Why is your Bank of America card declined

Why is your Bank of America card declined even if you have money in it

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Why is your Bank of America card declined even if you have money in it?

Get the answer to this frustrating issue here.

Bank of America is a financial and investment banking institute. Being the second largest bank in the United States, it is revered by everyone. So, you can be sure that they have a wide base to cover. And nothing is going to run smoothly all the time. So, if you have had problems with Bank of America’s card, you are on the right webpage.

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Why is your Bank of America card declined even if you have money in it?

Short Answer: There might be a lot of reasons for your card being declined, but some major ones that everyone struggles with are incorrect PIN, expired card, and other irregular activity.

You try to use your card somewhere and it gets declined. Isn’t that the most annoying thing to ever happen? But you must be wondering why this has happened even when you have all the sufficient funds for the transaction you are trying to do.

Every bank has a general set of rules and limits, you have to know about. If you break or cross those your card will most definitely be declined.

The below list of reasons might give you a morsel of the idea of when and why Bank of America will decline your card.

Reason 1: Entered an incorrect PIN

An incorrect PIN will not let you access your card even if you have enough money in your account as you know. It is better to write it down and make sure that nobody else has access to your PIN. If you have given access to some person you trust, they might have changed your account. So, it is better to keep your PIN close to the chest.

Also, another thing to remember is that the bank generally gives you three chances to enter the right PIN.

Reason 2: Card expired

As you probably know, every card has an expiration date. An expired card cannot be used for making transactions and will automatically be declined.

You should be checking it once in while making sure that you have some time to order a new one. So, it is advised that you order one before the older one has expired. Otherwise, you will not be able to do any transaction until you get the new one and get it activated.

The bank will generally send you a newer card one month before the previous card expires. So, if you haven’t received it yet, you can contact your local branch or customer support to report that issue.

Reason 3: Suspicious activity

Suspicious activity is a small set of words for the list of the things that come under this. If your bank finds anything out of the ordinary about your transactions, your card will be set to decline until the bank reviews the issue.

Let us consider a situation where you generally do small transactions. But this time you are trying to make a hefty withdrawal or a transaction. The bank might (this does not happen every time) consider this an irregular activity and block your card and decline the transaction.

This is not the only case, though. Anything that doesn’t seem right to the bank might be flagged for review and the transaction will be declined.

Reason 4: International transactions not allowed

Bank of America does allow international transactions with your card online or if you have traveled abroad. But you must give them a prior intimation that you will be abroad for so and so days. Otherwise, they will definitely decline your card assuming that it had been stolen.

Reason 5: Transaction or withdrawal limit exceeded

Bank of America and all the banks have a limit of $1000 per day on withdrawals from your bank account. If you are trying to purchase something then the limits are set to $5000 per day. So, if you have crossed these limits on your card, you will not be able to access money from your card that day.

Reason 6: History of overdrafts

If you have a long history of overdrafts and you have not repaid them yet, your card will be declined. Since you have enough money in your account, the bank expects at least some of the amount to be used to repay them. Even if you have some money to cover the transaction but not the whole amount, your card will be declined since you might be expecting an overdraft.

Reason 7: Issue with the machine

If the point of sale (POS) machine at your local store is not working properly, you might have issues with your payment. The machine is the problem in that case and definitely not your card or money.

You can check out our previous article, to add your Bank of America account to Zelle and make the payment online when you are stuck with the card declined.

Reason 8: Other technical issues

The point of sale, ATMs, card, your money, the bank, and many other factors come in when you are making a transaction. And sometimes you cannot quite put a finger on the reason that is causing the problem. All you can do is wait for a while and try the transaction or withdrawal again.

Reason 9: Card type is not accepted

Bank of America generally gives you a VISA Debit card when you order a debit card. Visa is accepted almost everywhere. If the store or the ATM by any chance does not accept it, you cannot make a withdrawal or transaction there.

Reason 10: Damaged card

If you are one of those customers that use the card very frequently, you should check its physical state too. Any scratches or cracks on the card might lead you to an incomplete transaction or a declined withdrawal at an ATM.

The magnetic strips and the chips are the most sensitive parts. The magnetic strips are for swiping and the chips are for no-contact transactions. If these are damaged, you might have to order and activate a new debit card for yourself.

Reason 11: Joint account holder declined transaction

If you hold a debit card to a bank account that is a joint one, the bank needs consent from both of you to allow you that transaction. So, better to give your joint account holder a heads up before you do a transaction next time.

Reason 12: Invalid amount

If the amount you entered was not a numerical one but an alphanumeric one (even if you have entered it by mistake), the machine will decline it as it will automatically be flagged as an invalid type of money.

FAQs

Q1. If your card has been declined how quickly can you bring it back to normal?

You bringing the card back to normal will definitely depend on the issue. 

If you have entered the wrong PIN, that is an issue you can solve right away. You enter the pin and voila your money and card are in your grasp. But if the transaction has been flagged on suspicion, you might have to contact the bank and ask them how long it will take for the review.

Q2. What to do if your card has been declined but the amount has been sent through?

This must be an issue with the server of the bank or with the machine used for the transaction. 

You can try your card in an ATM and see if it works. If it works normally, then the issue must be with the point-of-sale machine. You can check your bank account statement online or at a branch to see if the money went through or if it is still pending.

Q3. Will you be charged if your card has been declined?

No, you will not be charged if your card has been declined but will be charged if it is an overdraft.

You can remove the overdraft for your debit card so that you won’t be charged any money. Although, the bank will decide whether to give you an overdraft or decline the transaction altogether. Their discretion will be decided on your credit history and your relationship with your bank.

Final Words

This article gives you all the possible reasons your Bank of America card can be declined. It also gives you some frequently answered questions to help you gain some related information about the topic. I hope this article has helped you find the answer to the issue you are facing.

That is all folks!

Don’t have a good day, have a great day!