt Palladium Card have that the Menards® BIG Card doesn't?

The Bilt Palladium Card offers lounge access, cell phone protection. The Menards® BIG Card focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.

Should I get the Bilt Palladium Card or the Menards® BIG Card?

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Menards® BIG Card 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 Menards® BIG Card

Annual fees: Bilt Palladium Card $495/yr, Menards® BIG Card $0/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Bilt Palladium Card on rent and travel, Menards® BIG Card on everyday spending.

Card data as of October 12, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Bilt Palladium Card Cardless · $495/yr	Menards® BIG Card Capital One · No annual fee
Annual fee	$495	$0 Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	50,000 points	$10 store credit
Rewards	Bilt Points	—
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Network	Mastercard	Visa
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Travel	2x	— Rate not published
Mortgage	1.25x	— Rate not published
Rent	1.25x	— Rate not published
Everything else	2x	— Rate not published
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Travel	$400 hotel credit	—
Shopping & wellness	$200 Bilt Cash	—
Perks & access— means none on record
Lounges	Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access	—
Other perks	—	$299+ deferred-interest financing 1% rebate on gas and merchandise 2% rebate $10 new-applicant rebate
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	—
Cell phone	Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection · up to $800	—
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
Menards® BIG Card
Capital One · No annual fee

Overview

Annual fee: Bilt Palladium Card
$495
Menards® BIG Card
$0
Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Bilt Palladium Card
50,000 points
Menards® BIG Card
$10 store credit
Rewards: Bilt Palladium Card
Bilt Points
Menards® BIG Card
—
Foreign transaction fee: Bilt Palladium Card
None
Menards® BIG Card
None
Network: Bilt Palladium Card
Mastercard
Menards® BIG Card
Visa

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Travel: Bilt Palladium Card
2x
Menards® BIG Card
—
Rate not published
Mortgage: Bilt Palladium Card
1.25x
Menards® BIG Card
—
Rate not published
Rent: Bilt Palladium Card
1.25x
Menards® BIG Card
—
Rate not published
Everything else: Bilt Palladium Card
2x
Menards® BIG Card
—
Rate not published

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

Travel: Bilt Palladium Card
$400 hotel credit
Menards® BIG Card
—
Shopping & wellness: Bilt Palladium Card
$200 Bilt Cash
Menards® BIG Card
—

Perks & access— means none on record

Lounges: Bilt Palladium Card
Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
Menards® BIG Card
—
Other perks: Bilt Palladium Card
—
Menards® BIG Card
$299+ deferred-interest financing
1% rebate on gas and merchandise
2% rebate
$10 new-applicant rebate

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance: Bilt Palladium Card
Trip Delay
Menards® BIG Card
—
Rental car: Bilt Palladium Card
MasterRental Coverage
Menards® BIG Card
—
Purchase & returns: Bilt Palladium Card
Purchase Assurance · up to $1,000
Price Drop Protection · up to $250
Menards® BIG Card
—
Cell phone: Bilt Palladium Card
Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection · up to $800
Menards® BIG Card
—

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
Menards® BIG Card
—
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
Menards® BIG Card
—

Card details

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

Category-by-Category Winner

The Bilt Palladium Card wins in 4 of 4 categories. The Menards® BIG Card leads in 0.

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

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	Menards® BIG Card	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: $130	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: $490	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 Menards® BIG Card (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 Menards® BIG Card 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

The Bottom Line

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

Published annual fees: Bilt Palladium Card $495/yr, Menards® BIG Card $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 Menards® BIG Card. 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 Menards® BIG Card?: The Bilt Palladium Card has a higher base earn rate (2X vs 0X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.
What benefits does the Bilt Palladium Card have that the Menards® BIG Card doesn't?: The Bilt Palladium Card offers lounge access, cell phone protection. The Menards® BIG Card focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.
Should I get the Bilt Palladium Card or the Menards® BIG Card?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Menards® BIG Card 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 · Capital One 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.