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I would like to cancel my Credit card. In the online portal, there are no links that permit me to cancel the card online and receive an instant verification that it was closed successfully.

Due to this, I assume that I will have to call the number on the back of my credit card, be directed to Customer Retention after I inform them I wish to cancel the card, and hassle for some time period before they give up and initiate the process to cancel my account.

I don't like this option because I won't get any kind of verification aside from the call center employee's word that he canceled my card.

What is the standard operating procedure for canceling a credit card and verifying it was successfully closed as quickly as possible?

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  • I wouldn't try to use the card after closing the account. Some banks interpret this as "intent to re-open the account".
    – Hilmar
    Aug 22, 2018 at 19:34

2 Answers 2

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It is very common to require a phone call to cancel the account; this is not normally possible from the website. After you have notified them that you want to cancel the card, and they have told you that it is cancelled, there are several ways to verify it:

  1. Call customer service a week later and ask them if your account is active or cancelled.

  2. Try logging on to the website and see if it has a "closed" or "inactive" status.

  3. If you continue to receive monthly statements, the account is still open.

  4. After a couple of months, check your credit reports. See if the account is listed as closed or open, and see if the credit card company is still reporting monthly to the credit report.

  5. Take a look at the expiration date on your card. When that date approaches, if your account is still active, they will send you a new card. If it is closed, you won't get a new card.

I have to ask: Why are you worried about it? If they tell you it is closed, why do you think they might be lying? Even if for some reason they fail to close the account after you tell them to, you are not liable for any fraudulent charges. Are you worried about an annual fee that is coming up? Verify with them on the phone that the account is closed as of today, and that there are no more charges or fees that have been posted and unpaid.

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    I am trying to cancel my card before the deadline for the annual fee.
    – Matthew Moisen
    Jul 4, 2015 at 23:25
  • If you have told them to close the account, and have the confirmation number, then if they're confused and bill you, you can just send them a note with that number and the bill goes away. An even simpler solution is not to get cards in the first place if you don't intend to keep the, and to avoid cards that have a yearly fee.
    – keshlam
    Jul 5, 2015 at 2:37
  • Every time I've called to cancel a credit card before the annual fee hits, I've always received an offer to waive the fee. Sometimes they will give you a statement credit on top of that to stick around. Just something to think about.
    – Helpful Friend
    Aug 22, 2018 at 18:12
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When you close the account, via any medium, you should get a confirmation code. Write that down; it can be used as evidence that you closed the account.

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  • What do I do with the confirmation code? Call back the next day and ask them the code and ask to verify that the code signifies -- if they are able to tell me the code was generated upon closing of my card, then it worked?
    – Matthew Moisen
    Jul 4, 2015 at 21:14
  • This is a comment, not an answer.
    – Eric
    Jul 4, 2015 at 21:30
  • Or use the code to challenge any activity on the card later, which is more useful. Seriously, if they tell you it's closed, it's closed.
    – keshlam
    Jul 4, 2015 at 21:51
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    @Eric: Disagree. It's an answer to "how do I know". If you get the code you can confirm the transaction as soon as a few minutes later ... if it tales that long.
    – keshlam
    Jul 4, 2015 at 21:54

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