How do I check my Wells Fargo Active Cash balance?

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card credit score requirement is 700 or better. That means people with good credit or better have a shot at getting approved for the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card.

You should note that while your credit score is an important factor, there are plenty of other things that will impact your chances of being approved for the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card, too. Some other key criteria include your income, existing debt load, number of open accounts, recent credit inquiries, employment status and housing status.… read full answer

If you excel in other areas, you might be able to get approved with a slightly lower credit score in some cases. But it’s best to wait to apply until you meet the Wells Fargo Active Cash credit score requirement. You can check your credit score for free on WalletHub.

Wells Fargo cash advances usually cost $10 or 5% of the amount of the withdrawn amount, whichever is greater. This cash advance fee applied every time you get a cash advance using your credit card. Wells Fargo’s cash advance APR is currently between 24.24% and 26.24%, depending on the card you have.… read full answer

Given the high costs, you should avoid cash advances. But it’s still worth knowing how to perform such a transaction and how much it will cost should you need to get one in an emergency. And the first step in being able to do a Wells Fargo cash advance is requesting a PIN from customer service.

Here’s how to get a Wells Fargo cash advance:

To get a Wells Fargo cash advance PIN, call customer service at (800) 642-4720. After that, you’ll be able to take out up to $500 in cash per day from your line of credit, up to your cash advance limit.

If you have a Wells Fargo checking account, you can link it to your credit card as overdraft protection. If your bank account balance dips below zero, you’ll get a cash advance from your credit card to cover transactions. But this isn’t a great option. You’ll pay no fee for advances of $5 or less, but you will be charged a $35 fee for advances over $5. Plus, your card’s high cash advance APR applies right away.

Here’s how to minimize the Wells Fargo cash advances cost:

At the end of the day, a Wells Fargo cash advance costs too much in fees and interest to be a good option for convenient cash. But if you do one, make sure to repay your balance as soon as possible. Unlike purchases, cash advances do not come with any grace period. Interest starts accruing as soon as you make a withdrawal, so repaying your advance as soon as possible will save you money.

Closing a credit card with zero balance is not a good idea if that card has no annual fee. Any credit card you manage responsibly, even an unused one, reflects positively on your credit history. So closing such a card will have a negative impact on your credit standing. But it can be worth it if your card is costly or if you’re worried about falling victim to fraud while you’re not keeping a close eye on it.… read full answer

Here are the arguments against closing a credit card with zero balance:

1. Average account age suffers. This makes up at least 15% of your overall credit rating, so shortening it can hurt. Here’s a quick example: Imagine you have three credit card accounts, which have been open for 3 years, 5 years and 10 years, respectively. The average account age is 6 years. If you close the 10-year-old account, the age of your average account falls to 4 years. Older accounts are better for your score because a long track record of responsibility tells issuers you’re likely to behave the same way in the future.
2. Utilization increases. “Utilization,” or how much of your credit line you use, is important to your score. Creditors care about both your utilization on individual cards and your total utilization. Generally, the lower each is, the better. And closing an account with zero balance will increase your total utilization.Let’s say you have three credit cards, each with a $1,000 credit line. You use 0% of one and 25% of the other two. Overall, that’s 16.7% utilization. But if you cancel the unused card, it jumps to 25%. That’s troublesome because credit score damage typically worsens if your utilization rises above 30%, and you’d be close to that milestone.

So closing an account will be a blow to your credit. You can improve your score afterward by paying on time with your remaining account(s). But it’s usually best to just keep accounts open and avoid the damage entirely. There are a few exceptions, though.

Here’s when to close a credit card with zero balance:

• It has an expensive annual fee.
• You’re worried about fraud and won’t be monitoring the card as closely. All credit cards give you a $0 fraud liability guarantee, but you might not want to count on the issuer to flag every fraudulent charge on its own.
• Keeping it open becomes a hassle, for one reason or another.

By the way, in case you’re wondering, it is possible to close a credit card that has a balance. But you’ll still be responsible for paying and will continue to accrue interest until the balance is fully paid off, even after the account is closed. You just won’t be able to make any new purchases.

If you’d like to monitor how your credit changes after you’ve closed an account, you can track your credit report and score for free on WalletHub, the only site where reports and scores update daily.