Bank of America Advantage Plus Banking Checking Account

Unless you're a student aged 24 or younger, in which case, the monthly fee on the Bank of America Advantage Plus Banking will be automatically waived, there are several other ways to avoid the $12 monthly maintenance fee:

1. If you make 1 or more qualifying deposits of $250+ to your Advantage Plus Banking.

Qualifying direct deposits include any incomes, whether it be your payroll, pension or Social Security benefits, made by your employer or government agency or some other third party. Teller deposits, wire transfers, Online and Mobile  Banking transfers, account-to-account or ATM transfers and deposits don't qualify for the waiver.

2. If you keep a $1,500 minimum daily balance in your Advantage Plus Banking checking account.

3. If you are enrolled in the Preferred Rewards program.

So, each month you meet any of these requirements, you'll avoid the monthly fee!

You can enroll in the Bank of America Preferred Rewards program for free if you meet a certain minimum balance requirement. More precisely, the Preferred Rewards is a tier-based program that is available to Bank of America's customers who reach a balance threshold that qualifies them for the program.

Currently, there are 3 tiers that comes with exclusive benefits that are more valuable as you move up higher to the next rewards tier: 

1. Gold, for balances between $20,000 and < $50,000.
2. Platinum, for balances between $50,000 and <$100,000.
3. Platinum Honors, for balances of $100,000+.

To qualify for Gold, for example, you'll need an eligible Bank of America personal checking account, and a 3-month average combined balance of $20,000 in qualifying Bank of America deposit accounts and/or Merrill investment accounts. The same applies to the other two tiers, only the balance requirement changes.

Whether you're a Gold, Platinum or Platinum Honors tier member of Bank of America's Preferred Rewards program, you'll get:

• savings rate interest boosters,
• credit card rewards bonuses,
• free non-Bank of America ATM Transactions (not available for Gold),
• Merrill Guided Investing program fee discounts,
• Priority member service,
• reduced origination fees on Bank of America's mortgages,
• home equity discounts,
• auto loan discounts,
• no monthly maintenance fees on up to 4 eligible checking and 4 savings accounts from Bank of America,
• no fees on select services, including standard check orders, cashier's checks, incoming domestic wire transfers and more (the "more" depends on your tier),
• foreign currency exchange rate discounts.

Once you've qualified for a certain rewards tier, you get to keep those benefits for full 12 months. If you no longer meet the balance minimum required to maintain your Preferred Rewards Status, whether it be Gold, Platinum or Platinum Honors, you'll be given 3 months to reach it again. If you fail to do so, you'll either lose your Preferred Rewards benefits completely (if you used to be Gold) or be moved to a lower tier.

BankAmeriDeals is a cashback rewards program that enables you to earn cashback when you shop at your favorite merchants. 

While no enrollment in the program is required, to view and select available BankAmeriDeals, you need to enroll in Online and Mobile Banking. When you access your account through Online Banking or the Bank of America Mobile Banking app, you'll be able to browse offers automatically. Once you've chosen one or more offers, you should use your Bank of America debit card to pay for your purchase(s), and earn cash back. Your cash-back rewards will be credited to your Advantage Plus Banking checking account within up to 30 days following redemption.

Bank of America's Keep the Change is a savings program, a solid, good way for you to put some money aside each time you spend some!

To start saving, you need to have a Bank of America checking account with a debit card, as well as a Bank of America savings account. Then, simply enroll your Bank of America debit card in the savings program, and use the card for purchases. Bank of America will then round up each transaction amount to the nearest dollar, and transfer it from your checking to your savings account.

If your Bank of America debit card has been lost or stolen, we recommend that:

1. You report it immediately to your bank by calling 800.432.1000 (Mon-Fri 8 a.m.–11 p.m. or Sat-Sun 8 a.m.–8 p.m., all times ET). If outside the U.S. call 1.315.724.4022.

You can also report a lost or stolen card on Bank of America's website or from your mobile device.

2. Order a new debit card (same contact information and options as above).

3. Temporarily lock your Bank of America debit card to help prevent unauthorized purchases and/or withdrawals. You can do it online or from your mobile phone, using the Bank of America Mobile Banking app.

4. Order a digital debit card, which you can request through the Bank of America Mobile Banking app while you’re waiting for a replacement debit card to arrive. You can use this one just as you would use a regular debit card, whether it be for ATM transactions or in-store and online purchases. It will have the same debit card number as your new debit card, with a temporary CVV and expiration date. You can access it by selecting Get my Digital Card on the Manage Card Settings page in the Bank of America Mobile Banking app. Just tap the card's image to get its information. You can also add it to a digital wallet, and use for all cardless/contactless transactions.

Do note there's a debit card replacement fee of $5 ($15 if you request rush delivery).

Bank of America's Overdraft Protection is an optional service you can choose to include in your Advantage Plus Banking checking account. With Overdraft Protection, you'll be able to link your Bank of America Advantage Plus Banking to another Bank of America account of yours, whether it be a second checking account, savings account or a credit card. This way, in case you don't have enough funds in your Advantage Plus Banking checking account balance to cover a transaction, money will be automatically transferred from your linked account to your Advantage Plus Banking.

While you won't pay anything to enroll in Overdraft Protection, you will pay when you use the service. There's a $12 transfer fee per each transfer, unless you overdraft your account by $1 or less, when you won't be charged anything.

Just like with any other bank, Bank of America lets you manage your account at your convenience, wherever you are, 24/7.

You can access your Bank of America checking account online or through the Bank of America Mobile Banking app using your device to:

• check your balance, and view statements,
• make check deposits (but Advantage SafeBalance Banking is a checkless checking account, so this feature might not be relevant),
• transfer money between your accounts, and send money to other people or businesses,
• pay bills,
• set up account alerts,
• browse BankAmeriDeals cashback deals,
• use Bank of America's Spending and Budgeting tool,
• chat with Erica (available in the Bank of America Mobile Banking app), and more!

Bank of America uses different routing numbers for wire transfers and ACH transactions. Also, in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, and Texas, the bank has several routing numbers, which vary from location to location.

In Online Banking, you can find your account and routing number when you sign in to your Bank of America bank account, and go to the Information and Services tab.

If accessing your account through Bank of America's Mobile Banking app, the information is available under "Account Details" after you've selected your account from Accounts Overview.