Bilt apologizes after erroneously sending scary emails to some members
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Bilt apologized April 10 after some Bilt Rewards members received an alarming email notice from Bilt Legal that their accounts were in jeopardy due to misuse. And there’s good news for those who may have transferred their points out just in case.
If you’re not familiar, the Bilt Mastercard® (see rates and fees) offers holders the opportunity to earn points on paying rent (up to 100,000 points in a calendar year) and everyday purchases.
More than one TPG staffer was a recipient of the email, which stated:
“We have reason to believe that behavior on your account demonstrates an intent to engage in sustained misconduct and wrongdoing in connection to the program. Pursuant to the legally binding Bilt Rewards Terms & Conditions, Bilt has the right to ‘reject, revoke, cancel, terminate, or suspend any membership, benefit, and/or any and all points, or take any other action at its discretion… “
“We only ever use this account to pay rent and spend enough so we meet the non-rent spend minimum, so it was extra shocking because we only use it for what the card is made for. We also haven’t even redeemed anything with our points yet,” one TPG staffer said.
Around 2:30 p.m. Eastern time, Richard Kerr, vice president of travel at Bilt, posted a notice to Reddit explaining that the initial email was sent by mistake. Not long after, a corrective email was sent.
When TPG reached out to Kerr directly for comment, he said, “A small subsection of members received an email regarding loyalty program misconduct. This was sent in error, and members’ accounts are currently in good standing. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused and have added 250 points to any members who received the incorrect email.”
Related: 5 ways to pay your rent or mortgage with a credit card
Unfortunately, the erroneous communication spurred some Bilt Rewards members to action, with one Redditor commenting that they had transferred their points “to avoid losing them,” while several others noted they did the same.
But Bilt told TPG that any points transferred by mistake would soon be returned to users’ accounts.
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Protecting your rewards
If you find yourself on the receiving end of a similar notice in the future, you can take these steps in an effort to protect your points, and your sanity.
First, confirm that the communication you’ve received is actually from your reward program or credit card issuer. This may mean you have to call a support line and speak to a representative to get additional information.
Related: How the Credit Card Competition Act can affect your credit card rewards
Next, although the fine print in the terms and conditions you agreed to may be lengthy, they’re worth reading so that you know exactly what you signed up for and what specific actions could jeopardize your earned rewards.
The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be if you find yourself in a spot similar to this one.
And if you find yourself in a situation that you can’t figure out on your own, don’t hesitate to reach out to The Points Guy for answers. We have a special editor to help with consumer problems. You can email us at ombudsman@thepointsguy.com.
Bottom line
While the email from Bilt was no doubt scary, Bilt Rewards members will be made whole.
One Reddit commenter said that they received both the original erroneous message and the second “disregard” email but no notice about getting comped 250 points.
Bilt assures us those points are coming.
To learn more about the Bilt program, check out our full review of the Bilt Mastercard.
Official application link: Bilt Mastercard
For rates and fees of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
For rewards and benefits of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
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