Breaking News
Business

Millennial Money: Issuer closing your credit card? Act fast to preserve credit

2 min read

NerdWallet

It's not uncommon for credit card issuers to close accounts. Sometimes they do so to lessen their risk when the economy is in distress, generally as a reaction to your spending activity -- or lack thereof.

After all, issuers make money from every tap or swipe, so inactive cards aren't fruitful for them.

"If you're not paying an annual fee and you're not using the card, you're below the zero revenue line, you're actually costing the card issuer money every month," says John Ulzheimer, a credit expert formerly with FICO, a credit-scoring company, and Equifax, a major bureau that provides consumer reports. "Eventually they're going to close your account because you're not generating any swipe-fee income."

An account closure can harm your credit, but if you're fortunate, a credit card issuer might send you a notice as a courtesy beforehand. That can provide you time to make some moves to counter any negative impact to your credit scores. Regardless, if you take no actions, it could take longer for your credit to bounce back.

Ask the issuer

to reconsider

Before the account is officially closed, call the customer service number on the back of your card to see whether the issuer will reevaluate the decision. There's no guarantee, but there's also nothing to lose by trying.

If the notice the issuer sent provided a reason for the account closure, use it to make a case.

Starting at /week.