If you have a Bank of America card and you've been financially impacted by the coronavirus, you can now request a payment deferral online

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• Along with other credit card issuers, Bank of America is offering assistance to customers who are facing financial difficulties due to the coronavirus.
• If you have a Bank of America credit card, you may be able to have your card payment deferred by submitting a request online.
• For personal credit card accounts, you may be eligible if your payment is due on or before May 15, and for business cards, you may be eligible if your payment is due on or before June 15.
• The issuer has not announced any plans to waive interest charges, but it will waive late fees for payments that it approves for deferral.
• See Business Insider's roundup of how banks are helping credit card customers.

Given the staggering number of Americans who have been have been laid off or otherwise financially impacted by the coronavirus, it's no surprise that financial institutions are responding by amplifying their customer assistance programs. If you're a Bank of America customer and you're unable to make your credit card payments, you may be eligible for a payment deferral.

According to the company's coronavirus help page, credit card customers can submit a deferral request online to push back their payment due date.

You'll need to log into your Bank of America account to submit the request. When I initiated the process to see what information was required, I was notified that personal credit accounts with future payment due dates of May 15 or earlier could be eligible, as could business credit card accounts with future payment due dates of June 15 or earlier. The page also listed the following caveat: Account payments that are 150 days or more past due aren't eligible for a payment deferral.

Other issuers, including American Express, appear to be going a few steps further by offering lower interest charges and lower monthly payment amounts to customers. If you're in a financial bind, it could be worth contacting Bank of America to discuss your options in addition to submitting a payment deferral request online. You can call the number on the back of your card, or try initiating a chat online.

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