Bilt Card Upgrades and Downgrades: The 30-Day Trap
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Bilt cardholders can now switch between the Bilt Blue, Obsidian and Palladium cards without closing their account or filing a new application. As of September 18, 2026, Bilt card upgrades are in beta for select cardholders and rolling out in phases, while downgrades from the Obsidian or Palladium Card are open now through Cardless support.
A product change keeps your account history, your Bilt Points and your card number, with no new hard credit inquiry. Regularly earned points carry over, but a downgrade within 30 days of your annual fee posting reverses the current card’s welcome bonus, including Palladium’s 50,000 bonus points and bonus Gold status if earned.
Short answer: to upgrade a Bilt card, open your Bilt Card settings in the Bilt app and look for an upgrade offer. To downgrade, call Cardless at (888) 533-5576. When we checked on October 26, 2026, Bilt's support page still listed upgrades as a beta rolling out in phases.
Which Bilt cards you can switch between
The Bilt Blue Card, Bilt Obsidian Card and Bilt Palladium Card are issued by Column N.A. and serviced by Cardless. Each card profile explains its current fee, welcome offer, earning choices and conditions. Moving within this family uses the product-change rules below; a new-account welcome offer is not an automatic upgrade bonus.
| Current card | Upgrade to | Downgrade to | How to request |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bilt Blue Card ($0 annual fee) | Obsidian or Palladium, if eligible | Not applicable | Upgrade: Bilt app or website, Bilt Card settings |
| Bilt Obsidian Card ($95 annual fee) | Palladium, if eligible | Blue | Upgrade: Bilt app or website. Downgrade: Cardless support |
| Bilt Palladium Card ($495 annual fee) | Not applicable | Obsidian or Blue | Downgrade: Cardless support, (888) 533-5576 |
How a Bilt card upgrade works
Upgrades happen in the Bilt app or on the website. Open your Bilt Card settings and look for the upgrade option under the Account section. Eligibility is set card by card, so you may see an offer for Obsidian and none for Palladium. No offer means you are not eligible for that card right now. Bilt reviews eligibility regularly, so check back.
- First statement closed: upgrades are not allowed before it.
- One change per 12 months: counted from the date of your last product change.
- Primary cardholder only: authorized users move to the new card with you, and their fees adjust.
- Same-day processing: most upgrades complete the day you confirm, and new benefits apply right away.
- Same credit limit: it does not change with the card.
- Same card number: the new physical card gets a new expiration date and CVV, and the virtual card number keeps working.
What happens to the annual fee on an upgrade
Your statement shows two separate lines: the full annual fee of the new card, and a refund of the old card's fee. Both post about 45 days after the upgrade completes.
- Upgrade within 30 days of your current fee posting: full refund of that fee.
- Upgrade after 30 days: prorated refund for the unused part of your card year.
- Card anniversary: it moves to the end of the statement cycle that follows the new fee.
Upgrade bonuses
Some upgrades come with a bonus, shown in the app or on the website at the time of the change. The amount depends on the card you move to and differs from one account to the next, so take a screenshot of the offer before you confirm.
Obsidian cardholders moving to Palladium also get the difference in Bilt Hotel credit for the current semiannual period right away. If you already received the $50 Obsidian credit for the period and the Palladium credit for that same period is $200, you receive $150 now and the full Palladium credit each period after that.
How a Bilt card downgrade works
Downgrades go through Cardless support at (888) 533-5576. Support emails you a secure link, and you finish the change in the Bilt app after reviewing the new card's benefits, fee and terms. The Obsidian Card can move to Blue. The Palladium Card can move to Obsidian or Blue.
A completed downgrade cannot be reversed. Moving back up later counts against the limit of one product change per 12 months, and your card anniversary stays the same.
Downgrading after 30 days
Past the 30-day window, nothing is clawed back, but the fee you paid is not refunded either.
- Palladium to Obsidian: you keep the $200 annual Bilt Cash and your Bilt Hotel credit until your next anniversary. The $95 Obsidian fee is charged at that anniversary, not right away, and the hotel credit then drops to $100 a year.
- Obsidian or Palladium to Blue: no annual fee going forward, and no annual credits after your next anniversary.
- Welcome bonus: you keep the one you earned, and the new card issues none.
Which move makes sense
If you hold the Blue Card and your spending now justifies a fee, check the app for an upgrade offer first. You skip the hard pull and keep every point.
If your Palladium fee posted less than 30 days ago, do the math before calling Cardless. The $495 fee is refunded, but the existing welcome bonus is reversed and replaced by the new card’s bonus. Moving to Obsidian also incurs its prorated annual fee. Bilt Cash you already spent, on the Equinox partnership or on Blacklane chauffeur rides for example, still counts against your balance.
After 30 days, the existing fee is not refunded and your earned welcome bonus remains. The annual Bilt Cash and hotel-credit entitlement continues until your next card anniversary, subject to each credit’s normal terms and expiry. A product change does not extend Bilt Cash’s December 31 expiry; only up to $100 of unused Bilt Cash can roll into the following year.
Bottom Line
Check your Bilt Card settings for an upgrade offer, and save any bonus shown before you confirm. Planning a downgrade? Count the days since your annual fee posted: inside 30 days you trade a fee refund for your welcome bonus, after 30 days you keep the bonus and absorb the fee. Regularly earned points carry over; welcome-bonus points can be reversed within the 30-day window. Check your available balance and the current transfer bonuses before you redeem them.
Can I upgrade my Bilt card without a new application?
Yes. A Bilt upgrade keeps your existing account, needs no new application and triggers no new hard credit inquiry. As of September 18, 2026, upgrades are in beta for select cardholders and rolling out in phases.
Which Bilt cards can I upgrade to?
A Bilt Blue cardholder may be eligible for the Obsidian or Palladium Card, and an Obsidian cardholder may be eligible for the Palladium Card. Eligibility is set card by card, so an offer can appear for one card and not the other.
How often can I change my Bilt card?
You can make one product change in a 12-month period, measured from the date of your last change. Upgrades are also not allowed before your first statement closes.
Do I get a bonus when I upgrade my Bilt card?
Some upgrades come with a bonus, shown in the Bilt app or on the website at the time of the change. The amount depends on the card you move to and on your account, so check the offer before you confirm.
What happens to my annual fee when I upgrade?
You pay the full annual fee of the new card and get a refund of the old one, both about 45 days after the upgrade. The refund is full within 30 days of your current fee posting and prorated after that.
Do I lose my welcome bonus if I downgrade my Bilt card?
Only inside a 30-day window. If you downgrade within 30 days of your annual fee posting, your current card's welcome bonus is reversed and the new card's bonus is issued instead, which can push your Bilt Cash or points balance below zero. After 30 days, you keep the bonus you earned.
How do I downgrade my Bilt Palladium Card?
Call Cardless support at (888) 533-5576. You receive an email with a secure link to finish the downgrade to the Obsidian or Blue Card in the Bilt app, and the change cannot be reversed once complete.
Do my Bilt Points carry over after a product change?
Your account, credit history and regularly earned points carry over. A downgrade within 30 days of the annual fee posting reverses the current card’s welcome bonus, including Palladium’s 50,000 welcome points and bonus Gold status if earned. This can make the balance negative; status earned independently of the bonus remains.
