Big news for Bilt Rewards fans! You can now earn Bilt points directly through Rakuten, the online shopping portal. This means you can stack even MORE rewards on your everyday purchases. Previously, you could only earn cashback or Amex Membership Rewards points via Rakuten, but now Bilt cardholders (and all Bilt Rewards members) have another option.

Here's the deal: for a limited time (six months), everyone gets a sweet 1:1 conversion rate – turning every $1 of Rakuten cashback into 100 Bilt points. After that, the rate depends on your Bilt status. Silver, Gold, and Platinum members will continue earning 100 Bilt Points for every $1, while basic "Blue" members will only get 50. This matters because Bilt points are valuable, especially if you use them for rent or travel. If you're a frequent Rakuten user and value Bilt points highly, this is a no-brainer, especially with the limited-time boosted rate! It might even be worth strategizing about getting to a higher Bilt status to maximize your return.

Keep in mind that if you switch to earning Bilt points, any pending cashback will be paid out as Bilt points instead. Also, if you're new to Rakuten, consider whether the standard Rakuten signup bonus of $50 (turning into 5,000 Bilt points) is better than Bilt's offer of 2,500 points. Finally, with new Bilt credit cards on the horizon, it's possible that earning rates and status requirements could change, so stay tuned!