Bank of America 2/3/4 Rule Explained: What It Means for Credit Card Applications

Bank of America 2/3/4 Rule

• Max of 2 Bank of America cards every 2 months
• Max of 3 Bank of America cards every 12 months (1 year)
• Max of 4 Bank of America cards every 24 months (2 years)

*months considered on a rolling basis

For example, if you apply for a card on August 1, 2014, that's considered card #1. If you apply for another card on September 1, 2017, then that's card #2.

If you try to apply for another card from September 2-30, then it will result in an automatic rejection because of the "2 cards in 2 months" rule.

If you apply on October 1, 2014 (or afterward), then the application will pass the "2 cards in 2 months" rule, but it's still subject to the "3 in 12 months" and "4 in 24 months" rules.

Bank of America is implementing the 2/3/4 rule in two different ways:

1. Automatic rejection if you're disqualified by a rule
2. Bank of America will approve the application and send the card to you, but you'll receive an "approved in error" message at a future date, and they'll automatically cancel your card

When the application is "approved in error," the card won't show up on your credit report.

Bank of America's rules doesn't seem too bad compared to other banks. The rules only apply to Bank of America branded cards. Once you factor in Bank of America's card selection, most people won't have to worry about the rules because they don't have the best travel credit cards.