Banks offer the option to cancel your credit card if you find yourself falling into a debt spiral or if you pay hefty annual fees for a card you don’t use. You can either opt to close your credit card online or deactivate it offline, depending on the options offered by your credit card issuer. Some of the common offline and online methods of cancelling credit cards are mentioned below:
Online Methods |
Offline Methods |
Cancel Credit Card via Netbanking Account |
Deactivate Credit Card via Post |
Close Credit Card via Email |
Cancel Credit Card via Customer Care |
|
Cancel CC via Bank Branch |
On this Page: Cancel Credit Card Online | Deactivate Credit Card | Before Closing Credit Card | Outcome of Closing Credit Cards | FAQs
The procedure for closing a credit card is simple and easy to follow:
To close your credit card via the net banking portal, you would need to follow the steps mentioned below:
Visit the official bank website
Log in to your credit card netbanking account
Go to the ‘credit card’ section and select ‘Cancel Credit Card’.
Fill in the credit card closure/ cancellation form.
Select the card you wish to close.
Verify the details and click on submit.
Once submitted, a bank representative would get in touch with you and inform you that your credit card has been cancelled.
To initiate credit card cancellation, you can send an application via email. It should list down all the necessary card details- credit card number, expiry date, as well as your name and registered contact number. Once you send the email, a bank representative would get in touch with you and confirm the successful cancellation of your credit card.
The email IDs of the top banks in the country are listed below:
Banks |
Email ID |
RBL Bank |
supercardservice@rblbank.com (Bajaj Finserv RBL Bank SuperCard) cardservices@rblbank.com (RBL credit cards other than SuperCard) |
Axis Bank |
creditcards@axisbank.com |
Citibank |
customercare@citi.com |
State Bank of India |
customercare@sbicard.com |
HDFC Bank* |
customerservices.cards@hdfcbank.com |
ICICI Bank |
customer.care@icicibank.com |
YES BANK* |
yestouchcc@yesbank.in |
Kotak Mahindra Bank* |
service.cards@kotak.com |
Bank of Baroda* |
crm@bobfinancial.com |
Disclaimer: The bank is not a Finserv MARKETS’ partner. Offers would be from partner banks/NBFCs only.
Now that you know how to close a credit card account online, here is how to do it offline.
To cancel your credit card, you can send an application to the bank’s registered mailing address. You would need to mention all relevant details, such as your name, credit card number, the expiry date mentioned on the card, as well as your contact details and address in the application.
You can call on the bank’s credit card customer care helpline and request the executive to close your credit card account. The executive would ask for a few details. Once validated, your credit card would be cancelled.
Cards |
Credit Card Customer Care Number |
Bajaj Finserv RBL Bank SuperCard customer care |
+91 22 7119 0900 |
+91 22 6232 7777 1800 121 9050 |
|
1860 180 1290 1860 500 1290 1800 180 1290 |
|
1860 419 5555 1860 500 5555 022 6798 7700 |
|
1860 120 7777 <Local STD Code> 3366 7777 +91 40714 03333 (Domestic customers who are travelling overseas) |
|
1860 210 2484 (local) +91 22 4955 2484 (international) |
|
1800 103 1212 (local) +91 22 4935 0000 (international) |
|
<Local STD Code> 6160 6161 <Local STD Code> 6160 616 |
|
1800 419 2122 |
|
1860 266 2666 |
|
1800 258 4455 1800 102 4455 1800 103 1002 (Eterna Credit Card) 1800 22 5100 (CMA One credit card, ICAI EXCLUSIVE credit card, and ICSI Diamond credit card) |
Disclaimer: The bank is not a Finserv MARKETS’ partner. Offers would be from partner banks/NBFCs only.
You can also close your credit card by visiting the nearest branch of the bank that has issued your credit card. You would need to carry your credit card and proof of identity in such a case. Once you request credit card cancellation, a bank executive would verify your documents and help you cancel your credit card.
While cancelling your credit card there are a few things you should remember-
Ensure all your credit card dues such as EMIs, cash withdrawals, balance transfer, loans, and so on, are cleared before applying for credit card cancellation. Chances are that if you fail to pay off the remaining balance, your credit card issuer may not allow you to close the account. You can also opt to transfer your existing debt to a different credit card by opting for a credit card balance transfer facility.
Your accumulated credit card rewards will be lost once the credit card is cancelled. Hence, you should make sure to redeem your reward points or air miles before placing your cancellation request. Go through the bank’s rewards program fine print to figure out the terms of redemption. For example: In the case of travel credit cards, you might be able to redeem points in the form of air miles, hotel stays, etc.
Ensure that all automatic credit card payments are cancelled prior to requesting for a credit card closure. Once your card is closed, you can update the automated payments and subscriptions on your new card to eliminate payment issues.
Stop making new transactions on the card at least one month before placing the credit card cancellation request. Any new transactions will be added to your credit card statement which would need to be paid at the end of the billing period.
Check your card’s credit history and resolve all doubts and issues on your credit card before closing it. You would need to check the credit report after cancelling your report too to see if the reason for closure is mentioned as ‘closed at consumer request’ or ‘closed by issuer’. Do contact your bank if it is the latter as it can affect your credit score.
Do get in touch with the credit card customer care of your bank to know the exact date when the credit card cancellation will be processed. This would do away with the need to pay extra charges. Collect a written confirmation from the bank once the cancellation is complete.
Go through the bank’s procedure for closing credit cards. This will help you to ensure a swift and easy cancellation process while avoiding any penalties.
You should review your decision to cancel your credit card thoroughly as it can have some effects on your financial health. These include-
Reduced total credit limit.
Significant rise in the credit utilisation ratio.
A higher credit utilisation ratio would lower the credit score.
A lower credit score due to reduced average credit history.
To close your credit card permanently, you can reach out to the bank via online channels such as net banking and email and place a cancellation request with the details of your card. Offline, you can cancel your card by sending a duly-filled cancellation application via post, calling customer care and requesting credit card closure, or by visiting the nearest bank branch and expressing your interest to cancel the credit card.
To cancel your credit card online, you can log in to your net banking account, go to the ‘credit card’ section and select ‘Cancel Credit Card’. You would then need to fill in the credit card closure/ cancellation form, select the card you wish to close and submit your request.
Alternatively, you can send an email to the bank with the necessary card details- credit card number, expiry date, as well as your name and registered contact number and express your interest in closing your credit card. Once submitted, a bank representative would get in touch with you and inform you that your credit card has been cancelled.
Cancelling a credit card will affect your score if you fail to keep the credit utilisation ratio, which is the credit being used to the total available credit, low (approximately 30%). As your effective available credit will reduce with the closing of a card, you would need to reduce the spending on your existing credit cards proportionally too.
The positive balance on your credit card will show on your credit report for 10 years, post-closing. The age of the credit card will also be factored in for calculating the details.
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