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Yes. Once you ask for closure and your balance is zero, the card issuer must close the card within seven working days. Every day after that, it owes you ₹500 until it does. It must accept the request by any channel it offers, including app, email or helpline, and cannot insist you post a letter. It must also confirm closure to you by SMS or email. A consumer commission recently upheld ₹3.21 lakh for a 642-day delay.
Yes. Once you ask for closure and your balance is zero, the card issuer must close the card within seven working days. Every day after that, it owes you ₹500 until it does. It must accept the request by any channel it offers, including app, email or helpline, and cannot insist you post a letter. It must also confirm closure to you by SMS or email. A consumer commission recently upheld ₹3.21 lakh for a 642-day delay.
Rahul clears his card, requests closure on the app, and keeps getting statements with annual fees for eight months. The issuer owes him ₹500 a day from day eight of the first request, roughly ₹1.2 lakh, plus reversal of every fee charged on a card he had closed.
The RBI Master Direction on Credit Card and Debit Card – Issuance and Conduct, 2022 (effective 1 July 2022) governs this.
Key points: closure within seven working days provided there is no outstanding; ₹500 per day of delay payable to the customer; multiple channels for requests; written confirmation of closure; a card unused for a year must be closed after a 30-day notice; no unsolicited cards or upgrades; OTP-based consent if a card is not activated within 30 days; EMI conversions must show the real interest and cannot be marketed as 'no-cost' if there is interest; and charges cannot change without 30 days' notice.
The same direction requires that any credit balance on closure is transferred to your bank account.
The date and reference number of your closure request, and the channel used That the outstanding was nil on that date (the clock runs only on a zero balance) Fees charged after the request date, for reversal Whether closure was confirmed in writing Your credit report after closure: the card should show as closed, not 'written off'
Requesting closure by phone with no reference number, then being unable to prove the date. Use a written channel. Also: closing your oldest card can slightly reduce your credit score; decide knowingly.
NRIs closing Indian cards from abroad often hit the 'visit the branch' wall. The direction forbids insisting on a channel that delays the request; email and app are sufficient.
Request 1 June (Monday). Seven working days ends 10 June. Closure 5 July. Delay: 25 calendar days × ₹500 = ₹12,500 payable to you, plus reversal of any fees in that period.
If there is any outstanding, including a disputed amount, the seven-day clock has not started. Clear or formally dispute first, then request closure.
Write to the issuer quoting the RBI Master Direction, with your request date, and claim ₹500 a day Escalate to the issuer's nodal officer if there is no response in 30 days RBI Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in
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RBI Master Direction – Credit Card and Debit Card – Issuance and Conduct Directions, 2022, paragraph on closure of credit cards · Your closure request record Last checked: 22 August 2026. Rates, limits and whether you may qualify change. Confirm with the official source before you act. Ask Kerala Rising: Use only general, non-identifying facts. Do not send bank, health, legal, property, identity, account, transaction, or loan documents, screenshots, numbers, OTPs, or passwords over WhatsApp.
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This page is general orientation, not personal insurance, investment, medical, legal, lending, tax, employment, or professional advice. Rules, rates, deadlines, and decisions can change. Confirm the current position with the named official source and use a licensed or qualified professional where your situation requires one. Kerala Rising does not decide whether you may qualify, approve claims, or promise an outcome.