You’re diligently working on hitting those five monthly transactions for your Bilt Mastercard to earn points on rent day, and a question pops into your head. What about buying an Amazon gift card? It’s a quick, easy purchase you might make anyway. It seems like a clever way to meet the requirement while getting something useful in return.
Before you add that e-gift card to your cart, it’s crucial to know how Bilt categorizes this type of purchase. The rules around earning points and fulfilling transaction requirements can be specific, and you want to be sure your strategy will actually work.
How Bilt Defines a Qualifying Transaction
For a transaction to count towards your five monthly payments, it typically needs to be a standard purchase. This means buying goods or services from a merchant. The key is that the purchase is for your own direct consumption or use. Things like buying groceries, filling up your gas tank, or paying a phone bill are all clear examples of qualifying transactions.
The Specific Rule on Gift Card Purchases
Here is the important part: purchasing gift cards, including Amazon gift cards, generally does not count towards the Bilt transaction requirement. This is a common policy among credit card issuers to prevent what’s known as “manufactured spending,” where people make purchases that can easily be converted back to cash without actually spending money.
When you buy a gift card, the system often codes it differently than a regular retail purchase. Since a gift card is essentially a stand-in for future cash, it doesn’t qualify as a standard purchase under the terms of the promotion.
Smart Alternatives to Meet Your Goal
So, if gift cards are off the table, what can you do? The best approach is to use your Bilt card for small, everyday purchases you were already planning to make. Think about your weekly coffee run, a quick lunch, streaming service subscriptions, or even a small top-up at the grocery store. Scheduling one of your smaller utility bills, like your streaming subscription, to be paid with the Bilt card is a fantastic set-it-and-forget-it method to ensure you always hit the target.
Keeping Your Points Strategy on Track
Relying on gift card purchases is a common pitfall that can leave you one transaction short on rent day. By focusing on genuine everyday spending, you can reliably meet the five-transaction requirement every single month. This ensures you maximize your points earnings without any last-minute surprises, making your rent payments even more rewarding.
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