I’ve said for years that you should always register at least one credit card with a dining rewards program. You never know when it might pay off. And recently, that advice proved itself in a place I would’ve never expected — a small, Bavarian-style mountain town in North Georgia.
Why My Card Was Even Linked To Bilt
I didn’t originally link my World of Hyatt Visa to Bilt for dining at all. I did it for the Neighborhood Pharmacy benefit, which gives bonus points at Walgreens. At the time, Bilt Dining’s restaurant list was tiny and heavily targeted toward big cities. Orlando had maybe two or three options — none of which we ever visited.
So after linking the card for Walgreens, I sort of forgot about it. In fact, I wasn’t even trying to earn Bilt points the night this happened.
Dinner In Helen, GA – And A Surprise Email
We recently spent a few nights in a cabin in the North Georgia mountains. One evening we headed into Helen, GA — the little German-style “village” with Bavarian-themed shopfronts, beer gardens and souvenir stores lining the streets.
We parked the car, walked to the closest restaurant to where we’d stopped — Cowboys & Angels — and had a great dinner. No apps opened. No programs checked. No hunting for bonuses.
The next morning, I woke up to an email from Bilt:
“You earned rewards at Cowboys & Angels… you earned +3X Bilt Points in addition to your usual card rewards.”
In Helen. Georgia. A mountain town with Bavarian architecture and tubing on the Chattahoochee. Absolutely not where I expected to earn Bilt points.
But that surprise revealed something important.
Helen Has More Bilt Dining Spots Than Some Big Cities
What really surprised me wasn’t just Cowboys & Angels showing up on my account — it’s that it happened again. And again.
When I checked my Bilt statement later, I noticed that two of our other stops in Helen also earned 3X Bilt points. Apparently, the little German-themed village in the North Georgia mountains has quietly become a mini hot spot for Bilt Dining.
Honestly? Helen, GA had more participating Bilt Dining restaurants on this trip than we usually see when we go out to dinner in Orlando — and definitely more than we’ve found in some neighborhoods in New York City.
That alone shows how dramatically the program has expanded now that it’s powered by Rewards Network. Even small towns, tourist areas and unexpected markets suddenly have earning opportunities. And because I had my card linked, I earned points at all of them without planning a thing.
Bilt Dining Has Quietly Changed
When Bilt Dining first launched, it was extremely limited in its offerings. Great if you lived in New York, Miami or Los Angeles — not so useful in most other places.
But that changed when Bilt adopted the Rewards Network model, the same system used by dining programs from Delta, United, American, Alaska and others. Under that setup, the program partners with a huge database of restaurants across the country.
That’s why spots like Cowboys & Angels now earn Bilt points. And it’s why Bilt Dining suddenly looks a lot more like the airline dining portals you may already know.
If you want to compare those programs, we have a full guide here:
👉 Earn Airline Miles When Eating Out: Airline Dining Programs Master List
One Important Rule: The Rewards Network “Toggle”
Because the program now runs on Rewards Network, there’s one major rule that can easily trip people up:
You can only earn dining rewards from ONE Rewards Network program at a time per card.
That means if your card is linked to Delta SkyMiles Dining, or United MileagePlus Dining, or American AAdvantage Dining (or any other Rewards Network dining program), you won’t earn Bilt Dining points unless you specifically switch.
Bilt’s “Enable Rewards” Toggle Makes This Easier
Inside the Bilt app, turning on “Enable Rewards” does the following:
- Enrolls all cards linked to your Bilt account into Bilt Neighborhood Dining
- Unenrolls those cards from any other Rewards Network dining programs
- Ensures your next meal at a participating restaurant earns Bilt points
If you later re-link your card elsewhere (say, Delta Dining), then that program will take priority and Bilt Dining will stop earning on that card.
This isn’t anything unique to Bilt — it’s simply how Rewards Network works. But Bilt is one of the few programs that gives you a simple switch in the app to manage it.
Why This Matters
Because I had my World of Hyatt Visa linked to Bilt (originally for Walgreens!), it remained active for dining. And because several restaurants in Helen participate in the Rewards Network database, my accidental mountain-town meals earned points I wasn’t expecting.
But the bigger takeaway is the same one I’ve shared for years:
Always register your credit cards with at least one dining program. You never know when you’ll get rewarded.
If you want a deeper dive into why this is so valuable, check out:
👉 Why You Should Register Your Credit Card With Dining Programs
Final Thought
Bilt Dining has gone from a niche perk in a few major cities to a full-fledged dining portal that now mirrors the big airline programs. And while the Rewards Network “one program per card” rule still applies, Bilt’s simple toggle makes managing it easy.
If anything, my experience in Helen was the perfect reminder that earning points doesn’t always require effort — sometimes you just have to link your cards, go out for dinner in a little German-style village, and let the rewards show up when you least expect them.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
