Bank of America Offers $75 to Entice Credit Card Customers to Open a Free Checking Account (NetBanker)

For some time, Bank of America has been offering its credit card customers a cash bonus for opening a new checking account. Today, with $75 dangled in front of me, I decided to take advantage of the offer and went ahead and opened up a free MyAccess Checking account online. Below is a screenshot of the main credit card page with the offer strategically placed in the upper-left quadrant.

While the online account opening process was relatively smooth, there are a number of things the bank could do better, starting with pre-filling the application with my personal info. Even though I have two Bank of America credit cards and I responded to the offer from within the secure online banking environment, I still had to start the application from scratch.

And taking a queue from online retailers such as Dell, the bank drops a number of cross sells into the application process. I'll have a full analysis of the account opening process in our upcoming Online Banking Report on online account opening to be published in first quarter.

Comments (3)

Dan Veasey:

I'm still not going to do it! They can keep their bribe.

I would think that it helps the bank to have people re-enter their information. In case it differs from what they already have on file. Some people may be taken aback when their personal info pops up in front of them. I always get a little peeved when making an online purchase and the site already has my credit card info which I was not expecting them to have.

I'm so sick of online cross sells that make the process take 5 times as many steps as are necessary. Just get me a computer and get it here on time. But that's a bad attitude to have the day before Thanksgiving. Perhaps I'll just go tweak our own cross selling features and be thankful that I have some at all.

Posted by Dan Veasey | November 21, 2007 6:40 AM

Posted on November 21, 2007 06:40

Jim Bruene

@Dan

Thanks for the comment. Good alternative viewpoint on the prepopulated form....I still think it makes the bank look smarter, and will increase the likelihood the form is completed. But it's worth testing.

As for the upselling...BofA only makes a few offers. And they seemed reasonable, relatively understandable and well disclosed. It's nothing like building your own computer at Dell....and I'll have to admit as a business person, I admire the thought that goes into the Dell online order system. And as a consumer, I figure that all the buyers of the upgrades subsidize my $399 bare-bones PC I end up with from Dell.

Posted by Jim Bruene | November 21, 2007 9:27 AM

Posted on November 21, 2007 09:27

Jeffry Pilcher:

I noticed the salutation on the web page: "Welcome valued Small Business Banking client." You feelin' that? THAT is love. If it weren't for occasional reminders like this, I'd never know B of A cared or 'valued' me.

Posted by Jeffry Pilcher | November 21, 2007 11:22 AM

Posted on November 21, 2007 11:22