Consumer complaint received 2026-02-23 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Trouble using your card — Can't use card to make purchases
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
In XXXX, I opened a Bank of America XXXX after receiving a promotional balance transfer offer providing 0 % interest for approximately two years. I transferred approximately {$2000.00} in existing balances and was approved for a {$7500.00} credit limit. Since opening the account, I maintained perfect payment history with no late payments or delinquencies. On XX/XX/XXXX, with an outstanding balance of approximately {$350.00}, I attempted to use the card to pay a contractor {$7000.00} for legitimate home remodeling work. This amount was within my available credit limit. The transaction was declined. I immediately contacted Bank of America and completed identity verification, including security authentication codes sent to my phone. I was told the transaction block had been cleared and that I could proceed. However, repeated attempts to complete the transaction continued to be declined. Over multiple phone calls, Bank of America representatives provided inconsistent and contradictory explanations. At various times, they stated the merchant was reversing the charges. The merchant confirmed this was false and that the declines were coming from Bank of America. When I relayed this information back to Bank of America, they then attributed the issue to XXXX. Despite verifying my identity and confirming the legitimacy of the purchase, Bank of America continued to block my transactions. Shortly thereafter, when I attempted a smaller legitimate purchase of approximately {$450.00}, Bank of America not only declined the transaction but suspended my account entirely. I was then required to visit a physical branch with two forms of identification in order to restore access, despite the fact that my identity had already been verified multiple times through secure authentication methods. Bank of America later stated the transaction was flagged because it was larger than my prior purchase history. However, the transaction was within my approved credit limit, and I had fully cooperated with identity verification. Denying access to legitimately available credit under these circumstances is unreasonable and unjustified. As a direct result of Bank of Americas actions, the merchants XXXX payment account was suspended and placed under fraud investigation. This caused reputational and professional harm to me, as the merchant and his business partner attributed the investigation to my attempted payment. This damaged a longstanding business relationship and caused unnecessary personal and professional consequences. Due to Bank of Americas refusal to allow legitimate access to my credit line, inconsistent explanations, account suspension without proper justification, and the harm caused by their actions, I paid off the remaining balance and closed the account. I am filing this complaint because Bank of America : Improperly blocked legitimate transactions after identity verification Provided inconsistent and misleading explanations regarding the cause of the declines Suspended my account without sufficient justification Failed to provide reasonable access to my approved credit line Caused reputational and professional harm as a result of their actions

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation