Boa secured to unsecured, now want product change

[Anonymous]

Hey guys I'm wondering if anyone had any experience with this. I started a secured CC in June with a Fico 8(trans) of 531 with boa for 1K and then just decided to call them the other day and see if I could get it switched to unsecured. My trans fico 8 is now 677. They did so and gave me a 3K limit in the new unsecured card (no go). This card has no rewards (bankamericard). I wanted to switch to the cash rewards card and called the preferred customer number but their canned response is "this account is not eligible at this time". I also went into the branch to see if they had more powers, but she ended up just calling customer care lol.

im wondering if anyone has been able to go from secured to non secured and then product change to something actually useful. Is there another way to do this that I haven't thought of, or should I wait and hope they would offer something to me down the line?

[FinStar]

Unless there's a specific internal restriction you should be able to PC, it may take a bit of time and some persistence.  The good news is that it's unsecured and they granted a CLI.

Did/does your card have an annual fee?  A variety of BoA secured cards that were issued with an annual fee became a PC challenge for some members when such cards unsecured.

[Anonymous]

Thanks. I don't believe so. I don't remember seeing any secured options other than the bankamericard secured card which has 0 annual fee when I signed up. I later learned there was a cash rewards version of the secured card if I had gone to the branch to apply, but I at the time I setup this account didn't really think much about fixing my credit/utilizing credit cards and rewards. I just needed a credit card to put on file for a loaner car at the bmw shop. Now im addicted and have all kinds if goals ha.

[Anonymous]

I have that Cash Rewards Secured Card. I got it 2 1/2 years ago. I've never been late or missed a payment and I've never gone negitive balance. I did get it in branch, $99 for a $500 limit and it's been nothing but a headache. I was told it would switch to a secured card after a year of "positive behavor" and I'd get back my security. Didn't happen. I've tried to get a small limit increase just to $800 3 times in 2 and half years and was denied due to "this account not eligible for an increase at this time." lol I think you dodged a bullet not getting this card.

[Anonymous]

^^ the same happened to me, i got mine in 2017, i think, and I asked for credit increases ALL the time and was denied every time! all of a sudden this year, after I brought my score up a little bit, I asked for an increase and my deposit was returned and the card became unsecured and I went from 500 to 1500. I was like sweet! but I don't mind not having the rewards on that particular card

[BuildingBetterCredit2020]

I was in the exact same position you are now, not long ago. I had a secured AF BankAmericard mastercard that I opened in 2018. It became unsecured in the middle of 2019. I was not able to get a CLI OR a PC for quite some time. First CLI was in late 2019. Second CLI was in 2020, and the third was just a couple months ago along with a PC a day later ($1500-->$3000-->$5500). For the PC, I had to call 3 separate times. I received the same answer you did, "Your account is not eligible......blah blah blah" several times; 2nd call, the rep said they "periodically review accounts for eligibility". I asked her what criteria they use to determine eligibility, and she was pretty nebulous......"on-time payments, card usage, etc".  Everything I've read prior to this experience and after, points to a number of factors. One of the main ones OUT of your control, is the CSR. Many of them don't seem to know how to do a PC. Hence, you have to keep calling and find one that can do it for you. Another factor obviously, are your scores and time with BoA. Might need to bump those scores up closer to the high-600s/700. Patience is key. YMMV 

[Trini88]

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@BuildingBetterCredit2020 wrote:

I was in the exact same position you are now, not long ago. I had a secured AF BankAmericard mastercard that I opened in 2018. It became unsecured in the middle of 2019. I was not able to get a CLI OR a PC for quite some time. First CLI was in late 2019. Second CLI was in 2020, and the third was just a couple months ago along with a PC a day later ($1500-->$3000-->$5500). For the PC, I had to call 3 separate times. I received the same answer you did, "Your account is not eligible......blah blah blah" several times; 2nd call, the rep said they "periodically review accounts for eligibility". I asked her what criteria they use to determine eligibility, and she was pretty nebulous......"on-time payments, card usage, etc".  Everything I've read prior to this experience and after, points to a number of factors. One of the main ones OUT of your control, is the CSR. Many of them don't seem to know how to do a PC. Hence, you have to keep calling and find one that can do it for you. Another factor obviously, are your scores and time with BoA. Might need to bump those scores up closer to the high-600s/700. Patience is key. YMMV 

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Glad I read this, I'm waiting one more month before I ask them to unsecure my card but I have no use for a card that does nothing. I didn't know i would in for a fight to product change this into a cash rewards, now I know lol.

[Red1Blue]

To make a long story short. I have BOA Card. That started out as secured card about 13 years ago and became unsecure after 11 months. Since then I am unable to do a product change on the card. But I did get CLIs on the card. Due to age and low AF I have decided to keep the card. But has no benefits. Each time I call them for product change they keep telling me I can not do product change and I could apply for new card.

[Anonymous]

Keep an eye on your TU score. That is what they will soft pull when you request to graduate to an unsecured card. They also use TU soft pulls for CLI's. And EX for new apps. This like higher scores and are a relationship heavy bank.