Close your Old Navy credit card a day early and every point you earned is gone the instant the account shuts — no grace period, no refund. And because the Old Navy card carries no annual fee, there’s almost never a real deadline to race against. Before you make a call you can’t undo, read this.
⚡ The short version: Points die with the account. There’s a 14-day posting window that traps people. And with no annual fee, you probably shouldn’t close it at all.
Why Closing Too Early Costs You
Points on the Old Navy Navyist Rewards card don’t get mailed to you at closure. They live inside the account, and when the account dies, they die with it. There’s no 30-day window to spend them down — the moment Barclays marks the card closed, your balance reads zero.
The hidden trap is the 14-day posting window. Points from a purchase don’t appear instantly; they sit as “pending” for up to 14 days before they become available. Shop in the last two weeks, close before those points post, and they vanish — you spent the money and got nothing back.
Three timing mistakes burn people:
- Pending points under 14 days old — the #1 reason readers lose rewards. Wait until recent purchases fully post.
- Open offers or bonus multipliers — any “spend $X, get bonus points” promo dies with the account mid-cycle.
- Statement-cut timing — closing right before your statement posts can leave earned rewards unposted.
⚠️ The fix: Stop using the card, let every recent purchase sit for at least two full weeks, confirm your points have posted, then act.
Before You Close: Redeem Everything First
Your points are only worth something while the account is alive. There is no way to cash them out, transfer them to another person, or convert them to a statement credit after closure — so redeem them first.
Check your balance by logging into your Navyist Rewards account or the Gap Inc. app. Points are issued as rewards you apply at checkout across Gap Inc. brands — Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta, in-store or online. Higher-tier members can also use them at the Encore Market.
What you cannot do:
- No cash redemption — points are store value only.
- No transfer to another account or person.
- No “bank it for later” after the account closes.
Spend them down to zero before you place that call. A $20 reward left behind is $20 you simply gave away.
How to Close the Old Navy Card (Step-by-Step)
The Old Navy card is issued by Barclays, not by Gap directly, so you close it by calling Barclays — not Old Navy customer service.
STEP 1 — Redeem all points
Apply every reward at checkout across a Gap Inc. brand.
STEP 2 — Pay the balance to $0
You can’t close a card with a balance. Wait for the payment to clear.
STEP 3 — Move your auto-pays
Any subscription billing this card will fail after closure — switch them to another card first.
STEP 4 — Call Barclays at 1-866-386-8679
Tell the agent you want to close the account. Have your card number ready.
STEP 5 — Ask for written confirmation
Request an email or letter confirming the account is closed with a $0 balance. Keep it — this is your proof if it ever reappears on your credit report.
Expect the closure to show on your credit report within 30 to 45 days.
No-Annual-Fee Store Cards: What You Lose at Closure
Not all store cards treat closure the same. Here’s how the Old Navy card stacks up against other popular no-fee store cards — specifically, what you forfeit the moment you close.
Checked: June 2026, from each issuer’s own site.
The pattern: cards that give an instant discount (Target REDcard) cost you nothing at closure, while cards that accumulate points or certificates (Old Navy, TJX, Kohl’s) punish you if you close before cashing in. Old Navy sits squarely in the “redeem first or lose it” camp.
Should You Even Close It?
Here’s the honest answer most pages skip: probably not.
With no annual fee, an open-but-dormant card costs you nothing to keep. Closing it, though, can actively hurt your credit score in two ways:
- Higher utilization. Closing a card removes its credit limit from your total available credit. If you carry balances elsewhere, your utilization ratio jumps overnight — and utilization accounts for roughly 30% of your FICO score.
- Shorter average account age. Closing an older card trims your credit history length, especially once the account eventually drops off your report.
💡 Two credit-score hits for zero financial benefit. For most people, the smarter move is to stop using the card, cut it up if temptation is the issue, and leave the account open. A single small recurring charge on autopay will keep it active.
Want to watch how any of this affects your numbers? A free tool like Credit Karma lets you track utilization and score changes without paying for monitoring. The only real reasons to close are a high APR you keep carrying a balance on, or a genuine inability to trust yourself not to spend.
This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
If overspending is the concern, you might also consider freeze the card in your wallet app rather than closing it outright.
FAQ
Will my pending points be safe if I close the card?
No. Pending points from purchases under 14 days old are forfeited at closure. Wait until every recent purchase fully posts before you close.
Do Encore loyalty points and credit card rewards work the same way?
Not exactly. Your Navyist loyalty tier benefits are tied to the rewards program, while credit card point earning is tied to the card itself. Closing the card ends card-based earning, but you can keep a free Navyist Rewards (non-credit) membership.
How much will closing hurt my credit score?
It varies. The main hits are higher utilization and a shorter credit history. If you carry no other balances and have other older accounts, the impact is small. If this is your oldest card or you carry balances elsewhere, the hit can be more meaningful.
Can I still have a balance after I close the card?
No — you must pay the card to $0 before Barclays will close it. If a balance remains, you keep making payments and the account stays open until it’s cleared.
How long does closure take to show on my credit report?
Typically 30 to 45 days. Keep your written confirmation until it appears correctly as “closed, $0 balance.”
Is there any fee to close the Old Navy card?
No. There’s no closure fee and no annual fee — which is exactly why keeping it open and dormant usually makes more sense than closing it.
Bottom line: redeem every point, wait for pending rewards to post, and then ask yourself whether you actually need to close it at all — because with no annual fee, leaving it open and unused almost always beats the credit-score hit.