Shop talk

[hoffmalr]

Just some feedback on the Upromise card, which I got last month:

I didn't have the Upromise card with Citi, so I signed up for the new BoA card to get the $25 bonus.  As far as Upromise goes, everything's been smooth sailing.  I got the first month's contributions and the bonus VERY promptly.

However, I'm really not thrilled with BoA.  Their website is terrible.  Since I don't have a checking account with them, I'm apparently only able to make one online payment when my bill is received.  There was no information provided about this.  They have a very sketchy partner site, www.myeasypayment.com, that allows you to make additional online payments, but I could find no mention of it on the BoA website.  It seems BoA wants you to have a checking account with them or risk fees paying by mail.  I would like to see a user-friendly website that allows you to make payments and clearly explains how this can be done.  From now on, I guess I'll be making a single payment when I get the bill.  Not a huge deal, but that's not how I normally pay.

I won't do business with BoA in the future, and I would stop using the card if it weren't for the Upromise savings.  I'm not looking for Upromise to fix anything...I just wanted to let other people know that BoA's website is lacking, if that is a consideration prior to applying for the card.

[Wada279]

You need to read the past comments about BOA on other threads when the switch was made from Citi to BOA and after. It is too numerous to repeat but many members have expressed their disaproval of BOA. take the time and read the threads because every item has been discussed. Upromise is great, I obtained a Citi cash rewads card and use the upromise site. My money in Upromise grows much slower, but Citi send me a check when it reaches $50. My main problem is having the discipline to make the deposit in the college fund. As I write I need to send a check now. Don't get discourage.

[hoffmalr]

I have read the posts regarding the Upromise card after they made the switch to Bank of America, and I am in no way complaining about Upromise.  I wanted to advise people on the poor BoA website and the difficulties I've had paying my balance online - and I do not recall seeing posts about those specific topics in the past.  Even if they've been discussed before, I think it was worth repeating.

As I said in my original post, I have zero complaints regarding the college savings I'm getting with the new card.  I merely wanted to inform Upromise and other people who may sign up for the card about my experiences over the last couple months.  A good, user-friendly website is important to many people, and I've always had the impression that Upromise actively encourages feedback from its users.

[RammsteinNicCag]

I've had a different bank of america card for a few years before I switched to the Upromise one and I have no checking or savings account with them. I really don't have an issue with the usability on their site (maybe their mobile site). other than the payment thing, do you have any other issues with their site? As for making additional payments during a cycle, I think I have done this before awhile ago with no issues, but generally, I prefer to let my money sit in my savings account for as long as possible instead of in BoA's accounts.

[hoffmalr]

My main problems with the site (besides paying my balance) are just quirky usability things.  I only have one account, but I have to click through the accounts overview page each time to get to detailed information - my cards from other banks show me this immediately.  I also have navigation problems, both finding information and trying to get back to pages that I've been on.  It's nothing critical, just things that I dislike.  I don't love the mobile site, but at least BoA has one...HSBC still doesn't for BlackBerries.

If there's a way to make extra payments per cycle besides using the external website or resorting to snail mail, I can't find it.  I completely understand your philosophy of holding on to your money, but I prefer to not have a balance when my statements come out.  That way I can't forget to pay the minimum, and it keeps me from overspending.

[RammsteinNicCag · Accepted solution]

Ok, after logging into my BoA account and going into the Pay Bills section, I remember that I have made extra payments online.  It's been awhile, but I think I had to view the ebill to be able to pay it again... something like that?  You're right, it is kind of confusing, even when you're paying for the first time in a cycle.  Have you sent a message to them?  Although they won't change it right away for one person, if many people complain, it is something that they will look into.

edit: ok, I just scheduled my next payment for the 21st and now my ebill just says "Pay" in the upper right corner.  When I clicked on that, it looks like it gives me the option to pay again, although I paid in full so I can't test it out.  Does that work for you?

[hoffmalr]

I looked at the eBills section again, and I found the link.  It's not obvious, but Rammstein is right: on the far right, there's a link that just says "Pay." No button, same size font and color so it doesn't stand out, but it is there.  Phew!

Now that I don't have to use some third-party site (I did use myeasypayment.com with no problems, FYI), I feel better about this card.  I'll still email BoA and ask them to make the link more obvious.  I looked multiple times and wasn't able to find it, and their help section didn't have information on it.  It'd be nice if there was another link somewhere on the site, lol.

[RammsteinNicCag]

Great, I'm glad we at least got your major gripe with their site cleared up!

[Snig]

I agree that the B of A site is hard to navigate. My big question is -Has anyone been charged an annual use fee on their UPromise credit card??

One of the business page articles recently said that B of A was experimenting with annual charges varying from $15.00/yr to $99.00/yr; especially for those of us who pay in full each month, as we are 'unprofitable'.

I have 2 UPromise cards (household and personal) and a AAA gas card. Any annual fee and all will be history!!

[RammsteinNicCag]

I have not and I do pay in full every month.  It's a very small percentage of people that are going to experience this and, if I'm not mistaken, it's not just BoA that is experimenting with this.