Tl;dr – Bilt has officially added Southwest Airlines as a transfer partner and is also rumored to be adding Japan Airlines soon.
Last week, Bilt made some moves to expand the usefulness of its rewards currency. You can now transfer Bilt Rewards points on a 1:1 ratio to Southwest Airlines. Southwest has received the private equity treatment, and as a result, the airline has been in the news recently for various ‘cost-saving and revenue-enhancing’ initiatives. This week, we learned that Southwest would be renaming its fare types and allowing Rapid Rewards Priority Cardmembers to save on fees when booking up to 8 fares on one reservation. (As an aside, I wonder if this updated Rapid Rewards Priority card feature is an attempt to combat Frontier’s aggressive status match aimed at Southwest Rapid Rewards members, as Frontier’s elite status allows similar benefits extension to additional travelers booked under the same reservation). One of the goals of Elliott Management’s takeover of Southwest was to see the airline run more like a traditional carrier. Well, it appears that forging partnerships with additional ‘’bank’’ partners is part of that strategy.
Bilt’s May 1st Rent Day Promotion also involves Southwest. The bank is offering a 25% transfer bonus when you transfer Bilt Rewards points to Southwest Airlines.
There have also been indications (though Bilt has yet to confirm this formally) that Bilt was soon adding Japan Airlines (JAL) as a transfer partner. Though the ratio of these transfers isn’t yet known, I’d think it will also be 1:1. If Japan Airlines does go live as a Bilt transfer partner, this would be a major win for Bilt. Bilt would be the only transferable currency partnered with JAL. At present, you’d need to transfer points from Amex or Chase to Marriott Bonvoy and then swallow a tough 3:1 ratio to move those points to JAL. JAL has excellent award availability when booking with JAL Mileage Bank miles, so there could be some solid potential here.
As a heads up, before you can redeem JAL Mileage Bank miles, your account needs to be open and in good standing for 60 days. I recommend you get ahead of the goose and register now (if you don’t already have an account).
