To cancel your Spirit Airlines credit card, call Bank of America at 800.732.9194 and ask to close the account. Bank of America still services existing Spirit card accounts even though Spirit Airlines has ceased flight operations and entered bankruptcy, so the card itself remains a normal Bank of America credit product. The call takes about 15 minutes once your balance is at zero. A few steps beforehand will protect your credit score and keep you from leaving money behind.
Why Cardholders Are Closing These Cards
Spirit Airlines shut down operations and entered bankruptcy in late 2024, and as of early 2026 the airline is still working through a deal with creditors. Free Spirit points cannot be redeemed for flights and have no outside redemption path. Spirit’s own website says “plans for the loyalty program will be determined at a later date through the bankruptcy process.” Realistically, the miles have little to no current value.
Bank of America has confirmed that existing Spirit cards still work for everyday purchases, but purchases no longer earn Free Spirit points. That leaves cardholders paying a $79 annual fee for a card whose reward program is frozen.
Before You Call
Pay off the balance first. Bank of America requires a zero balance before it will close the account, and their guidance is explicit: “Bring your account balance to zero — this is an important step.” Make the payment several days ahead so it has time to post. A negative balance (the bank owing you) also has to be cleared before closure.
Move any recurring charges to a different card. Skim your last two or three statements for subscriptions, streaming services, insurance drafts, or anything else that hits the card automatically, and update the payment method with each merchant. A failed charge after closure can mean a late fee on the subscription and a service interruption.
Have your 16-digit card number and personal identifiers ready. The representative will ask for details like your date of birth or Social Security number to verify identity.
Accept that your Free Spirit miles are effectively gone. Because Spirit is not flying and the loyalty program is frozen, the miles have no current redemption value, and keeping the card open does not preserve them. If Spirit emerges from bankruptcy and revives the program, your balance may or may not survive that process. There is no guarantee either way.
Canceling by Phone
Call Bank of America credit card customer service at 800.732.9194. The line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Expect to be transferred to a retention specialist before the account is actually closed. That agent’s job is to keep you as a customer, so you may be offered a statement credit, a temporary annual fee waiver, or a switch to a different card. You are not required to accept any of it, and the agent cannot refuse to close the account. Under the Truth in Lending Act, closing a credit card cannot be treated as a default, cannot trigger a demand for immediate full repayment, and cannot result in penalty fees.
Before you hang up, ask the representative to confirm that the account will be reported to the credit bureaus as “closed at consumer’s request.” That wording distinguishes a voluntary closure from an issuer-initiated shutdown, which future lenders read differently. Write down the representative’s name, the date, and any confirmation number.
Canceling by Mail
If you want a paper trail, send a written request to:
Bank of America
PO Box 672050
Dallas, TX 75267-2050
Include your full name, account number, and a clear statement that you are requesting closure of the account and that the closure be reported as initiated by you. Send it certified with return receipt so you have proof of delivery. Mail is slower than a phone call because of transit and processing time, so following up by phone a week or two later is a reasonable precaution.
Consider a Product Change Instead
If the annual fee is the reason you want out, a product change may serve you better than an outright closure. Bank of America lets cardholders convert an existing account to a different Bank of America credit card. The account number and credit history carry over; only the card product changes. Common no-annual-fee options include the Customized Cash Rewards card and the Unlimited Cash Rewards card.
Call the same number, 800.732.9194, and ask to convert your Spirit card to a no-annual-fee product. If the first representative says it cannot be done, call back and try again. Some cardholders report that mentioning you otherwise plan to cancel gets you routed to a specialist with more flexibility.
A product change eliminates the annual fee, preserves your credit line, and keeps the account’s age on your report. You lose nothing of value since the Spirit rewards program is frozen anyway.
How Closing the Card Affects Your Credit
Closing any credit card can pull your score down in two ways.
Your credit utilization ratio can rise. Utilization measures how much of your available revolving credit you are using. Closing a card drops your total available credit while balances on other cards stay put, which pushes the ratio up. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau notes that “closing an existing card can increase your credit utilization ratio and lower your score.” If your other cards have high limits and low balances, the effect is small. If you carry balances, the hit can be noticeable.
Your average account age may shrink over time. If the Spirit card is one of your older accounts, closing it eventually pulls that average down. A closed account in good standing still appears on your credit report for up to ten years, so the drop is not immediate, but it does arrive.
For someone with several other cards, a strong payment history, and low utilization, closing the Spirit card will not cause serious damage. For someone with only two or three cards and balances on the others, running the utilization numbers before you call is worth the few minutes.
After You Cancel
Bank of America sends an email when the account is officially closed and mails a final statement afterward. That statement should show a zero balance. If it does not, call immediately about any charges that posted during the closing window.
Watch for a credit balance refund. If you overpaid or a merchant refund posted after closure, Bank of America owes you that money and typically mails a check to the address on file. The check can take several weeks. Confirm your mailing address is current before you close the account, and follow up by phone if it does not arrive.
Pull your credit report 30 to 60 days later from any of the three national bureaus. Confirm the Spirit account shows as closed at your request. If it shows the issuer closed the account, dispute the entry with the bureau. The account itself will remain on your report: negative information drops off after seven years, and accounts closed in good standing can stay visible for up to ten years.
Once the closure is confirmed on your report, destroy the physical card, remove it from any digital wallets, and keep the final statement and any written confirmation with your records.