Canceling credit card by mail?
 

Hello all -

Has anyone tried canceling their credit cards (particularly those that are being churned) via mail? I don't relish the rigmarole that I have to go through when attempting to cancel via phone ("let me connect you with an account specialist") particularly when they spend 20 minutes pleading with me not to cancel.

It'd be much more pleasant to cut up the card and mail it back with a brief note, but only if it's effective.

Thanks for any insights...

Canceling credit card by mail?
 

email. most issuers have a private mail system via their website.

IMHO, much better to call. Otherwise, how will you know what the retention bonus offers are? ;)

By the way, it doesn't take me more than five minutes to talk to a rep or two, check out their offers and cancel, if need be.

Don't forget to ask rep for written confirmation that acct is cancelled. @:-)

When I am sure I want to cancel a card (don't want to pay the AF, zero chance of retention), I just use the secure message option within my account. Takes a couple of minutes, and confirmation comes quickly. Much more secure, much quicker and much easier than doing by mail.

I, too, dislike talking to "account specialists" in order to close an account, so several years ago I began sending an SM (secure message) via the credit card company's webpage to close accounts.

More often that not I received a reply asking me to call their 1-800 number since they "could not close an account via SM".

I didn't believe them, so since then I have always closed accounts via SM by stating "Please close my account ending in -0000. Please note that this is 'at customer request'. I choose to close this account via this message instead of over the phone. Please reply back to me to confirm account closure." I have had no problems ever since.

Some related information and views can be found here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...e-methods.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/citi-...ds-online.html