How to close old credit card accounts

milliemonster

I keep getting refused a new CC despite the fact my credit file is completely clean, I have a high salary and yes I have debts (around £20k eek! which I am paying off slowly) I do not want to take on more credit but put some of the higher charging interest debt onto interest free CC iyswim.

I have checked my file recently and everything is green, no ccj's defaults etc, on electoral roll. (we moved in March last year and are homeowners)

But I did notice there is £10k of available credit to me (which I was not aware of!), on further investigation, there are a few credit cards on there with zero balances from a number of years ago which I thought were closed but obviously they were not and are just dormant.

I am presuming this is why I am being refused credit, but how do I go about closing these? I thought I coul just ring the providers up but I have not used these accounts for at least 5 years so don't have the account numbers anymore

can anyone suggest anything? and will this be the reason why?, if I close it all though won't it then look like I am using all credit available and I am then looking desperate? how should I get the balance right?

never-in-doubt

ask the CRA for details, they will give you the account number and addresses to which to write to. In order for the CRA to pubish your data, they must have an account number and query address and will supply it to you on demand. Then write saying you want the closed accounts removing from all three credit agencies.

Moggles_2

I did notice there is £10k of available credit to me (which I was not aware of). On further investigation, there are a few credit cards on there with zero balances from a number of years ago which I thought were closed, but obviously they were not and are just dormant.

It may be that you inadvertently applied to the same lenders again. Some (eg. Capital One) routinely decline applications from existing customers, while others (eg. MBNA) don't seem to mind customers holding more than one of their cards, as long as you don't apply for two identical ones.

How do I go about closing these?

A phone call to customer services should be all that's required, but ask the lender to confirm closure to you in writing. Most do not ask you to return their cards. You're simply requested to cut them up.

It would be advisable to check your credit reports to make sure the accounts are marked "settled" before you submit a further credit card application. The whole process (from the initial phone call to your lender) can sometimes span a couple of months, so allow plenty of time

cjc1967

On roughly the same thread, I'm looking for a new balance transfer deal. I have Virgin, Natwest and Lloyds cards although I have a zero balance on the Lloyds card. Should I close the Lloyds card down before I apply for a new deal to transfer my Virgin and Natwest balances to?

Moggles_2

cjc1967 wrote: »

I'm looking for a new balance transfer deal. I have Virgin, Natwest and Lloyds cards, although I have a zero balance on the Lloyds card. Should I close the Lloyds card down before I apply for a new deal to transfer my Virgin and Natwest balances to?

Obviously, we don't know your annual income, but if you have three credit cards in total, this isn't excessive. I believe the national average is five and many of us here have considerably more on the go