No, Bank of America’s new policy does not allow you to set up a travel alert:
You no longer need to let us know when you travel. We monitor your accounts and will send automatic alerts if we detect suspicious activity.
Should you need us while traveling, call the number on the back of your card anytime.
TIP: It’s important that your email address and mobile phone number are up to date on your account profile, so we can notify you quickly about unusual activity.
What is a Travel Alert?
A travel alert is a notification that a credit card holder sends to their card issuer to inform them about their upcoming travel plans. This alert serves to inform the company that they might see transactions from different states or countries in the coming days or weeks.
Travel alerts can be beneficial for both the cardholder and the credit card issuer. For the cardholder, setting up a travel alert can prevent any unexpected blocks on their card due to unusual activity. When a credit card issuer detects unfamiliar transactions that deviate from the customer’s typical spending patterns, they may flag it as potential fraud and temporarily freeze the card.
By notifying the financial institution ahead of time, cardholders ensure that their credit card will remain active despite any unusual spending patterns they may exhibit during their travels. This can help minimize any potential inconvenience caused by a locked card and allow the cardholder to focus on their trip without monetary disruptions.
Some credit card issuers no longer require travel alerts on their cards, as their fraud detection algorithms have become more advanced and can differentiate between legitimate and suspicious transactions.
