To cancel a Sears credit card, call Citi Retail Services at 1-800-917-7700 or use the number printed on the back of the card. The call runs about 10 to 15 minutes. You can also submit a closure request through Citibank’s online account portal or by certified mail. A few steps before you call will keep the process clean and protect your credit score.
Confirm Which Sears Card You Have
The original Sears Card, Sears Charge PLUS, and Sears Home Improvement accounts are still serviced by Citi Retail Services, and all three close through the same Citibank process.
Two other products are easy to mistake for a Sears card and don’t close the same way. The Shop Your Way Mastercard, the Citi-Sears partnership card launched in 2017, was discontinued in 2025. If you held one, Citi automatically moved the account to a Citi ThankYou Mastercard, so you’re now canceling a Citi product through Citi’s general credit card line, not through Retail Services. The Shop Your Way 5321 Visa issued by First Bank & Trust is a separate card entirely and has its own cancellation process.
What to Do Before You Call
Pay the Balance Down
Citibank will close the account even if you still owe money, but interest keeps running at the card’s variable APR (currently around 33%) and statements keep arriving until the debt is cleared. Paying it off first is the cheaper path. Wait for any pending charges to post before you request closure, because a transaction that clears after the account closes can reappear and create billing problems that take extra calls to fix.
Redeem Your Rewards
Shop Your Way points attached to the credit card are forfeited when the account closes. Check your balance and redeem what you have at shopyourway.com or by calling Shop Your Way at (847) 766-0361 before you cancel.
Move Your Recurring Payments
Scan your recent statements for anything on autopay: streaming, insurance, utilities, gym memberships, subscriptions. Switch each one to a different card or bank account. A missed autopay against a closed account can mean a late fee from the merchant or a lapse in service.
Canceling by Phone
Calling is the fastest route and usually settles the closure in a single interaction. Dial 1-800-917-7700 for Sears Card accounts serviced by Citi Retail Services, or the number on the back of your card. Have the full 16-digit card number and the last four digits of your Social Security number ready for identity verification.
Tell the representative you want to close the account. Expect a retention pitch: a lower interest rate, a statement credit, or bonus rewards. Retention offers typically require keeping the account open for at least another year, and closing early can trigger a clawback of the bonus. If you’ve already decided, a polite refusal and a repeated request move things forward.
Before you hang up, ask the representative to confirm three things: that the account is closed, that it will be reported to the credit bureaus as “closed at consumer’s request,” and a reference number for the call. Write the number down. It is your proof if anything goes wrong later.
Canceling Online or by Mail
Through the Citibank Portal
Log into Citibank’s retail services portal and look for account services or the secure message center. You can send a written closure request through the messaging system, which creates a digital record of the request. Save the reference number the system generates. Not every card type offers a one-click close button, so the secure message is often the practical online option.
By Certified Mail
If you want a paper trail, send a closure letter to Citibank’s general correspondence address:
Citibank Customer Service
P.O. Box 6500
Sioux Falls, SD 57117
Include your full name, account number, and a clear statement that you want the account permanently closed. Send it certified with return receipt requested, which gives you dated proof Citibank received the request. Written confirmation can take a few weeks to come back.
Getting a Refund if You Have a Credit Balance
If the account carries a credit balance when you close it — from an overpayment or a reversed charge — federal law requires the issuer to refund it. Under Regulation Z, the creditor has to send the refund within seven business days of receiving your written request. If you never ask, the creditor still has to make a good-faith effort to return the money after six months.1eCFR. 12 CFR 1026.11 — Treatment of Credit Balances; Account Termination
Don’t assume the refund will happen automatically. Mention the credit balance during the cancellation call, or include a written refund request in your mailed letter.
How Closing the Card Affects Your Credit Score
Closing a credit card can nudge your score down for two reasons. The bigger one for most people is credit utilization. When the card closes, its credit limit disappears from your total available credit, and if you carry balances on other cards, your utilization percentage rises even though you haven’t borrowed anything new. Financial experts generally recommend keeping utilization below 30%. Run the math before you call; if closing the Sears card would push you over, pay down other balances first.
The second factor is the age of your credit history. A closed account in good standing stays on your credit report for up to 10 years, so any drag on your average account age shows up gradually rather than right away. For most cardholders the overall hit is modest and temporary, especially when utilization stays healthy.
Confirming the Account Shows Closed Correctly
After the written confirmation arrives, give it 30 to 60 days for the update to reach the credit bureaus, then pull your credit report. The Sears account should read “closed at consumer’s request” rather than “closed by creditor.” Future lenders treat a consumer-initiated closure as neutral; a creditor-initiated closure can raise questions.
If the report still shows the account open or lists the wrong closure reason, file a dispute with the bureau showing the error. You can dispute online with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, and the bureau has 30 days to investigate. The confirmation letter and your call reference number are the fastest way to get the record corrected.