While closing a credit card, one should keep following things in mind:-
- Know who to contact:
To begin the process of closing the credit card account, gather and write down the customer service number and the mailing address you’ll need. The customer service number is on your credit card, monthly statement and the issuer’s website; the mailing address is also on the website and the monthly statement.
- Remember to redeem rewards:
In the case of rewards cards, it is common to lose some collected rewards when a card is closed, and this may be unavoidable. But with planning, it should be possible to minimize the loss. Check the rewards balance and redemption procedures on the issuer’s website.
- Pay down your arrear balance in full:
Pay off your credit card balance in full if arrear or, if you can find a balance transfer card with better terms, then you can transfer the balance. You can’t completely close a card until the balance is paid. If you don’t want any more charges accrued to the card until the balance is paid, you can contact the issuer and ask that the card should be frozen until the balance is cleared and the card closed.
- Once you reach the bank’s customer service representative, confirm that the balance on your credit card is zero. Do not assume that the balance is zero because you paid the total amount on your most recent bill. Interest may have continued to accumulate between the time the issuer sent the bill and your payment was made.
- Send a letter for cancellation of card:
For added insurance, write a short cancellation letter to the card issuer. You should request a written confirmation of the account’s closure. The letter should include your name, address, phone number and account number, and details from your earlier phone call. Also, state that you want your credit report to reflect that the account was “closed at the consumer’s request.” And getting the card canceled may take a month or more, so be patient while bank processes to cancel your card.
- Take notes and details of all discussion.As you go through the process of canceling your credit card, you may want to keep thorough notes on who you spoke to, what they said and when. That way, if anything goes wrong, you will have all the facts recorded at your end.