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Like many of you, I've followed the Bilt Rewards saga closely. As someone who has been writing about points and miles since 2012, Bilt has legitimately been an amazing program to watch grow. Then came the news about the Wells Fargo partnership ending. It didn't affect me much, as I wasn't a Bilt cardholder yet.
Bilt 2.0 launched with three new credit cards and a new issuing partner, Cardless. I was intrigued, as I was finally able to earn Bilt Points on my mortgage. Plus, as a World of Hyatt and Alaska Atmos Rewards fanboy, I could earn points that worked for my travel habits.
Unfortunately, I've run into issues with my Bilt Palladium Card (Rates & Fees) that are simply unacceptable. After three months of holding the Palladium Card, I've personally experienced the growing pains of the Bilt credit card portfolio. Here's my story.
Why the New Bilt Credit Cards Might Have Some Growing Pains
The first month of card membership with my new Palladium Card went pretty well. I've written enough on this site about the new program's convoluted earnings that I won't repeat my complaints here. But, after some necessary expenses put on the card (like hospital bills for the birth of my second child), I earned my welcome bonus.
There have been small issues, sure. The Bilt app is unbelievably confusing to use. Perks like gift cards redeemed with Bilt Cash are hidden behind several submenus. And its customer service is largely powered by AI, making it incredibly difficult to get a human response to an issue in real time.
But when I received an email on April 10, 2026, with the subject line “Your Palladium Card has been restricted for your protection,” I figured it was no big deal. A quick look at my statement showed no fraudulent charges. A quick call to the number on the back of my card should resolve the issue, as it has with so many of my other credit cards over the years. Boy, was I wrong.
Cardless Froze My Card For 17 Days … For No Reason
The email I received was just the beginning of a too-long saga. Per the email from Bilt, I called customer service to explain that I couldn't see any fraudulent charges on the card.
I was connected to customer service, which, after a series of phone calls dealing with this issue, I found frustratingly difficult to communicate with. The customer service agent was courteous and said I needed to submit a selfie of myself holding my ID to the email address they provided.
I had never gone through this process before, and it struck me as odd that it wasn't handled through a more secure system. Still, I obliged and promptly sent my selfie off for review, which I figured would take, at most, two business days.
A week passed, and I had heard absolutely nothing. I called the customer service number back, and there was no update. I tried to escalate the issue to a manager, but I was told there was no one to whom I could escalate it. A further call the next day promised a call back from a manager, which I never received. Chats within the app and website to their AI agent were, unsurprisingly, fruitless.
For a premium credit card with a $495 annual fee, this is unacceptable customer service.
Then I became a “Close Friend.”
Ironically, around the five-day mark of my frozen Bilt credit card, I became a “Close Friend,” which I had applied for in September 2025.
At this point, I wasn't sure I wanted to be a friend of Bilt anymore. Luckily, on day number 13 of all days, a generic Close Friends email invited me to tell them what they should “dig into next.” I immediately expressed my frustration.
The team responded within a day and looped in a customer care person. Three days passed before a response. It was April 27, 2026. I had been dealing with this issue for nearly a third of my newborn daughter's life.
They offered me 1,000 Bilt Points as a courtesy for my experience. I've received more service recovery for inoperable Wi-Fi.
But later that day, Bilt let me know that my card had been unfrozen and that I was free to use it again. 17 days after the saga began.
Who's at Fault Here?
It's no secret that Bilt had to find a new card issuer quickly after Wells Fargo exited its partnership. Cardless ended up with the business, but if you look at its card lineup now, it's hardly competitive to the big banks like Chase or American Express.
To me, it seems there's normally a more seamless customer service experience with my other credit cards. If I'm earning Chase or Amex points on a bank-issued and operated credit card, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees) or American Express Platinum Card®, both the rewards currency and the credit issuer are under one roof.
With co-branded cards, if you have trouble with a flight, you wouldn't necessarily reach out to Citibank to complain about the inflight service on American Airlines. But Bilt ties so much of its rewards program to its credit card experience. Plus, because it rewards outgoing payments — one of the most personal expenses many people make each month — it needs a more personal customer service experience, too.
I blame Cardless for its utter lack of customer care during my experience. But I also fault Bilt for its inability to escalate quickly.
Bottom Line
Luckily, I had plenty of other cards to use while Bilt sorted out my issues. But I worry about those who have had similar issues to mine. Maybe they had recurring payments on their Bilt card, or were stranded abroad without a credit card. These issues cause real inconveniences for cardholders, and my experience showed how effortless Bilt's competitors make card membership feel.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Bilt Palladium Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
