EDD Bank of America Card won't let me withdraw or transfer PFL funds - money is visible but inaccessible
Just got my Bank of America EDD card for my Paid Family Leave benefits yesterday. I followed all the steps - activated it, downloaded the BoA app, verified my identity, the whole deal. I can clearly see there's money loaded on the card (thank goodness after waiting so long!), but when I tried to withdraw cash from an ATM it declined the transaction. Then I tried to transfer the funds to my regular checking account through the app and got an error message saying the transaction couldn't be completed. Has anyone else run into this issue? The money is RIGHT THERE but I can't actually access it! I've got daycare payments due next week for my 3-month-old and really need to get this sorted out. Called the number on the back of the card and got stuck in an endless phone tree. Any suggestions on what might be causing this or how to fix it? Is there some kind of holding period I don't know about?
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Sophia Clark
Yes! This happened to me too. There's a 24-48 hour "activation period" after you first get the card where transfers and some withdrawals are limited. They don't tell you this anywhere in the paperwork! I called and complained after waiting on hold for 90 minutes. Try again tomorrow and it should work. If it doesn't, you might need to specifically authorize ATM transactions separately from general activation.
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Ryan Young
•Thank you so much! That makes sense but I wish they'd mentioned it somewhere. I'll try again tomorrow morning and see if it works. Did you have any issues with transfer limits once the activation period passed?
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Katherine Harris
THEY ARE THE WORST!!! had same problem in January with my maternity leave payments 😤 bank of america and EDD have the most garbage system ever. the money is technically "pending" for security reasons but you can SEE IT so it drives you crazy!!! call BofA not EDD. and keep calling til you get a human, took me like 8 calls
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Madison Allen
•its soooo frustrating! edd and bofa pass the buck to each other constantly. neither one takes responsibility when theres problems
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Ryan Young
•8 calls?! That's ridiculous. Did you have to keep calling the same number or is there a different one that actually connects to humans?
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Joshua Wood
I've helped several clients with this exact issue. Here's what's happening: For security purposes, Bank of America places a 24-hour hold on new EDD debit cards before allowing withdrawals or transfers. However, if you're still having problems after 24 hours, it could be one of three things: 1. You need to set a PIN specifically for ATM transactions (separate from activation) 2. Your daily transfer limit might be set very low by default 3. There could be a fraud prevention hold For #1 and #2, you can fix this in the BofA prepaid app by going to Settings > Card & Account > Transaction Controls For #3, you'll need to speak with a representative. If you're having trouble reaching someone through the number on the card, try using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they have a service that connects you directly to BoA EDD card specialists without the wait. They have a video demo here: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 showing how it works. I've had clients resolve card holds in minutes instead of days this way.
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Ryan Young
•This is super helpful info, thank you! I checked the app and realized I never set up a separate PIN for ATM transactions (thought the activation PIN was the same thing). I'll try adjusting the settings like you suggested. If that doesn't work, I might try that service - never heard of Claimyr before but anything to avoid more hours on hold!
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Justin Evans
mine worked right away no problems but my cousin couldn't access her baby bonding $ for like 3 days even tho it showed up on the card too. someting about security risk for new accounts. try going inside an actual bank branch, thats what she did and they helped her right there
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Emily Parker
•Going to an actual branch is good advice. I've had way better luck with in-person help than phone support for these EDD cards.
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Ryan Young
•That's a good idea, I didn't even think about going to a branch! There's one about 20 minutes from me, might try that tomorrow if the online fixes don't work.
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Ezra Collins
Had this exact issue last month. The problem turned out to be that I needed to complete my identity verification through the app. Even though I thought I'd done everything during activation, there was an additional security step buried in the app settings. Go to Profile > Identity Verification and check if there's a pending verification. Mine had a little red dot next to it that I missed initially. If that's not it, try calling this direct number for the EDD BofA cards: 1-866-692-9374. Press 0 at each prompt to bypass the automated system. It still took me about 40 minutes on hold, but I eventually got through to someone who fixed it in about 3 minutes. Also, once you do get access, I recommend immediately transferring ALL the money to your regular bank account rather than keeping it on the BofA card. Their fraud protection is terrible and many people have reported unauthorized charges that take forever to dispute.
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Ryan Young
•Just checked the app and there IS a pending identity verification I completely missed! Thank you so much for this - going to complete it right now. And great tip about transferring everything out once I get access. After this experience I definitely don't want to keep using this card if I can avoid it.
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Sophia Clark
Update from OP? Did any of these solutions work for you? I'm always curious about which fix actually solves these EDD card issues since they're so common with baby bonding payments.
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Ryan Young
•Yes! Update: completing the identity verification in the app that @CaliBenefitsPro mentioned did the trick! I was able to transfer funds this morning. There was indeed a second verification step I completely missed. Thanks everyone for your help!
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