Sometimes we get so busy that we can forget whether our credit card is still active or not. In order to pay for products or just make any transaction, it is essential to have an active credit or debit card, along with a good score.

Sometimes cards may become unusable, and this can be due to several reasons. Usually “valid thru” date is printed on every card, and the card is supposed to be active until then. In some cases, however, a card may become inactive if you haven’t used it for many months, or when no payment on the credit has been made in a while. These scenarios may occur unintentionally, and you may not even realize that your card has become inactive.

Let’s look at some ways that allow you to check your credit card status. 

Contact customer service support

The simplest, yet effective way is to reach out to the customer service department of your bank and ask for the status of your credit card. If you need to identify the card’s issuing bank, use a BIN Checker, and then reach out to the customer service department. If the bank says that the card is inactive, you can submit request to reactivate the card. 

Use and check

Another way to find out the status of your credit card is to try to pay with it. If the card is inactive, the transaction would be declined and you would get a message about that. But if the card is accepted, then it means that the card is active. In this case, however, you would not always know the remaining card limit, so you may still need to call the customer service, or check the card report online.

Look at your credit report

Most bank card issuers provide monthly or quarterly transaction reports. The reports are usually available online, and to find out the status of your card account you just need to study the most recent report. The report allows you to see the credit card transactions for the given period, as well as the remaining balance.

Card Inactive: What To Do?

If you find out that your card is inactive, you may be able to activate it again in order to make it usable. To do this, call the issuing bank and let them know that you want your card to be reactivated. In case there is an unpaid amount due, you would need to pay it in full before the card becomes usable again.  

Many card management systems have a feature that allows making payments on the credit automatically. If you are a person that forgets or misses payment schedules, you can take advantage of that feature, and then the due amount would be paid automatically. Note, that missing payments can lower the credit score, and also make you pay extra fees as delayed charges. 

Make sure to keep this information in mind and share it with your friends and family.