Wrapping up end-of-life matters for loved ones and ourselves involves closing financial accounts, old credit cards, and investment accounts.
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To avoid fees you’re not even aware of or risk getting your account hacked into and taken over, it’s always best to close it down. Whether you’re performing these duties as a loved one’s executor or you’re tidying up your own affairs, it can feel overwhelming when you have multiple accounts to close.
As long as you know the steps to take to close a Green Dot account, the process should be fairly simple and straightforward.
Tip: The other aspects of handling a loved one's unfinished business can be overwhelming without a way to organize your process. We have a post-loss checklist that will help you ensure that your loved one's family, estate, and other affairs are taken care of.
How to Close a Deceased Loved One’s Green Dot Account
Canceling credit cards after a death is just as important as liquidating and closing out other financial holdings. Cleaning up a person’s digital afterlife might take time, but in the end, it’s worth it. If you need to close a Green Dot account, here are your steps.
Contact customer service
Green Dot’s customer service is notorious for being hard to reach. In order to speak to someone on the phone, you must have one of two things — either your loved one’s account number or Social Security number. If you have neither at the time of your call, you won’t be able to access live support.
When you do get a hold of a live support representative, you can make sure you have all the up-to-date information regarding the required paperwork needed to close an account.
Check your loved one’s files
In order to close your loved one’s Green Dot account, you will need your loved one’s account information, including card numbers for each card they have with Green Dot. If you’re having trouble finding it, check areas like the password manager, a filing cabinet, a home safe, or another storage area with important papers.
If this still doesn’t work, you may be able to close the account by providing Green Dot with your loved one’s Social Security number instead.
Collect paperwork
To close your loved one’s account as an executor, you’ll need several pieces of paperwork, including your loved one’s death certificate and proof of your role as the estate’s executor.
Death certificate
All official business you need to conduct for your loved one’s estate requires proof of his or her death. This proof comes in the form of certified death certificates. You can obtain these documents by contacting the state’s Office of Vital Statistics where your loved one died.
You can obtain either a certified or informal death certificate. You use informal copies for informational purposes; certified copies for official business such as transferring or liquidating assets or closing out financial accounts.
Most states charge around $10 per certified copy. As an executor, you can get this fee reimbursed from your loved one’s estate. If you’re just beginning the process, it’s a good idea to have anywhere from six to 10 certified copies on hand, as each financial institution requires its own for record-keeping.
Executorship documents
Executorship documents prove that you have the right as your loved one’s executor to close accounts, liquidate assets, distribute funds, and carry out other executor duties. Proof of your right to act as executor can come in several ways including:
- Letter of testamentary
- Letter of administration
- Personal representative document
- Certified executor document
Green Dot prefers the final option — a certified executor document.
If your loved one’s estate is small enough, it might qualify for a small estate affidavit. If so, you can obtain the affidavit which names you as the estate’s representative and distributor. This document is equivalent to the certified executor document.
Executor’s proof of identity
To provide proof that you are the executor, you’ll need a copy of a valid, current, state, or government-issued ID such as a:
- Driver’s license
- U.S. passport
- U.S. military identification
- Permanent residence card
If you have another form of ID you wish to provide, contact customer service before sending in your documents to make sure the ID is valid and acceptable by Green Dot.
Write a letter of instruction
All financial institutions will want you to provide a letter of instruction. In this letter you include the following:
- Your loved one’s full name
- Your loved one’s account numbers for each of their credit or debit cards
- Instructions regarding any remaining funds in their accounts
- An address to send remaining funds
This letter should be signed by you, the executor, and notarized.
Mail all documents
You’ll need to mail all collected documents in a single packet for Green Dot to verify. This allows them to look up account information, liquidate any money in the accounts, and close the accounts.
Mail your packet with a tracking number so you can be sure it reaches the proper destination. Once you’ve seen that Green Dot has received the packet, wait around two weeks before receiving a notice of final closure.
Follow up with customer service
If two weeks have gone by and you haven’t received a notice of closure from Green Dot, call customer service and follow up. A representative should be able to tell you the status of account closure.
How to Close Your Own Green Dot Account
Closing your own accounts is far simpler than closing someone’s account for them. If you want to take this off of your loved one’s to-do list when you pass away, closing these accounts will only take a few minutes of your time.
Pay off your balance
If you’re canceling a Green Dot credit card, start by making sure any balances are paid off in full. This action will ensure no fees are charged to you for non-payment and your credit score will remain intact.
Contact customer service
To close your Green Dot account, you’ll need to contact the company directly. By calling their customer service line, you’ll access an automated system. This system will direct you through several questions before closing your card.
Enter your account information
Once on the automated system or when speaking directly with a representative, you’ll first need to provide your account information. This is the 16-digit card number attached to the card you want to cancel.
Next, state the reason you’re calling. Once the system or the representative confirms that you want to cancel your card, they’ll ask a few follow-up questions. The representative might ask you why you’re closing your account or if there was anything the company could do better. These questions are for informational purposes only and have no impact on closing out your account.
Confirm account closure
If you’re speaking with a customer service representative, that person will provide you with a confirmation number for your account closure. Write this down and hold onto it. The automated system should also provide you with a confirmation number. If you didn’t get a confirmation number, call customer service and confirm closure with a representative.
Update personal records
To ensure no mixups occur later on, update your personal records to accurately reflect your account closures. Make a note of each closure with the corresponding confirmation numbers for your records. When the time comes, your executor will know which accounts require attention and which are already closed.
Take Charge of Accounts
Whether you’re an executor of an estate or you want to tidy up your affairs, closing credit cards is an excellent place to start. Though it may be somewhat tedious, as long as you submit the right documents, you’ll cross off these items in no time.
Sources:
- “Resolving Transaction Issues.” Help, Green Dot, 2021. greendot.com/help/card-help
- Green Dot Chat Support Ticket, December 10, 2020.