I’ve just cancelled 2 of the 3 credit cards I hold as a primary card holder (ANZ Rewards Black and Bank of Melb Amplify Signature). Have ANZ travel adventures left as my primary card. Also have an Amex Velocity Platinum as a supplementary holder.
How long should I wait before applying for a new credit card, to allow the 2 cancelled cards to be properly recorded on the credit systems? Thinking of getting the Amex Velocity Platinum for myself as the primary cardholder.
Hi @benobi
You are very close to asking for financial advice, which no-one on this forum is allowed to give. If, however, you’re asking a general question about how long it takes for a CC cancellation to be reflected on one’s credit rating, my experience is that it takes between one and three months. I suppose it depends on how long it takes for the bank or CC provider to get around to telling the credit rating company that the card has been cancelled.
Also speaking generally, someone with only one credit card, easily-manageable debt and a permanent job shouldn’t have all that much trouble getting approved for a new credit card (supplementary cards don’t count when banks are determining whether to approve a new CC application).
If you’re asking how long you need to wait before you can take advantage of any bonus point offers for new cards, off the top of my head with both ANZ and BoM you need to wait 12 months before applying for a new card.
If you apply for the AmEx, make sure you get the primary cardholder to refer you, so they’ll get bonus points for the referral.
Hope this helps!
Lol I wondered whether this question would have been considered controversial! My question really is more for educational purposes not financial advice, to understand how long it generally takes for these changes to get reflected on a credit search. I recall that from previous applications you are often asked to state what cards you currently have and their credit limit - so if I’ve only just cancelled 2 cards, the consideration is whether I need to wait for 1-3 months if I want to be sure that those credit limits are not longer taken into account when applying for my next card.
Again, to be explicit I’m not asking for financial advice here. And thanks for the insights.
Hi Ben,
Thanks for the clarification and sorry for being a bit dense and not understanding you at first!
One minute after cancelling a card, you can say in all truthfulness that you no longer have that card. In my years of applying for credit cards, only once have I been asked to provide proof that I’ve cancelled an old card (I sent through a screenshot showing the account was cancelled and that was enough for them).
There’s a difference between credit limits, which you provide yourself when you apply, and credit scores which come from companies such as Equifax. If you cancel a card, the credit limit from that card disappears instantaneously. Your credit score will then rise within a month or three.
I normally wait a week after closing before applying for my next one. Never been rejected. Apply 3-5 every year.
just login to one of the numerous freee credit file look up service websites, and then when they show the account as cancelled, then you know that its cancelled.
Let me start by saying my partner and I look good on paper. We have reasonable jobs we’ve both been with our employer for almost 20 years, have a mortgage, lived here now 5+ years, and faultless credit history. Always pay our cards back in full and on time. Our program of choice is Qantas. I currently have three credit cards in my name (for difference uses). My partner has the Amex Charge card and the sister Reserve card which comes free with a $400 travel credit. The limit is low ($3,000, as we only use it for Small Shop and Amex Offers when needed). The card I churn over the most is a Visa or MasterCard that earns 1 QFF point per $1 and a decent cap and maximum sign up bonus. I keep it for 6 months and then start looking. I don’t cancel the previous card before applying for a new one, essentially giving me 4 cards in my name. Not a problem. I also apply for a similar card in my partner’s name every year too, giving us around 200,000 bonus QFF points each year. We use the Amex Member Rewards mostly to fly on the StarAlliance network where Qantas don’t fly, or when we cannot get a QFF reward ticket, by transferring to KrisFlyer.
Ive found asking for an email clarifying the cancellation & then submitting that withe the next application works. Sometimes the credit checking sources they use seem to be months behind.