Bilt Promises to Refund Unexpected Foreign Transaction Fees

Unexpected Bilt Foreign Transaction Fees

Bilt 2.0 cards launched in January with Cardless as the new issuers. These credit cards advertise “no foreign transaction fees” as one of the benefits.

But in a recent thread on reddit, some cardholders reported noticing slightly higher amounts for their foreign transactions. As Frequent Miler reports, the charges showing on the credit card statements, were 0.2% higher that what the Bilt app showed.

This extra charge on foreign transactions matches the 0.2% foreign transaction fee that Mastercard charges. Usually credit card issuers that advertise no foreign transaction fees will pay this fee themselves. But Bilt is not doing that and passing it on to cardholders instead.

Wells Fargo Bilt card did not have this issue, so the problem is somewhere between Bilt and Cardless most likely. But the good news is that Bilt has gone on record as saying that they will fix the issue:

We are aware of the questions surrounding final transaction amounts for foreign transactions and are actively reviewing this matter with our card partners that manage the program. There should be no change to foreign transaction fees vs. the 1.0 card, and if any fees have been added, we will ensure our partners refund them. We will communicate when we have more information.

Keep and eye on your Bilt accounts and see if you are charges the extra fee, and also be on the lookout for any refunds.