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The Daily Insight Hub

What happens to my credit if my credit card is closed?

Author

Matthew Harrington

Updated on January 23, 2026

You might even be able to get the credit card company to reopen your account—if you’re convincing. Check on your credit score and credit report. A closed credit account could hurt your credit score. Make sure to check that your credit score didn’t go down because your account was closed.

How does closing an account affect your credit score?

Keep the other cards in a safe place for emergencies only so that you are not tempted to overspend. Try not to close the oldest account on your credit reports. This could shorten your active credit history and damage your score. Don’t just throw away old cards and expect your accounts to close automatically.

When to close a credit card to improve your credit score?

If you need a credit card makeover, close cards one at a time, over as long a period as possible. Open new accounts gradually, since the number of recent applications can also negatively impact your credit score. 5. Do Not Close Accounts Before Applying for a Loan

What to do if your credit company closes your account?

If you have another credit card with the issuer, you might be able to transfer your credit limit to that card. It could even help your credit utilization ratio . Try giving them a call to find out.

How long does a credit card company have to give you notice when it closes?

Not necessarily. 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.

What happens when a credit card is closed for inactivity?

When card issuers close an account you’re not using, your credit score could suffer. There’s not much you can do, besides prevent it from happening again.

First, the ratio of balance to credit unit is used, and second, the ratio of all your credit limits on all your cards to all your balances is factored in. Closing an account reduces the value of the second ratio.

What happens if you have an error on your credit report?

Around 20% of people have an error on their credit report, so there is a good chance something is wrong on yours. One common error is the account open/closed status, among other errors. Many errors are not in your favor and could harm your chances of getting approved for a new credit card or loan account in the future.

What happens when an account is closed by a creditor?

If you’re still making payments on the balance, the payment history and timeliness of your payments will also be reported. It’s important that you keep making at least the minimum payment on time each month, even after the account is closed, to protect your credit score.

How does closing a credit card account for inactivity will?

Finally, closing a credit card account due to inactivity could hurt your credit mix portion of your credit score, as well. If you only had one credit card, having that card closed would result in zero open revolving credit accounts which may negatively impact your mix of credit which accounts for 10 percent of your FICO score.