One of the most notable transfer partners that Bilt Rewards launched with back in 2021 was American Airlines. The reason that was so notable was that American Airlines wasn’t a transfer partner of any other transferable points currency (Marriott excepted).
Well, there’s bad news on that front today because View From The Wing shared the news this morning that Bilt will be losing American Airlines as a transfer partner.
Gary confirmed directly with Bilt this development, with them advising:
Bilt and American have agreed to wind down our partnership beginning in June. We appreciate everything we’ve been able to accomplish together since Bilt’s launch in 2021.
We don’t know yet exactly when in June this change will occur. The Bilt Mastercard launched on June 22, 2021, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Bilt and American Airlines initially signed a three year agreement at launch, with one or both of them deciding not to continue the relationship beyond June 2024.
If this change had occurred a year into Bilt’s life, that would’ve been a massive loss as the ability to transfer points to American Airlines – along with Hyatt – is something that set them apart from other transferable currencies. However, recent developments mean the loss isn’t necessarily as great as it once would’ve been.
That’s because over the last year or two Bilt has run a number of exceptional transfer bonuses on the first day of some months. They kicked that off with 100% bonuses to partners like Air France/KLM and Hawaiian Airlines and have since shifted to bonuses of 75%-150% based on your Bilt Rewards status level to partners including Aeroplan and Virgin. For people into the points and miles game, being able to convert 1 Bilt point into 1.75-2.5 points for other programs reduces the appeal of transferring to American Airlines on a strict 1:1 basis.
Where this change will likely hurt is for your average Bilt Rewards member who’s not as familiar with the points and miles game. I imagine that for someone not well-versed in transfer partners the thought of transferring Bilt points to a foreign airline loyalty program will fill them with fear and make it a no-go. Unless they’re planning to travel to Hawaii, Hawaiian Airlines would likely be out of their equation too. That’ll leave United as the only domestic airline transfer partner (as your average person based in the U.S. will likely consider Aeroplan as a foreign program) once American Airlines ceases to be a transfer partner.
The good news is that this information has come out at least 2.5 months before any changes are going to happen. Hopefully Bilt puts forth an official announcement for members in the coming days/weeks, so that those regular Bilt Rewards members have plenty of time to transfer their existing points balances to American Airlines if desired.
Question
What are your thoughts on this? Will this affect your willingness to earn Bilt points? Let us know in the comments below.
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