vandalaybay2 said:When you login to the PP website, you'll see a large portion of the lounges let you use the PP with up to companions/4 guests for free. I used it many times with my wife, kids, friends, etc. I've flown airtran and used the Delta Exec lounge in ATL. Never any issues.

Where does the PP website say that guests can enter for free? When the PP website says "Spouse and children under 21 years of age, or up to two (2) business associates can enter a Delta Crown Room Club with the cardholder" for a particular lounge, I thought that was the limit even if you paid the guest fee(s). In fact, I was at a lounge in JFK a few months ago by myself, and I still got charged for a guest fee. I had to call PP to get it removed. They looked up my lounge visit history to confirm that I normally travel alone before issuing the credit.

Can anyone else confirm that lounges allow guests in for free?

a bump to prevent archiving

I am in TX and got the letter yesterday. The wording is so careful to be vague I had to read it twice to figure it out.

peterlin said:glxpass said:I was just told by my Premier Banking Client Manager that BoA is raising the Premier Banking threshold from $100K to $250K in deposits/brokerage accounts at BoA. She says that BoA will be sending out letters about this, although it was unclear exactly when. So, getting an Accolades American Express Card or renewing one with no annual fee will eventually require more funds with BoA.
My client manager told me that it's not simply an increase from $100K to $250K. You now have to have $250K in Full-Service Investing. Before, the requirement was a $100K combined balance.
I think it would be a good idea to wait for the letter. People have reported different versions. The most recent I heard is the $250K in deposits, plus you must open a full service brokerage account. I wasn't told that all $250K had to be in that account. Then again, I haven't yet received any written documentation about Premier Banking changes.

I'm a Premier Client Manager and the new criteria for waiving the annual fee on the Accolades Card and retaining the Priority Pass is $200k in any combination of deposits & investments (full service or self directed). As an alternative, if you ordered the Priority Pass last year that comes complimentary with your Accolades card, the bank will not be renewing the Priority Pass unless you meet the balance requirement or have at least $30,000/yr in retail spending. This was the information passed onto me this morning from an executive in our card services department.

Qualifiers for Premier Banking & Investments (PB&I) are similar but are slated to change in the coming months with the Merril transition. The original PB&I qualifier was $100k and has now been bumped up to $250k in a combination of deposits & investments (full service or self directed). This was changed due to the fact that Merril Lynch's Wealth Management platform requires $250k. BofA will be merging with ML's platform, not vice-versa.

tvholic said:So you're saying that someone with $200K in deposits/investments at BofA will qualify for a fee-free Accolades card and Priority Pass, without needing to be (or even qualifying to be) a Premier Banking customer?

I asked my branch manager the same question and he said 'you have to be Premiere and follow their structured policy.'

geo123 said:The more important question is, if you have enough money at BOA to qualify for Premier, why not do it?

Well, if I read Banker3000's message correctly, with $200K in deposits I would qualify for a fee waiver on the Accolades card, but I wouldn't qualify for Premier (which requires $250K). Also, my past attempts to identify and contact a Premier client manager have been a wild goose chase, and from what I've read here lately I don't expect the situation to have improved.

geo123 said:tvholic said:So you're saying that someone with $200K in deposits/investments at BofA will qualify for a fee-free Accolades card and Priority Pass, without needing to be (or even qualifying to be) a Premier Banking customer?It doesn't work like that. The Accolades is only fee-free for Premier and Private Bank customers. The more important question is, if you have enough money at BOA to qualify for Premier, why not do it?
It's possible that this is changing, at least for people who had a Premier Banking relationship with Bank of America. Some extracts from this post, based on a letter I received from BoA:

* "Beginning on April 6, 2009, banking services that were previously provided thorugh your Premier Banking client manager will now be provided directly by Bank of America associates in your local banking center."

* "Because we value your relationship, the $295 annual fee on your Bank of America Accolades American Express Card will continue to rebated to your account. If there are any changes to your fees, we will notify you in advance."

So even though I'm being kicked out of Premier Banking, I can continue to receive the Accolades American Express Card fee-free. And I guess it's possible I could continue to receive Priority Pass and other extended benefits if I meet either the $200K balance requirement or the $30K annual spend requirement.

Does this mean that those who never had Premier Banking would also be able to get the Accolades American Express Card? Does it mean that if my balances go under $100K, I could still get the card, and fee-free at that? I don't know. BoA is very vague about all this, and I wonder if they're still trying to figure out their policy for questions like this.

As I mentioned before, I got a letter from bofa a couple months after I got the card. The letter stated that there was an error in the advertisment and the card fee is waived for me forever. When I log in to my account - under account services - the annual fee indeed is stated as $0. On my wife's account the fee shows as $295 but she did not receive such letter and applied a bit later than me.

BOFA Letter said:July 17, 2008

Dear ,

Thank you for choosing the Bank of America Rewards American Express credit card with account number ending in XXXX. We have identified an error with your account. This letter tells you how we have corrected it in your favor.

The advertisement for the credit card did not specify an annual fee. However, a rebated fee was included in your account agreement. If your account was charged a fee, we have credited the fee to your account. You will not be charged an annual fee in the future.

We apologize for any inconvenience. Ifyou have any questions about this, feel free to contact us at 1-800-421-2110 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Please retain this letter for your records. We hope that you continue to enjoy the many benefits of your Bank of America Rewards American Express credit card account.

Sincerely,

Customer Advocate