How to Cancel a Chase Credit Card

Posted by Frank Gogol in Credit Cards | Updated on June 15, 2023

At a Glance: Canceling a Chase credit card can be done over the phone by calling the customer service number on the back of the card and providing identifying information. It can also be done through the Chase website by using the secure messaging feature. Alternatively, a written request can be sent via certified mail to the address provided. After canceling, it may take up to 60 days for the card to be fully canceled. Closing a credit card can negatively affect credit score, so alternatives like requesting fee waivers, product changes, or simply not using the card may be considered.

Owning a credit card can be a very liberating thing, but sometimes, you may need to cancel one. There are many reasons for this: you may be cutting the number of cards you own, or you may not be satisfied with a particular bank’s service.

However, it would be best if you kept in mind that canceling a Chase credit card, in particular, can make it harder for you to get another one. Make sure to really weigh the pros and cons before going through the cancelation process.

In this article, we’ll teach you how to cancel your Chase credit card quickly and painlessly, as well some alternatives to doing so.

Cancel a Chase Credit Card Over the Phone

Luckily, it’s actually quite easy to cancel your credit card from Chase. The first method is by calling them on the phone. Here are the steps:

Dial the number found at the back of your credit card. This places a call directly to their customer service team.
A customer service representative should answer your call. They will ask you a few identifying questions, so make sure you answer correctly. This includes your name, account number, and ZIP code.
Tell them that you want to cancel your credit card. They may ask you reasons why and even present some alternatives themselves, but ultimately, they’ll cancel your card.

Chase’s customer service team can also be reached at 1 (800) 432-3117.

Cancel a Chase Credit Card on the Chase Website

Although Chase doesn’t say explicitly on their official website that you can cancel your credit card there, you can actually do so if you want.

They don’t have a live chat feature, but you can chat with them through the online messaging feature, which works more similarly to an email.

Go to the Chase official website.
Log in to your Chase account using the correct username and password.
Once you’re inside the online account management page, go to the dropdown menu on the left side of your screen and select “Secure Messages.”
Click “I have a question about one of my accounts.”
Next, you’ll have to choose which credit card you want to close.
You’ll also be given the chance to write a short message. You can type additional information here, like your reasons for wanting to cancel your credit card.
The message will be sent straight to Chase’s customer service team.

Cancel a Chase Credit Card via a Written Request

Lastly, it’s also possible to cancel a Chase credit card via a written request in the mail.

If you don’t enjoy placing phone calls to customer service or you haven’t really been touching your online account, you can mail a request to Chase.

Write a short letter that mentions your full name, address, and credit card number.
The letter should explicitly say that you want to cancel your credit card, as well as why you want to do so.
Go to the post office and send the letter using certified mail.
After sending the letter, make sure you keep a copy of the tracking information.

Address your request to:

National Bank By Mail
P.O. Box 6185
Westerville, OH 43086

How to Follow After Canceling a Chase Account

After canceling your Chase credit card account, it may not be canceled right away. Luckily, there’s nothing to worry about.

It can take up to 60 days for your card to actually be canceled. This will reflect in your credit report. After 60 days, you can check your credit report and your Chase credit card should no longer be there.

If, after 60 days, you can still see your Chase credit card on your credit report and it’s still listed as active, then you need to contact customer service and follow up on your request.

Does Closing a Credit Card Affect Your Credit Score?

You have to think thoroughly before canceling your credit card because doing so can affect your credit score negatively.

Even if you haven’t been using your Chase credit card and don’t have an unpaid balance, having it in your credit report can still boost your report in many ways.

By closing it, that means two things: your average credit utilization will go up, and your average credit history length will go down. Both of these things can negatively affect your credit score.

How this Impacts Your Credit Score

Here’s how those things can affect your credit score.

For the first one, your credit utilization ratio refers to how much credit limit you’re using at any given time. This is an average among all the credit cards that you own. The more credit cards you have, the higher the credit limit you have in total.

Let’s say you have three cards with credit limits of $1000, $2000, and $3000. That’s a total credit limit of $6000. Maybe you’ve used up $1500. That’s a credit utilization ratio of roughly 25%, which isn’t bad.

That said, if you cancel one card, say, the $3000 card, then that will make your credit limit drop to $3000. Your credit utilization ratio will now be 50%, which is a huge amount. If this keeps up for a while, you may notice a drop in your credit score.

As for the second point, the average length of your credit history is determined by all the active credit cards in your roster. After some time, your closed card will fall off your credit report. Since the length of your history also affects your credit score, it can obviously negatively affect it if you close a card.

This is especially true if the Chase credit card that you want to cancel happens to be your oldest card. Of course, if it’s fairly new, then the risk is much lower.

Alternatives to Cancel Your Chase Card

As you can see, canceling your card can have negative effects on your credit score. That’s why you should think hard before making the jump.

Maybe your only reason for wanting to cancel is that you don’t agree with the Chase ATM withdrawal limit. Maybe you just wanted to know how to close a Chase bank account and you started thinking about how to close your credit card, too.

Well, maybe you don’t have to cancel after all. Here are some alternatives to canceling your Chase credit card.

Ask for your annual fee to be waived. If you just don’t agree with your credit card’s fees, you can actually ask for your annual fee to be waived. Of course, there’s no guarantee that they’ll actually follow through with your request, but it doesn’t hurt to try.
Request for a product change. You can also ask to change to a different product. This is helpful if you have a higher-tier credit that you pay high annual fees on and don’t feel like using it much anymore. You can ask to switch to a lower one to pay low annual fees – or even no annual fees.
Put your credit card away. Lastly, you can also just store your credit card in a safe place. You don’t really have to use it if you don’t want to, after all.

Canceling a Chase Credit Card Final Thoughts

Now you know how to cancel your Chase credit card! You can do it by phone, by mail, or even online. You should still think twice about whether it’s the right course of action for you, but at least you now have an idea of all your options.

Frank Gogol

I’m a firm believer that information is the key to financial freedom. On the Stilt Blog, I write about the complex topics — like finance, immigration, and technology — to help immigrants make the most of their lives in the U.S. Our content and brand have been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and more.

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