🍽️ Bilt Obsidian: The Mid-Tier Card for Renters and Homeowners Who Eat

Annual fee: $95 ($50 authorized users) Welcome bonus: $200 Bilt Cash on approval Best for: Renters and homeowners who spend heavily on dining or groceries

The Obsidian is the middle child of Bilt 2.0 — and it might be the best value in the lineup.

$95/year gets you 3x on dining or groceries (your choice), hotel credits, trip protections, and earning on rent and mortgage payments. No other card at this price covers housing payments — and Bilt now earns on both.

Earning Rates

You pick dining or groceries for the 3x rate. Groceries are capped at $25,000/year. Choose based on where you spend more.

The 4% Bilt Cash on everyday spending stacks on top of point earning. That's real cash-back value on every non-category purchase.

$100 Annual Hotel Credit

$50 in Bilt Travel hotel credit every 6 months ($100/year total). Minimum 2-night stay required.

That drops the effective fee to $0 before you factor in point earning. A $95 card that functionally costs nothing.

🔗 Check if the fee pays for itself → Fee Breakeven Calculator

Travel Protections

The Obsidian comes with protections you'd normally need a $300+ card to get:

• Trip delay insurance — reimbursement for meals and lodging when flights are delayed
• Purchase protection — covers new purchases against damage and theft
• Cellular protection — pay your phone bill with the card, get coverage on your device
• No foreign transaction fees

These protections alone justify the $95 fee for anyone who travels 2+ times per year.

The Housing Payment + Dining Stack

Here's why the Obsidian is interesting: it combines rent or mortgage earning with dining/grocery earning in one card — and Bilt now earns on both rent and mortgage.

Monthly scenario ($2,000 housing payment + $800 dining):

• Rent or mortgage: 24,000 Bilt points/year
• Dining at 3x: 28,800 Bilt points/year
• Total: 52,800 Bilt points/year + 4% Bilt Cash on other spending
• Minus $100 hotel credit = $0 effective fee

That's 52,800 points per year from a card that costs you nothing after credits. Transfer those to Hyatt 1:1 and you're looking at 3+ free nights at a Category 5 property.

🔗 Calculate your exact earnings → Bilt Calculator

Who It's For

Ideal for:

• Renters who spend $500+/month on dining or groceries
• People who want rent + everyday earning in a single card
• Mid-tier upgrade from Bilt Blue without committing to $495/year

Consider Bilt Palladium instead if:

• You want 2x on everything (not just dining/groceries)
• You want Priority Pass lounge access
• You spend enough across all categories to justify $495/year

Consider Bilt Blue instead if:

• You prefer pure cash back simplicity
• You don't spend enough on dining/groceries to justify the 3x category
• $0 annual fee matters more than earning optimization

The Bottom Line

The Bilt Obsidian is the sweet spot of the Bilt 2.0 lineup. $95/year, effectively $0 after hotel credits. 3x on dining or groceries. 1x on rent and mortgage. Trip protections.

For anyone paying rent or a mortgage who eats out regularly or has a serious grocery habit, this card fills a gap nothing else covers.

🔗 Calculate your Bilt rent earnings → Bilt Calculator 🔗 See what your points are worth → Points Valuation 🔗 Full card details → Bilt Obsidian Card

— Austin 🤌