 TITLE: What Happens to Your Old Credit Card After a Balance Transfer? CONTENT: What to Do After You Make a Balance Transfer\n--------------------------------------------\nOnce you've committed to transferring your balance, don't close the old account just yet. Keep making the minimum payment on the old account until both your old account and new account show that the transfer is complete. This ensures you don't accidentally miss any payments and hurt your credit score or incur any fees. You can monitor your credit score for free through Experian to see how the process affects your credit and to keep up on the information on your credit report going forward.\nAfter the balance transfer is complete, and assuming you were able to pay off the entire balance on the old card, you'll need to decide what to do with it. If you decide to keep the card open, consider putting a small recurring payment on the account, such as a membership or streaming service, to keep it active—and then put the card away in a drawer to avoid running up a new balance and defeating the purpose of the balance transfer.\nNo matter which balance transfer card you end up with, make sure you pay off the transferred debt during the introductory period. This will ensure faster progress on debt repayment and help make the effort and fees of a balance transfer worth your while. END