How to cancel a Santander credit card

Unlike some credit card issuers, Santander doesn't insist that you get on the phone in order to cancel your card.

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By

Chris Lilly

Updated

Fact checked

Most credit card issuers prefer you to call them because it gives them the chance to offer you better card terms and potentially entice you to stay on as a customer. However, with Santander, you’ve got three options:

  • Via the app. Open the app, click on ‘Chat with us’ and ask to close your account.
  • Online. Login to online banking, then click ‘Chat with us’ and ask to close your account.
  • At a branch. Pop into a branch and let Santander know – it doesn’t need to be your local branch.

If your card has been lost or stolen, call +44 (0)800 891 725.

Steps to cancel your Santander credit card

  1. Pay off your balance. You can’t close your card with a balance. If you’re not in a position to pay it off, consider transferring your balance to another card.
  2. Redeem any rewards. If you’ve earned rewards with Santander, you’ll lose them by cancelling your card. See if you can redeem them first.
  3. Contact customer service. Choose one of the three methods listed above to let Santander know.

Will cancelling my Santander credit card affect my credit score?

Cancelling your Santander credit card does actually have the potential to affect your credit score.

Consider your overall “credit utilisation ratio” – that’s how much debt you have compared to how much credit is available to you. If you have a low utilisation ratio — say, 20% or less — and a solid credit score, closing your card won’t affect your score by much. But closing a card can increase your utilisation, which can in turn lower your credit score.

Signing up for another credit card could increase your overall available credit and lower your utilisation level. Note that a hard search of your credit record is part of taking on a new card and that will also have a slight (and usually short-lived) impact on your credit score.

If you just want to be shot of your card, so that you can’t slip into debt, then realistically that’s probably more important.

Finally, it’s worth considering that when you come to apply for credit in the future, you’ll need your credit file to show responsible use of credit. Not surprisingly, lenders want to see that you’re perfectly capable of borrowing money and then paying it back.

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