I would call after the payments have posted because a letter might take longer and you might get rolled into the next billing period. Be polite and firm. Ask them to close the accounts, and request a letter in the mail indicating the accounts are closed with a zero balance (it is your legal right to ask for this!). (I always tell people to put such paperwork with this year's taxes, just in case). I'd check you credit reports for a few months to make sure they stay closed.
@Anonymous wrote:I'm planning to pay off 2 1stP and 2 Credit One accounts in a couple of days. I'll pay them off online. I'm trying to beat the closing dates. I DO NOT want to call them if I can avoid. I hate talking on the phone anyway and I just don't want to have to deal with their tactics to make me stay with them. At this point, I'm not concerned with age of accounts, credit score drops or UTI. I just want to get rid of them.
Does anyone know if the accounts can be closed online successfully? I will, of course, be watching them to make sure they stay closed with no additional fees, etc. Should I bite the bullet and just call them after I have paid them off? Is that better than online or certified letter? (I cringe everytime I think about calling them.)
Thanks for your help.
I do not think they can be canceled online. You will have to call to cancel. When I called Credit one to cancel, they offered me a 3 month return on my annual fee to keep it open. Once the 3 months was up, I canceled it anyway. I had it 2 years too long but it certainly served its purpose to increase my scores and I no longer wish to pay annual fees on sucky cards.
Score: F8 EQ 609, EX 597, TU 614 (1/17) Current Score: F8 EQ 701, EX 714, TU 689 (12/18)