MisterBill

Did you look online to see if it shows as earned?I got TSA Pre-check for my wife last week and showed as "Approved" under Premium Rewards Benefits in the app the day after it had posted. It's still not credited back to my account. Like the travel incidentals credit, it always shows up there a few days before the actual credit hits the account.

yugi

If you can pay in person, then Samsung Pay should work.


Chase has pulled this promo already.

zorbachs

It finally did when my statement posted. I was worried for a second I had done it wrong.

MisterBill

I don't think it's related to the statement closing (same as the travel credit). Mine posted yesterday, a week after the charge occurred. I'm in the middle of my statement cycle.

sdflyer04

I just transferred assets to Merrill so that I will be at the highest rewards level for this card. I have a few questions that I’m wondering if folks on this board could help answer:

1. I don’t want to start charging until I am eligible for the 75% bonus. Does that happen at 90 days after Merrill has the assets or at the end of the month after 90 days or some other day?
2. I have a few trips scheduled that it would be nice to have TSA pre check. How long does it take from application to approval for global entry? I”m trying to time credit card application for 75% bonus and balance that with desire for TSA pre check for earlier trips.
3. Does BofA allow you to change the statement closing date? I want to use this card to pay taxes and it would be nice to optimize the timing of the statement closing.

Thanks

MisterBill

1) My experience was that they based it on the balance at the start of the month. So, in theory, you should qualify at the start of August (actually a few days into the month).

2) Remember that you need to make an appointment for fingerprint scanning before you get approved for TSA Pre-check. That may take a couple of weeks after you apply, depending on your location. I just went thru this with my wife and she had her number a few days after the appointment, and the letter arrived in the mail a week after the appointment.

3) Yes, you can change the closing date, but you need to call. I had a similar issue, my closing date was the 18th and now I've gotten bitten twice by the statement closing as soon as I paid my taxes. I tried to change the closing date last month but they were unable to change it at that point because my statement was about to close. I just called again because I had accidentally overpaid my bill by several thousand dollars and wanted a partial refund (I had paid some in advance because my credit score was taking a hit due to being at close to 100% utilization on the card) and the rep was once again unable to change the due date because my statement hasn't closed yet. She said that she will try again next Monday (the statement should be closing tomorrow) and expects that it will work then.

BTW re: my issue in #3, if you pre-pay part of your bill and have autopay set up at BofA, they will still take the full statement amount. If you do pre-pay, cancel the autopay and schedule one manually for the actual remaining amount due.

NYCFlyer10001

1. At the start of each month they recalculate your qualifying balance over the last 90 days. If you transfer in 3x the amount of your tier, you will get within the first week of the next month.
2. Global Entry conditional approvals come in no more than a few days in most cases, however you don't get Precheck from it until you complete the process at an enrollment center. If you live in an area with an enrollment center or are flying in to an airport soon that has GE on arrival, then you can get it within a week, I'd imagine.

sdflyer04

Thanks for the responses!

So, as an example just so I understand the math, if someone put $200K into Merrill on May 15, then 45 days later on July 1, they would have a 90 day average balance of $100K and would qualify for the highest tier which I understand is called "platinum honors"? If that is correct, when does the credit card start awarding the 75% bonus? Would that start on any charges made after July 1 or would it start after the close of the first statement after July 1, or some other date?

There are 3 global entry interview locations fairly close to me. So, it sounds like I could make an application shortly after receiving the credit card and likely get the interview within 2-3 weeks?

I have a trip at the end of July that it would be nice (although not critical) to have TSA precheck. Perhaps I will wait until July 5 or so and apply for the credit card. If the card arrives by say July 15, then I have a slight chance of getting the global entry done by the end of July. If not, I have another trip mid-august where it would be great to have! With that timing, I avoid any questions about credit card charges that are not given the 75% bonus. Plus, I may have a relatively good statement closing date without trying to have it changed. Make sense? Better options?

DeltaNeutral28

Where do I see the status of the travel incidentals toward the $100 reimbursement. I have looked in the app and online and can't locate it.

MisterBill

In the app, look under Premium Rewards & Benefits -> Premium Rewards Benefits. It's on the top of that page.

DeltaNeutral28

thanks

sdflyer04

Quick Reality Check: I just opened my BofA checking account which is required for the rewards program. I called to make sure my Merrill and BofA accounts were linked (they transferred me to Merrill and they linked the accounts). The BofA agent said that I would need to wait the full 90 days from my Merrill deposit before I was eligible for the highest rewards tier. Is that everyone's experience?

Also, the agent said that I can open the credit card now and start charging because the 75% cash back bonus only happens when you redeem the cash back. So, if I want, I can open the card now and then wait to redeem until after August 15 when I am top tier eligible. Does that sound right?

Thanks for any thoughts and experience.

MisterBill

First, it's my experience that they only set the Preferred Rewards level once a month, a few days in. So if they make you wait the full 90 days, it would not be until September. However, as was posted earlier, I'm fairly sure they look at the balances once a month and they set it based on that. And you need to login to the website and find the notification (top right of the screen, I believe) and click on the link telling you that you qualify for Preferred Rewards program. You may get this in an earlier month at a lower level, and then it will change to the highest level when the average balance gets over 100k.

As for the 75% bonus, the answer is "it depends" (but a firm no for this card). For the Premium and Travel Rewards cards, the bonus is credited as soon as the purchase is made. For the Cash Rewards card (the 321 card) the bonus is credited when you redeem, so you can start charging immediately.

sdflyer04

MisterBill

The Premium Rewards card being discussed in this thread credits the bonus as soon as the charge posts, as does the older Travel Rewards card.

The Cash Rewards card (3% gas, 2% grocery, 1% everything else) credits the bonus when you cash out your reward.