Is the Bilt Palladium Card worth the higher annual fee?

The Bilt Palladium Card costs $495/yr vs $350/yr for the United Quest Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $145 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 United Quest 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 United Quest Card doesn't?

The Bilt Palladium Card offers lounge access, cell phone protection. The United Quest Card offers travel credits.

Should I get the Bilt Palladium Card or the United Quest Card?

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the United Quest Card has a lower $350/yr fee; the Bilt Palladium Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $495/yr.

Bilt Palladium Card vs United Quest Card

Annual fees: Bilt Palladium Card $495/yr, United Quest Card $350/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Bilt Palladium Card on rent and travel, United Quest Card on hotels.

Card data as of October 12, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Bilt Palladium Card Cardless · $495/yr	United Quest Card Chase · $350/yr
Annual fee	$495	$350 Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	50,000 points	Up to 90,000 miles
Rewards	Bilt Points	United MileagePlus
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Network	Mastercard	Visa Signature
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Dining	2x	2x
Streaming	2x	2x
Travel	2x	2x
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	$200 United travel $150 Renowned Hotels $80 Avis/Budget travel $120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS 25% United inflight $150/yr JSX credit
Rideshare & transit	—	$100/yr rideshare · $8 monthly
Dining & delivery	—	$15/mo Instacart+ · $15 monthly 3 months Instacart+
Shopping & wellness	$200 Bilt Cash	—
Perks & access— means none on record
Lounges	Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access	—
Airline perks	—	Annual 10,000-mile award flight discount Free first and second checked bags for you plus companion 2 Economy Plus upgrades after $40K annual spend Priority boarding on all United flights
Other perks	—	No foreign transaction fees Premier upgrades on award tickets Earn 10,000-mile award discount after $20K annual spend
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Trip insurance	Trip Delay	Trip cancellation coverage up to $6,000 per trip Trip delay coverage up to $500 per person after 12 hours
Baggage	—	Baggage delay coverage up to $100/day for 3 days Lost luggage coverage up to $3,000 per person
Rental car	MasterRental Coverage	Primary rental car insurance up to $60,000
Purchase & returns	Purchase Assurance · up to $1,000 Price Drop Protection · up to $250	Purchase protection up to $10,000 per item for 120 days
Extended warranty	—	Extended warranty adds 1 year to manufacturer warranty
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	Two free checked bags for cardholder plus companion (up to $440 per roundtrip) $200 annual TravelBank credit effectively reduces fee to $150 $180/year in Instacart credits ($15/month through 2027) 10,000-mile award discount annually plus another 10K after $20K spend Earns 1 PQP per $20 spent (up to 18,000 PQP/year) plus 1,000 bonus PQPs
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	$350 annual fee is substantial without lounge access TravelBank credits only work on United/United Express flights PQP earning cap of 18,000 limits status acceleration potential 2x on non-United travel is lower than some competitors Instacart credits expire December 2027
	Card details	Card details

Bilt Palladium Card
Cardless · $495/yr
United Quest Card
Chase · $350/yr

Overview

Annual fee: Bilt Palladium Card
$495
United Quest Card
$350
Lowest
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Bilt Palladium Card
50,000 points
United Quest Card
Up to 90,000 miles
Rewards: Bilt Palladium Card
Bilt Points
United Quest Card
United MileagePlus
Foreign transaction fee: Bilt Palladium Card
None
United Quest Card
None
Network: Bilt Palladium Card
Mastercard
United Quest Card
Visa Signature

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Dining: Bilt Palladium Card
2x
United Quest Card
2x
Streaming: Bilt Palladium Card
2x
United Quest Card
2x
Travel: Bilt Palladium Card
2x
United Quest Card
2x
Mortgage: Bilt Palladium Card
1.25x
Highest
United Quest Card
1x
Rent: Bilt Palladium Card
1.25x
Highest
United Quest Card
1x
Everything else: Bilt Palladium Card
2x
Highest
United Quest Card
1x

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

Travel: Bilt Palladium Card
$400 hotel credit
United Quest Card
$200 United travel
$150 Renowned Hotels
$80 Avis/Budget travel
$120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS
25% United inflight
$150/yr JSX credit
Rideshare & transit: Bilt Palladium Card
—
United Quest Card
$100/yr rideshare · $8 monthly
Dining & delivery: Bilt Palladium Card
—
United Quest Card
$15/mo Instacart+ · $15 monthly
3 months Instacart+
Shopping & wellness: Bilt Palladium Card
$200 Bilt Cash
United Quest Card
—

Perks & access— means none on record

Lounges: Bilt Palladium Card
Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
United Quest Card
—
Airline perks: Bilt Palladium Card
—
United Quest Card
Annual 10,000-mile award flight discount
Free first and second checked bags for you plus companion
2 Economy Plus upgrades after $40K annual spend
Priority boarding on all United flights
Other perks: Bilt Palladium Card
—
United Quest Card
No foreign transaction fees
Premier upgrades on award tickets
Earn 10,000-mile award discount after $20K annual spend

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance: Bilt Palladium Card
Trip Delay
United Quest Card
Trip cancellation coverage up to $6,000 per trip
Trip delay coverage up to $500 per person after 12 hours
Baggage: Bilt Palladium Card
—
United Quest Card
Baggage delay coverage up to $100/day for 3 days
Lost luggage coverage up to $3,000 per person
Rental car: Bilt Palladium Card
MasterRental Coverage
United Quest Card
Primary rental car insurance up to $60,000
Purchase & returns: Bilt Palladium Card
Purchase Assurance · up to $1,000
Price Drop Protection · up to $250
United Quest Card
Purchase protection up to $10,000 per item for 120 days
Extended warranty: Bilt Palladium Card
—
United Quest Card
Extended warranty adds 1 year to manufacturer warranty
Cell phone: Bilt Palladium Card
Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection · up to $800
United Quest 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
United Quest Card
Two free checked bags for cardholder plus companion (up to $440 per roundtrip)
$200 annual TravelBank credit effectively reduces fee to $150
$180/year in Instacart credits ($15/month through 2027)
10,000-mile award discount annually plus another 10K after $20K spend
Earns 1 PQP per $20 spent (up to 18,000 PQP/year) plus 1,000 bonus PQPs
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
United Quest Card
$350 annual fee is substantial without lounge access
TravelBank credits only work on United/United Express flights
PQP earning cap of 18,000 limits status acceleration potential
2x on non-United travel is lower than some competitors
Instacart credits expire December 2027

Card details

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

Category-by-Category Winner

The Bilt Palladium Card wins in 3 of 3 categories. The United Quest Card leads in 0. 1 more category 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

Hotels

Depends: via Chase Travel

United Quest Card earns 5X 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.

Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.

Scenario	Bilt Palladium Card	United Quest 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: $180 Credits (our usable estimate): $437 − Annual fee ($350) Ongoing: $267 Year one: $1,227	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $1,920 Credits (our usable estimate): $300 − Annual fee ($495) Ongoing: $1,725 Year one: $2,725	Rewards: $720 Credits (our usable estimate): $437 − Annual fee ($350) Ongoing: $807 Year one: $1,767	Bilt Palladium Card	Bilt Palladium Card

Is the Fee Difference Worth It?

The Bilt Palladium Card costs $495/yr — that's $145 more than the United Quest Card ($350/yr). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $145 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 $145 fee gap for your own usage.

Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $145 fee gap means the Bilt Palladium Card needs roughly $145 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 United Quest Card means losing:

-Airport lounge access

Choosing Bilt Palladium Card means losing:

-Free checked bags
-Global Entry credit

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 United Quest Card if you:

+Spend $300+/month on restaurants and dining out

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, United Quest Card $350/yr — a $145 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 $350/yr for the United Quest Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $145 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 United Quest 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 United Quest Card doesn't?: The Bilt Palladium Card offers lounge access, cell phone protection. The United Quest Card offers travel credits.
Should I get the Bilt Palladium Card or the United Quest Card?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the United Quest Card has a lower $350/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 · Chase 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.