PayPal’s Digital Payment Revolution for Rent and Mortgages
PayPal is looking to modernize how rent and mortgage payments are made.
On Monday, the company revealed a unique partnership with Bilt Rewards. Beginning in early 2026, millions of Americans will have the option to pay their rent, mortgage, and even local businesses straight through Venmo.
This collaboration with Bilt, which is rapidly growing with over 5 million members in a significant number of residential buildings across the country, represents Venmo’s most significant expansion since it was launched.
This new feature will enable renters and homeowners to handle their payments digitally while also earning Built Points that can be redeemed for things like travel, home products, and even a down payment.
“Our collaboration with Bilt marks an important milestone as we aim to integrate everyday commerce right into the Venmo experience,” noted Diego Scotti, the consumer general manager at PayPal.
“Many users already utilize Venmo to share rent costs with roommates and to pay landlords. We’re enhancing that process, making it more seamless and valuable.”
The system permits users to utilize their Venmo balance, linked bank accounts, or cards to make payments directly from the Bilt or Venmo app.
This also allows users to earn rewards while splitting rent with roommates and shopping at over 45,000 local businesses in the Bilt network, which includes restaurants, gyms, and retail stores.
“Venmo is one of the most trusted payment platforms in the U.S., so integrating it into the Bilt system is truly transformative for our members,” said Ankur Jain, Founder and CEO of Bilt.
“The combination of Venmo’s reach, ease of use, and social features, along with Bilt’s profitable network, gives millions of renters more flexibility in payments and increases their monthly value.”
This announcement, made during the Money20/20 conference in Las Vegas, is set to roll out in early 2026. It coincides with Venmo’s effort to blend everyday transactions, from rent to dining, directly into its app.
For PayPal, which owns Venmo, this endeavor will harness its extensive loyalty system while broadening its impact in a major spending category for consumers: housing.
Bilt already offers a service that reports rent payments to major credit bureaus at no extra charge, allowing users to build credit while earning points.
Just a day after unveiling the home payment feature, PayPal announced another deal with OpenAI. This partnership positions PayPal as the first digital wallet embedded directly within ChatGPT.
According to this agreement, ChatGPT users will be able to use PayPal’s “instant checkout” system, which is powered by OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol, transforming the chatbot into a shopping hub for millions of verified PayPal vendors.
PayPal CEO Alex Chriss shared with CNBC that this integration would let users “click the ‘Buy with PayPal’ button on ChatGPT and enjoy a safe and secure checkout,” emphasizing that both buyers and merchants would benefit from features like fraud protection, package tracking, and dispute resolution.
The simultaneous announcements led to a significant rise in PayPal’s stock, with shares increasing over 14% on Tuesday as investors responded positively to both initiatives—enhancing payment methods in traditional settings through Venmo and venturing into the digital space with OpenAI.
