The Bilt Obsidian Card sits in the middle of Bilt’s new three-card 2026 lineup — a $95 annual fee buys real everyday earning categories (your choice of dining or groceries at 3x, plus 2x on travel) on top of the same fee-free rent and mortgage earning that made Bilt’s original card famous. It’s the pick for renters or homeowners who also spend meaningfully on food and travel and want more than the no-fee Blue Card offers.
In This Review
- The Card at a Glance
- Earning Rates
- Choosing Your Bonus Category
- Credits & Other Benefits
- Who This Card Is For
- Frequently Asked Questions
The Card at a Glance
| Annual Fee | $95 (plus $50 per authorized user) (See Rates & Fees) |
| Rewards Currency | Bilt Points and Bilt Cash |
| Bilt Cash Rollover | Up to $100 rolls over annually |
| Foreign Transaction Fees | None |
| Issuer | Column N.A., serviced by Cardless |
Terms current as of this writing (July 2026), following the January 2026 relaunch. Always confirm current terms directly with Bilt before applying.
Obsidian’s real advantage over Blue isn’t the housing earning — that’s shared across all three cards — it’s the $95 buying genuine everyday categories most renters and homeowners already spend heavily in.
Earning Rates
- 3x points on your choice of dining or groceries (groceries capped at $25,000/year in spend, then drops to 1x)
- 2x points on travel
- 1x point on all other everyday purchases
- Rent or mortgage earning with no transaction fee, subject to the same 2026 spend-threshold structure across the whole lineup
Choosing Your Bonus Category
Unlike a fixed-category card, Obsidian lets you pick between dining and groceries as your 3x category — but that choice locks in for the calendar year once made. You get one chance to change your selection, and only within 30 days of your account open date (or, for accounts opened on or before February 7, 2026, within 30 days of that date specifically). After that window closes, you’re locked into whichever category you picked until the next calendar year.
Practical tip: think honestly about which category you spend more in before locking this in, since you won’t get another chance to switch until next year.
Credits & Other Benefits
- Bilt Travel hotel credits, applicable toward qualifying hotel bookings
- Choice between Bilt Cash or housing-only rewards as your redemption path
- Up to $100 in Bilt Cash rolls over to the following year, rather than expiring outright the way Blue Card Bilt Cash does above $100
- No foreign transaction fees
- 10% introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 billing cycles
One real cost to factor in: unlike the Blue Card, Obsidian charges a $50 annual fee for each authorized user added to the account — worth including in your math if you were planning to add a partner or family member.
Who This Card Is For
- Renters or homeowners who spend heavily on dining or groceries and want a real bonus category, not just flat 1x earning.
- Occasional travelers who’ll use the 2x travel rate and hotel credits, without needing the Palladium’s higher-end perks like Priority Pass.
- Anyone comfortable committing to one bonus category for the full year — if you’d rather have flexibility month to month, that’s a real tradeoff to accept here.
Worth considering the no-fee Blue Card instead if your dining/grocery/travel spending is modest enough that $95 wouldn’t be offset by the higher earning rates; worth considering Palladium instead if you want a welcome bonus, elite status, and lounge access on top of everyday earning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I switch between dining and groceries as my bonus category?
You get one opportunity to change your selection, but only within the first 30 days after opening your account. After that window closes, your choice is locked for the remainder of the calendar year.
Is there a cap on the grocery bonus category?
Yes, if you choose groceries — the 3x rate applies to the first $25,000 spent per year, after which grocery purchases drop to 1x for the rest of the year. The dining category doesn’t carry the same cap.
Does adding an authorized user cost extra?
Yes — $50 per authorized user per year, unlike the no-fee Blue Card, which doesn’t charge for authorized users.