Existing accounts: can you still add or change a referral code?

Short answer: a referral relationship, once set, is permanent on every exchange we checked. What differs is whether an account that never got one can still be linked, and whether a long-inactive account can be “recalled” by an affiliate. Closing an account and signing up again usually loses referral and new-user benefits and can break the exchange’s rules.

Disclosure: our links carry referral code ; we may earn a commission. The rules below come from the exchanges’ own pages, including where they say no.

Official rules side by side

Exchange	Add a code after signup	Affiliate recall / rebind link	Change an existing referrer	Close and sign up again
Binance	Possible Within 30 days, before any deposit or trade, no referrer, parent account, KYC not used elsewhere in 180 days ↗	Possible Recall: never referred, account older than 90 days, no trading or product use in 90 days. Rebind: KYC, no referrer, under 5,000 USD volume in 90 days, then 150,000 USD within 30 days ↗	Not possible No — “cannot be changed or removed” ↗	Not recommended Identity verification may be blocked 30 days or longer; a new account with a different referral loses referral rebates ↗
OKX	Not possible No — the code must be applied before signup is completed ↗	Possible Yes, via an affiliate Reconnect link: no deposits, trades or logins for 180+ days; reviewed within 24 h ↗	Not possible No — attribution cannot be changed once assigned; a failed recall cannot be retried ↗	Not recommended Not allowed for changing affiliate; 7-day cooling-off; duplicate identity verification not supported ↗
Bybit	Possible Affiliate codes only, within 14 days, main account with no referrer ↗	No official rule found No official recall program found ↗	Not possible No — an added code cannot be cancelled or changed ↗	Not recommended Re-register only 24 h after deletion; the same KYC verifies one account; new-user rewards once ↗
Bitget	Not possible No official method published ↗	Not possible Not recognised — “already-registered users” excluded ↗	Not possible No official method published ↗	Not recommended 30-day wait to reuse the same phone, email or ID ↗
Gate	No official rule found No official rule found ↗	No official rule found No official rule found ↗	No official rule found No official rule found ↗	No official rule found No official cooling-off rule found ↗
Hyperliquid	Possible Enter it on the Referrals page; the docs state no deadline ↗	No official rule found Not described in the docs ↗	No official rule found Not described in the docs ↗	No official rule found No accounts or KYC; not applicable ↗

Rules checked against the exchanges’ help pages on 2026-10-28

Why we do not recommend closing and re-registering

Some sites tell readers to close an account, wait, and register again with the same identity, or to “move” identity verification to a new account. The exchanges’ own pages describe cooling-off periods (OKX 7 days, Bybit 24 hours, Bitget and Binance 30 days or longer), say the same identity can only verify one account, and in Binance’s and OKX’s case say a new account with a different referral loses referral rebates or that deleting and re-creating accounts to change affiliate channel is not allowed. A small fee rebate is not worth an account review or frozen funds.

Questions about existing accounts

Can I change my referral code after registering?

Not on any exchange we checked: once a referral relationship exists, Binance, OKX and Bybit all say it cannot be changed. The exceptions on this page only apply to accounts that never had a referrer or that have been inactive long enough to be recalled by an affiliate.

Is the OKX 180-day “dormant account” rebind real?

Yes, as an affiliate tool. OKX’s Affiliate FAQ says affiliates can recall invitees who have not made any deposits, trades or logged in for over 180 days; the affiliate sends a Reconnect link, the user logs in, enters the invitation code and a reason, and OKX reviews within 24 hours. Users cannot check eligibility in advance.

Does Binance have a recall program too?

Yes, two affiliate-started routes, both only for accounts that never had a referrer. The Affiliate’s Recall Program covers accounts older than 90 days with no trading or product use in the past 90 days. The Affiliates Rebind feature (28 Sept 2026) covers KYC-verified master accounts with under 5,000 USD of volume in the last 90 days, and binds only after 150,000 USD of volume within 30 days.