How To Pay Off Bank Of America Credit Card

First Choose Which Debt To Pay Off First

If you have multiple credit cards, loans or other debts, its important to look at a few factors when deciding which to pay off first. To save the most money in the long run, pay down the debt with the highest interest rate, or pay the debt that is closest to your credit max. Both of these options will help raise your credit score in addition to relieving some of your debt. If youre interested in learning more, check out our advice on Keeping Score.

How Much To Pay

Keep in mind that you may owe interest if you don’t pay your credit card bill in full every month. You can also face late fees if you don’t pay your bill on time and penalties if you pay less than your minimum required payment by the due date. Late or insufficient payments might also affect your credit report and score.

Make sure you understand all the factors involved when you decide how much, when and how to pay your bill.

Stay Well Below Your Credit Card Limit

Maxing out your credit cards is bad for your credit score, too. So how much should you really spend? A good rule of thumb is to only spend 30% of your available credit. This means that if you have several credit cards with a collective limit of $10,000, you should make a point to never have more than $3,000 in charges at a single point in time.

Learn more:Does Applying For a Credit Card Hurt Your Credit Score?

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See If You Can Get A Lower Interest Rate

If you cant pay more than the minimum on your card, see if you can find a balance transfer card that has a lower interest rate than the one youre currently paying, because a lower interest rate will help you pay less by the time its paid off. If you have several cards with high interest rates, a lower rate could even help you more than paying off your smallest balance first.

Drawbacks Of Bank Of America Unlimited Cash Rewards Card

One big drawback of the Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card is its lower rewards rate than many similar cards. For example, the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card offers 2% cash rewards with no annual fee, and it has a similar welcome bonus and introductory APR for purchases and balance transfers.

And while the higher rewards rate with the Bank of America Preferred Rewards program can boost your rewards significantly, it can be difficult to qualify for if you dont have a large cash reserve. Earning 25% more with this program requires an average daily balance of $20,000 in a Bank of America account, and youll have to keep $100,000 on deposit with the bank to earn the highest bonus rate of 75% more rewards. At the end of the day, these steep requirements make it so very few people will be able to take advantage.

Another downside of the Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card is its limited redemption options. Once you rack up cash back with this card, you can only redeem it for deposits into an eligible Bank of America account, credits to eligible Merrill accounts or statement credits on your account.

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How To Pay My Bank Of America Credit Card

There are a number of ways to make a Bank of America credit card payment. You can pay your credit card balance online through the bank’s website or app, call the Bank of America credit card customer service hotline for help, mail in a check or money order or stop by a branch. Choose a method that makes sense for you, taking into account how long it will take to receive the payment and any costs involved, including stamps and online data fees.

Tip

If you have a credit card from the bank, you can pay Bank of America online, over the phone, by postal mail or in a branch.

How Do I Activate My Debit Card

We make it easy to activate your card.

Online banking steps:

To get started, log into online banking and follow these steps:

U.S. Bank Mobile App steps:

For the best mobile banking experience, we recommend logging in or .

Additional information:

Your Personal Identification Number for your debit card arrives separately for your security. It can also be activated by making a deposit or withdrawal at any U.S. Bank ATM. If you’d like to call to activate your card. contact us at 800-236-3838.

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Is The Bank Of America Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card For You

Finding the balance between every users ideal credit card and every credit card offers ideal user can be tricky. Who is this card for? It appears it could be a great card for those who prioritize cash back, dont need fancy extras but might not yet qualify for or might not want more robust cards .

While the cards limits put a damper on its ability to compare well to competitors, its flexibility in category reward earning might be a promising feature for some. It remains worth arguing that for those interested in sporting multiple credit cards, this card could make an excellent additional card.

For Bank of America or Merrill users, this card provides plenty of added convenience and features that augment the banking experience, but for those who arent already Bank of America or Merrill users or dont want to become Bank of America or Merrill users for the added benefits, there might be better cards in the cash back rewards credit card buffet.

See the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express rates and fees.

How Do I Add An Authorized User To My Credit Card Account

We can help you add an authorized user to your credit card account.

Online banking steps:

To get started, log into online banking and follow these steps:

U.S. Bank Mobile App steps:

For the best mobile banking experience, we recommend logging in or .

Additional information:

Please be aware of the following information:

• Any request to add an authorized user to an account needs to be submitted by the account owner.
• You’ll need the authorized user’s first and last name, date of birth, and SSN.
• Middle initial is optional and there is no minimum age requirement.

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Re: Bank Of America Credit Card Charge Off Account

It is hard to provide a definitive answer as to whether a settlement for less will be a factor in your future quest for new credit.

It all depends upon how a prospective lendor will view a settlement for less if they do a manual review.

If you settle for less, the debt is legally paid, and the creditor cancels the difference.

The creditor has the option of simply reporting Paid, or of including the additional special comment of Paid for Less.

Either terminates any further delinquency status, and discharges the debt.

However, if they include the special comment of paid for less than the full amount of the debt, that makes of record in your file that you have a history of not paying the full debt that you obligate, which means the creditor took a loss in having lended to you. If you repeat that established pattern, then there is increased liklihood that a prospective creditor may take a loss if they lend to you.

Settled for less is never a favorable comment in your credit file/report, but it is discretionary as to how a prospective future creditor will view such a history as part of their lending decision.

You can, as a condition in your settlement offer, include that they agree not to report any reference to the debt having been paid/settled for less. If they agree, then it will show in your credit report the same as if it had been paid in full.

Bank Of America Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card Vs Citi Double Cash Card

When it comes to earning flat-rate cash back, the Citi Double Cash card is difficult to beat with its 2% unlimited earnings The Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards credit card certainly wont return that sort of cash back outside of specific and limited categories.

The Bank of America Cash Reward Cards 3% category comes out ahead of the Citi Double Cash, but since it is capped at a maximum of $2,500 per quarter in spend, it is unlikely that it would put a user ahead of the Citi Double Cash overall. The Customized Cash Rewards credit card could also be a good compliment to a higher flat-rate card like the Citi Double Cash.

When the Bank of America Preferred Rewards program is taken into consideration, the reward comparison changes slightly, but probably not enough. Even if qualified for the highest 75% tier, cardholders would only earn 1.75% cash back on everyday purchases0.25% short of the unlimited 2% cash back offered by the Citi Double Cash card.

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Best Bank Of America Travel Card

A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card is great for travel and dining purchases, which earn you 2 points for every dollar spent. You also earn 1.5 points on all other eligible purchases, and you can enjoy travel benefits you won’t find with other Bank of America cards, including up to $100 in Airline Incidental Statement Credits annually.

• This card charges a $95 annual fee.
• There are no intro APR offers on purchases or balance transfers.

additional features

• This card charges a 3 percent foreign transaction fee.
• There is a 3 percent balance transfer fee .

additional features

My Unexpected Mistake And Its Consequences

I thought I did everything right.

I didn’t want to add to my debt while paying it down, so I didn’t use my card until I reached a $0 balance. But my bank marked the account “inactive” and terminated my credit line without notice.

My credit score dropped from “good” to “poor” overnight. How did I not know?

“If you have underutilized credit, meaning not putting anything on it for a perpetual basis, they can sometimes close those down,” explains Tim Maurer, a member of CNBC’s Financial Advisor Council. “That can actually hurt your credit report.”

That’s because of a metric called debt-to-credit ratio. It’s the amount of credit used compared to what is available. If what’s available drops, your ratio rises, thereby hurting your score.

My available credit was halved when my card closed.

“Inactivity is the most common reason for credit limit decreases,” says Ted Rossman, a credit card senior analyst at personal finance website Bankrate.“We’ve seen this during past recessions as lenders get nervous customers won’t pay them back.”

In 2008, the Federal Reserve found that 20% of banks cut prime borrowers’ credit limits. It happened again during the pandemic, according to data from the Federal Reserve’s Senior Loan Officer Surveys.

I spoke with three customer service representatives to reopen my card. Each told me I’d have to reapply for a new card. With a “poor” credit score, I had less chance of approval.

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Bank Of America Application Restrictions

Although not nearly as restrictive as Chases infamous 5/24 rule, Bank of America has its own system in place to limit the number of new accounts for which you can be approved, often referred to as the 2/3/4 rule. You can only be approved for:

• Two cards in a rolling two-month period.
• Three cards in a rolling 12-month period.
• Four cards in a rolling 24-month period.

Note that this doesnt apply to business cards issued by Bank of America, and also doesnt count cards issued to you by another bank. If you max out all five of your slots with Chase, you shouldnt have a problem turning around and applying for an offer like the 40,000 miles and Alaskas Famous Companion Fare from $121 after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening on the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature credit card.

However, there are reports of Bank of America adding restrictions to card application approvals that mirror Chases 5/24 rule. Although the exact threshold is unconfirmed, opening too many cards over the course of a year could mean your Bank of America application is denied. Of course, youre less likely to be denied if you have an existing customer relationship with the bank.

You should also know that you cant be approved for a second version of the same card within 90 days of your first application, which means you cant double-dip this elevated Alaska bonus to try and score a Cathay Pacific first-class award solely through sign-up bonuses.

Best Business: Business Advantage Travel Rewards

30,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 in the first 90 days.

• Why We Chose This Card:
• Pros & Cons:

We chose the Business Advantage Travel Rewards as our top pick for Bank of America business cards because of its competitive earnings on all spending and the ability to earn 3 points per every dollar spent when you book your travel through the Bank of America Travel Center. Regular redemption is as simple as requesting points be applied to travel purchases. The one-time bonus is valued at $300, which is excellent for a no annual fee business card.

• Earn unlimited points with no spending caps

• Easily earned, if modest, bonus

• Rewards boost with a high-balance bank or investment account

• Limited options for getting the best return on rewards

• No premium travel benefits

Read the full Business Advantage Travel Rewards credit card review

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Best For Bad Credit: Bank Of America Customized Cash Rewards Secured

• Why We Chose This Card:
• Pros & Cons:

We chose the Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Secured credit card as the best Bank of America card for bad credit because of its competitive rewards rates. With no annual fee and the ability to upgrade to an unsecured card, this is a great option for those looking to build or repair their credit.

• Competitive rewards rates for a secured card

• May be upgraded to an unsecured card with responsible use

• No annual fee

• Security deposit does not earn interest

• Balance transfer fee

Read the full Bank of America® Cash Rewards Secured credit card review

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