How Can You Cancel Your Walmart Credit Card?

Here’s how, but first, consider the effect on your credit score

Reviewed by Khadija KhartitFact checked by Kirsten Rohrs Schmitt

Walmart offers two types of credit cards: the Capital One Walmart Rewards Card, which can be used anywhere, and the Walmart Rewards Card, which can be used exclusively at Walmart. Both are administered through Capital One. To close either of these credit cards, contact Capital One by sending a letter to the address shown on your latest billing statement or by calling the company’s customer service number (you can find it on the back of your card, on your monthly statement, or online).

Key Takeaways

• Walmart has two credit cards: the Capital One Walmart Rewards Card, and the Walmart Rewards Card.
• The fastest way to cancel your Walmart card is by calling Capital One customer service.

How to Cancel Your Walmart Credit Card

If you need to close your account right away, call the customer service phone number on your statement. A customer service representative can help you cancel your card.

Otherwise, you can close your Walmart credit card by sending a letter to Capital One at the address on your statement. For delivery assurance, you may want to send the letter via certified mail. Include in the letter your name, billing address, and account number, as well as a request to close the account. You don’t have to explain why you are closing the account, but if the letter is a follow-up to a phone call, then you should include the date and time of the call, as well as the name of the representative with whom you spoke.

What Happens When You Close Your Walmart Card?

Under most circumstances, you are still liable for the full outstanding credit card balance, even after you have canceled the card. To prevent accumulating additional charges by any other authorized users of your Walmart credit card, collect all the cards that were issued and destroy them. If any authorized users don’t live near you, notify them about your plan to close your Walmart card right away.

Until you settle the account in full, the variable annual percentage rate (APR) on your card will apply to any remaining balances.

If you have accumulated rewards on a Capital One Walmart Rewards Card or Walmart Rewards Card, then you may lose them when you cancel the card. Users of the Capital One Walmart Rewards Card earn 5% cash back on purchases at Walmart.com, 2% back on restaurants, travel, and purchases at Walmart physical locations and gas stations, and 1% back on purchases wherever Mastercard is accepted. Users of the Walmart Rewards Card earn the same rewards on Walmart purchases, with 5% back on in-store purchases for the first 12 months.

How Closing Your Walmart Card Affects Your Credit Score

Capital One reports your credit card activity to the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). Closing your account may negatively impact your credit history, depending on how long you have had the card. If your Walmart credit card is your oldest credit card, then consider paying off the full balance but keeping your account open; otherwise, the average age of all your accounts will go down, which can reduce your credit score.

Walmart offers several payment options for its credit cards, including online, over the phone, by mail, and in-store (at both Walmart and Sam’s Club, if you’re a Sam’s Club member).

Read the original article on Investopedia.