Good evening everyone, I hope you had a great Presidents’ Day Weekend. Long story short, I realized my Bank of America checking account debit card expired in July 2022 and Bank of America never sent me a replacement debit card (until I requested a new debit card in February 2024). Let me provide more background info, in case you are curious.
I opened the Bank of America checking account in July 2018 when Bank of America was offering a $150 new account bonus. Bank of America is not my primary bank, but I kept the checking account opened for several years because I had 2 Bank of America Better Balance Rewards Credit Cards (RIP old friends) that provided a quarterly bonus for having a Bank of America checking account. After Bank of America discontinued the Better Balance Rewards cards and product changed them to Unlimited Cash Rewards cards in May / June 2023, there was less of a reason to keep my Bank of America checking account.
I had my Bank of America debit card in my ApplePay Wallet all of those years and took my Bank of America debit card internationally when I travelled, in case I needed to get cash. For the last 1.5 years, I had no idea that my debit card was expired and I never received any notice from Bank of America or in my ApplePay Wallet.
Here is the front and back of my old and new Bank of America debit card. The new debit card design is cleaner and made of recycled plastic (I wonder if they use plastic from expired debit cards…). Another hassle is that Bank of America sends you a random 6 digit debit card PIN that you need to remember or you can change by going to a Bank of America branch or ATM. I wish Bank of America would get with the 21st century and let you change / create your debit card PIN over the phone or in the app.
That’s the end of my Bank of America rant. If you have a Bank of America debit card (or any other debit card), check the expiration date to see if your debit card has expired. I’ve never encountered this issue with credit cards from Bank of America or any other credit card issuer, so it might only be an issue with debit cards. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. Have a great day everyone!
I just recently got a new B of A debit card when mine expired without requesting one. Wonder if it has anything to do with account activity, or some other factor?
Hmm, that is interesting. Did your previous BofA debit card expire 12/23, 1/24, or 2/24? Maybe they forgot about the people with debit cards that expired 7/22, or the policy has changed since then 7/22.
I have payroll direct deposited 2 x $250 per month into my BofA checking account and then use it to pay BofA CC bills and some external credit card bills, so I think I have enough account activity to justify that my account is active.
It was a 3/24 expiration. Huh yeah seems like you have plenty of activity, so likely not that. Interesting!
Glad they sent mine because I probably wouldn’t have noticed either!
Haha, exactly, especially if it’s a card you don’t look at or use very often to make purchases.
Gotcha, thanks for sharing your positive data point regarding the replacement debit card. I’ll see if any other readers have data points around this topic.
I had a BofA credit card that they didn’t send an automatic replacement for that expired more than 6 months before I noticed. It was a rarely used card though.
Hi Dan, thanks for sharing. Was this a no annual fee credit card? I don’t think I used my Bank of America debit card for ATM withdrawals or purchases for a few years, so that might be a factor in why BofA didn’t automatically send a replacement debit card.
My ill husband uses his bank card to pay for Dr office visits. They sent mine but not his. We’ve banked with BOA for 41 years and they expect my husband to physically come in to clear up their mistake. If this is a new policy with them, I’ll consider another banking institution !
Hi Shirley, that is a very terrible experience. Not sure why Bank Of America is requiring your husband to come into a branch to clear up the issue, they just need to overnight a new debit card to him.