Setting up a travel notification on a Bank of America card

by alex

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Most big banks have an online travel notification form where you can alert your bank that your card will be used overseas.  If you fail to alert your bank there is a high chance they will reject any transactions abroad if you have not alerted them as a precaution.

I have a Bank of America debit card that I use as a backup to my new No Foreign Transaction Fee ING Direct debit card.  For years I have been putting a call in to BOA and wasting 20+ minutes transferring from here to there to here to there until I finally find the right person who can add the simple travel notification to my account.

This time around I tried using the BOA chat feature and completed the transaction in exactly 57 seconds.  The chat went like this.

Lana: Hello! Thank you for being a valued Bank of America customer! My name is Lana.

Lana: May I have your complete name please?

You: alex …..

Lana: Thank you Alex!  Please give me one moment while I access your information.

Lana: How may I assist you with your personal accounts today?

You: I want to put a travel notification on my debit card for Japan and Germany.

You: I will be using the card outside the country in the upcoming week from XXX to XXX

Lana: I have successfully made the travel notification in your account.

Lana: Is there anything else I can assist you with today?

You: Nope, that is it. Thank you!

Lana: You’re Welcome and have a Safe Trip!

To get into the chat, login and look to the bottom right.

boa1

Click Send us a message.

boa2

From there click, Send us a message AGAIN.

boa3

And finally click, Chat with a specialist.  They make this too easy……

Checkout more Credit card offers here. 

The bottom line

I know there are a lot of Bank of America travelers out there.  While I would kill for an online travel notification form, we are stuck with what we have so check out this tip to save you some time on your next vacation. 
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Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or suggestions expressed on this site are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed.

About alex

Alex loves to travel and does so a lot. Logging 100,000 flight miles each year over the past 4 years, Alex uses points and miles to power his passion. Alex is continuously striving to experience the far reaches of the globe. In his day job, Alex is a Management Consultant frequently on the road advising Technology organizations. I love thinking about, reading about, and talking about all things travel. Feel free to reach me at pmmalex@gmail.com

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Comments

  1. I have been with BOFA for a long time now. In the past, I had to tell them every time I am traveling, however, now I have an established “pattern” of traveling abroad quite often, I have since [maybe 4 years ago] stopped notifying them when I travel. I have never had any issues *knock on wood*. I think this is paramount for people who does not travel abroad often and a charge taking place in Germany will trigger a red flag in their account for potential fraud/theft.

    However, for travelers like us, with a repeated and established travel history, it is not as crucial. It is good to err on the safe side and notify the bank nonetheless.

    Thanks for sharing this tip and this definitely save a lot of time! 🙂

  2. I was happy to see your post and immediately did a chat session to have my account noted. Unfortunately it doesn’t work for all their customers:

    Alex Smith: As a valued Wealth Management client, you not only have an assigned Financial Advisor that provides you thoughtful guidance to help you reach your financial goals, you also have access to a dedicated Wealth Management Client Services team that is available to assist you with your servicing needs.

    Alex Smith: May I provide you the contact number of our Wealth Management Client Services team for immediate service with your request today?

    You: Can we just do it through chat to note the account?

    Smith: I am so sorry I see you are a valued Wealth Management customer and you have a dedicated department where your request can be placed

  3. Thanks for the tip. Chat specialist was available immediately and “Katherine” helped me sort out my travel plans. I’m glad I didn’t have to deal with those robots over the phone 🙂

  4. Just did this, worked perfectly and got a chat much faster than the phone calls work.
    They did ask for some extra info – full name and driver’s license number but still very fast and painless.

  5. Great information! – What do you think of your bank automatically placing a travel note on your account when you book your travel plans online (ie – expedia, Priceline, etc)? Good idea?

  6. Apparently this is now possible online 🙂

    https://www.bankofamerica.com/deposits/manage/faq-atm-fees.go

    How can I avoid problems if I plan to use my ATM card or debit card while traveling internationally?

    To help prevent an interruption in ATM or debit card access, it’s necessary to set a travel notice on the cards you plan to use while traveling either at home or abroad. To set a travel notice, sign in to Online Banking. You may also call 1.800.432.1000.

  7. I will be traveling to France Oct. 14, returning Oct 23.
    And will be using my B of A debit cards whilst Im away.

  8. I will be traveling to Cape Town South Africa on March. 25, 2015 returning on April. 6, 2015. And will be using my B of A debit card whilst Im away.

  10. I will be traveling to Canada, Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland from April 14, 2016, returning May 26, 2016. I will be using my B of A debit card while I am away.

  11. I’m so frustrated right now. I called to inform of travel plans and as of about 3 weeks ago I guess we the customer have to do it all on line now. The online site is not user friendly because I can’t find anywhere how to put that info in. So I’m. Using the card anyway and hoping for the best and that you don’t shut it down while in Canada for the week

  14. I go to London I try to notifica. the bank af America of my travel guess what I no going to use this card I call I look in the cp cero buy bank of america

  15. I need help with my travel notification.please change date when card should be actuvated for travel to 3/10/17 -4/10/17. Thank you.

  16. Dear Bank of America,

    I am currently in Myanmar. Before getting here, I placed a travel alert on my card as you suggest.

    Yesterday, after 2 withdrawals from the ATM, Bank of America blocked my card. I called the international number you provided (it is not collect, international roaming charges still apply) as this is the only to un-block the card. I spoke to an associate for about 15 minutes to un-block the card. I also notified him that I will be using my Bank of America card to withdraw below my daily limit from the ATM for the following three days.

    Today, my card was declined at the ATM again. I called the international number you have provided. I was on hold for 37 minutes. The customer representative assured me that the card was now unblocked and would not be blocked again and that I could have access to my money without any worries.

    I tried the ATM again after the call and the transaction was declined again. I am now calling for the third time and am on hold.

    My husband who has a Charles Schwab account has had none of these problems after he notified his Bank of his travels. I travel internationally quite frequently and I will be moving to Myanmar soon. If you are unable to resolve this issue, I will need to move my account to a Bank that can assure that I have access to my money in my checking account, while handling security and fraud concerns. It is rather lucky that I have multiple hours free today to call Bank of America repeatedly and wait, and I do not have immediate need for the money. If the circumstances were different, I could also be in quite a difficult situation.

  17. I want to send a travel notification. I will be traveling to Ireland – April 22 -29, 2017.

  18. How do I let my Bank America Credit Card know that I am traveling?

    My account has been locked even though my credit card is now under $2000 of the limit.
    Thank you for your kind attention!

  20. Driving from Arizona to Seattle via California, Oregon and into Washington to arrive in Seattle on April 28. We will be leaving Arizona April 28.

  21. I will be traveling to Des Moines Iowa between May 18th and returning May 23rd.

  22. BOA credit card – needed travel notification. The phone line threw me off because I had more than 6 states in my travels. SIX! Got a person – no help – using some kind of bank lingo about a “travel flag”. (?) A flag on my car? She couldn’t add the 7th state. Who decided on only 6? Called again – only used 6 and hope for the best. Don’t bank on line – couldn’t sign in. Spent way too much time on the phone.

  24. I will travel to Philippines and possible China effective July 18,2017 thru 01/10/2018

  25. Please leave a message that I am safe to use my Visa debit card and my BOA mastercard ending in 1940 without any rejections…

  26. Account No. —-4411. Will be traveling to London, Scotland, and Norway. July 20 to August 1 2017.

  27. I will be in different parts of Spain from 8/6/17 until 8/15/17. i do not want any restrictons put on my card while I am away. Had a horrible experience my daughter’s wedding 5 years ago and even with proper notification could not use my card for 3 days. Quite the embarassment. I do not want this to happen agan.

  28. I’ll be traveling 8-23-17 thru 9-3-17. Unusual charges in Aruba, Curaçao, and Turks and Caicos plus Disneyworld before . So just for you info.

  29. I want to leave a travel notice as I will be in Roatan with Mayan Princess & Mayan Divers October 21 through October 28, 2017. So just for your info.

  31. I will be in Guatemala from Nov. 23 to Nov. 29 and plan to use my Bank of America visa card. I was not able to reach you by phone.
    How can I notify BofA?
    Lucile E. Leard

  32. I will be in Israel and Jordan from Jan 10 to Jan 23 and would like to notify Bank of America in the event I need to use my card.

  34. My husband and I will be traveling to Florida by car, from Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018, to Tuesday, April 17th, 2018. The states that our card may be used will be: Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

  36. Another comment from Nancy Wakeman. I will be traveling in Italy from October 5, 2018 through October 25, 2018 and wish to use my Bank of America Visa card in Italy.

  37. Voy a viajar por primera vez a Suecia, Helsinki, san petersburgo, Estonia y Letonia . Deseo programar mis tarjetas para ser usadas sin problemas durante mi viaje

  38. my travel agent will be using my visa card to pay for reservations for travels to Italy, Germany and Denmark please allow the charges to be placed on my card. I will be using the card Sept 20,2018 to Oct 11,2018 in the same country’s. you need to allow these charges to be placed on my visa card. thank you

  39. Need to change states traveing to Sept 23 to Oct 1, 2018

    new states same dates Sept 23 to Oct 1, 2018
    Texas, New Mexico, Colorado

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