Bank of America Free Museum Admission Benefit Guide [2020 Schedule Released]

[2020.1 Update] The 2020 free museum schedule is now out, so you can start taking advantage of it as early as this weekend.

About This Benefit

Every year, Bank of America credit or debit cardholders can get free admission to as many as 220 museums on the list during the first weekend of each month. If you live in a big city or enjoy museums, this is a great weekend activity. The list also includes quite a few children’s museums, making it a good option for families with kids too.

This benefit has already been around for 22 years, and new museums join every year. Honestly, it’s a pretty classy perk.

How to Get In

Who Is Eligible

You only need to show a BofA debit card or credit card, including regular credit cards, investment account cards, debit cards, and more. The card must have a name on it that matches your ID, and you will need to present both when entering the museum. If you’re visiting a popular museum, it’s a good idea to check with the front desk first to see whether you should register there or go directly to the ticket-checking area, since procedures may vary by museum.

One important thing to note is that each card only allows admission for the named cardholder. If you want your family members to come along, you can add them as authorized users on your credit card, and they will receive a card with their own name on it. Then they can also enter by showing the card plus ID. For children, it depends on whether a ticket is required; in many cases they are either admitted free or at half price. From testing it out, it seems there is no age restriction for adding an authorized user online, so adding one for a child may be a good idea too. BofA also lists SSN as optional for adding an authorized user, so in theory almost anyone can be added.

Also, BofA credit cards here include various airline co-branded cards as well, as long as they carry the BofA or Merill name.

Which Museums Are Free

BofA updates the museum list every year. Here is the 2019 list:

• 2019 BofA Free Museum List

The older and more culturally rich the city, the more museums it tends to have—for example, Chicago and New York.

When You Can Go

In general, the free admission dates are the first weekend of each month (Saturday and Sunday). Below is the 2019 schedule. One thing worth noting is that free admission was also available from December 26-31, 2019, which was basically an extra bonus.

Which Museums Are Worth Visiting

Looking at the list, one museum I’ve visited is the Art Institute of Chicago. It has quite a few famous works by Monet and Van Gogh.

Another is The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. If I remember correctly, admission itself was pay-what-you-wish at the time... Definitely worth a visit.

If you’ve visited other museums on the list, feel free to share your recommendations.

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