BankAmericard® Credit Card Review – Great Balance Transfer Promotion

The BankAmericard® Credit Card is a no-frills credit card that’s great for transferring high-interest credit card balances and financing big purchaes with minimal interest. It competes with a number of popular no-frills cards, such as Chase Slate Edge, Citi Simplicity, and U.S. Bank Visa Platinum. It’s also comparable to some entry-level cash back rewards credit cards with introductory APR promotions, including Chase Freedom, Capital One Quicksilver, and members of the Discover it family.

It’s worth noting that the BankAmericard Credit Card doesn’t have a rewards program, sign-up bonus, or any of the luxury benefits common to some other credit cards. On the other hand, it’s easier to qualify for than some competing cards. Although you probably won’t qualify for this card if you have a thin to nonexistent credit history or serious credit blemishes – such as a recent personal bankruptcy – you also don’t need excellent credit to gain approval.

What Sets the BankAmericard Credit Card Apart

The BankAmericard Credit Card is an incredibly simple credit card, yes. But it does have some notable features worth calling out right away:

• An Excellent 0% APR Intro Promotion. It’s very difficult to do better than 21 months at 0% APR on both purchases and balance transfers. Yes, eligible balance transfers must be made within 60 days of account opening, but that should be plenty of time to get it done (especially given that the opportunity to transfer a balance at 0% APR is likely your primary motivator for getting this card in the first place).
• Credit-Building Tools. You can access your FICO score and a slew of credit-building resources at will here. A nice touch by the team behind a credit card that’s likely to be many users’ first unsecured card.
• No Spend-Based Sign-up Bonus or Rewards. Not all “notable features” are positive, of course. Don’t bother with the BankAmericard Credit Card if you’re looking for any sort of spend-based bonuses or rewards.

Key Features of the Bank Americard Credit Card

These are the most notable features of the Bank Americard Credit Card. The main selling point is the long 0% APR introductory promotion, though cardholders with Bank of America deposit accounts can find some other features to appreciate here.

Introductory APR Promotion

The signature benefit of the Bank Americard Credit Card is a 0% APR introductory offer that applies to both balance transfers and purchases.

The 0% APR period runs for 21 billing cycles in both cases, but it applies only to balance transfers made within 60 days of account opening.

Following the end of the introductory period, variable regular APR applies. All balance transfers are subject to a 3% fee ($10 minimum).

Introductory APR Example

It’s difficult to overstate the potential value of such a long 0% APR promotion. 

As a simple example, let’s say you have a $5,000 balance on an existing credit card account. The interest rate is 20%.

To pay off this balance in 21 months, you’d need to pay $284.15 per month. Approximately 16% of your total payments over the period, or $967.07, would go to interest.

With the BankAmericard Credit Card, you could pay off that same balance in 21 months with a $238.10 monthly payment, none of which would go to interest. You’d save over $967 in less than 2 years.

(You can calculate your own potential savings using Calculator.net’s credit card calculator.)

Important Fees

The BankAmericard Credit Card has no annual fee. The international transaction fee is 3% of the total transaction amount, while balance transfers cost the greater of $10 or 3% of the transferred amount.

Overdraft Protection for BofA Accountholders

If you have a Bank of America deposit account, you can link it to your BankAmericard card to prevent overdrafts.

In the event of an overdraft, your card is charged in $100 increments. For instance, if a bank account charge results in a $150 overdraft, your card is charged $200. Overdraft charges cost $12 apiece and accrue interest at the maximum cash advance rate.

Credit-Building Tools

This card comes with some useful credit education resources (basically just informational articles and calculators) and free access to your FICO score on demand.

Credit Required

This card requires good to excellent credit. A few minor blemishes aren’t likely to disqualify you, but any major issues with your credit report probably will.

Advantages of the Bank Americard Credit Card

The Bank Americard Credit Card has some notable advantages, including a long 0% APR intro promotion and no annual fee.

• No Annual Fee. The BankAmericard Credit Card doesn’t have an annual fee, further reducing the cost of a card that’s already fairly cheap to carry a balance on.
• Very Long 0% APR Promotion for New Cardholders. This card’s signature selling point is a very long (21-month) 0% APR promotion for new cardholders that applies to both purchases and eligible balance transfers.
• Overdraft Protection for Bank of America Deposit Accountholders. Current Bank of America deposit accountholders can take advantage of BankAmericard® Credit Card’s overdraft protection feature, which reduces the likelihood that you’re unable to make a bank account transaction due to insufficient funds. Other credit cards associated with banks, such as Discover it and Discover Bank, do not have overdraft protection arrangements.
• Doesn’t Require Excellent Credit. BankAmericard isn’t a secured credit card, nor is it billed as a card that’s ideal for building credit. However, Bank of America is clear that this card is much easier to qualify for than more generous, rewards-rich cards. As long as you don’t have any major blemishes on your personal credit, you’re likely to be approved for this card. If you use it responsibly over time, your credit should improve – and you may find yourself eligible for more exciting, generous cards.
• Low Balance Transfer Fee. This card’s 3% (or $10, if greater) balance transfer fee is unusually low. Many competing cards’ fees, including those with long introductory balance transfer APR promotions, top 4% or even 5%. BankAmericard’s low balance transfer fee is a big incentive for applicants who wish to transfer high-interest card balances at relatively low cost.

Disadvantages of the Bank Americard Credit Card

BankAmericard’s downsides include its lack of a rewards program and sign-up bonus. Not surprising, but drawbacks nonetheless.

• No Rewards. The BankAmericard Credit Card doesn’t have any cash back or point-based rewards. If you prefer to get paid back in some fashion for your purchases, this isn’t the card for you – especially if you don’t plan to carry a balance from billing cycle to billing cycle.
• No Sign-up Bonus. This card doesn’t have a sign-up bonus. That’s a drawback relative to many competing cards with long 0% APR intro promotions, including Chase Freedom Flex and Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards.
• Few Value-Added Perks. This card is truly a case of “what you see is what you get.” Don’t expect any enhancements of any kind here beyond entry-level credit card standards like credit education tools.

How the BankAmericard Credit Card Stacks Up

The BankAmericard Credit Card is one of the best 0% APR credit cards on the market right now, but it’s definitely not the only one. Here’s how it compares to another popular option, the Citi Simplicity Card.

Final Word

No one can accuse the BankAmericard Credit Card of being exciting. With no rewards program, sign-up bonus, or luxury benefits, it’s fair to say that this card is downright boring.

However, there’s something to be said for a downright boring card – particularly when it’s so appealing to balance transfer candidates. If you’re looking for a no-frills credit card that offers great deals on balance transfers and doesn’t cost a pretty penny to maintain, you can definitely do worse than this piece of plastic.