Online Banking Security

Just the FAQs: From Online Banking security to Bill Pay

Whether you're simply thinking about enrolling in Online Banking or you have been managing your accounts online for years, it's important to understand the facts about Online Banking so you can take advantage of all the conveniences it has to offer.
Some of Bank of America's most frequently asked questions are about Online Banking security, Bill Pay, what services are available online and how to get started. And you'll find many of the answers you need below:

Enroll in Online Banking.

All you need to enroll in Online Banking is a valid Bank of America checking account or personal credit card, internet access, a recommended browser, a valid email address and an ATM or Check Card number and PIN.
Simply enter the information when you're prompted, create an Online ID and Passcode, create your Online Banking security SiteKey™ and choose your SiteKey Challenge Questions and click submit. In just a few minutes, your Online Banking account will be activated.

Bill Pay.

Bill Pay is a free Online Banking service that allows you to pay your bills online. With Bill Pay, you can pay almost any business or individual you currently pay by check—and you can do it online at your leisure. Not only is Bill Pay convenient, it also helps save paper, the cost of stamps and trips to the mailbox. It also keeps the checks you would normally write out of an unsecured mailbox, thus helping to prevent identity theft.

eBills.

A companion piece to Bill Pay is the eBill service. With eBills, you can request that your creditors stop sending you paper bills and instead send electronic versions through your Online Banking account. When a bill has been received, you will be notified via email—and when you're ready, you can elect to pay it with Bill Pay. In fact, there is no limit to the number of bills you can pay. The more bills you pay, the more money you'll save on mailing costs.

Online Banking services.

Beyond tracking your accounts and using Bill Pay, Bank of America helps you accomplish a variety of tasks online that used to require a phone call or a trip to your local bank. For instance, with Online Banking, you can reorder checks, request a stop payment on specific checks, order copies of checks, view up to 18 months of account statements, change your address or request a balance transfer for your Bank of America personal credit card.

Accessible accounts.

With the Online Banking service at Bank of America, you can access virtually all of your personal and business accounts. Regardless of whether you have only one personal checking account or a business investment account, you can view your account activity as long as you have set up online access.

SiteKey and Online Banking security.

Bank of America takes Online Banking security very seriously, so whether you simply want to check your account balances or use Bill Pay, there is a host of Online Banking security measures to help keep your personal information private. Some of these security features you'll see, like SiteKey, and others you won't (but that doesn't mean they're not working).
Just one of the many Online Banking security measures that you won't see is Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol for transferring data. SSL is encryption that creates a secure environment for the information being transferred between your browser and Bank of America. This Online Banking security feature ensures you're communicating with the correct server and prevents another computer from impersonating Bank of America. It also encrypts the data during transfer and verifies that your information wasn't altered during the transfer.
One security feature you will notice when you log into your Online Banking account is SiteKey. This award—winning tool is a standard part of the Online Banking sign-in experience that helps prevent unauthorized access to your accounts and validates that you're at the official Bank of America website.
SiteKey consists of three parts: an image, an image title and three challenge questions that are between you and the bank. When you're at your own computer, simply enter your Online ID, then click the sign-in button and you'll see your chosen SiteKey image and image title—that verifies that you're at the legitimate Bank of America website. When you know it's safe, just enter your Passcode to view your account.
When you're signing in from a different computer, this Online Banking security tool will ask you one of your three challenge questions to verify your identity. When you answer correctly, the SiteKey image and image title will appear and you'll know it's safe to enter your Passcode and sign in—and the bank will know it's really you.