Card Locks: What They Are And How They Work

Images by Getty Images; Illustration by Bankrate

You can lock your credit card any time to prevent new charges, which is helpful if you’ve misplaced your card, want to avoid impulse spending or limit access for others. Luckily, locked cards still allow recurring payments, such as subscription payments or scheduled bill payments, to go through without any interruption.

Most credit card issuers let you manage locks easily through your online account or mobile app.

What does locking your card do?

Locking your credit card temporarily disables new transactions without canceling the card entirely. When your card is locked, new purchases, cash advances and balance transfers are typically declined, but recurring charges like subscriptions or scheduled bill payments will still go through.

What transactions are allowed while locked?

Recurring charges that have already been set up will continue to process per usual, such as:

• Utility bills
• Monthly subscriptions, such as streaming services, gym memberships, magazines or cable TV
• Any other automatic payments already in place

These types of charges often have an indicator set up by the merchant that signals the charge is recurring and will likely happen again. If you have monthly payments already set in place, they will likely not be affected when you lock your credit card.

Reasons to lock your credit card

1. You accidentally misplaced your credit card. Consider locking your card if you think you’ll be able to find your credit card in a day or two. In some cases, you should deal with a lost credit card by contacting your credit issuer and requesting a replacement. A card lock can protect your account until you decide whether your credit card is gone for good.
2. You want to protect your credit card account from fraud. If you have reason to suspect that your credit card number has been compromised, a card lock is one way to keep third parties from making purchases on your account — though you’ll probably also want to contact your issuer to report credit card fraud and request a new card.
3. You want to prevent yourself from making new purchases on the card. If you’re trying to curb impulse shopping or stay out of credit card debt, locking your credit card can help you refrain from making purchases you might later regret.
4. You still want to keep an old credit card account active. Closing an old credit card can hurt your credit score, so consider putting one or two subscriptions on the card, setting up auto-pay to ensure that you don’t fall behind on your payments and locking your card to prevent yourself (or anyone else) from making new purchases on the account.

Credit card issuers that offer card locks

Most credit card issuers offer some type of card lock or credit card freeze. Here’s how to get a card lock or set up a credit card freeze with some of the biggest credit card issuers:

• American Express
  

  You can freeze or unfreeze your American Express card via your online account or the Amex app. While frozen, new purchases are blocked, but recurring charges and digital wallet transactions still go through.

  Stored payment info may also work at some online retailers. If not manually unfrozen, Amex will automatically unfreeze the card after seven days.

  

• Bank of America
  

  Bank of America allows you to lock and unlock debit cards, but does not offer the same feature for credit card accounts. If you want to lock or unlock a Bank of America debit card, log into your online account or use the Mobile Banking app.

  Locking your debit card will prevent new purchases, but recurring transactions and scheduled bill payments will still go through.

• Capital One
  

  Capital One’s card lock feature can be accessed through the Capital One app. Locking your credit card prevents new purchases, and you can unlock your card when you are ready to start using it again.

  

• Chase
  

  You can easily lock and unlock your Chase credit card or debit card through the Chase Mobile app. Locking your card prevents new purchases, cash advances and balance transfers. Recurring transactions will still go through, and you can still make purchases through a digital wallet.

  

• Citi
  

  Use Citi Quick Lock in the Citi app or in your online account to lock and unlock your Citi credit cards. New charges will be blocked, but recurring transactions will continue to process as usual.

• Discover
  

  Setting up a credit card freeze with Discover prevents new purchases, balance transfers and cash advances. Recurring transactions, such as subscriptions, will still occur even while your card is frozen.

  You can easily freeze your account online, through the Discover app or over the phone, and you can freeze and unfreeze your account as often as you like.

• Wells Fargo
  

  You can temporarily turn off your Wells Fargo credit card account by logging in to online or mobile banking. When your credit card is turned off, most types of new transactions will not be processed — but previously authorized recurring transactions will process as usual.

The bottom line

Locking your credit card blocks new purchases, helping you protect your account, avoid impulse spending or stay on budget. However, it doesn’t stop recurring charges like subscriptions or monthly bills. You can easily set or remove a lock through your issuer’s website or mobile app.