BankAmeriDeals — the Bank of America® version of the online cardholder “bonus mall” — provides a way for Bank of America® customers to earn cash back on everyday purchases, whether they’re using a credit card or debit card. Collecting cash back through the platform is easy, though not quite as easy as using your standard cash-back credit card. Still, if you like saving money — and you’re a Bank of America® customer, of course — BankAmeriDeals is worth exploring.
What is BankAmeriDeals?
BankAmeriDeals is a platform that allows any Bank of America® debit or credit card user to earn discounts (in the form of cash back) at a number of popular retailers, restaurants and service companies. Like Chase’s “Shop through Chase,” BankAmeriDeals does require cardholders to log on to the bank’s website to activate each deal beforehand. But in BankAmeriDeals' case, a little extra work can mean saving 5% to 10% on goods and services you’re likely going to buy anyway.
How to use BankAmeriDeals
Unlike rewards that are earned simply by using your card at certain categories of retailers — such as restaurants, gas stations and grocery stores — to earn cash back through BankAmeriDeals, you must identify and activate specific deals through specific merchants. Here’s how it works:
- Log in to your Bank of America® account.
- Click the “Special Offers & Deals” tab.
- Click on the “Available” tab to check out active deals.
- When you find a deal you’d like to use, click “Add this deal.”
- When you’re ready to pay for the deal (whether online or at a bricks-and-mortar location), use your eligible Bank of America® credit or debit card or Merrill Lynch credit card.
- Receive cash back.
Cash back will credited to your credit card, checking, savings or money market account the month after you make your payment for the deal. Users can check the status of their cash back by clicking “Earned” on the BankAmeriDeals page. This displays amounts that have been paid, as well as those still to be paid.
Note that BankAmeriDeals offers do have individual expiration dates. Once you activate a deal, you have only a certain amount of time to use it, so check the date.
The bottom line
Is BankAmeriDeals alone worth signing up for a Bank of America® account? Online bonus malls usually aren't, regardless of the issuer. But the service might just be the push you need if you’re on the fence about signing up for one of the bank’s services.
