| Rewards Rating: | 4.1 / 5 |
| Rewards Value: | 1.4 |
| Annual Percentage Rate: | 4.0 |
| Rewards Flexibility: | 5.0 |
| Features: | 3.0 |
| Issuer Customer Experience: | 5.0 |
In a Nutshell:
You can travel anytime you want with this flexible travel card: The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card sets itself apart from other travel cards by doing away with restrictive travel policies and letting you book your rewards-funded travel yourself.
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Bank of America Customer Service Ratings
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Other Notable Features: No foreign transaction fees, Visa Signature benefits, EMV chip card with the ability to add a PIN for international travel, auto rental collision damage waiver, roadside dispatch, lost luggage reimbursement, concierge services
The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card is a great choice for occasional travelers who like to search the web for the best deals without sacrificing their option to use rewards for the purchase. It’s an incredibly flexible card when it comes to redemption options and earning capacity, however, it lacks many of the appealing benefits offered by other popular travel credit cards. That said, there are some limitations compared to cards with a potentially higher rewards value.
The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card offers a solid rewards program, especially if you already have Merrill or Bank of America® accounts. The Bank of America Preferred Rewards® program offers even more rewards on top of what you would earn with its flat-rate 1.5-point rewards structure. For those who don’t mind having a more complicated rewards structure in return for more travel benefits, rewards and cardholder perks, you may do better with other comparable travel rewards cards.
Pros
Cons
Why you might want the Bank of America Travel Rewards Card
If you’re the type of cardholder always looking around for a good sign-up bonus on a card with no annual fee, then Bank of America’s travel card is a great option for you. You’ll earn a flat rate of rewards on all your purchases, giving you the freedom to shop for what you want, when you want to and still earn a decent rate.
One unique benefit of this card is that if you happen to have a Merrill or a Bank of America account you can earn a boosted rewards rate with Preferred Rewards.
Higher sign-up bonus
Though not the most valuable sign-up offer currently available, the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card does include a decent bonus of 25,000 online points for users who spend $1,000 in the first 90 days. If you redeem these points for travel purchases, they are worth up to $250.
Flat-rate rewards on all purchases
The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card comes with one flat earning rate on all purchases – making it easy to rack up points without keeping track of bonus categories or focusing your spending in one area. Cardholders bring in 1.5 points per dollar on every purchase. The one exception to this is purchases made in the Bank of America Travel Center, which earn an additional 1.5 points per dollar for a total of 3 points per dollar spent.
Bank of America Preferred Rewards program
If you are already a Bank of America or Merrill checking or savings account holder, you might be able to boost your earning rate on the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card. This is certainly the case if you have a significant balance. Bank of America has a tiered rewards rate program that increases at incremental stages depending on how large your account balance is in your Bank of America or Merrill account. You can potentially qualify for a 75% point boost with an increased earned rate of 2.6% (up from the standard 1.5% per dollar spent) by qualifying for Platinum Honors – Bank of America’s highest Preferred Rewards tier.
Bank of America Preferred Rewards tiers and earning rates
| Tier | Balance required | Points boost | Earning rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold customers | $20,000-$49,999 | 25% | 1.9% |
| Platinum customers | $50,000-$99,999 | 50% | 2.3% |
| Platinum Honors customers | $100,000+ | 75% | 2.6% |
As you can see, even if you don’t have a balance over $100,000 in your Bank of America or Merrill account you can still earn either a 25% or 50% boost to your rewards rate.
When combined with some of the other benefits of this card, even a 1.9% earning rate makes this card stand out despite the fact some flat-rate rewards cards have a slightly higher rate.
Flexible point redemption
Points earned with the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card are worth the same amount whether you book travel with the bank or another site – unlike other travel cards that offer a boost on certain purchases. However, this gives the card some added flexibility and means you can think less critically about how you want to use those points.
You can redeem points for any travel purchase made on your card in the last 12 months. That means you can find a better deal on a third-party travel site and still use your rewards to cover the cost. You may also redeem points for a statement credit to pay for dining purchases, a cash redemption or gift card.
Bank of America Travel Rewards redemption options
| Redemption option | Minimum points needed to redeem | Point value (cents) |
|---|---|---|
| Travel (booked through Bank of America Travel Center) | 2,500 | 1 |
| Dining or Travel (booked through qualifying outside merchants) | 2,500 | 1 |
| Cash rewards | 2,500 | 0.6 |
| Gift card | 3,125 | varies |
Solid intro APR for new purchases and balance transfers
In addition to easy-to-earn rewards and flexible redemption, the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card offers a 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases and 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any BTs made in the first 60 days. A fee of 3% for 60 days from account opening, then 4% will apply.. After which, 18.49% - 28.49% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers applies).
Very few travel cards offer an intro APR on both balance transfers and new purchases, so this card could be an ideal pick if you need to pay off debt or chip away at the cost of a new purchase in the short term, but want to focus on earning travel rewards long term.
This can be a great perk for users who have a big purchase to make and want to pay it down over time without racking up interest. You’ll have a little more than a full year to make slow payments without having to worry about additional charges. Just be sure not to charge more than you can pay off in the introductory period, as the ongoing APR can be high.
Why you might want a different travel rewards card
If you’re familiar with rewards programs, know which categories you spend your money the most and can plan accordingly to use different cards for every purchase, you might want to opt for a more elaborate card strategy that takes advantage of higher earning cards. A rate of 1.5 points per dollar spent is a decent rate, but it’s by no means the best offer out there.
That said, there are a few shortcomings the Bank of America Travel Rewards card has that makes it fall a little further down the list of best travel rewards cards.
No bonus for travel redemption
Redemption through an issuer’s travel portal is a competitive feature on a travel rewards card that comes with some other cards in this category. Unfortunately, points redeemed for travel through the Bank of America Travel center won’t see an increase in value like on some other issuer’s cards. This puts Bank of America’s card a little further down the list.
Although purchases made through the travel center will earn double points, redeeming those points for travel won’t increase their value. Meaning you’ll need to spend more to increase the worthiness of your rewards, while with another card it might mean spending less and redeeming for more.
For example, points earned with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earn an additional 25% value when redeemed through the Chase Travel℠, making points (normally worth 1 cent each) worth 1.25 cents each.
The most value you can get out of a Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card point is 1 cent per point, other travel cards can often outpace its value. When comparing to another card, be sure to keep point value in mind because, like Chase, some issuers have increased point value.
Here is a quick look at some of our most popular travel cards and the rewards value you get out of each dollar you spend (factoring in average earning rate and point value).
Low rewards rate
While earning 1.5 points per dollar on every purchase is convenient and it can be boosted if you’re a Bank of America or Merrill account holder, for a general cardholder who’s looking for a solid travel rewards card, it’s a little low. Even the 3 points per dollar on travel booked through Bank of America’s Travel Center is comparatively low to other cards, especially considering the points’ low value for redemption.
If you want to step into travel rewards and fly higher, you might benefit from a card that earns at a higher rate on general purchases and pair it with a card from the same issuer that earns a high rate for travel. This may allow you to pool your points and redeem them through that issuer’s rewards portal.
For instance, you might be better served with a 2% cash back card like the Citi Double Cash® Card (1% when you buy, 1% when you pay) paired with the Citi Premier® Card(The Citi Premier Card is no longer available). While the Premier Card has an annual fee of $95, depending on how much you spend you may be able to offset that fee by earning more rewards than you would with the Bank of America Travel Rewards card.
No standout perks
The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card has a few benefits that make it valuable for frequent travelers, but it doesn’t have many extensive perks.
- No foreign transaction fee – When traveling abroad, you won’t pay any surcharge on foreign transactions.
- Car rental insurance – If your rental car is damaged or stolen, the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card can reimburse you in excess of the company’s insurance policy.
- Add PIN for international travel – The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card is an EMV chip card, and you can add a PIN for easy use when traveling overseas.
While certainly not the most impressive travel perks available on a rewards card, all these benefits could potentially save frequent travelers some money on their next trip — but in comparison to other travel rewards cards, you could get a much better lineup of perks than with this card.
How does the Bank of America Travel Rewards card compare to other cards?
The flat earning rate on the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card makes it easy to rack up points with this no-annual-fee option, but savvy spenders might be able to get more out of a travel card with a different structure. Here are a few popular alternatives:
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Rewards rate
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| Sign-up bonus | Sign-up bonus | Welcome bonus |
| Annual fee $95 | Annual fee $0 | Annual fee $0 |
Other things to know
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Bank of America Travel Rewards vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred
A fan-favorite travel card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a good rewards rate and a valuable sign-up bonus. If you redeem all 60,000 points (after spending $4,000 in the first three months to earn the bonus) for travel in the Chase Travel portal, they are worth $750. The biggest drawback to the Sapphire Preferred in comparison to the Bank of America Travel Rewards Card is its $95 annual fee, though heavy spenders can probably offset this cost with a great earning rate on travel and restaurant purchases.
See Related: Bank of America Travel Rewards vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred: Which is best for you?
Bank of America Travel Rewards vs. Capital One VentureOne
Like the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card, the Capital One VentureOne doesn’t charge an annual fee and offers a flat rate of miles on purchases – 1.25 miles per dollar. The Capital One VentureOne also charges no foreign transaction fee. However, the VentureOne also comes with a higher low-end and high-end APR rate (19.74% - 29.74% (Variable)) than the Bank of America Travel Rewards Card does. Miles with the VentureOne are also worth that same as Bank of America points at 1 cent apiece. However, with a lower earning rate, the VentureOne won’t compete well with cards that have a high point value and a high earning rate.
Bank of America Travel Rewards vs. Wells Fargo Autograph
The Wells Fargo Autograph is another popular no-annual-fee travel card, thanks to its extensive list of categories that qualify for the 3 point-per-dollar rate. Cardholders can earn 3 points per dollar on restaurants, travel, transit, gas station purchases, select streaming services and phone plans as well as 1 point per dollar on other purchases. This makes it easy to rack up plenty of points. Plus, cardholders who also have a Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card may earn even more cash rewards on purchases.
How to use the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card:
- Spend at least $1,000 in the first 90 days to earn the sign-up bonus.
- Put all your purchases on the card to take advantage of a generous flat rewards rate.
- Consider purchasing travel through the Bank of America Travel center to earn double points.
- If you are eligible, sign up for Preferred Rewards to boost your earnings.
Is the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card right for you?
If you are the type of cardholder who prefers to put all their purchases on one card and not worry about keeping track of bonus categories, the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card offers a good rate of points for a card with no annual fee. Plus, Bank of America account holders with a significant balance can boost their rewards rate and fast-track their way to their next vacation.
On the other hand, if the realm of rewards earning sparks your curiosity and you want to maximize how much you get back for what you spend, you might consider a more strategic approach. That said, the Bank of America Travel Rewards card is a terrific option for newcomers to rewards or for those who aren’t confident in their ability to offset the annual fees they may face with more beneficial cards.
Need more information on this card? See related articles:
- Bank of America Travel Center: How to book flights, hotels and vacations.
- Card Comparison – Bank of America Travel Rewards vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred
- Card Comparison – Bank of America Travel Rewards card vs. Bank of America Cash Rewards card
- Card Comparison – Bank of America Travel Rewards vs. Capital One Venture Card
*All information about Wells Fargo Propel American Express card has been collected independently by CreditCards.com and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
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All reviews are prepared by CreditCards.com staff. Opinions expressed therein are solely those of the reviewer and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, presented in the review is accurate as of the date of the review. Check the data at the top of this page and the bank’s website for the most current information.
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