What Is Cardless, and Are Its Credit Cards Right for You?

Cardless, based in San Francisco, is a credit card servicer for individual brands. Founded in 2019, some of the company's cards are issued through FDIC-insured First Electronic Bank in Salt Lake City, while others are issued by Column N.A. (And despite its name, Cardless' products are indeed physical credit cards.)

The company has two co-branded cards with LATAM Airlines, a South American carrier; two cards with Qatar Airways; two with Colombia-based Avianca Airlines; and cards with Avelo Airlines and TAP Air Portugal. It also offers a cryptocurrency card, the Coinbase One Card, and a co-branded small-business card in partnership with online retailer Alibaba.com. In 2026, Cardless partnered with Bilt to launch three cards that earn rewards on rent and mortgage payments.

Cardless first earned a foothold in creating cards for professional sports teams, such as the Boston Celtics basketball team and soccer's Manchester United, although those cards have all since been shut down as the company has shifted its focus largely to travel. It also used to offer a co-branded card in partnership with mall company Simon Property Group and American Express, but that, too, has been discontinued.

So Cardless is a legitimate company and is safe to do business with. Its products offer familiar credit card features and reward structures along with perks specific to the partner brand, like earning airline miles through your spending.

That doesn’t mean all of Cardless' products will be right for you, or that you’ll have a good experience. Here's what else to know.

» MORE: Best airline credit cards

Are Cardless credit cards good?

The three Bilt credit cards offer rewards on rent and mortgage payments, which is uncommon. However, its rewards program is considerably more complex than most.

Cardless’ co-branded airline cards are most useful if you’re loyal to one of those brands. For instance, if you fly often on Qatar Airways, TAP Air Portugal or LATAM Airlines, you’re more likely to get value out of the appropriate card, especially if you can make use of perks like free checked bags or airport lounge access.

But it's also worth noting that a general travel credit card — that is, one that's not co-branded with an airline — can often be a more flexible and valuable pick. These general cards likely won't come with perks specific to your favorite airline, but on the other hand, you won't be locked into a specific airline when it comes to redeeming your rewards.

And the Coinbase One Card is one of several crypto-earning credit cards on the market. It could be a good fit if you're interested in dipping your toes into Bitcoin investment, but not if you're seeking more traditional, less volatile rewards.

Cardless rewards credit cards

Bilt credit cards

Cardless services three Bilt credit cards, all issued by Column N.A. Bank:

• The Bilt Blue Card ($0 annual fee).

• The Bilt Obsidian Card ($95 annual fee).

• The Bilt Palladium Card ($495 annual fee).

All of them earn rewards on rent or mortgage payments, along with other purchases. You can choose between two options for earning rewards, which come in the form of two currencies, Bilt Points and Bilt Cash.

• Option 1: Earn up to 1.25 Bilt Points per dollar on housing payments, depending on how much non-housing spending you put on the card. This will require you to track your spending closely, but you won't owe a transaction fee on your housing payment.

• Option 2: Earn 1 Bilt Point per dollar on housing payments. There will be a 3% transaction fee — but you can "cover" it with Bilt Cash, which is a secondary rewards currency (different from Bilt Points) that you can earn on non-housing spending under this option.

You can redeem Bilt Points for travel through Bilt, fitness classes, Amazon.com purchases, home decor from the Bilt Collection, or a statement credit. You can also use points to cover rent payments or put them toward a future down payment. Bilt Points can also be transferred to one of Bilt’s airline or hotel partners. Point values vary based on how you choose to redeem them.

Bilt Cash, meanwhile, can be redeemed to unlock fee-free Bilt Points on housing payments (as noted above). But it can also be redeemed for monthly credits at participating merchants, as well as a “points accelerator” where you can earn an additional Bilt Point per dollar on non-housing purchases. (Terms and conditions apply.)

Cardless credit cards for travel

Avelo Airlines

Avelo Airlines is a super niche carrier with routes primarily in the eastern United States. If Avelo is your airline of choice, the Avelo Airlines World Elite Mastercard might make sense. But even the most frequent flyers may find it hard to get value from the card. It has a $99 annual fee and offers one free carry-on as its primary perk.

Qatar Airways

Here’s how Cardless’ two Qatar Airways cards compare (as of this writing):

» MORE: Qatar Airways: What travelers need to know

TAP Air Portugal

The TAP Miles&Go American Express Credit Card has a $79 annual fee and earns:

• 3 miles per $1 on flights and other TAP Air Portugal purchases. 

• 2 miles per $1 on hotels, car rentals and ridesharing services.

• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.

As of this writing, new cardholders can earn 40,000 bonus miles after spending $2,500 in the first 90 days. Other card benefits include premium boarding, two passes per year to the TAP Premium Lounge at Lisbon Airport, and the ability to check an extra bag without fees twice a year. You’ll also earn one status mile for every 5 miles you earn, up to 10,000 status miles per year. Terms apply.

» MORE: TAP Portugal: What you need to know

LATAM Airlines

Here’s how Cardless’ two LATAM Airlines cards compare (as of this writing):

Avianca Airlines

The Avianca lifemiles American Express Card and Avianca lifemiles American Express Elite Card launched in late May 2024. Both offer an accelerated path to Silver elite status, which grants benefits including bonus miles earned on Avianca flights, priority check-in and boarding, passes to Avianca lounges, additional checked bags, discounts on premium seat purchases, and more.

Here’s our review of the Avianca credit cards, and below is a quick glance at how they compare:

» MORE: The guide to Avianca Airlines LifeMiles

Cardless cryptocurrency credit cards

Coinbase One Card

The Coinbase One Card earns up to 4% back in bitcoin. The more assets you hold in Coinbase, the higher your rewards rate.

While the card charges no annual fee, you must have a Coinbase One membership, which starts at $49.99 per year.

The value of cryptocurrency can fluctuate, which can also affect the value of the rewards you earn with this card.