tl;dr
PayPal and Bilt Rewards expand Venmo's capabilities, allowing users to pay rent and mortgages via the platform by 2026. The partnership integrates with Bilt's reward-based system, streamlining housing payments. Additionally, PayPal's AI-driven collaboration with Mastercard aims to revolutionize AI-a...
**PayPal and Bilt Rewards Expand Venmo’s Reach: Rent Payments and AI-Driven Transactions Take Center Stage**
In a significant move to enhance its payment ecosystem, PayPal has announced a partnership with Bilt Rewards, enabling Venmo users to pay rent and mortgages through the popular peer-to-peer platform starting in early 2026. This collaboration marks a pivotal step in Venmo’s evolution, expanding its utility beyond splitting bills with roommates to handling major monthly expenses like housing costs.
Bilt Rewards, a platform that connects users with reward-based rent payment solutions, already supports a wide range of payment methods, including credit cards, debit cards, and direct bank transfers. With this new integration, Venmo will join the list of options for tenants and homeowners, offering a seamless way to manage payments. Bilt’s network currently spans over 40,000 merchants and 70% of the top 100 U.S. property managers, underscoring its established presence in the real estate sector.
Diego Scotti, PayPal’s general manager of consumer, highlighted the partnership’s potential, stating, “Millions of people already use Venmo to split rent with roommates and pay their landlords. Now we’re making that experience even more seamless and rewarding.” The integration aims to simplify the process for users, allowing them to leverage Venmo’s familiarity and convenience for larger, recurring payments.
Ankur Jain, CEO of Bilt Rewards, emphasized the strategic alignment between Venmo’s vast user base and Bilt’s reward-focused model. “This partnership merges the wide user base of one of the most used peer-to-peer payment tools in America with Bilt’s reward-based rent network,” he said. The move is expected to benefit both consumers and property managers by streamlining transactions and potentially offering incentives for timely payments.
The collaboration also aligns with Venmo’s broader ambitions. According to Bloomberg, Venmo aims to become the default payment method for consumers and merchants, expanding into in-person transactions and e-commerce. By integrating with Bilt, PayPal is positioning Venmo to capture a stable, high-volume segment of the market—housing payments, which are consistent and substantial.
Separately, PayPal is also advancing its AI-driven payment capabilities through a renewed partnership with Mastercard. The two companies are collaborating on Agent Pay, a platform that allows consumers to make purchases guided by AI assistants. Mastercard’s “secure payment” infrastructure will back these transactions, integrating directly into PayPal’s checkout wallet. The initiative will initially pilot Mastercard’s Agent Pay Acceptance Framework, which uses tokenization and passkey authentication to secure AI-initiated payments. This approach ensures safety for both consumers and merchants, eliminating the need for additional technical setup.
Mastercard’s statement on the development noted that the system “will undoubtedly reduce friction and expand consumer choice as AI-driven commerce becomes mainstream.” The integration represents a forward-thinking step toward a future where AI assistants play a central role in everyday transactions.
As PayPal continues to expand its partnerships and technologies, these developments signal a broader shift toward integrating digital payments with everyday life—whether through housing, retail, or AI-powered commerce. For users, the result is a more connected, efficient, and rewarding financial ecosystem.