Green Dot offers a variety of secured credit cards along with prepaid cards that you can use like you would a credit card. While these cards can offer you convenience even if you have poor credit, they also come with numerous fees that might persuade you to cancel if you don't use the card enough or if you've found another option. The process for canceling your Green Dot card will depend on whether you've got a prepaid card or a secured credit card, and you have some considerations to think about before closing either type of card.
Prepaid Green Dot Cards
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If you want to cancel a prepaid Green Dot card completely, you first need to empty all the money off your card. You can do this through regular purchases, online bill pay transactions, money transfers, paper checks or ATM transactions. However, do note that any fees for various withdrawals will still apply.
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Green Dot notes that your account should close without any further action once the balance goes to zero, but you can also send a request to Green Dot to be sure. You can do this through the "Close Card" option on the "Security" tab on the Green Dot portal. Otherwise, you can call their customer service hotline at 866-795-7597, provide some information to verify yourself and then talk to a live representative.
When you want to cancel your Green Dot card due to a security issue like fraud or a lost card, you can find an option to report the issue on the "Security" tab as well as through the phone system. However, Green Dot will allow you to get a new card sent to you rather than close your account entirely. You'll usually pay a fee to get the replacement card. Keep in mind that you'll only be able to continue using your account in the meantime if the card was linked to a service like Apple Pay or Samsung Pay.
Secured Green Dot Credit Cards
If you want to cancel a regular secured credit card through Green Dot, you should first pay off any balance you have on the card to ensure you can get your security deposit back when you close the account. You should also consider the potential impact that canceling your Green Dot credit card can have on your credit score. For example, your credit score can drop if you're closing an older account or if closing the account hurts your credit utilization rate.
Once you're ready to cancel the card, you'll need to call the customer service number on the back of your card as this number can vary depending on the Green Dot card you have. For example, you'd call 866-291-0818 if you have the Green Dot Platinum Visa. The system will ask for your card number or Social Security number along with your birthdate to look up your account.
Follow the prompts to get help from a live representative with canceling your card. As with the prepaid cards, you can cancel the old card and get a replacement if you just have a security issue. Otherwise, the representative will close your card and let you know when you can expect to get your security deposit returned.
What to Expect After Canceling
After Green Dot cancels your card, you can cut it up since you won't be able to use it anymore. If you requested a replacement card for the canceled one due to a security issue, you'll usually receive that within a couple of weeks and will need to activate it for use.
Be sure to check if you've set your canceled card up for automatic bill payments to utilities, subscriptions and other services. In that case, you'll want to update your payment info to avoid issues with missed payments or disruptions to service.