What does a suspended credit card mean?

When a credit card is suspended, it means the credit card issuer has temporarily locked or frozen the account. 

Find out why a credit card account might be suspended or restricted. And learn about potential fixes and impacts on credit scores.

What you’ll learn:

• Credit card charges might be declined if your credit card has been suspended.

• Your credit card might be suspended because a new card hasn’t been activated, there have been unusual transactions, payments have been late or you’ve exceeded your credit limit. 

• You can contact your credit card issuer to learn why your card has been suspended.

• Credit card suspension may not affect your credit scores. But scores could be affected if the suspension is due to late payments.

If your card was suspended, it doesn’t mean the account is closed. It could just mean you’re temporarily unable to use the card.

Here are a few things a suspension could be related to:

• Fraud: If there are suspicious transactions, your card could be suspended to help avoid charges you didn’t authorize. 

• Late payments: If you fall behind on payments, your card could be suspended. That’s one reason it’s important to try to make at least the minimum payment on time every month.

• Credit limit: Making a purchase that puts your credit card balance over the card’s limit might prevent you from using your card until you pay down your balance.

If your card’s been suspended, you can contact your credit card issuer. It should be able to tell you why it was suspended and what options you have. The ability to reactivate a suspended account might depend on the issuer’s policies. 

These are actions you might be able to take in certain situations:

• If you’ve missed payments, you might need to pay the overdue amount or figure out other arrangements.

• If you’ve reached your credit limit, you may need to pay down your outstanding balance before you can use your card. 

Capital One cardholders can sign in to their account to check the status of their card.

In some cases, credit card suspension could lead to the account being closed. That may affect multiple credit-scoring factors, including credit age, credit mix and credit utilization ratio.

Payment history is another credit-scoring factor. Late credit card payments can stay on your credit reports for up to seven years from when they were reported. And if you don’t catch up on payments, your account may become delinquent, which can also hurt your scores.

If your card is suspended due to fraudulent charges, it shouldn’t negatively impact your credit scores. But be sure to ask your lender if you’re required to continue to make payments while they investigate the dispute.

To help avoid a suspended credit card, here are some steps you can take:

• Make your payments on time. Late or missed payments can cause your card to be suspended. And missing payments for an extended period could lead to a permanent suspension of your account.

• Keep an eye on your spending. Paying close attention to your balance can help you avoid credit card suspensions related to exceeding your credit limit.

• Sign up for fraud and security notifications. Depending on your issuer, you might be notified of suspicious transactions, such as large or unusual purchases. 

• Notify your lender if you’re planning to travel abroad or make an unusually large purchase. Capital One and some other issuers don’t require it. But it’s worth checking your issuer’s policies because it could help make sure there are no blocks on your account.

Here are some frequently asked questions about suspended credit cards.

Credit card suspensions can happen for a variety of reasons, including expired cards, suspected fraud, late or missed payments and exceeded credit limits. If you want to dig deeper into your credit, you can sign up for CreditWise from Capital One. It’s free and available to everyone, even if you don’t have a Capital One credit card. And using CreditWise won’t hurt your credit scores.