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Knowing how hard it is to get the Bilt World Elite Mastercard® helps you decide if now is a good time to apply or wait and improve your credit profile. This rewards credit card requires a credit check and doesn’t offer prequalification which makes it essential to estimate your approval odds.
Jump directly to Bilt’s website: Bilt World Elite Mastercard®
Applying for the Bilt Credit Card
Below are multiple application stories about people trying to get the Bilt World Elite Mastercard®. While not every listing provides a credit score, those that do either have good credit or excellent with a score in the high 600s or above.
Related: The Bilt Credit Card Review: A New Way to Pay Rent
User Testimonials
In July 2023, Hungry4DataPoints was approved for a $16,000 credit limit with a 719 credit score (good credit) and says the following. “They asked me to fax my last two years of tax returns and a completed 4506C. They approved me less than 12 hours after I sent the fax, so I doubt they actually pulled my IRS transcripts. The frustrating thing about this approval is that my Wells Fargo Active Cash card (same bank) has a measly $1,500 (spending limit) which I’ve tried to credit line increase twice now without success.”
Mchang124 was instantly approved for a $15,500 limit with a 741 credit score and a $140,000 annual income. The applicant has 5 applications within the last 12 months and is currently over the Chase 5/24 rule that prohibits getting additional cards from Chase until some of the new accounts age.
Mike1014805 doesn’t disclose their credit score or annual income, but had to call the Wells Fargo credit card issuer to verify several details as the initial application is listed as “pending.” The bank needed to verify the applicant’s rent payment history and identity. Twelve hours later, their application was approved for a $3,000 limit.
Mamba22 was approved for a $10,000 limit with a 782 credit score after opening 2 cards within the past 24 months.
Aptiger was instantly approved in May 2023 for a $5,000 limit with a 769 credit score and an imperfect credit history. For example, they have opened 3 credit cards in the last 12 months. More importantly, they filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2017 which has been on the credit report for 6 years and will remain on the report for another 4 years.
JonTheDon has a $60,000 annual income and a 748 credit score. They were approved for $10,000 in credit, and their oldest credit card account is 15 months old.
While this isn’t a first-time account opening, GingerFlower reports an automatic credit limit increase from $10,000 to $14,000. No credit score or income data points are available.
Bilt Credit Card Denials
There are also a few examples of unsuccessful Bilt Card applications.
Electronic_Cash6371 was denied in February 2023 with a 720 credit score but only 3 months of credit history. Typically, your oldest card needs to be at least 12 months to get approved according to the average account age for those with a thin credit history.
User_12_New was rejected on the initial application with a 789 credit score, and the oldest account is 3.5 years old. They called the reconsideration line and were approved two days later, but didn’t share their starting credit limit.
TectixYT was rejected for the Bilt Mastercard after opening 3 cards in the last 24 months and 2 cards in the past 6 months. Community suggestions are to wait 3 months before re-applying to let some of the accounts age. They also opened a Wells Fargo checking account to build a banking relationship as several cardholders mentioned the bank is more lenient to banking customers.
Hendarvich was denied for not being the primary cardholder but only being an authorized user. Rejection reasons provided in the decision letter include:
“No non-authorized user bank cards reported (We look at the mix of credit you have)
No non-authorized user credit accounts reported (We look for a history that shows how you’ve managed time)
Too many inquiries or applications for credit in the last 14 days/3 months (We look at how much new credit you may be taking on).”
Pr0fnaityyy reports applying with a 630 credit score from one bureau and getting rejected. What’s interesting is that their free credit monitoring service reports scores near 720—which is a 90-point gap. This point goes to show that banks may look at different scoring models than you see.
Suggestions for Great Bilt Card Card Approval Odds
After scouring the successful and unsuccessful applications, implementing some of these practices can improve the chances of getting approved for the Bilt Credit Card.
Have Good or Excellent Credit
It’s necessary to have a good or excellent credit score between 670 and 850. We recommend applying with a score above 700 and ideally a 740 credit score or higher so that you have excellent credit.
Related: What Credit Score Do You Need for the Bilt World Elite Mastercard?
Include All Your Income
Several unsuccessful applicants were approved after including all of their total gross income. This can include investment income, employer bonuses, and other supplemental income streams in addition to your day job.
Additionally, having a higher income can help you qualify for a higher spending limit as you are more likely to be able to afford to pay your monthly statement in full.
Have At Least One Year of Credit History
Your oldest credit card should be at least 12 months old to have better approval odds. There are several unsuccessful applicants who had only 3 to 9 months of history that were approved when their oldest account was open for around one year or a bit longer.
Length of credit history is only one factor. You will need a positive payment history and a healthy debt-to-income ratio to verify you can responsibly manage credit.
Have a Primary Credit Card
The Bilt World Elite Mastercard® is challenging to qualify for if you don’t have a credit card but have successfully managed other forms of debt. For example, one data point was rejected because they were only an authorized user.
If you find yourself in this situation, consider getting a credit card for beginners first and keeping it for approximately 12 months before applying for the Bilt Credit Card.
Summary
You will need to have at least one existing credit card with a consistent on-time payment history along with a good or excellent credit score above 700 to have the best approval odds. You can start paying rent immediately once you get a Bilt Credit Card and enjoy one of the best travel credit cards.
Learn more: Bilt World Elite Mastercard®
