If you have a discontinued credit card, think you are lucky – this is a rare item you may even brag about.
Issuers often suspend credit cards for a number of reasons. Sometimes an airline or hotel group switches a relationship from one bank to another, or merges its credit card portfolio with one or the other.
For example, starting in 2026, Citi will be the sole issuer of the Aadvantage Coprand Conbrand credit card, and Barclays has suspended its relationship, which goes back over a decade.
Sometimes, issuers simply stop the card or launch a new product to replace it.
Read our guide to see what happens when you stop a card and what to do if you want to keep a card like this open.
What happens when a credit card is discontinued?
Depending on the situation, something happens when the credit card stops.
You can continue to use it
This is when discontinued cards continue to work for existing cardholders. For example, Citi allows existing cardholders of CitiPrestige® cards to keep their accounts open and continue to use the card (as the card is closed for new applicants in mid-2021).
This is the best scenario – you can keep a valuable card without being forced to cancel it. Remember that issuers can make changes at any time.
Citi’s reputation C informationARD has been collected independently by Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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Related: What I’m looking forward to seeing in Citi’s upcoming premium credit card
You may be able to convert
You can change the disabled card to another card with the same issuer, but you can change which card has limitations.
Usually, you have to change to a card in the same card. Therefore, it is impossible for a card that earns the issuer’s transferable reward currency to be converted into a shared card of the same issuer.
For example, existing cardholders of discontinued Citi® /Aadvantage® Gold Elite™ MasterCard® can change their card to Citi® /Aadvantage® PlatinumSelect® World Elite MasterCard® (see Price and Fees) because both cards are in the family of Cobranded Aadvantage cards.
Citi aadvantage gold information Cards are collected independently by molecules. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
You may switch to a new card
If the bank discontinues production and replaces the card with a newer version, the issuer will automatically transition your card to the new card.
For example, as Barclays no longer issues Aadvantage cards since 2026, its cards will eventually be transferred to Citi when it becomes a newly issued card issuer such as Aadvantage® Aviator® RedWorld Elite MasterCard®.
Another recent example is the Citi Rewards +® Card. It closed new applicants, but a few weeks later, Citigroup launched the Citigroup ℠ card in its alternative way. Although some cardholders enjoy the benefits of Citi Reward+, such as rounding the dot to the nearest point 10, all cardholders will automatically convert to Citi-class cards that lack this cheering. In this case, the cast of Citi Reward+ can be seen as a negative development for many people.
Another example is the Starwood luxury luxury card, a fan favorite of American Express’s long-time fan. After the merger of Marriott and SPG in 2018, their cardholders were converted to Marriott Bonvoy Brillight® American Express® cards.
Information on Citi Rewards+, Citi Strata Card and Starwood Preferred Guest luxury cards has been independently collected by Point Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: 4 main considerations before upgrading your credit card
Consider these factors when deciding whether to keep the card open
If you have a credit card that no longer accepts new apps, you may be wondering if you need to keep the fee open. This is the main factor to consider.
Impact on your credit score
Your credit score is calculated based on five main components:
Closing a credit card may affect several of these components, including credit history, accounting for 15% of your credit score, and your credit utilization, accounting for 30% of your credit score. When you close a deactivated card, you lower the average age of all credit accounts, especially if the card you are closing is larger than a few years old, which can negatively affect your credit score.
Additionally, closing a credit card will increase your credit utilization. Credit utilization is the amount you owe to your total credit limit. Since all your accounts have less total credit after canceling your card, assuming your spending remains the same, your utilization will rise, thus lowering your credit score.
Ultimately, before continuing, you need to consider whether canceling the card will significantly lower your credit score.
Related: Is 30% credit card utilization a magic number?
Is the annual fee worth it?
The main consideration for any credit card is the annual fee. Ask yourself if the annual fee on the card that is worth termination and if you can continue to take advantage of its benefits.
However, if a credit card is terminated and replaced with a newer version, its benefits vary or an additional annual fee, it is worth considering that the annual fee is a reasonable fee.
Related: Complete Guide to Credit Cards Annual Fee
Convert to another card
On cards that have recently been discontinued, be aware of what the issuer plans for next. If the issuer plans to convert your card to a newer version, evaluate the benefits of a card intended to give you and compare it to an existing one.
The CitiPrestige® card has been discontinued for nearly four years and replacements are still waiting. So it makes sense for most existing prestige cardholders to keep the card open to continue to maximize their benefits and earning rates rather than closing their account directly.
If you are forced to change to a newer version of the card you are currently holding, then canceling the card may be worth it. The converted card usually does not meet the popular bonus. When converting cards, you may cancel the welcome bonus worth thousands or miles.
Please keep in mind the welcome bonus eligibility limits for new cards. These may include limiting bonuses to cardholders who previously received bonuses a few months ago.
Related: Complete Guide to Amex’s Millennium Limits
The benefits of not using
If a discontinued card comes with a time-sensitive revitalization, such as the annual free night certificate, check out the fine print in your Welfare Guide. Before canceling, make sure to use any benefits that require your card to be active and maintain a good reputation.
Again, if you get such benefits with a converted deactivation card, you may still be able to take advantage of it for a set time period after the discontinuation. But make sure to use it as soon as possible, or be prepared to lose it.
Benefits that other cards cannot obtain
The main reason for keeping a discontinued card open is to take advantage of other cards or privileges on newer versions of that card. For example, Citi’s reputation comes with a fourth night of cheering up, and Citi will pay for the fourth night of your stay in any hotel you book in the Citi Travel Portal (two uses are limited per year).
On its lower grade fee category (Citi StrataPremier ℠ Card (see Fees & Fees)), another benefit not found in its lower grade-fees is that an annual travel credit of up to $250 is good for any purchase code as a trip.
These two benefits alone justify keeping the Citi reputation card open.
Related: Complete Guide to Booking Citi’s Reputation Free Fourth Night Hotel Stay
Bottom line
If you have a discontinued card, weigh whether it is worth keeping or canceling. Think about how it shuts down it might affect your credit score and whether the earnings exceed the annual fee.
If the issuer converts the card to a new version, evaluate whether the new card is aligned with your spending habits and reward goals.
And if the card is not replaced, it may be worth keeping, especially if it offers a strong revenue rate or unique benefits that are not available elsewhere.
Related: Best Travel Credit Cards
