Bilt to let members earn housing rewards through Venmo

Housing rewards platform Bilt Technologies will partner with Venmo, adding the app to its existing payment methods that can help consumers earn points toward homeownership. 

Beginning next year, Bilt members will have the opportunity to connect their accounts to Venmo, with the new option offering another way to earn points from rental and mortgage payments, as well as transactions at partner merchants. Bilt customers can already accrue points through links to their bank accounts and credit or debit cards. 

Points will be recorded when payments are made either through Bilt or Venmo platforms after the two accounts are linked, the companies said. 

"Venmo is one of the most relevant and trusted payment experiences in America, so bringing it into the Bilt ecosystem is a game-changer for our members," said Bilt founder and CEO Ankur Jain in a press release. "Venmo isn't just a payment method — it's how millions of people connect and engage with each other every day."

The relationship will begin in early 2026, the two companies said. 

Founded in 2019, Bilt first launched a program that gave renters the opportunity to earn perks at merchants or save money for a future housing down payment. The fintech platform also provided renters a chance to build their credit histories with eligible payment transactions sent to reporting bureaus. 

In 2022, the company embarked on a business partnership with Wells Fargo to offer a Bilt Rewards Mastercard. The two parties recently announced the early termination of their agreement, which is now scheduled to end in the first quarter of 2026, when Bilt will issue branded cards through a new partner.  

In the last three years, Bilt has expanded its reward network across industries to include new relationships in travel and mortgage companies. 

Bilt's entry into mortgage

Bilt's latest business partnership comes just months after its most recent venture capital funding round. In July, the New York-based company announced it had raised an additional $250 million, with a total amount that includes a $100 million investment from United Wholesale Mortgage. 

Emerging from that deal is a new partnership where Bilt customers will earn points for on-time payments made on their UWM-brokered mortgages beginning in early 2026. The arrangement also opens up access to a source of future homebuyer leads in Bilt's renter database for the wholesale lender. 

Bilt currently counts 5 million consumers as members and works with 25% of all apartment buildings nationwide in its rentals network, it says. 

Since 2019, the company has received $813.3 million in venture funding, according to Crunchbase.