In 2021, BILT burst onto the travel rewards scene, making headlines for the ability to earn points on rent and offering an opportunity to transfer points to American Airlines. This was a truly remarkable accomplishment, as no other flexible point currency (outside Citi for a few months) had American Airlines as a transfer partner. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

BILT To End Partnership With American Airlines

As first reported by View From The Wing, Bilt Rewards and American AAdvantage are ending their partnership in June. Per a BILT representative:

“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.”

As for the cause of the “break-up,” Gary Leff from View From The Wing offers the following possible explanation: “American is in the process of re-negotiating its co-brand credit card deals. They also have a separate team negotiating partnerships (outside of the AAdvantage team that handles benefits and redemptions) with a mandate of maximizing revenue. I imagine that any renewal option would have been on challenging terms.”

Credit. ETA Points. BILT Loses Transfer Partner American Airlines.

Alternative Options To Earn American Airlines Miles

BILT Rewards was the only flexible point program with a transfer option to American Airlines. However, there are still a number of other options to earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles:

• Cash fares on American Airlines
• Cash fares on Oneworld partner airlines
• Citi co-branded credit cards (personal and business)
• Barclays co-branded credit cards (personal and business)
• AAdvantage eShopping Portal
• SimplyMiles (AA Offers Portal)
• Bask Bank Savings Account

Credit. CNN. American Airlines.

Final Thoughts

Despite the loss of American Airlines, BILT Rewards remains an elite program. Excluding American Airlines BILT Rewards still offers members 15 transfer partners including (but not limited to) Air France KLM, Air Canada, United, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Hawaiian, and the extremely valuable Hyatt. In addition, the core value proposition for BILT remains the same, with a focus on providing incredible value to the customer in new and unique ways. This includes point earning and redeeming opportunities such as Rent Day, Point Quest, BILT Dining, and of course the unmatched 150% transfer bonuses.

One final thought: Does the end of the BILT – American Airlines partnership create an opportunity for another flexible point program to partner with American Airlines?