Sometimes, but it is unusual. Most credit card hardship programs require closing the account to new charges as a condition of the reduced APR and lower minimum payment. The issuer's logic is that if you cannot afford the regular terms, allowing you to continue charging on the card creates more risk. A handful of issuers offer short-term payment deferrals that do not require account closure, but these are usually limited to 30-90 days.
Why issuers require account closure. A hardship program drops your APR from 22% to 6%-9% and reduces the minimum payment, often for 12 months. The issuer is taking on substantially more credit risk. Closing the card to new charges caps the issuer's exposure at the current balance and prevents the consumer from running up new debt at the reduced rate.
Programs that do not close the account. Some short-term hardship options preserve the open account: a one-time payment deferral (push due date out 30-60 days), a temporary minimum-payment reduction (lower minimum for 1-3 months), or a fee waiver. These are typically used for one-off events (a single missed paycheck, a medical event) rather than structural cash-flow problems.
Issuer-by-issuer behavior. Chase typically requires account closure for the full hardship program but offers short-term payment deferrals without closure. Capital One has a similar structure. Discover has been more flexible historically and sometimes preserves account access at a reduced credit limit. Amex hardship programs almost always close the account or substantially reduce the credit limit.
How to ask. When calling, specifically request: "What hardship programs do you offer that allow me to keep using the account? I am not looking to close the card permanently." The rep may offer a short-term payment deferral or a fee waiver as the no-closure option. If the rep insists that any hardship program closes the card, the next-best move is to evaluate whether you actually need to keep the card open.
Why you might not want to keep it open. Closing the card during hardship is often a feature, not a bug. The temptation to use the card is one of the main reasons hardship programs fail. A closed account with a structured payoff plan is more likely to actually pay off than an open account with reduced terms.
Credit-score impact of closure. Closing one card during hardship typically drops your score 10-30 points temporarily. The drop comes from reduced available credit (higher utilization on remaining cards) and the lost positive trade line eventually. The score recovers within 3-6 months as you pay down balances.
Alternative: ask for a permanent APR reduction without hardship label. If you are not actually in distress but want a lower rate, call and ask for a routine APR reduction. This does not require account closure, does not require disclosure of hardship, and typically yields a 2-5 percentage point reduction for 6-12 months. About 65% of cardholders who ask succeed.
If hardship is structural. If your cash flow problem is going to last more than a few months, a debt management plan through a nonprofit credit counselor consolidates all unsecured debt into one payment at 6%-9% APR. The DMP closes the cards (you cannot use them during the plan) but offers better terms than most issuer hardship programs and is designed for multi-year recovery rather than 6-12 month relief.