Bank of America Review

It’s hard to underestimate the exact size of Bank of America: It holds about $1 out of every $10 on deposit in the U.S. Bank of America has had plenty of time to grow since its origins in 1904 and now boasts over 4,300 branches around the country. That makes it convenient, but that convenience comes at a price because its accounts come with high fees and low interest rates.

Who Is Bank of America Best For?

If you’re looking for a bank that’s conveniently located wherever you want to be within the U.S., it’s hard to beat Bank of America. Only Chase Bank and Wells Fargo offer more branches nationwide. It may also suit you well if:

• You want to bank with a large, well-known institution
• You don’t mind navigating a complex system of rules
• You’re aware of the many fees and how to dodge them
• You’re not as concerned with earning a good rate on your savings
• You want a bank that offers a wide range of financial products

What Does Bank of America Offer?

It’s no surprise that a bank as large as Bank of America also offers many different types of financial products. You can find just about anything you need to manage your money. 

Accounts

• Checking accounts
• Savings accounts
• Certificates of deposit
• Money market and CD IRAs 
• Credit cards

Services

• Online, mobile, and in-person banking
• Customer service

Advantage SafeBalance Checking Account

At first glance, this sounds like a good checking account. There are no overdraft fees or non-sufficient funds (NSF) fees, and if you meet certain requirements, there’s no monthly fee for this account, either. However, the problem comes when you start digging around beneath the hood. 

To qualify for that sweet monthly fee waiver, you’ll need to enroll in the Preferred Rewards program, and that requires a three-month combined average balance of at least $20,000 across your Bank of America and/or Merrill investment accounts. If you can’t meet that requirement to enroll in Preferred Rewards, you’ll have to pay a $4.95 monthly maintenance fee for this account.

In addition, this account pays zero interest and doesn’t come with checks. You can still move money in and out of this account via an ATM, direct deposit, in-person deposits and withdrawals, bank-to-bank transfers, and with your debit card. But for a checking account, we’d expect, well, checks.

Advantage Plus Checking Account

Bank of America’s Advantage Plus checking account is probably what more folks will be interested in, assuming you have the $100 deposit required to open one. It does come with the option to purchase paper checks and it is a bit easier to meet the monthly requirements to waive the $12 monthly fee. Just do one of the following three things during each statement cycle:

1. Enroll in the Preferred Rewards program (with its $20,000 barrier to entry)
2. Keep an average daily balance of at least $1,500 in this account
3. Have an eligible direct deposit of at least $250

Sadly, this account also doesn’t pay any interest, and it adds a new potential snag: You can be charged overdraft and NSF fees with this account if you overdraw it. This fee could be a substantial cost, depending on your situation—it’s $35 for each overdraft that’s over $1. You can opt into overdraft protection from your Bank of America savings account, but you’ll also pay a fee (albeit smaller) of $12 for each transfer to cover the overdraft.

Advantage Relationship Checking Account

If you tend to keep large balances in your accounts, this might be the best choice for you at this bank. If you keep at least $10,000 tucked away into your linked Bank of America accounts each statement cycle, the massive monthly fee of $25 will be waived. If you sign up for the Preferred Rewards program, you can also have the fee waived.

In return, you’ll actually earn a bit of interest with this account. Don’t get too excited, though—it’s about 0.01%, which is as low of an APY as a bank can pay while saying it pays anything at all. You can also earn a few valuable perks, like free checks, free wire transfers, and free overdraft protection transfers, and you can have the monthly fee waived on certain other bank accounts as well if you link them to this one.

Advantage Savings Account

Bank of America only offers one savings account for adults, and there’s not a ton to like about it. While it does offer about 0.01% APY, the rate varies by location, and it’s so low that it’s basically negligible.

Even worse, it comes with an $8 monthly fee. That’s not as bad as some of Bank of America’s checking accounts, but you’d need to keep several hundred thousand dollars in this savings account in order to earn enough interest to offset the monthly fee. You can get it waived through a few methods, however, most notably if you keep an average daily balance of at least $500 in the account.

Keep in mind this means that you won’t be able to drain the account, such as if you’re saving for something in particular and you reach your goal. You’ll need to save however much you need while consistently maintaining $500 in the account every month to avoid the fee.  

Minor Savings Account

You can jointly open a Minor Savings Account for an under-18 child with a minimum deposit of $25, and there are no monthly fees. Another perk is that your child will pay a small fee of just $1 if they do go over six withdrawals in a statement cycle, but it can be waived if you maintain a minimum balance of $300 in the account at all times. 

The interest rate offered on this account is generally the same as the adult Advantage Savings version, which is to say that it doesn’t earn much. Once your child turns 18, this account will switch over to the full Advantage Savings account, complete with all of the fees that it charges. 

Custodial UTMA Savings Account

A UTMA account is basically the same thing as a savings account for children, but instead of opening it jointly with your child, you remain in complete control of the account until your child turns 18. Then it becomes their account, and they can do whatever they want with the money you’ve saved for them.

Bank of America’s UTMA account requires a higher deposit to open than its minor savings account—$100 vs. $25—and also comes with a monthly fee of $8 if you don’t keep at least $500 in the account at all times.

Money Market IRA

Many banks and credit unions offer a money market account, which is a bit of a hybrid between a checking account and a savings account. At Bank of America, the only money market account offered is a Money Market IRA, which lets you save for retirement within an FDIC-insured account starting with as little as $100. You can open this account within either a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA.

Saving in a Money Market IRA (as opposed to an IRA CD) allows you to withdraw your money whenever you want. But for savers under age 59 1/2, that may not be a good idea because the IRS will heavily penalize you for early IRA withdrawals. If you are retirement age, however, this account may make more sense for you. 

Certificates of Deposit

Regular, non-IRA CDs come in two flavors at Bank of America: Featured CDs and Standard Term CDs. If you have a limited amount of money, a Standard Term CD allows you to get started with as little as $1,000. There’s a broad range of term lengths, too, from 28 days to 10 years in length. Unfortunately, these CDs also don’t pay very much interest. Rates can vary by location and the rates in the table below were from Boston, MA, as of April 19, 2022.

If you’ve got a bit more cash—$10,000, to be specific—you can take advantage of Bank of America’s Featured CDs. They may offer better rates, but they’re still a far cry from the best CD rates available from other banks and credit unions. They also don’t come in as many term lengths (just seven, 10, 13, 25, and 37 months). Rates are current as of April 19, 2022, and may vary by location. Rates were obtained in the table below from Boston, MA.

IRA Certificate of Deposits

Bank of America offers three types of IRA CDs. Its Standard Term IRA CDs and Featured IRA CDs are essentially the same as its normal CDs, just within the package of an IRA. One notable difference is that the Featured IRA CD requires a slightly higher minimum deposit than the Standard Term IRA CD—$2,000 vs. $1,000. 

However, you also have one more choice if you opt for an IRA CD. You can choose a Variable Rate IRA CD with an interest rate that changes over the CD’s term, which ranges from 18 to 23 months. It requires a smaller deposit ($100) to get started and is also available as a traditional or Roth IRA.

Credit Cards

Bank of America is one of the larger credit card issuers, offering 23 different options for credit cards. It also partners with many third-party companies to offer branded credit cards with specific perks. 

Travel Rewards Credit Cards

• Bank of America Travel Rewards
• Bank of America Premium Rewards
• Alaska Airlines Visa Credit Card
• Norwegian Cruise Line World Mastercard
• Free Spirit Travel More World Elite Mastercard
• Allways Rewards Visa® Credit Card
• Amtrak Guest Rewards World Mastercard
• Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard
• Sonesta World Mastercard
• Royal Caribbean Visa Signature Credit Card
• Asiana Visa Signature Credit Card
• Celebrity Cruises® Visa Signature® Credit Card

Cash-Back Credit Cards

• Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards
• Susan G. Komen Cash Rewards Visa Credit Card from Bank of America
• MLB Credit Cards
• World Wildlife Fund Credit Card
• U.S. Pride Credit Card

Balance Transfer Credit Cards

• BankAmericard

Secured Credit Cards

• BankAmericard Secured Credit Card

Student Credit Cards

• Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards for Students
• BankAmericard Travel Rewards for Students
• BankAmericard for Students

Other Financial Products From Bank of America

As a full-service bank, Bank of America also offers a lot of other options aside from credit cards and deposit accounts. These include:

• Mortgages
• Refinance mortgages
• Home equity lines of credit (HELOCs)
• Auto loans
• Auto loan refinance
• Investments through Merrill Edge and Merrill Lynch
• Self-directed portfolios
• Managed portfolios
• Financial advisors
• Business banking services
• Private banking

Bank of America Customer Service

When it comes to banking satisfaction, Bank of America ranks below many of the other big banks. According to the 2019 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study from J.D. Power, there were few banks that ranked lower than Bank of America across the various regions and states in terms of customer service. It offers most of the things that you’d expect, such as online banking, a mobile app, and FDIC insurance. However, getting ahold of someone can sometimes be tricky since the bank doesn’t offer 24/7 call-in support, and chat support is spotty at best. 

How to Bank With Bank of America

You can easily apply for a bank account with Bank of America online or by visiting a local branch. If you have had problems qualifying for checking accounts in the past, have a “limited credit history,” or if you’re depositing more than $100,000 into an account, you’ll probably want to head to a branch rather than try to sign up online. You’ll also need to provide personal information, just like you would when opening an account at any other bank.