When is a card deemed cancelled?

[Airbumps]

Hi all,

I was just about to apply for one of the QF Westpac cards with sign-on bonus and thought to myself I'd do the right thing and ensure I cancelled my last Westpac more than 12 months ago to ensure I was eligible for the bonus points.

Checking my old statements it appears I closed the card on 13 July 2017. However a call to Westpac indicates that the account was only actually closed 3 months later in October 2017.

I've heard that cards can stay 'active' and be resuscitated (pardon the expression) for 3 months following cancellation, however I would have thought as far as the end user (me) is concerned, the day I call up and cancel it is the day its cancelled.

Still, I don't want to take any chances with 80,000 points. Anybody got any experiences in this area? I'm happy to wait another 3 months if that what it takes but have some big spends coming up and am ready to churn again!

Cheers,

 

[Dr Ralph]

Hi all,

I was just about to apply for one of the QF Westpac cards with sign-on bonus and thought to myself I'd do the right thing and ensure I cancelled my last Westpac more than 12 months ago to ensure I was eligible for the bonus points.

Checking my old statements it appears I closed the card on 13 July 2017. However a call to Westpac indicates that the account was only actually closed 3 months later in October 2017.

I've heard that cards can stay 'active' and be resuscitated (pardon the expression) for 3 months following cancellation, however I would have thought as far as the end user (me) is concerned, the day I call up and cancel it is the day its cancelled.

Still, I don't want to take any chances with 80,000 points. Anybody got any experiences in this area? I'm happy to wait another 3 months if that what it takes but have some big spends coming up and am ready to churn again!

Cheers,

The cancellation date is as you stated in your letter when you cancelled. Your letter would be proof of this.

If you called to cancel then the date of the call is the date of the cancellation. This is not the method I have ever recommended to use because you have no proof of this.

Although the normal process is they send you a letter to confirm cancellation. I assume you kept this. It should contain the date they consider your account closed.

 

[RooFlyer]

Its not completely 'dead' immediately whether you call or write in. The card issuer always reserves the right to charge you for any charges put on the card after that, at least for a certain time (which I don't know). For instance, if there is a direct debit that's not cancelled, then it will appear as a charge on the card after you 'cancel' and you will be liable for that charge - it will be in the T&Cs, and very likely in the 'goodbye' letter they send you.

But, assuming you don't have any charges post-mortem, then the time of 'cancelling' in respect of getting another card would be within a week of you cancelling it either over the phone or by letter.

BTW, Westpac would have kept your details etc in anticipation of you 'coming back'. I took all my banking (incl cards) away from them, then 6 years later, applied for and got a card. All my on-line banking stuff was simply resurrected, with the same client number including the old messages!!

 

[mviy]

I try to scan the letters the bank sends in for my records (if I remember) and also note down when I called them to cancel.

Some would send a letter pretty promptly whilst others would wait for the next statement to send confirmation of cancellation.

I generally don't sign up again immediately when the exclusion period is over though as there's not many decent offers for me to apply for at the moment that might change.