It could be that the rewards from your credit card don’t excite you anymore. Maybe the annual fee waiver negotiation isn’t going too well. Or you’re just trying to skip the temptation of swiping the card on every interesting product that comes your way.
Whichever way, if your credit card doesn’t serve you and your lifestyle, it’s time to get rid of it before you’re pummeled with those sky high annual fees.
That’s exactly what this article is here to help with. Read on to learn what to consider and how to cancel your credit card with ease.
Contents
- What are some possible reasons to cancel your credit card?
- What to do before cancelling credit cards?
- How to cancel a credit card in Singapore?
- Does cancelling your credit card affect your credit score?
What are some possible reasons to cancel your credit card?
Cancelling a credit card isn’t always an easy decision, but sometimes, it just makes sense—for different reasons.
Maybe the rewards don’t fit your lifestyle anymore—you’re racking up miles when all you really want is cashback on groceries, or you’re paying a hefty annual fee for benefits you never use.
Could be that you’ve fallen prey to a scammer and you’ve got no choice but to get on the phone with customer support, and spend a good few hours trying to cancel it.
Or you’re doing a financial “cleanse”. Holding onto extra cards you don’t need could be dragging down your credit score. Sometimes, the smartest move is to pay it off, close the account, and move on.
At the end of the day, a credit card should work for you—not the other way around. If it’s more of a burden than a benefit, it might be time to cut the cord.
What to do before cancelling credit cards?
1. Assess the the trade-offs of the card you will cancel
Every decision comes with trade-offs, and cancelling your credit card is one that could have an impact on your financial health.
If you’re relying heavily on your credit cards, closing them can give you some much needed breathing room. However, this may mean turning to your debit card(s) more often, which requires having sufficient funds in your account to cover expenses.
This gives rise to another trade-off: scams. With the debit card, any fraudulent transaction directly affects your bank balance, and recovering lost funds can be a slow, frustrating process. Unlike credit cards, which often come with stronger fraud protection and chargeback options, debit cards put your money at immediate risk.
2. Redeem your rewards
Before you part ways with your card, make sure you claim what you’ve earned. Log in or glance over your statement to spot any unclaimed goodies—points, air miles, or cashback waiting to be redeemed. It’s like finding cash in your pocket when you put on some old jeans. It’s a bonus. Why lose it?
Then again, whether your points are forfeit when you cancel your card, depends on the bank and whether they pool their points across cards.
Wait, pooling? What?
Yeah—my words exactly when I first discovered the term. There are 3 possible scenarios you could be involved in:
- Your bank pools points across rewards cards
- Your bank pools points across rewards cards but ONLY in the case of redemptions
- Your bank does NOT pool points across rewards cards
If your bank does allow pooling—like UOB’s UNI$—you don’t need to rush to redeem everything before cancelling your card, as long as you have another points-earning card with them. Your points will stay intact, and you can continue using them through your remaining card.
Some banks allow points to be pooled only for redemption, but if you cancel the card they were earned on, those points go down with it. No exceptions. Banks like HSBC and DBS follow this policy—so, if you have multiple cards with them, keep track of which card is earning what to avoid any unwanted surprises.
The simplest scenario is when your bank doesn’t allow pooling. Once you cancel, any unused points vanish. Poof. Gone. Citibank operates under this policy. So, redeem those points before cutting the cord—whether that means booking a flight, upgrading a ticket, or treating yourself to some vouchers.
3. Update automatic payments
Go through your credit card statements to check for any automated recurring charges, such as utility bills, subscription services, or insurance premiums.
Before cancelling the card, it’s probably best to switch these payments to another credit card or a different payment method, such as a debit card, e-wallet, or bank transfer.
This will allow you to avoid any service interruptions, late fees, or negative marks on your credit report.
4. Pay off any outstanding balance
Clearing your balance means you can walk away, no strings (or fees) attached, and close that chapter with clarity. So ensure you fully pay off any outstanding balance on the card you intend to cancel.
This is crucial because you may be unable to close the account with a balance remaining, and leaving a balance could result in continued interest charges.
Once the balance is cleared, you can cancel without worrying about lingering financial obligations to the card issuer.
How to cancel a credit card in Singapore?
Alrighty—so after some reflection, you’ve decided to cancel a credit card or two. The next question is—how? It’s important to note that different banks have different avenues of cancellation, some a little more tedious than others.
Here’s a summary of the list of banks and how to cancel their cards:
| Bank | How to Cancel |
| American Express | Call the customer service number on your card |
| Citibank | Call their 24/7 hotline at 6225 5225 |
| CIMB | Call 6333 6666 Using their credit card maintenance form |
| DBS | Use the DBS website chatbot or Call our Customer Service Centre at: 1800 339 6963 (within Singapore) +65 6339 6963 (from overseas) |
| HSBC | Use the HSBC website chatbot Dial 6472 2669 to speak to a customer service rep |
| Maybank | Call the hotline at: 1800 629 2265 (within Singapore) +65 6533 5229 (from overseas) |
| OCBC | Call the hotline at: 1800 363 3333 (within Singapore) +65 6363 3333 (from overseas) |
| POSB | Call the hotline: 1800 339 6963 if you’re in Singapore +65 6339 6963 if you’re overseas Use their digibot to cancel it online |
| Standard Chartered | Call their hotline at 6747 7000 Using the Standard Chartered app |
| UOB | Use the UOB TMRW app to cancel your card with these easy steps Call UOB customer service hotline at: 1800 222 2121 if you’re in Singapore +65 6222 2121 if you’re overseas |
How to cancel AMEX credit card
Cardholders can call the customer service number located on the back of their AMEX card. This is a direct and immediate way to request card cancellation.
Just in case you don’t want to go dig around for your wallet right now, we’ve compiled a list of the numbers right here.
| Credit Card Name | Contact Number in Singapore | Contact Number from Overseas |
| AMEX Platinum Card | 1800 392 1177 | +65 6392 1177 |
| American Express Platinum Credit Card | 1800 396 6000 | +65 6396 6000 |
| American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card | 1800 392 1181 | +65 6392 1181 |
| American Express True Cashback Card | 1800 295 0500 | +65 6295 0500 |
| American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card | 1800 392 2000 | +65 6392 2000 |
| American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card | 1800 392 2000 | +65 6392 2000 |
| American Express Singapore Airlines PPS Club Credit Card | 1800 396 6888 | +65 6396 6888 |
| American Express Singapore Airlines Solitaire PPS Credit Card | 1800 396 6888 | +65 6396 6888 |
| American Express CapitaCard | 1800 723 1339 | +65 6880 1343 |
| American Express Rewards Card | 1800 296 0220 | +65 6296 0220 |
| American Express Gold Card | 1800 733 0833 | +65 6733 0833 |
| American Express Personal Card | 1800 732 2244 | +65 6732 2244 |
How to cancel Citibank credit card
Cancelling a Citibank credit card is pretty straightforward.
- Contact Citibank. Call Citibank’s 24-hour hotline at 6225 5225 to initiate the cancellation.
- Verify your identity. During the call, you must provide your NRIC/FIN/credit card number, followed by the # key, to verify your identity.
- Speak to a representative. After entering your details and pressing the # key, press *0 to speak to a customer service officer who will handle your request.
How to cancel a CIMB credit card
Cancelling a CIMB credit card can be done in two ways: by phone or in person.
Option 1: Cancel by phone
- Call the hotline. Dial the CIMB customer service hotline at 6333 6666. This service is available 24/7.
- Verification. You will likely need to verify your identity during the call by providing personal details and answering security questions.
- Request cancellation. Inform the customer service representative that you wish to cancel your credit card. As mentioned earlier, they might ask why but it’s purely standard procedure so feel free to state your reasons.
Option 2: Cancel in person
- Download and complete the maintenance form. Visit the CIMB website to download the CIMB credit card maintenance form.
- Print and complete the form. After downloading, print out the form and fill in the required details, including your reason for cancellation.
- Visit the CIMB branch. Take the completed form to their branch at Raffles Place. I’d suggest calling ahead and checking if you need to make an appointment.
How to cancel a DBS credit card?
Don’t want to listen to hours of repetitive stock music or product ads while waiting to get connected to a customer service officer?
It’s 2025, and the internet is making life easier in all sorts of ways. Cancelling your DBS credit card online? Yep, that’s something you can totally do now too. Here are the easy steps to follow:
| Step 1
Click on the digibot Icon located at the bottom right. Step 2 Type “Terminate Card” into the chat. Step 3 Click “Authenticate me”. Step 4 Complete the authentication using either your iBanking Login or Card & PIN. Step 5 Tap on the Card you would like to terminate. Step 6 Verify the Card Number(s) that you would like to cancel and tap on “Yes”. Step 7 Select the Reason for Cancelling the Card(s). Step 8 Tap on “No”, if there are no other cards that you wish to cancel. Step 9 Review your request and tap “Yes” to complete your card(s) termination request. |
Alternatively, you can cancel your card the conventional way by speaking to a customer service officer on the 24-hour DBS/POSB customer service hotline at 1800 339 6963 (within Singapore, from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m.). If you’re overseas, call +65 6339 6963 instead.
How to cancel HSBC credit card
You can cancel your HSBC credit card in two ways: online via the HSBC banking website or by calling the HSBC Customer Service hotline.
Option 1: Online cancellation
- Log into HSBC internet banking. Access the HSBC website or mobile app and log in with your credentials.
- Initiate chat. For website users, click on the “Chat” icon located at the bottom right corner of the page. Mobile app users should tap on the “Support” tab.
- Request cancellation via chatbot. Once in the chat, you can request the cancellation of your credit card through the Chatbot, which will guide you through the process.
Option 2: Cancellation via customer service hotline
- Call HSBC customer service. Dial 6472 2669 to reach HSBC’s customer service.
- Request card cancellation. Once connected, you can request the cancellation of your credit card. You may need to verify your identity and provide details of the card you wish to cancel.
How to cancel Maybank credit card
To cancel a Maybank credit card in Singapore, you should follow these steps:
- Contact customer service. Call the Maybank Singapore customer service hotline at 1800 629 2265 if you are in Singapore. For overseas callers, dial +65 6533 5229. This service operates 24 hours.
- Receive confirmation. After the cancellation process is completed over the phone, Maybank will typically send you a notification confirming that your credit card account has been closed.
- Record cancellation date. It’s important to note the date of cancellation, as this may affect when you can reapply for a new credit card and qualify for new customer sign-up bonuses.
How to cancel OCBC credit card
Banks want you to hold on to their credit cards. So, naturally, they will make it inconvenient for you to cancel them. To make matters worse, many banks like OCBC don’t explicitly allow you to cancel your credit card online.
You’ll have to call the customer service hotline, hold and wait in line for half an hour before speaking to a customer service officer. Slick move right? I know.
To cancel your OCBC credit card, you’ll have to call the OCBC customer service hotline at 6363 3333. If you are overseas, call +65 363 3333 instead.
You can also terminate your credit card in person by doing the following:
- Download this OCBC credit card maintenance form
- Print and fill out the form with your details
- Take it to an OCBC branch in person
How to cancel POSB credit card
To cancel a POSB credit card, you can do it via their chatbot on the website or a phone call.
- Digibot. POSB’s digibot is easily accessible from their website. Simply look to the bottom right hand side when you land on the webpage. You should see a “May I help you?” dialogue bubble. Click on it and request for a cancellation. The bot will then guide you through the steps required.
- Contact customer service. Cardholders can call the POSB Customer Service Centre at 1800 339 6963 if they are in Singapore, or at (65) 6339 6963 if calling from overseas.
How to cancel Standard Chartered credit card
You can cancel your Standard Chartered credit card through the mobile app.
| Step 1:
Head to the “Services” tab at the bottom right corner of the app. Open up “Help & Services” and tap on “View All” Step 2: Look for “Card Management” and select “Credit Card Cancellation”. Step 3: Select your reason for cancelling the card. Step 4: Select the card that you want to cancel. Step 5: Review and confirm all the details you’ve selected. Step 6: Submit your request. Standard Chartered will revert to you with an email and SMS once it is done. |
For those who don’t use internet banking (wow, you’re a rare specimen), you can simply call the Standard Chartered customer service hotline at 6747 7000 (8 am – 8 pm).
How to cancel a UOB credit card
You can cancel your UOB credit card via the UOB TMRW mobile app.
| Step 1:
Log in to your UOB TMRW app and tap “Accounts”. Step 2: Select the credit card that you wish to cancel Step 3: Go to “Services” and tap “Cancel card”. Step 4: Choose the reason for cancellation and tap next. Step 5: Review all the details and tap “confirm”.
|
Otherwise, you can call the UOB customer service hotline at 1800 222 2121. If you’re overseas, call +65 6222 2121 instead.
Does cancelling your credit card affect your credit score?
It can—but not in a bad way. In fact, if you’ve got a stack of unused credit cards collecting dust, cancelling them might actually help your credit score. Here’s why.
Your credit score is essentially a measure of how responsible you are with credit. It’s based on a mix of factors, including your payment history, outstanding debt, and the length of your credit history. When it comes to cancelling credit cards, the real risk isn’t the cancellation itself—it’s what happens if you don’t manage them properly.
Many inactive credit cards come with annual fees, and if you forget to pay them, that overdue balance can leave a mark on your credit report. Cancelling an unused card removes that risk entirely, ensuring you don’t accidentally rack up fees or penalties that could drag your score down.
So, here’s the real question: Can you consistently pay off your credit card balance—including the annual fee—on time, every time?
If the answer is no, then cancelling those extra cards might be the smartest move for your financial health.
Looking for new credit cards? Check out all the best credit card promotions going on now!
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About the author
Having been writing for a little over 10 years, KC has flexed his pen in a variety of industries—think automotive, fitness, entertainment, and finance. He’s ultimately on a mission to prove that any topic, no matter how serious, can be made fun.
Off-duty? It’s all about food, drinks, parties, and gaming marathons.
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