Bank of america business credit card reconsideration line

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Bank Of America Business Credit Card Team Turned Off Their Phones

Need to call Bank of America about a business credit card? Good luck with that. Here’s what I learned when trying to do a reconsideration call (thrice) lately. It looks like they’ve turned off the phones to the Bank of America business credit cards team.

The Application

I recently applied for the Alaska Airlines Visa Business Credit Card from Bank of America. Despite having prior business credit cards with them, having a checking account with more than $3,000 in it, and meeting their bank application rules, I received an instant denial. I applied using the information from the LLC my wife and I own jointly, which has all the proper paperwork. The instant denial surprised me, so I decided to call.

Recon Call Attempt #1

I consulted our list of reconsideration phone numbers. Despite being 2pm Eastern Time on a Thursday, both numbers said “we are closed”. Doctor of Credit had an additional number, but I heard the same message. I decided to call the personal reconsideration number and say that it’s for a business credit card.

The phone rep I talked to told me right off the bat, “They no longer speak directly to customers.” That’s odd, so I asked for more information. “We can’t even call them ourselves. We just send them an email and wait for a reply.” Of course, she couldn’t give me the email.

Recon Call Attempt #2

I hung up and called again, hoping to talk to someone else. “That department doesn’t speak to customers. Everything is automated now, and you get the decision you get. They won’t talk to you. They are just working on the loans and emergency funds for businesses. You can’t talk to them.”

My Letter In The Mail

My denial letter arrived in the mail, stating that I lacked deposit/banking relationships with them. I found that interesting, since I have a personal checking account with them, and it has a fair amount of money in it. I also recently opened a personal credit card. My thinking was that they aren’t considering personal relationships for business applications.

The denial letter also said I could open a secured credit card and then get the card that way. There was a number on the letter for opening this CD/secured card method, so I called that.

Recon Call Attempt #3

I spoke with a really friendly business banking specialist. He agreed that “no relationship” is odd, since I’ve had business accounts with Bank of America in the past, a good credit score, and the current personal accounts. However, he said that those don’t count for business applications these days. He told me that not even he is able to call the reconsideration department. Customers have no way to contact them either. “They’ve turned off the phones to that department.” Now, they’re only handling applications and disbursements for relief funds from the government.

Final Thoughts On Bank of America Business Credit Cards

We mentioned earlier this year that banks are tightening up their application rules. This is especially true for business applications in an uncertain time, where many businesses are folding up shop. The fact that you can’t talk to reconsideration for Bank of America business credit cards is odd, though. The decisions are all automated from what the 3 different phone reps told me. You get what you get, and good luck if you want to try to talk to someone. Looks like you really need to make sure you’re primed for an automatic approval. Sweet talking that denial into an approval on the phone isn’t going to happen with Bank of America–at least not for business cards.

Update: Sleuthing in the Travel Rewards Warrior Facebook group found a number that answered and said they work with business credit cards. It’s 888-782-7717.

Ryan Smith

Travel hacker in 2-player mode, intent on visiting every country in the world, and can say "hello" or "how much does this cost?" in a bunch of different languages.

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