Bank of America - Advantage Interest Checking

Average Score:

•   My Experience With Bank of America

  I currently have a checking account and a credit card account with Bank of America (BOA). The branch with which I do business is located in the Camp Creek Marketplace. I have had this particular account for about three months now, but I have been with Bank of America for at least eight or nine years, starting in Florida. The reason I selected BOA in the first place is that it was conveniently located when I lived in Florida. It is one of the reasons I stayed with it as I moved to other states.
  It is fair to say the overall service has been very good. Branches I’ve visited have all had the same clean, welcoming appearance and a very pleasant, helpful and informed staff. I could easily say the staff is the best thing about the bank as I have never had a bad experience with them. They would, for example, always let me know of opportunities to earn an extra dollar by choosing a CD for a given time period.
  Still, my main issue with the BOA is the rate of interest. I have always maintained that it is too low, although, to be fair, I can’t say it much different from its competitors. If I had to recommend the BOA to anybody, (and I would) it would be because it always seems to have a very pleasant atmosphere, a welcoming and very informed staff. Its customer service has been good. That is my experience in dealing with them for several years now.
  

  Posted by salgud -- July 15, 2009

•   Advantage Interest Checking from Bank of America can be costly!

  Bank of America is huge, which is one of it's advantages. It can also seem quite impersonal unless you get a friendly human being involved.
  I have had a checking account with Bank of America for over a decade.
  It's great to find a branch on nearly every corner and Bank of America ATM's are prevalent.
  It can also be very costly. The fee structure seems to be set up to grab as much money from you as possible. If you ever are overdrawn the computer seems set up to bounce as many transactions as possible and charge you as many fees as possible. So be careful!
  I have pleaded with a branch manger after getting soaked to the gills with charges one weekend and she actually did back out some of them.
  I would recommend Bank of America to someone who is very disciplined and keeps a balanced checkbook.. otherwise beware!
  I am giving a three star rating because the account is very good, the services are good. The electronic banking is nice (and free). Billpay is great! Saves a lot of time. But you can really get charged a lot of fees with just one slip up and it can be very costly. Great services but you have to be careful.

  Posted by hotspark -- July 2, 2009

•   Pretty good

  I've had a good experience with this account, but I'm going to have to make a change soon because I was laid off and can't be sure I'll make the account minimums to avoid fees in the future.

  That aside, if the minimums aren't a problem, and you're not after high interest on your checking account, this is a good account. I like the online banking and BillPay over other major banks. Checks are free unless you want fancy ones. The ubiquity of BofA ATMs, of course, is really great.

  I'm giving 3 stars because the interest rate is a big factor to readers of this site, due to the minimums, and because at times the size and scope of the company sometimes gets the better of its good intentions surrounding customer service.

  Posted by MSawyer -- May 11, 2009