When Bilt underwent its 2.0 transformation earlier this year, it introduced Bilt Cash as one of the types of rewards you can earn if you have a Bilt credit card.
One of the most anticipated ways to use Bilt Cash — at least, for those who live in or visit the New York City area — was for Blade helicopter transfers. These flights can whisk you between Manhattan and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) or Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) — and beyond — in minutes rather than leaving you stuck sitting in traffic.
However, as the months have ticked by, Blade has remained a “coming soon” redemption option for Bilt Cash. And since only $100 of Bilt Cash earned rolls over at the end of the year, some Bilt members have been anxiously waiting for more ways to use the currency before that fast-approaching deadline.
Now, the wait is over: Blade flights are available to book directly in the Bilt app using Bilt Cash, Bilt Points or a combination of the two.
Here’s how the new redemption option works.
Related: Bilt: Earn points on housing, card benefits and more
How to use Bilt Cash to book Blade flights
Bilt members can redeem Bilt Cash for up to two Blade flights per calendar year, with up to $350 in Bilt Cash available toward each seat.
Scheduled Blade helicopter transfers between Manhattan and JFK or EWR often start around $200 to $250 per seat, so you may not need to use the full $350 Bilt Cash maximum per seat. However, flights to farther-flung destinations can cost more. (Flights to the Hamptons, for instance, start at $795 per seat.) If your flight costs more than $350, you can cover the difference with cash or Bilt points.
Since the Bilt Palladium Card (see rates and fees) comes with $300 in Bilt Cash as part of its welcome offer, which also includes earning 50,000 bonus points and Bilt Gold status through the next calendar year after spending $4,000 on nonhousing purchases in the first 90 days from account opening, you could have enough to cover a helicopter transfer to/from JFK or EWR just by signing up for it.
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You’ll find your available Bilt Cash displayed as a payment option for Blade bookings when checking out in the Bilt app. Just keep in mind that Bilt Cash can only be applied toward the cost of the seat itself, not additional charges, such as incidental luggage fees.
If you choose to use Bilt points to cover some or all of your flight, you’ll get just 0.7 cents per point, which is less than the 1.25 cents per point available for other bookings through the Bilt Travel portal.
This new redemption option comes on top of Bilt’s existing Blade benefits, which include:
- One complimentary Blade flight from Manhattan to JFK or EWR per year for Bilt Platinum elite members
- Access to Blade lounges and up to two drinks per visit, whether flying with Blade or not, for Bilt Gold and Platinum elite members
- 10% off Blade bookings made in the Bilt app for Bilt Silver, Gold and Platinum elite members
- The ability to earn 2 Bilt points per dollar spent on Blade bookings made through Bilt Travel for all Bilt members
Related: Bilt Palladium Card review: High earnings for Bilt-focused travelers
Bottom line
There was already a long list of ways to use the Bilt Cash you can earn with Bilt credit cards, but for members who rack up the currency quickly, the arrival of Blade is a particularly fun high-value option.
While it’s arriving a bit later than some Bilt members likely hoped, with several months left in the year before all but $100 of unused Bilt Cash will expire, there’s still time to put this new redemption option to use.
I have to imagine Blade is about to see an influx of Bilt-inspired bookings. So, if you’ve been waiting to use your Bilt Cash to fly above the traffic and get between Manhattan and a New York-area airport in just a few minutes, it may be worth locking in your flight using Bilt Cash sooner rather than later.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thepointsguy.com
