How to tell if Bank of America is actually down

Bank of America's systems go offline for maintenance or fail for technical reasons several times a year. Before you assume the bank is down, check whether the problem is on your end: restart your phone or computer, clear your browser cache, try a different browser, and make sure your internet connection is working. If those steps don't fix it, move to checking the bank's actual status.

The fastest way to know if Bank of America is down is to visit downdetector.com and search for "Bank of America". The site shows real-time reports from customers experiencing outages, maps where problems are happening, and what services are affected (mobile app, website, ATM, phone line). If hundreds of reports spike in the last hour, the bank has a real outage. If you see only a handful of reports spread across the day, your problem is probably local to your device or connection.

You can also check Bank of America's official status page at bankofamerica.com/status. The bank posts notices there when it knows about outages in advance (usually scheduled maintenance on Tuesday or Wednesday nights) or when it discovers problems. However, the bank sometimes lags behind in updating this page during active outages, so Downdetector is often faster.

Key Takeaways

  • Restart your device and try a different browser or network before assuming Bank of America is down, since most "outages" are connection problems on your end.
  • Downdetector shows real-time outage reports from other customers and tells you which services are affected within minutes of a real problem.
  • Bank of America's official status page at bankofamerica.com/status posts advance notice of scheduled maintenance but may lag during active outages.
  • Scheduled maintenance typically happens Tuesday or Wednesday nights and lasts one to four hours; the bank usually announces these in advance through email or the app.
  • If the bank is down, your money is safe—outages do not cause lost deposits or unauthorized transfers, though you cannot access accounts until service returns.

What happens to your money during an outage

When Bank of America's systems are down, you cannot see your balance, transfer money, pay bills, or withdraw cash from ATMs. But your money does not disappear and transactions do not get lost. The bank's computers are still running in the background, processing deposits and transfers that came in before the outage started.

Transactions you tried to make during the outage may fail or hang. If a transfer or payment fails, the bank will not charge you twice—it either goes through once or not at all. If you are unsure whether a payment went through, wait for the outage to end, log in, and check your transaction history. If it is not there, try again.

Direct deposits scheduled to arrive during an outage usually post once the system comes back online, sometimes with a delay of a few hours. Automatic bill payments may also be delayed. If you are worried a critical payment (like a mortgage or loan) will miss its due date because of an outage, call the bank's phone line once service returns and ask them to note the delay in your account.

How long outages usually last

Scheduled maintenance outages announced in advance typically last one to four hours. Bank of America usually schedules these for Tuesday or Wednesday nights between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Eastern time, when fewer customers are using the system. The bank sends email notices a few days before and posts alerts in the mobile app.

Unplanned outages—caused by server failures, network problems, or cyberattacks—vary widely. Most last under an hour. Some have lasted several hours. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bank of America experienced a major outage that lasted most of a business day, but that is rare. If an outage stretches past two hours and the bank has not posted an update, call their customer service line to ask what they know.

What to do if you need money during an outage

If Bank of America's website and app are down but you need cash, try an ATM at a Bank of America branch or a partner bank. Many ATMs work independently of the main system and can dispense cash even when the app is down. You may not see your balance on the ATM screen, but the transaction will usually go through and post once the system comes back online.

If you need to make a payment or transfer and cannot wait for the outage to end, use a different bank account if you have one, or ask the person or company you owe money to whether they accept payment through another method (credit card, check, wire transfer). Do not assume a payment is lost just because you could not submit it during the outage—wait for the system to come back and try again.

If you have a time-sensitive issue (a check about to bounce, a bill due today, a fraud claim), call Bank of America's customer service line at 1-800-432-1000. During an outage, wait times are long, but the bank's phone system usually stays up even when the website is down. Explain the situation and ask them to note it in your account.

Why Bank of America goes down and how often

Bank of America schedules maintenance outages to update software, patch security vulnerabilities, and upgrade hardware. These are planned and announced. Unplanned outages happen because of server failures, network congestion, power problems at data centers, or cyberattacks. The bank does not publish exact outage frequency, but Downdetector data shows Bank of America experiences at least one significant outage per month on average, though most last under an hour.

Smaller, brief outages—where a single service like mobile check deposit or bill pay goes down for 15 to 30 minutes—happen more often but are rarely noticed by most customers. If you use Bank of America heavily (daily transfers, frequent bill payments), you will probably hit an outage every few months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still use my debit card if the Bank of America website is down?

Yes. Your debit card works through a separate payment network (Visa or Mastercard) and does not depend on Bank of America's website or app being online. You can swipe, tap, or insert your card at any store or ATM. The transaction will process and post to your account once the bank's system comes back online.

Will I be charged a fee if a payment fails because of an outage?

No. Bank of America does not charge overdraft or failed-payment fees for transactions that fail because of an outage on the bank's end. If you are charged a fee and believe it was caused by an outage, call customer service and ask them to reverse it—they usually will.

What if I see my transaction posted twice after an outage?

This is rare but can happen if you submitted a payment during the outage and it failed, then you submitted it again after the system came back online. Check your transaction history carefully. If a payment truly posted twice, call the bank immediately and ask them to reverse the duplicate. They can usually do this within one business day.

How do I know if an outage is real or just my connection?

Check Downdetector first. If you see hundreds of recent reports from other Bank of America customers, it is a real outage. If you see only a few scattered reports, restart your device, try a different network (mobile data instead of WiFi, or vice versa), and try a different browser. If it works on a different device or network, the problem is on your end.

Can I still receive money during an outage?

Yes. Direct deposits, wire transfers, and ACH payments sent to your account will process in the background even if the website is down. They may post with a slight delay once the system comes back online, but they will not be lost. You just will not be able to see them until the outage ends.