If you don't use a credit card for a year or more, the issuer may decide to close the account. In fact, inactivity is one of the most common reasons for account cancellations. When your account is idle, the card issuer makes no money from transaction fees paid by merchants or from interest if you carry a balance.
There's no standard inactivity time limit, so it's difficult to predict when a credit card issuer will close your credit card. It could be six months, one year, two years, or more. You can prevent inactivity cancellations by using your credit card periodically.
Credit card companies aren't required to give you any notice that they're closing your account. The Credit Card Act of 2009 requires lenders and creditors to provide customers with 45 days' notice of major changes to their account, but that doesn't include card cancellation notification because of inactivity.
Just as you can cancel your credit card any time you no longer want or need it, your credit card issuer also has the right to cancel your credit card at any time.
In general, it's best to keep unused credit cards open so that you benefit from a longer average credit history and a larger amount of available credit. Credit scoring models reward you for having long-standing credit accounts, and for using only a small portion of your credit limit.
Closing a credit card account — whether it's unused or active — can hurt your credit score primarily because it reduces the amount of available credit you have.
If you don't use your credit card, the card issuer may close your account., You are also more susceptible to fraud if you aren't vigilant about checking up on the inactive card, and fraudulent charges can affect your credit rating and finances.
Credit card companies may notify account holders before closing their accounts. They aren't required to, however, which means closure could come as a complete surprise to the cardholder.
In case your credit score turns poorer: Credit score is a measure of your debt repaying capacity. And in a case when you delay or default on minimum payment dues and interest rate charges, your credit score is dragged down. And even at these occasions, banks may choose to cancel your credit card completely.
Your account is unused.
That's because the credit card issuer makes money in the form of interchange fees (sometimes known as "swipe" fees) when you use your card. If you stop using the card, the issuer may choose to shut it down because they're not making enough money to justify keeping the account open.
Even though the credit card account is closed, it will remain on your credit report at least for the duration of the credit reporting time limit. If you're still making payments on the balance, the payment history and timeliness of your payments will also be reported.
A creditor may close an account because you requested the closure, paid the account off or replaced it with a loan, or refinanced an existing loan. Your account may also be closed because of inactivity, late payments or because the credit bureau made a mistake.
You shouldn't close a credit card that has been open for a long time or a card with a high credit limit. Closing the account could negatively affect your credit history and credit utilization, and in turn, lower your credit score.
Policies vary by card, in some cases ranging from six months to 13 months of inactivity. Read your card's terms and conditions to find this information. “Under our current practice, we haven't closed accounts for inactivity that have been inactive for less than 12 months,” a Capital One spokeswoman writes.
Closing a credit card with a zero balance may increase your credit utilization ratio and potentially drop your credit score. In certain scenarios, it may make sense to keep open a credit card with no balance. Other times, it may be better to close the credit card for your financial well-being.
You could end up with a debt collection lawsuit and a judgment if you don't pay your credit card bill over time.
The standard advice is to keep unused accounts with zero balances open. The reason is that closing the accounts reduces your available credit, which makes it appear that your utilization rate, or balance-to-limit ratio, has suddenly increased.
"Too many" credit cards for someone else might not be too many for you. There is no specific number of credit cards considered right for all consumers. Everyone's credit history is different. Lenders tolerate different levels of risk, and different credit scoring formulas have different criteria.
How many credit accounts is too many or too few? Credit scoring formulas don't punish you for having too many credit accounts, but you can have too few. Credit bureaus suggest that five or more accounts — which can be a mix of cards and loans — is a reasonable number to build toward over time.
It's generally recommended that you have two to three credit card accounts at a time, in addition to other types of credit. Remember that your total available credit and your debt to credit ratio can impact your credit scores. If you have more than three credit cards, it may be hard to keep track of monthly payments.
Key Takeaways. People close credit cards for many reasons, including excessive spending, avoiding high-interest rates, or protection from identity theft. Closing credit card accounts can have an adverse effect on your credit score, mostly because it decreases your credit utilization.
You may be able to reopen a closed credit card account, but it will depend on why your account was closed and your issuer's policies. There's no guarantee the issuer will reopen your account, especially if they closed it due to missed payments or other problems.
Call Customer Service
The simplest way to clear up any question about whether your credit card is still active is to call the issuer and ask. Call the number on the back of your card to inquire about the status of your account. If inactive, customer service can likely reactivate.
When your card is blocked, you cannot make online payments as it will get declined. Also, the card will not be read by the card reader at the ATM or it will not accept the PIN or decline the transaction again. You can confirm if the card is blocked by calling customer care service or at the bank branch.