Can You Earn Credit Card Rewards on Parking? Bilt + Metropolis Say Yes

What You'll Earn

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• Weekly Downtown Parking: Park 2x/week for dinner ($15/visit) = 1,440 points/year. Value: $18-29/year cash or $29-58/year transferred to Hyatt.

• Monthly Garage Parking: $250/month = 3,000 points/year. Value: $38-75/year cash or $60-120/year travel transfers.

• Airport Parking: 4 trips/year at $80 each = 320 points/year. Value: $4-8/year.

Bilt Mastercard® Overview

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Rewards Structure:

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• 5X Bilt points on Lyft rides

• 3X points on dining (6X on Rent Day excluding rent, up to 1,000 bonus points)

• 2X points on travel (4X on Rent Day excluding rent, up to 1,000 bonus points)

• 1X points on rent (up to 100,000 points in a calendar year, no transaction fees)

• 1X points on everything else (2X on Rent Day excluding rent, up to 1,000 bonus points)

• 1X points on parking at Metropolis locations

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Requirements: Use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points. No annual fee (See Rates & Fees). Good credit (670+ FICO) typically required.

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Transfer Partners: 1:1 transfers to 17+ airlines (United, Alaska, Emirates, Southwest, etc.) and hotels (Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, IHG). Redeem at 1.25 cents per point through Bilt portal or use for rent, down payments, fitness, groceries.

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[[ SINGLE_CARD * {"id": "2990", "isExpanded": "false", "bestForCategoryId": "15", "bestForText": "Frequent Travelers", "headerHint": "Interesting Earning Structure"} ]]

Should You Use Bilt for Parking?

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✅ Yes, If:

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• You already have the Bilt Mastercard

• You park at Metropolis locations regularly

• You value automatic entry/exit

• You're accumulating Bilt Points for travel or rent

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❌ Skip, If:

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• No Metropolis locations near you

• You prefer parking-specific cards with higher rewards

• You don't want another app to manage

How to Set Up

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1. Update your Bilt app to latest version
2. Tap "Parking" tab on home screen
3. Link Metropolis account (auto-links if phone numbers match)
4. Search for participating locations
5. Drive to location—Metropolis Vision recognizes your plate
6. Points appear in Bilt account automatically

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Pro Tip: Even without the Bilt credit card, you can still earn 1X points on Metropolis parking by linking accounts.

Coming Soon Features

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Automatic Parking Validation

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‍Buildings in the Bilt Alliance will soon validate parking automatically for residents—no ticket stamping needed.

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Merchant-Funded Parking

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‍Local businesses will offer free/discounted parking through Bilt. Book a fitness class, get complimentary parking automatically.

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Property Tour Parking

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‍Prospective tenants visiting apartments will get automatic validation from properties.

Maximizing Your Value

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Strategy 1 - Rent Day Multiplier

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‍Park on the 1st of the month and get 2X points instead of 1X (excluding rent, up to 1,000 bonus points total). Monthly $250 parking = 500 points on Rent Day vs. 250 points normally.

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Strategy 2 - Combine Categories

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‍Park downtown for dinner: $15 parking (15 points) + $100 dinner (300 points) = 315 points per outing.

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Strategy 3 - Transfer Smart

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‍Transfer 1,500 parking points to Hyatt for $30+ value vs. $15-19 cash value.

Bilt vs. Parking Alternatives

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SpotHero/ParkWhiz

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‍Advance booking with 20-50% discounts but no rewards. Winner: SpotHero for cheapest upfront price.

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Metropolis Direct

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‍Same network as Bilt but no points earned. Winner: Bilt (same convenience + rewards).

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Premium Travel Cards

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‍Some offer parking benefits at specific airports/hotels. Winner: Bilt for everyday parking rewards.

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Bottom Line

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‍If parking at Metropolis anyway, use Bilt. If shopping for cheapest parking, compare SpotHero/ParkWhiz first, then use Bilt for payment.

Pros & Cons

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Pros:

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‍✅ Fully automated—no tickets, apps, or kiosks

✅ Earn points on parking you're already paying for

✅ 4,200+ locations in 360+ markets

✅ Works with or without Bilt Mastercard

✅ Future automatic validation adds more value

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Cons:

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‍❌ Only 1X earning rate (lower than dining/travel/Lyft)

❌ Limited to Metropolis locations

❌ No upfront discounts like SpotHero offers

❌ Requires Metropolis Vision technology

❌ Points less valuable without partner transfers

The Verdict

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Our Take: Bilt's parking partnership is a nice-to-have, not a game-changer—yet. Earning 1X points on parking you're already paying for is better than nothing, and automatic entry/exit is genuinely convenient.

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Should you use it now? If you're parking at Metropolis locations anyway, absolutely. It's free points. But don't go out of your way to park at Metropolis over cheaper options just for 1X points.

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Should you get the Bilt Mastercard because of parking? No. Get it for the rent rewards (up to 24,000 points/year on $2,000 rent, up to 100,000 points in a calendar year) and dining/travel bonuses. Parking is just a nice extra.

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Best use case: You live in a Bilt Alliance building, park regularly at nearby Metropolis garages, and are already earning Bilt Points on rent. Parking integration makes the ecosystem stickier.