Can You Close a Credit Card If You Still Owe a Balance?

If a Credit Card Account Is Closed by the Lender Can It Ever Go Into a Positive Status?
Dec 12, 2019
1 minute read

Closing a credit card account can be frustrating and confusing. It's hard to know what fees there are, what you can do and what will impact your credit score. If you owe a balance, you can still close the credit card. But there are a few things to consider.

Keeping a Balance

While you can keep a balance on a closed credit card, it may not be in your best interest. Carrying a balance on a closed card can hurt your credit score, according to MSN Money. You'll also be racking up interest charges, which you will eventually have to pay off. If you can, pay of the balance before you close the account. If not, consider transferring the balance to another card with a lower interest rate.

Melissa Adele Haskin

Specializing in food and business, Melissa Haskin is a Oregon writer who received a Bachelor of Science in economics with an emphasis in business from Oregon State University. She completed graduate work in journalism at the University of…

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