You should check out the BB&T Elite Gold financial product if you’re interested not only in interest earnings but also in getting free or discounted financial services. In this BB&T Elite Gold – Visa Debit Card review, I’ll list all of its features and benefits so you can decide if it is the right debit card for you.
The BB&T Elite Gold – Visa Debit Card is BB&T’s most exclusive checking account offered by BB&T, now known as Truist Financial Corp. With this debit card, you can get competitive rates on an interest-bearing checking account with premium banking benefits.
Read on to learn more about the BB&T Elite Gold – Visa Debit Card, its features, benefits, and pros and cons.
About the BB&T Elite Gold – Visa Debit Card
The BB&T Elite Gold – Visa Debit Card is an exclusive checking account from Truist Financial Corp. This debit card offers competitive rates on an interest-bearing checking account with superior banking benefits.
Having a BB&T Elite Gold Visa Debit Card does not only allow you to have an interest-bearing account. It is also perfect if you have a mortgage or a high-balance account with BB&T. At the same time, this is for you if you’re interested in free or discounted checks and if you want another featured checking account without having to pay any maintenance fee.
BB&T Elite Gold Benefits
Opening a BB&T Elite Gold account has several benefits. One of which is that there are no fees charged for the following:
- Money orders,
- Official checks, and
- Even for other banking services.
Second, bonus rates are offered for certificates of deposits (CDs) and individual retirement accounts (IRAs).
Third, it provides two waived overdraft protection transfer fees monthly. Lastly, there are no fees charged for four non-BB&T ATM transactions every statement cycle.
BB&T Elite Gold – Visa Debit Card Benefits
Owning a BB&T Elite Gold – Visa Debit Card has a different set of benefits. These include the following:
- Shop and Dine
- Pay Bills or Transfer Funds
- Review Transaction History
- Cash Withdrawal
1. Shop and Dine
You can use the BB&T Elite Gold Visa Debit Card for shopping and dining. Since it is a Visa card, you can use it at millions of retail stores and restaurants worldwide. Of course, you can also use it for online shopping or for ordering food online.
2. Pay Bills or Transfer Funds
With the BB&T Elite Gold – Visa Debit Card, you can pay bills or transfer funds online. You can pay bills too at physical payment centers by swiping your card onto the payment device. To avoid missing due dates, you can schedule your bill payments too.
3. Review Transaction History
You can review your payment history and even manage receipts with your BB&T Elite Gold Visa Debit Card. Log in to the portal using your UserID and password.
4. Cash Withdrawal
Withdrawing cash becomes convenient if you own a BB&T Elite Gold Visa Debit Card. ATMs are amazingly very accessible because there are more than 2,000 BB&T ATMs worldwide. But aside from that, it is also possible to withdraw cash from other ATMs.
BB&T Elite Gold Visa Debit Card Security
BB&T prioritizes the security of their Elite Gold Visa Cardholders with their BB&T Complete Client Protection. This protection includes the following:
- Chip Technology
- Proactive Monitoring
- BB&T Zero Liability
- Provisional Credit
- 24-hour Assistance
1. Chip Technology
The Elite Gold debit card is equipped with an embedded microchip. This provides an extra layer of protection against fraud, especially when using your card at a chip-enabled terminal.
2. Proactive Monitoring
BB&T has a team that proactively monitors all their clients’ accounts in case there are suspicious activities.
3. BB&T Zero Liability
Unauthorized purchases or transactions due to a lost or stolen debit card are the last things we want to experience. In case this happens to you, BB&T guarantees reimbursement to your checking account. However, you have to report it immediately so they can efficiently track the suspicious activity.
4. Provisional Credit
It is possible to claim fraudulent activity. You will be able to receive provisional credit to your account within five business days. If you don’t receive it on time, the BB&T Customer Service Team makes sure to notify you immediately.
5. 24-hour Assistance
If you need immediate assistance related to your BB&T Elite Gold Visa Debit Card, you can contact their Customer Service Team at any time. Their hotline number is 800-BANK-BBT or 800-226-5228.
How to Pay Using BB&T Elite Gold Visa Debit Card
There are two ways of using the Elite Gold Visa Card for electronic payments. These include the following:
- Tap to Pay Method
- Digital Wallet
Tap to Pay Method
The Tap to Pay electronic payment method is used for fast, convenient, and secure checkout. Tap your BB&T Elite Gold Visa Debit Card on a Tap to Pay device when paying for products or services.
Digital Wallet
You can link your BB&T Elite Gold Visa Debit Card details to your digital wallets. That way, it will be more convenient to shop or order food online. You can add your debit card to Samsung Pay, Google Pay, or Apple Pay.
BB&T Elite Gold Visa Card Highlights
The highlights of owning an Elite Gold Debit Card include the monthly fee of $30, the out-of-network ATM fee of $3, and the Annual Percentage Yield (APY) of 0.01%. Also, there is no minimum balance needed to avoid the monthly fee.
In terms of deposit, the minimum amount is $100. BB&T also offers ATM fee reimbursements of up to $12.
Lastly, the BB&T Elite Gold Visa Card allows you to pay bills conveniently.
Again, what does the BB&T Elite Gold offer? The Truist Financial Corp offers the BB&T Elite Gold – Visa Debit Card as the most exclusive checking account. Using this card, you get to access competitive rates on an interest-bearing checking account plus premium banking benefits.
BB&T Elite Gold Visa Debit Card Pros and Cons
To help you decide if this debit card fits you, let’s take a look at its pros and cons.
Pros
The great things about the BB&T Elite Gold account include the following:
- Gives access to a nationwide network of ATMs
- Offers free debit card
- Option to lock/unlock the Visa debit card if lost or stolen
- Convenience of accessing physical branches
- Interest-yielding account
Cons
Here are the cons of having a BB&T Elite Gold account:
- High out-of-network ATM transaction fee
- Monthly service fee
- High wire transfer fee
- Available in 15 U.S. states only
- No signup bonus
Are BB&T Elite Gold Checking Accounts Federally Insured?
Yes, all BB&T Elite Gold checking accounts are insured with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC). Insurance coverage has a maximum amount of $250,000 per account.
FDIC protects BB&T Elite Gold account holders against the loss of insured deposits in case the bank fails. The U.S. government fully backs FDIC.
BB&T Elite Gold Fees
There are other fees you need to know aside from those that I have earlier mentioned.
For instance, there’s a fee of $5 for every check copy service and $4 for every check image service. In case your debit card gets lost, there’s a replacement fee of $5. There’s a transaction fee of 3% of the total amount for every foreign transaction using your debit card.
If your account has non-sufficient funds (NSF), you will be charged an NSF fee of $36. There’s also an overdraft item fee of $36 and an overdraft protection fee of $9 per transaction.
The paper statement fee costs $5, the domestic returned deposit fee costs $12, and the international returned deposit fee costs $12. For the outgoing domestic wire transfer fee, it costs $30. At the same time, the incoming domestic wire transfer fee costs $15. There’s also a stop payment fee of $35.
It seems that there are too many fees involved if you get a BB&T Elite Gold Visa Debit Card. But all these fees are, in fact, on par with other debit cards. Some of the Elite Gold fees are even lower than its rivals.
Summary of BB&T Elite Gold Transaction Fees
Here’s a table of BB&T Elite Gold Transaction Fees for easy reference:
Transactions | Fees |
Monthly Fee | $30.00 |
Out-of-Network ATM Fee | $3.00 |
Annual Percentage Yield (APY) |
0.01% |
Minimum Balance to Avoid Monthly Fee |
N/A |
Minimum Opening Deposit |
$100.00 |
APY Minimum Balance | $0.01 |
Maximum ATM Fee Reimbursement |
$12.00 |
Check Cashing Fee | $0.00 |
Check Copy | $5.00 |
Check Image Service | $4.00 |
Debit Card Replacement Fee |
$5.00 |
Early Account Closure | $0.00 |
Foreign Transaction Fee (Debit Card) |
3% |
Monthly Fee | $30.00 |
NSF Fee | $36.00 |
Online Bill Pay Fee | $0.00 |
Overdraft Item Fee | $36.00 |
Overdraft Protection Fee (per transfer) |
$9.00 |
Paper Statement Fee | $5.00 |
Returned Deposit Fee (Domestic) |
$12.00 |
Returned Deposit Fee (International) |
$12.00 |
Stop Payment Fee | $35.00 |
Wire Transfer Fee – Domestic (Incoming) |
$15.00 |
Wire Transfer Fee – Domestic (Outgoing) |
$30.00 |
What Is the Customer Support Email for BB&T Elite Gold
If you want to know more about the BB&T Elite Gold Visa Debit Card, feel free to email their Customer Service Team at [email protected].
Conclusion – BB&T Elite Gold – Visa Debit Card
The BB&T Elite Gold – Visa Debit Card is an exclusive checking account from Truist Financial Corp. It offers competitive rates on an interest-yielding checking account with superior banking benefits. That’s why Elite Gold is currently one of the most in-demand debit cards in the U.S.
Interestingly, BB&T continues to have a growing presence among all types of bank customers. It means that they cater to those who prefer going to the brick-and-mortar bank and those who prefer using online technology. This is most likely why more and more consumers get the BB&T Elite Gold Visa Debit Card.