How To Close Amex Credit Card?
Many people use credit and sometimes they feel that there is a particular card which they are no more using or no more need. In such situations instead of helplessly struggling to use the card you can easily close the card since you do not need it anymore.
There are set steps to follow for closing your credit cards. Here we are going to look into steps to consider for closing down your Amex credit card. The other name for Amex is American Express. Amex is the short form of the first initials of the word American Express put together.
One of the main concerns that make credit buyers anxious is that of the maintenance of their credit score which affects their monthly allowances through the use of credit cards.
When you decide to cancel or close down your credit card it will surely affect your credit score and therefore it is of utmost necessity to understand a few pros and cons before you close the credit card.
Things to remember when Deciding to Close Down Amex Credit Card
Here is a summarized list of things that you need to remember before closing the Amex Credit Card that you possess.
- Make sure you are not leaving out any of your reward points. It can be possible that there is an accumulation of reward points in your account and you are unaware or have forgotten about redeeming them.
- Now before you go further with closing down, consider making full use of these benefits which are pending for your use. Only after you finish that should you close down your Amex card.
- If there are any outstanding amounts that are due to be cleared, do it at once. No credit company entertains people who have outstanding dues. Unless your dues are cleared, no consideration of your cancel request would be done.
- If you possess any supplementary card and have outstanding dues in that too, make sure you clear it off as soon as possible.
- Since the customer representatives who will follow up your case will have access to all the details of the same, there is no chance of you possibly being able to close your card without clearing your dues.
- If there are any automated payments you have signed up for, make sure you terminate them. It can be highly possible that you may have signed up for some streaming website or monthly service for your personal benefits.
- You need to keep a track of all your purchases through the card you are going to cancel. Once you are done with terminating all the services, there is no risk in closing down your Amex card. If there is any undue transaction that takes place due to an automated subscription during the process of cancellation, it can delay and complicate the process of closing down your Amex card.
- Confirm your cancellation by requesting the customer care representatives to submit to you a confirmation letter stating the actual date when the process will be completed and your card will be closed down without any further hassle. Though mostly the companies offer this letter, it is best to be on the safer side by requesting one.
Process To Close Amex Credit Card
There is a customer service number that will be provided on the back of your card. That is the contact number on which you need to call to seek assistance in closing down your Amex card.
There are different types of Amex cards which are available and you need to know the type of card you possess which you want to get cancelled. It will help the customer care representative to help you better.
Following points are helpful on a different aspect of the closure of Amex credit card-
- Remember that there will be a persuading insistence from the representative on call to make you change your plan of cancelling your card. Your adamant and stubborn stand on cancelling your card is required at this point of time.
- As the customer care representatives are trained to persuade customers, they speak off a script. Therefore, you can confirm on your decision without falling for their talks. They may even offer you some incentives, but you got to stay firm on your decision.
- One of the points to keep in mind while processing is to ask them to state that the card has been closed on the request of the customer and not any other statement.
- It is important to keep the proper statement as one in regards to your cancellation as otherwise the statement stating that account has been closed will not rally give a clear picture to the credit company.
- Remember that every different type of American Express card has a different contact number for help purpose. When you call, make sure you take a note of the ID number of the customer service representative and also the case number for further reference.
- To the benefit of those not interested in a verbal conversation, there is also live chat available where you can just chat with a representative of the credit company and the person will guide you through the process.
- Another option available for those not well versed with technology is the mail option wherein you can send a proper letter through mail to the appropriate address of the credit company (you can find this online on the page of the Amex website of the country you are residing in) and your letter will be considered for further processing of your request. It is a good practice to keep a copy of the sent letter.
How to Close Amex Platinum Card without Hurting Credit Score
Cancelation of a credit card affects the credit score as there is change in credit-utilization ratio. You can reduce it by adopting following-
- Take another credit card of any company.
- Pay all outstanding amount carefully. Even lesser payment of a penny have greater impact on your SIBIL Score.
- Re check closure of Amex credit card through SIBIL report.
How to Close Amex Credit Card Secure Message
You can cancel the Amex credit card by secure message by email or by phone. Following process requires to follow-
- Go to the contact us menu in your internet banking.
- Select the ‘Email Us’ option by drop down menu facility.
- Send the mail by mentioning you want to cancel XXXXX (last digit) credit card due to such and such reason.
- Within three to four days closure process will take.
- You will get confirmation of closure.
How to Close Amex Credit Card Online
Online facility to close the Amex credit card is available. Following steps are helpful in initiating closure process by internet banking-
- Initiation of the closure of Amex credit card required to log in to internet banking.
- You can log in to the web site https://www.americanexpress.com/in/
- The web page contains the option of deactivation of the credit cards.
- First, you have to deactivate the card, then go to the ‘Email Us’ facility. Send an email to the Manager customer care services mentioning that you want to close the credit card account permanently.
- It is important to note that all the outstanding dues must be paid before initiating the closure request.
- You will get confirmation of the closure of the credit card within 3-4 days of closure initiation.
Unforeseen Situations while Cancellation and the way to Handling Them
It can be possible that you may end up in an unexpected situation wherein you may not know what move to make when in process of getting your credit card closed down.
In such situations some of the following pointers should help you. Whatever be it, avoid hurting your credit score. It is important to maintain your credit score as it describes your credibility for availing credit in general.
- If you end up in a situation where you are not sure whether you have got your card cancelled, ask them for a confirmation letter which will describe the details of the same. Request for a copy of the credit report which bears all the details including that of the closure of the account of the credit card.
- If the report that you receive has inaccurate details then you can contact the credit company for rectification of the errors made.
- If you forget to cancel your automated subscriptions, do not panic. The best thing to do is to contact the company and ask them to withdraw your plan of closing down the account of the Amex credit card.
- Unlike the processing for cancellation, the request for withdrawal of cancellation is pretty quick and would be happily served as they don’t want to lose any customer.
- In situations of falling prey to the persuasive behavior of the customer representative, it is best to contact through mail or live chat wherein you don’t have to converse with anyone and the processing will also happen smoothly without any interference of any persuader.
- In case you notice there are unusual charges being levied upon you by the company it is best to ask them for a detailed report of the same to justify the levied charges. In case they fail to provide the necessary information, they can be sued.
Additional Details you need to Know Before Closure of Amex Credit Card
It is good to know that in case you have a second American Express credit card, you are allowed to carry your credit limit to that card with hassle free procedure.
It is convenient because you can even do it online by just following the ‘account services’ tab on your account on the website. Also, it is good to keep a check on your bill as you can then analyze the expenses and the balance that the credit card may reflect.
When you close a revolving credit card, it will affect your credit score and decrease its average age of credit history.
Unlike closing a charge card in which needs you to pay all your balance at the end of every month, in a credit card the amount is carried forward to the next month. So it is important to set the right time to decide to close your Amex Credit Card.
During the time of the processing taking place, consider following the protocol professionally and do not delay any submission of data or forms which you may have to fill. Since there are different types of Amex Credit cards which are made available, each has a particular format to process the closure of account. But the procedure for the closure of all the Amex Credit cards remains the same.
Will the Bank Refund the Annual Fee Charged on Credit Card at the Time of Closure?
Unfortunately, the annual fee that is charged for the use of the Amex credit card is non-refundable. If you are aware of possibly knowing when the annual charging will be done and the money will be deducted, then you can decide to cancel your card right before the deduction takes place.
If you are cancelling after the annual fee is charged anytime even after a month or so, the refund is not possible. There are many times when they refund your annually charged fee to keep you back as a customer.
Some people get convinced and looking at the benefit stay back and do not cancel their credit card. Even if you ask them for a refund of a portion of the annually charged fees, they will not do so as the terms and conditions make the policy clear with regards to the refund policy.
Free Credit Report After Closure of Credit Card
It is important to know that you can demand a free credit report from Amex Credit Company in case you haven’t asked for it earlier. The Credit report gives you a clear picture of the transactions and the status of your cancellation. It confirms the cancellation and will give you relief from the anxiety and doubt of whether your account is closed down or not.
Amex Credit Card Cancellation Customer Care
There is separate customer care number for each individual different Amex credit card. For example-Platinum credit card is having toll free number- 18002081223, gold credit card have 18002082122 etc.
Amex Credit Card Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
Closure of Amex credit card has many ways, customer can choose as per their easiness. Credit cards closure requests can be put up through customer care number or outbox email facility. Email must be sent after clearing all the outstanding dues. | There is no as such cons require to put as alert for the customers. Yes, one indeed has to clear all the outstanding amount against the credit card for closure of card, this part is quite obvious. |
Deactivation of the card can also be done with the help of customer care calls in the toll-free number. Amex has a separate customer care number for each and individual credit card. you can contact them as per time convenient to you. | |
You can also close the Amex credit card by downloading the credit card form from the bank web page and sending the filled form to the branch of Amex. |
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that closing down an Amex credit card is easy, convenient and hassle free provided you keep a few points in mind before deciding to do the cancellation. Amex provides facility of customer care, online banking as well as email facility to close the credit card.
Amex Credit Card FAQs
Q1. Will there be charges levied upon me for a written application that I will submit?
Ans- Amex may possibly charge a fee for card cancellation as it requires them to do heavy documentation and follow common procedures which are quite hectic. However, this is dependent on the type of card that a user may be using.
Q2. Can I make any transaction before I cancel the card?
Ans- Yes, you can utilize your credit card completely and use it to the best for your benefit before you decide to cancel the card. That is nothing to worry about. However, it is advised that you stop making any payments a month before you cancel the card as it will ease the process of cancellation.
Q3. What does it mean to cancel automated payments?
Ans- It is highly possible that you may have recurring bills that are charged automatically on your card without even notifying you since you have given the necessary permission for the same earlier. It can be a streaming site or some other additional services online for which you might have accepted the payment allowance. It is mandatory that you have to unsubscribe these services from your Amex card as otherwise, it will affect the termination process with additional complications.
Q4. What is the assurance that my credit card has been terminated completely?
Ans- Every credit company sends you a confirmation letter to assure you that your credit card is no more valid and states that your credit card is terminated. Nevertheless, it is possible that you can demand a confirmation letter in case of any delay from their side and they are obliged to give you a letter as demanded duly.
Q5. Is there any closure charge for the Amex credit card?
Ans- No, there is not any closure charge for closing the Amex credit card. But, you have to clear all the dues before the process of closure of credit card.