Capital One Closing Inactive Credit Cards

It seems just moments ago that credit card companies were continually thrusting offers at us like pistons in a car engine. Now they’re trying to lower their risk exposure, by limiting people’s access to credit, raising APRs, and closing down credit cards, like reader Rachael’s card that she hadn’t used in seven years. I guess they’re worried that people in financial trouble are going to start pulling out those unused credit cards, max ’em out, and default on the debt. What this means, though, is the Rachael and people like her could start seeing their credit scores drop, as length of credit history is a factor in determining your credit score. Capital One’s kiss off letter is after the jump.

After conducting a periodic review of our existing accounts, we noticed that you haven’t used your Capital One credit card in the past 36 months. Because of the recent lack of activity, we’re letting you know that we have closed your credit card account.

If you have attempted a transaction in the past few days, it may have been declined due to the closing of your account; we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. If you have an outstanding balance, please continue to make payments until the outstanding balance on your account reached zero.

Maybe you originally wanted to have a Capital One card in your wallet in case of emergencies. If that’s the case, we’re thankful you didn’t require our services. Perhaps you’d still like to carry a Capital One card – just in case. Please know you’re always welcome to apply for a new account. Simply visit us online at http://www.capitalone.com

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