I’ve been dabbling in miles and points hobby for over two decades, so I assumed that by now I know the basics. Nope! Last year I applied for Bank of America Alaska Airlines Business Visa (non-affiliate application link with the highest available offer) due to having some legitimate business expenses.
I received my bonus and didn’t really give it much thought until I got the bill for $95 renewal fee. Oops, I meant to cancel it earlier, but I figured it’s no big deal. Because the fee just hit my account, I assumed that I would get a refund. I guess I haven’t really dealt with this issue before since I always canceled BoA cards before it happened.
I’ve written that it’s possible to cancel Bank of America credit card over Chat when using a desktop. However, this time my attempts led nowhere. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s a business card, but I did HUCA in the chat form. No dice. So, I went ahead and called Bank of America.
The agent was nice and did try to convince me to keep the card by increasing my credit line. I politely declined and she processed the cancellation. I didn’t mention anything about the annual fee figuring that it would be refunded automatically. Wrong. A week later the charge was still there.
Reluctantly I called back and asked about the fee. The agent was once again polite and told me he would research the issue. In the meantime I did a Google search and found multiple data points indicating that Bank of America does not have a set policy on annual fee refund. Here is one on MilesTalk blog. Basically, it’s up to an agent to decide whether you are worthy. I prepared myself for the fact that my own stupidity just cost our family $95.
Fortunately, the agent came back and told me that he went ahead and processed the refund as a courtesy. Sure enough, the fee disappeared the next day. I did write down his name just in case there was an issue and I recommend you always do as well. I thanked him profusely, did my happy dance and vowed to never repeat the same mistake again.
The importance of being organized
I’m definitely a work in progress when it comes to being organized. In fact, I’m the opposite of an ideal candidate when it comes to miles and points hobby. I hate spreadsheets, I don’t balance my checkbooks and I’m yet to sign up for Travel Freely tool that comes at no cost. There is literally no excuse for this.
I’ve been fortunate that I haven’t gotten burned too many times over the years, and that juice is still worth the squeeze. It also helps that I genuinely love miles and points, not to mention travel opportunities they have unlocked for my family so far. And trust me, there is no way you can blog about something for over 10 years that you don’t feel passionate about.
That said, I clearly need to do better when it comes to being organized. Will I? Stay tuned to find out. As they say, old habits die hard.
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
@Allen Wow, that is nuts! Now I’m worried that the same thing will happen to me. And they cut off access to that card, so I can’t make a payment. Crazy.
BOA is a weird bank. I PC’ed the Alaska card to a cash card last year. I did ask for AF refund and got it a few days late if I remembered correctly. Then suprise! I got a late charge fee and interest on the disappeared AF on the next month’s statement of my cash card. Ugh, called them. It turned out that I “did not pay the minimum amount of my last statement” which was my AF. The refund credit was not considered a payment from the customer. I was able to talk them out to drop those charges eventually but come on, BOA.
@Jennifer Great! Hence a separate post on the topic.
Good reminder. I have one I need to cancel.
@Alex Yeah, asking for a fee refund is crucial with BoA. I just forgot about it at the time and assumed the problem would take care of itself. It’s not a huge deal, but I certainly dropped the ball there. Oh well, live and learn.
Did it yesterday, and the agent did not mention the fee herself as typical to other card issuers. Instead I proactively asked if my AF would be refunded and she said yes, withing 2-3 days.
The mentioning of points earned were kind of generic, agent mentioned they would be forfeited after 90 days unless used. But then said that for any future transactions with Alaska MP points – I need to deal directly with Alaska Airlines.
Strange point was also mention that my online access might be stopped and agent offered to email me any past statements if I want to. I declined but hope I still can access account online after card is closed.