Problems with Bank of America

[Brian US]

Anyone having problems taking out money from a China Construction Bank with your Bank of America ATM card? Tried several machines at my local branch in Beijing over the last few days, but it won't take my PIN. After calling customer service they mentioned it was probably a problem with the ATM machines as it didn't recognize any input.

If you were not aware, there is only a small currency conversion fee when taking money out with a BOA account. Would put a damper on cash reserves if this is a bigger problem.

[m000gle]

Was the BOA debit card working in the past, in China, and only just stopped working? If so, I would likely lay the blame at either a faulty ATM, frozen card or some other security feature or system glitch... If this is the first time you've used the card in China, its possible that its not able to be used at CCB machines. I know that both BOA and CCB are part of the Global ATM alliance, but I've found that's no guarantee it will be compatible (despite that being the whole point of it). For example, before moving to China I contacted Scotiabank (another ATM Alliance member) to make sure my card would work. It wouldn't.

In either case, contacting BOA customer service was probably your best bet anyway.

Good luck ^^

[jbradfor]

Do you have a 4 or a 6 digit PIN? I don't know if this is the cause, but I've heard stories about systems changing over and suddenly cards that used to work no longer works....

[m000gle]

Jbradfor is right that the number of digs may make the difference. With four being the norm in North America and six being the norm here, incompatibilities may exist. That said, I've been told that adding two zeros to your PIN (I forget if they are supposed to be leading or trailing) should resolve the PIN length issue.

[Brian US]

Customer service did mention my PIN is six digits long and normally only four after the customer's request. I have been using the card in China for the last six months without any problems. Just need to track down another branch. I did have problems when I first started using the card as the fees weren't being waived as they should be.

[natra]

I use my BOA card to withdraw money at China Construction Bank frequently in Chengdu. I last made a withdrawal on 10/25 without any problems. Also, my PIN only has 4 digits and this has never been a problem for me at any ATM in China...

[Brian US]

Just tried another branch and the same problem came. You withdraw from the "default account" for your American checking account, right? I even found the piece of paper I wrote my PIN on. This means I either wrote down the wrong PIN when I opened the account or I'm just imputing the wrong numbers like an idiot.

Last bank I worked for had 24/7 customer service...it also failed during the financial crisis.

[roddy]

Also try different banks - you might get charged more than at the CCB, but on the other hand, it might actually give you cash. Anything with the right logo should work.

[natra]

After I insert my card and PIN, I must always manually select "cheque," which is my default account.

[Brian US]

Pretty sure I just forgot my PIN, so I'm going to blame the last bank rep that I talked to that blamed the ATM. I'll just have them mail out a copy of my PIN. To save face of wasting a thread I'll probably come up with an excuse to put the bank at fault, it's an American tradition.

[Brian US]

As a co-signer on the account my dad was able to have my PIN changed at a branch in the states. I'm now able to withdraw cash without a problem. Finally got my old PIN in the mail and it turns out it was only 5 digits. I spent days trying out different numbers as one of the bank reps said my PIN was 6 digits. When I wrote it down I disguised it as a phone number, but I kept adding the last number for 6 total. At least I can partially blame the bank.

I think I need to start closing some checking accounts. I currently have three in China and two in the states. Can anyone beat that?

[gato]

The ones in China probably aren't checking accounts, technically.

[Brian US]

The ones in China probably aren't checking accounts, technically.

What kind of accounts are they normally?

[gato]

Savings account, because you cannot write checks.

[Brian US]

Savings account, because you cannot write checks.

Is there such a thing as personal checks in China?

[skylee]

I currently have three in China and two in the states. Can anyone beat that?

Darn, I only have checkbooks of two banks in Hong Kong (which is part of China). But I used to have one or two more and have declined one offered by Bank of China. I am a bank account (and credit card) freak.

[gato]

Is there such a thing as personal checks in China?

I haven't seen it.

[TyO]

Sorry to bump an old thread but has anyone recently had any issues using the BoA card at CCB? It worked for awhile for me but now that I have one of those new cards with the chips I get "Card Issuer has declined the transaction" when I try to withdraw cash. Calling BoA didn't help, they basically said that its an issue with the ATM or card...fitting that the only atm that has this issue for me is the one that has lower fees

[abcdefg]

I thought that the alliance between BOA and CCB had been dissolved. Am I remembering that wrong?

[gato]

BofA did sell their investment in CCB, but CCB is still listed on BofA's website as an ATM fee-free partner bank. The investment and the free ATM apparently are independent of each other. Deutsche Bank is also listed as an ATM-fee free partner, and BofA doesn't own any shares in DB.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/04/us-bankofamerica-china-idUSBRE98209P20130904

BofA exits stake in China's CCB with $1.5 billion sale

https://www.bankofamerica.com/deposits/manage/how-to-pay-when-traveling-abroad.go

Here is a list of Bank of America international partner ATMs:

Barclays (United Kingdom)

BNL D’Italia (Italy)

BNP Paribas (France)

China Construction Bank (Mainland China)

Deutsche Bank (Germany)

Santander (Mexico)

Scotiabank (Canada, Peru, Chile and the Caribbean)

UkrSibbank (Ukraine)

Westpac Bank (Australia and New Zealand)