If you’re like me, you absolutely hate to cancel a credit card over the phone. I just don’t like (nor have the time) to listen to sales pitches. I also don’t have the cojones to just tell the agent to stop.
What if I told you you could cancel your credit card online? I’ve only tried this (with success) on Citi and Chase. Not to say others haven’t worked, I just haven’t tried this with any other company yet.
In order to do this, you have to login to your account, navigate to the Message Center (or however it’s labeled in your account), and send a new message. Here is the exact message I sent to Chase to close my Chase Freedom card that I no longer needed:
Hello – I would like to close this account, please. Thank you.
Seriously, that’s it. I received the following message roughly two days later:
Easy as that.
When Is This Useful?
I typically do a credit card/expense audit on myself twice a year. During these audit periods I take a look at all of the cards I have, the annual fees, and the benefits of keeping each open. I also keep a running list of automatic subscriptions that hit each card and consolidate those accordingly during this time. After completing the audit, I may have a list of credit cards that need to be cancelled. Why would I want to call each company, have to explain myself, and then sit through a sales pitch? It’s a waste of time. It’s much easier to type the 11 words above and send a message. If they cancel it, GREAT. If not, then I call. Easy way to narrow down the work and time you actually have to spend.
Homework!
Cancel one of your credit cards (if you have to) and comment below the company you cancelled with and if you had success in doing so online. I am going to periodically update this table with the results.
| Company | Success/Fail | Month/Year |
|---|---|---|
| Chase | SUCCESS | June 2017 |
| Citi | SUCCESS | June 2017 |
| Barclaycard | N/A | N/A |
| Capital One | N/A | N/A |
| Bank of America | N/A | N/A |
| American Express | N/A | N/A |
[…] An easy way to cancel a credit card online. – Online is quick and usually painless, but I always call so that way I can explore retention offers. Worst case, I can discuss options for downgrades to keep the credit history or to transfer the credit line to another card. […]
I always call so that way I can explore retention offers. Worst case, I can discuss options for downgrades to keep the credit history or to transfer the credit line to another card.
Good point. I should’ve called Chase yesterday prior to applying for CSP (and subsequently being denied). Maybe they could’ve worked with me to get into the approval bracket for it.
Unable to enlarge and read Chase’s response to you. I would have like to read their reply.
I’ve tried with BOA, but can’t see a way to cancel without calling. Any success there?
I haven’t tried with BOA, but are you able to send a message to them through your account portal?
I don’t think so. I’m hoping that someone will have a secret ninja way to do this.
I just cancelled my Delta Gold Amex on the phone with a recording…lol. The entire process was a robot recording with no retention offers. Fast, easy, and no hassle.
Great to know! Was there a special number you called?
no, just the customer service number from the back of the card.