Bank of America Credit Cards

You can easily check if Bank of America will pre-qualify you for a credit card online. All you have to do is provide your name, birth date and Social Security number, and Bank of America’s pre-qualify tool will show you any BofA credit cards for which you have good approval odds. You might also receive a pre-qualified offer in the mail, which will only be for a single card.

Pre-qualification doesn’t guarantee you approval. But pre-qualified applicants end up being approved in the vast majority of cases. Pre-qualification doesn’t affect your credit at all since it uses a soft inquiry. But if you want to apply for a card, Bank of America will do a hard inquiry, which will cause a temporary score dip. This decrease is easily fixed with a few months of responsible card use, though. If you’d like to check for pre-qualification, you can do it in minutes.

If you already have a Bank of America account, all you have to do is log in on the pre-qualification page and you’ll be able to see your offers right away without inputting any extra information. If you don’t have an account, you just need to follow five simple steps.

Here’s how to get Bank of America to pre-qualify you for a credit card:

1. Go to Bank of America’s pre-qualification page. 
2. Click “Continue without signing in.”
3. Enter your full name, birth date and the last four digits of your Social Security Number. Click “Continue.”
4. Enter your address and select what type of credit card you’re interested in (you can also select that you don’t have a preference). 
5. Click “Show me my offers.”

You’ll now be able to see any cards that Bank of America thinks you’d be a good candidate for. If you got a pre-qualification letter in the mail, you can either fill out the enclosed application, or use the special code provided when you apply online to flag your application as pre-qualified.

The benefits of Bank of America credit cards include several types of travel insurance, purchase protection, and up to $200 in travel credits. These benefits are mostly found on the top-tier Bank of America credit cards, though many more Bank of America credit cards have contactless chip technology and zero liability fraud protection. To know which perks are included on a specific card, you’ll need to call customer service at 1-800-732-9197 or check the Bank of America website.

Bank of America Credit Card Benefits

• Purchase protection
• Up to $200 in travel credits
• Contactless chip technology
• Zero liability fraud protection
• Trip delay reimbursement
• Trip cancellation / interruption insurance
• Baggage delay insurance
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Return protection
• Extended warranty

In addition to having some or all of these card perks, it’s important to remember that many Bank of America credit cards also give rewards. Rewards aren’t generally considered card benefits, but having a credit card that earns great rewards can be a big asset to cardholders. As long as you use your card responsibly and maximize the various benefits that Bank of America offers, you should come out well ahead of any annual fees that Bank of America cards may charge.

Bank of America rental car insurance is a complimentary benefit that comes with all Bank of America credit cards. The coverage is actually provided by Visa and Mastercard, depending on which network your BofA card is on. The specifics vary by card network, too, but you’re generally covered against damage and theft up to a rental vehicle’s cash value.

Not all situations are covered by Bank of America rental car insurance. Certain types of vehicles are excluded, and there are restrictions on the length of the rental period as well as eligible countries. You can find all the specifics in your card’s benefits guide.

Here’s how Bank of America credit card rental car insurance works:

• Eligible cards: All Bank of America credit cards.
• Coverage period: 31 or fewer consecutive rental days for Visa. 15 for Mastercard.
• Coverage amount: Up to the cash value of most vehicles for Visa. Up to cash value of vehicles worth $50,000 or less for Mastercard.
• Covered situations: Damage to and theft of rental cars, loss of use charges, and towing charges.
• Non-covered situations: Driving while intoxicated, driving off road, damage/theft of personal items, general wear and tear/deterioration, and more.
• Non-covered places: Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Israel and Jamaica.
• Non-covered vehicles: Exotic/antique cars, large vans, vehicles with open cargo beds, trucks, motorcycles and more.

• Other requirements: Must decline the rental agency’s insurance offer.

Bank of America credit card rental car insurance is secondary to other insurance you have. So if you have a personal auto insurance plan that covers rental cars, you need to get reimbursed through that first. Then, Bank of America may give you more money after you show them what you got from the first source.

The Bank of America foreign transaction fee is 3% or 0% of all international transactions, depending on the BofA card. There are 9 Bank of America credit cards with no foreign transaction fees, including the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card and the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card.

Those no foreign fee BofA cards clearly are a better choice for international spending than the ones with a 3% surcharge for everything you buy abroad. That’s actually one of the highest foreign fees on the market. So international shoppers need to be careful when picking a Bank of America credit card and perhaps consider cards from other issuers too.

• Some Bank of America credit cards have a 3% foreign transaction fee.
• Other Bank of America credit cards have no foreign transaction fee.
• Foreign transaction fees can apply when you travel abroad or make online purchases from foreign merchants.

At 3%, the Bank of America foreign transaction fee is too steep for anyone planning to make international purchases. But the cards that charge it are meant more for everyday spending than travel. The good news is there are a handful of foreign fee-less alternatives.

1. Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card: Biggest Bonus
2. Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card: No Annual Fee
3. Alaska Airlines Credit Card: Best Airline Rewards
4. Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students: Best Student Card

Plus, more and more cards from other issuers are shedding their foreign fees. So you can shop around for the best deal.

The best Bank of America balance transfer offer is 0% for 18 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days after getting the BankAmericard credit card and paying a balance transfer fee of 3% (min $10). There is no annual fee.

Bank of America balance transfers work with several types of debt, including balances from credit cards, auto loans, student loans, mortgages, and more. You just can’t transfer debt between BofA products.

Best Bank of America Balance Transfer Offers

• BankAmericard® credit card: Intro APR of 0% for 18 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. 3% (min $10) balance transfer fee.
• Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card: Intro APR of 0% for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. 3% (min $10) balance transfer fee.
• Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card for Students: Intro APR of 0% for 15 months on balance transfers made within 60 days of account opening. 3% (min $10) balance transfer fee.
• Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card: Intro APR of 0% for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. 3% (min $10) balance transfer fee.
• Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students: 0% for 15 months intro APR on balance transfers made within 60 days of account opening. 3% (min $10) balance transfer fee.
• BankAmericard® Credit Card for Students: Intro APR of 0% for 18 months on balance transfers made within 60 days of account opening. 3% (min $10) balance transfer fee.

Balance transfers take at least 14 days to complete. Initiate your transfer as soon as possible because the intro APR period starts as soon as you open your account. When the intro period ends, any remaining balance will accrue interest at the card’s regular APR.

Keep in mind that you will need good or excellent credit to qualify for most of these cards, and you need to be a student to get the limited version.

To cancel a Bank of America credit card, call the bank at 800-732-9194 and enter your account number, Social Security number or telephone access ID when prompted. Then choose the option to speak to a customer service representative and tell the representative that you want to close your account. The representative may try to keep you as a customer by offering some kind of retention offer (such as a special bonus), but you can decline and have them close the account anyway.

Another way to close your Bank of America credit card account is to visit a branch location in person. Or you can send a written request with your credit card number to: Bank of America / P.O. Box 982234 / El Paso, TX 79998-2234.

Keep in mind that canceling your Bank of America credit card may lead to a drop in your credit score, especially if it’s an old account. You can see how closing the card is likely to impact your score using WalletHub’s free credit score simulator.

There is only one Merrill business card, the Merrill Business Credit Card. This card offers 1 point per $1 spent on all purchases. Points are worth 1.5 cents each. When you’ve earned a minimum of 3,000 points, you’ll be eligible to receive rewards in the form of a check or a direct deposit into an eligible Bank of America or Merrill Edge account. The card’s annual fee is: $0.

The Merrill Business Credit Card stacks up favorably against other BofA business cards in some categories. However, it lags far behind on others. It requires excellent credit in order to be approved, the same as all other Bank of America business credit cards. But there’s no initial bonus or low introductory APR, and it offers far less in rewards.

One good alternative is the Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® Credit Card, which offers 3 points / $1 spent on travel booked through the Bank of America Travel Center and 1.5 points / $1 on all other purchases. There’s also a bonus of 30,000 points when you spend $3,000 in the first 90 days. Similarly, the Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card gives 1 - 3% cash back on select purchases and has a $300 bonus for spending $3,000 in the first 90 days.

To get a Bank of America credit card without an SSN, go to a Bank of America branch to apply in person or call 800-932-2775. Applicants with no Social Security number cannot apply for a BofA credit card account online, and they must have an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number when applying in person or by phone. In addition, the only cards you’ll be able to apply for without an SSN are the Bank of America Cash Rewards and Travel Rewards cards.

You’ll need to fulfill Bank of America’s normal eligibility requirements to be approved for a credit card, too. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and must agree to a hard credit pull on their credit report. During the application process, you’ll also be asked for your annual income, source of income, and date of birth. If you’re opening the account in person, you’ll have to bring two forms of ID as well, such as a passport and a driver’s license.

Yes, Bank of America does have credit cards with no annual fee. The best Bank of America credit card with a $0 annual fee is the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card, which offers 1.5 points per $1 on purchases and an intro bonus of 25,000 points for spending $1,000 in the first 90 days.

Best Bank of America Credit Cards With No Annual Fee

• Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
• Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
• BankAmericard® credit card
• Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students
• Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students

A Bank of America card with a $0 annual fee will save you around $21 each year, compared to the average credit card offer. You shouldn’t completely rule out cards with annual fees, however. If you use enough perks and make enough purchases on a rewards card with an annual fee, the rewards can more than make up for the cost of having the card.

For more $0 annual fee credit card suggestions, try WalletHub’s CardAdvisor tool or create a WalletHub account to get free, personalized credit card recommendations.

You can check your Bank of America credit card status online. Unfortunately, there is no Bank of America credit card status phone number. But if you have trouble checking online, you could try to call customer service at (800) 732-9194.

In order to see whether your application is approved, denied or still pending, you’ll need to give some basic personal information like your zip code and the last four digits of your Social Security number. This ensures that Bank of America can match you to your application. You can check your application status as often as you like, as it’s free and quick.

1. Go to Bank of America’s application status page.
2. Enter your last name, date of birth, last four digits of your Social Security number and zip code.
3. Click “Submit.”

You’ll now be able to see any applications you’ve submitted and whether they have been approved or denied yet. If your application is still pending, don’t worry. It may take up to 30 days from when you submitted your application to receive a decision. If you are approved, you can expect your card in 7-10 business days. But if you’re denied and think you can justify why you should be approved, you can call customer service and ask for reconsideration.