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Key takeaways
- Reopening a closed card could help your credit score by keeping a long-term account open and saving you a hard credit pull from a new card application.
- There’s a chance you could reopen a card you voluntarily closed, but it’s better to reach out to your issuer before closing the card to learn the limitations.
- You may be able to apply for the same card again depending on the issuer’s application rules, but don’t expect to be able to earn the sign-up bonus again.
There’s a chance you may be able to reopen a credit card after you previously closed it, but it depends on the issuer. On the other hand, that may not be an option at all if the issuer closed the account because you were behind on payments, it went into default, your account was flagged for fraud or you declared bankruptcy. There are other variables to consider before requesting to reopen your account too, including issuer-specific rules, application timing and other alternatives to reviving your old card.
Reopening a closed credit card
Although it may be a long shot, trying to reopen your credit card could be a better choice than applying for a new card if you found out your closed card damaged your credit score or you quickly regretted closing it. Getting your previous account back could be better than applying for a new credit card, since that could shorten your average credit account age. That could make building your credit score back up a longer journey if you have a thin credit profile.
Not all credit card issuers will allow cardholders to reopen credit card accounts that they closed, but among those that may consider the option, the general rule is that it can be reopened within 30 days of closure. Even if that timeframe has passed, it could still be worth a try.
Issuer rules for reopening a closed credit card
We reached out to credit card issuers to confirm their current policies for reopening closed cards. Here are issuers’ general policies for reopening closed card accounts:
|
Issuer |
Can voluntarily closed cards be reopened? |
Reopening request timeframe |
Additional notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Express | No | N/A | Amex encourages prior cardholders to call customer service with any questions and start a new credit card application. |
| Barclays | Yes | Within 15 days or within 30 days if the account is closed for inactivity (as a one-time courtesy) | If the bank closes the account, the card usually can’t be reopened barring certain exceptions like a customer failing to update their address after moving (in these cases, Barclays can reinstate the account if contacted within 60 days). |
| Capital One |
Yes |
Within 30 days of closure | A review process is required to reopen a card account, but approval is not guaranteed. |
| Chase | Yes | Within 30 days of closure | Voluntarily closed accounts must have been active within the last three months. Accounts closed for inactivity and accounts that have been inactive for 30 or more days at the time of closure cannot be reopened |
| Citi | — | — |
Contact Citi customer service |
|
Discover |
No |
— |
Closed Discover cards cannot be reopened |
Generally, you can try to reopen your card by calling the customer service number and explaining that you want to reinstate the account you had before. Be prepared with the account numbers and your personal information, such as your name, Social Security number and address. You may need to authorize a hard credit pull to confirm that you’re still qualified. However, keep in mind that reopening an account isn’t guaranteed and is up to the issuer’s discretion.
Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Credit One Bank, Synchrony and U.S. Bank declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comments regarding reopening voluntarily closed accounts.
Alternatives to reopening a closed credit card
Reapplying for the same credit card or another similar card is perhaps the best alternative if you’re not able to reopen your old card. Just keep in mind that some issuers may not allow you to earn the sign-up bonus again if you apply for the same credit card you used to have.
How long should you wait to reapply?
Before reapplying, be sure to consider:
- The last time you applied for your currently-closed card
- The last time you applied for a new credit card in general
- The issuer’s specific cardholding restrictions
Some issuers have application restrictions in place to prevent “card churners” from gaming the system solely for sign-up bonuses. For example, American Express has a once-per-lifetime limit that only lets you earn one of its cards’ welcome offers once, and Chase doesn’t allow you to earn another Chase Sapphire card sign-up bonus if you’ve already earned one in the past 48 months.
Some issuers go even further and monitor how many total credit cards you’ve applied for over the past few years. Chase’s 5/24 rule is probably the most well-known example, which prohibits you from qualifying for a Chase card if you’ve opened five credit cards in the past 24 months — regardless of which issuer you obtained the card from.
Whether you’re applying for the same card you used to have or an entirely new card, you can save yourself a wasted hard credit pull if you’re strategic about when you plan to apply for a card next.
Bankrate insight
We generally recommend waiting 90 days between credit card applications. But if you’ve just closed a credit card account you want to reopen, you might have to call the issuer or reapply sooner than this. Keep in mind the average age of your accounts and credit history when reapplying for credit cards.
The bottom line
It could be possible to reactivate a credit card you previously closed, and, if you do, it could bump your credit score back up if you had a relatively thin credit profile or few credit accounts. The account would show up as the same trade line on your credit reports as it did before, without a break in the data stream. That shows longevity, which other lenders find appealing.
If you apply for another card instead, a new account will affect the length of your credit history, which will reduce the average age of your total accounts. That can lower your credit scores in the beginning, but could eventually increase your scores if you properly manage your additional credit line and overall credit utilization ratio.
Ultimately, whether you should reopen a card or apply for a new one likely depends on whether your previous card was voluntarily closed and how thin your profile will be for the foreseeable future.
Frequently asked questions about reopening closed cards
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