How Do You Deactivate or Cancel a Netspend Card?

To close your Netspend account, all you have to do is drain the balance. You can do this by withdrawing all funds from an ATM, requesting a check, or calling Netspend directly. The fees for each method vary.

Netspend was founded in 1999 and is a provider of prepaid debit cards for both personal and commercial customers. Those who use Netspend often don't have a traditional bank account or choose alternative financial services options. Consumers can load their debit cards with cash, link them up to bank accounts for transfers, or sign up for direct deposit for their paychecks, income tax refunds, or other benefits.

Prepaid debit cards like Netspend are considered by many to be a fast and reliable way to make whatever payments are required. Purchases can be made anywhere debit or credit transactions are allowed, and cards also can be used at automated teller machines (ATMs). Netspend also offers several other benefits, such as online account access and a payback rewards program.

Three Ways to Deactivate Your Netspend Card

Drain Your Balance at an ATM

The simplest way to cancel or close your prepaid debit card from Netspend is to withdraw all your funds from the account. This means visiting an ATM to do the transaction. But doing so won't be free.

Netspend charges users a domestic ATM cash withdrawal fee of $2.95. This does not include the additional ATM transaction fee, which averages between $2 and $5, depending on where you make the withdrawal. If you use an international ATM, there is a foreign transaction surcharge calculated at a rate of 4.00% of the U.S. dollar amount being withdrawn from foreign ATMs.

One issue with closing your account this way is that many ATMs dispense cash only in $20 denominations, while others offer $50 and $5 options. This may cause issues when you try to close out your balance completely, especially if you do not have the exact amount.

Request a Check

Another way to close or cancel your Netspend account is by requesting a check. Netspend estimates this process takes three or four weeks. But like the previous option, there is a fee. If you request a check, there is a $5.95 fee applied by Netspend against the remaining balance.

Netspend doesn't charge a check fee, though, if the account balance is less than $6.94 when you close the account. If your account balance is below $1, Netspend does not issue a refund check. In order to request a check for the balance of your account, you need to contact Netspend customer service at 1-866-387-7363 or by logging in to the online account center.

Call Netspend Directly

The third option to close your account is to call Netspend directly at 1-866-387-7363. This may be the fastest and most convenient option. One downside to calling the company to close your account is that you give Netspend the opportunity to try and offer incentives to keep your account open. You may continue on with the process to close it, or you may find the offer enticing enough to keep your account open just a little longer.

The Bottom Line

It is relatively easy to cancel a Netspend account. Simply by draining the account through purchases, ATM withdrawals, or requesting a check, the card will be worthless. To completely close an account, you can call customer service.