Full Review of BankAmericard Credit Card
No annual fee
0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for first 18 Statement Closing Dates
No rewards program
Charges foreign transaction fees
Pros Explained
- No Annual Fee: With no annual fee, this card is a much better deal than many cards that offer balance transfer options. However, once you've paid off your balances, you're left with a card that doesn’t have a rewards program, if that's important to you.
- 0% APR on Balance Transfers and Purchases for 18 Statement Closing Dates: You won't pay any interest on balance transfers or purchases for the first 18 billing cycles after you open your account. In the case of balance transfers, it is 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each transaction made in a foreign currency, or made in U.S. dollars if the transaction is made or processed outside of the United States. This fee will be in addition to any other applicable fee
Cons Explained
- No Rewards Program: You won't earn any points or cash back with this card. If you are looking for a rewards card without an annual fee, there are other cards to choose from, such as Quicksilver by Capital One, with a $200 one-time offer and 1.5% cash back. However, Quicksilver has a higher APR. You should check terms before applying as rates and promos can change at any time.
- Charges Foreign Transaction Fees: The BankAmericard credit card charges a 3% foreign transaction fee on purchases made outside of the U.S. If you have plans to travel abroad, there are quite a few cards available with no foreign transaction fees—from Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, and Discover, among other issuers.
Who This Card Is Best For
Without a rewards program, the BankAmericard credit card is designed for people who want a plain vanilla credit card for purchases or who are looking to pay off the balances on their higher interest credit cards.
But if you have good or excellent credit, you don't have to settle for a card with no rewards to get a 0% APR balance transfer offer. Consider the Citi Double Cash credit card.
The difference between the two in BankAmericard’s favor is that the BankAmericard is more accessible to those with average credit. On the Citi side, you’ll get 1% cash back on purchases in addition to 1% cash back when you pay your bill.
Cardholder Experience
Bank of America, the company that issues this card, ranked fifth out of 11 national credit card issuers in the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study. Bank of America earned a below-average score.
All Bank of America cardholders get free access to their FICO credit score on a monthly basis, along with tips for improving their score. While most credit card companies offer customers some way of gauging their credit standing as well as tips on improving it, not all provide FICO scores. FICO is the scoring system most often used by lenders and other creditors in making credit approval determinations and setting interest rates. To enroll and check your scores, you sign in from the BankAmericard app or your online account.
Security Features
Bank of America will send text, email, and mobile alerts if it suspects any fraudulent activity on your account. As a cardholder, you have $0 liability for fraudulent charges. If you're using services such as Apple Pay or Google Pay with a digital wallet, you will enjoy enhanced security.
You can also opt out of receiving paper statements. While that's a very common convenience and cost-saving measure, it has the added security benefit of making it difficult for someone to obtain your account number by stealing your mail.
Hidden Fees to Watch out For
The BankAmericard has a 3% foreign transaction fee and a late fee that can be up to $40.
Our Verdict
The BankAmericard credit card is a solid, no-frills card for people who want to transfer existing balances from higher interest credit cards because it offers a 0% APR on balance transfers for the first 18 months. But it is not the card for people who want cash back or other rewards.