Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card review

This no-annual-fee travel card offers an attractive rewards structure designed to help everyday travelers get the most bang for their buck.

Written by
Jennifer Doss
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Key Features

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Editor Analysis:

Pros
  • An intro offer rewards new cardholders with a $250 value (25,000 bonus points) after spending at least $1,000 within the first 90 days of opening an account.
  • Enhanced rewards for Bank of America Preferred Rewards members, including up to a 75% bonus on rewards.
  • A simple rewards earning structure means rewards can accumulate quickly without requiring a lot of planning.
Cons
  • The rewards and welcome offer are decent for low to average credit card spenders, but if you're a heavy credit card user, you can likely find another travel rewards card with more substantial rewards.
ALTERNATE CARD TO CONSIDER

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Bank of America® Travel Rewards bonus and ongoing rewards

If you’re an avid traveler who doesn’t like to do a lot of work to earn your rewards, the CardName could be a great fit for you. It doesn’t offer special categories in which you can earn rewards, but instead, gives you a consistent 1.5 points per dollar spent on every purchase made. And if you’re a Bank of America Preferred Rewards member, the amount of points that you earn can increase by a whopping 25% to 75% depending on your tier (tiers are based on three-month average balances across qualifying accounts).

In addition to 1.5 points earned per dollar spent, new card_name cardholders can get the ball rolling with 25,000 bonus points, earned after spending at least $1,000 on purchases within the first 90 days of opening an account. Since 100 points equal $1 in travel credit, that’s equal to a $250 bonus in statement credit for travel, which is a pretty attractive welcome offer for a no-annual-fee card.

Points can be redeemed for statement credits to help cover most travel expenses such as hotel accommodations, vacation packages, auto rentals, baggage fees, and more. Interestingly, though, you can also redeem points for statement credit to cover restaurant purchases, including takeout, making this card an excellent option for all the people saying, "Travel rewards are great, but eating out while on vacation is expensive!" This card allows you to offset that otherwise hard-to-offset, but absolutely necessary part of traveling; after all, everyone has to eat.

Bank of America® Travel Rewards benefits

The CardName has all the bells and whistles you’d expect to find in a travel card. The rewards rates are competitive, and redeeming points for travel is a breeze. There are no blackout dates or restrictions when it comes to using your card for travel, which adds an extra layer of accessibility. Points can be redeemed for statement credits which can then be applied for travel purchases which means you’re free to make any travel purchase you want.

card_name cardholders also have access to many perks traditional Bank of America customers receive including overdraft protection and access to Bank of America financial centers and ATMS. Plus, Its fraud protection, detection, and resolution services have been recognized across the industry as some of the best.

The ability to earn additional rewards as a Bank of America customer is an intelligent way for issuers to look at how cardholders can redeem points. Because cardholders can add their rewards points into an eligible savings account, technically rewards points can earn interest. The entire concept promotes strategic credit card use, which is always a win in our book.

Lastly, this card offers intro_apr_rate,intro_apr_duration, and balance_transfer_intro_apr,balance_transfer_intro_duration (then, reg_apr,reg_apr_type). The intro balance transfer fee is balance_transfer_fees. Intro APR offers aren’t common among travel rewards cards, so this benefit does help this card stand apart.

Bank of America® Travel Rewards foreign transaction fee

When traveling, it’s not safe to carry a lot of cash, so people tend to use their credit cards for purchases. This is a smart move, but many credit cards, however, charge up to a 3% fee for foreign transactions. That’s more than $100 on a $4,000 hotel tab. Why waste your money on a fee? That’s where this card comes into play.

The CardName has no foreign transaction fees, so you can spend freely both near and far without worrying about accruing extra costs. A 3% fee may not seem like much, but it can add up in a hurry, especially if your travels take you abroad often.

How do cardholders rate the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card?

CardRatings conducts a survey annually to learn what actual cardholders think of their cards. Here are the results for the card_name:

 Current ScoresPast Scores
Overall Score80.378.6
Features Satisfaction7.97.7
Customer Service7.98.2
Website/App Usability8.67.9
Likelihood of Continuing to Use8.38.3
Recommend to a Friend/Colleague87.6
Scores above reflect the results of surveys with actual cardholders. Full methodology below.

How the card_name compares to other cards

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Rewards
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Annual Fee
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card_name vs. card_name

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Unlike the card_name, the CardName carries a AnnualFees annual fee, but its rewards program is a bit more lucrative. card_name cardholders earn 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries; 2x on all other travel purchases; 1x on all other purchases; a $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit; plus more. The welcome offer is a bit more, too. New cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

If it’s the dining and travel categories where you make the bulk of your credit card purchases, it will likely be difficult to match the earning rate that you can get with the card_name, unless maybe you have Preferred Rewards status with Bank of America. Even then though, Sapphire Preferred® rewards are worth 25% more when redeemed through Chase Travel, so it’s a hard program to beat.

The card_name has no annual fee though, so it might be the better option if you’re looking for a card that has minimal costs.

card_name vs. CardName

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The CardName is basically just an amped up version of the card_name. It has a AnnualFees annual fee, but also a lot of additional rewards which help to offset this.

To start, Premium Rewards® cardholders enjoy $100 back every year to cover airline incidental costs as well as a $100 credit to cover a TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry application fee. The welcome bonus also holds more value. With the Premium version, new cardholders can look forward to 60,000 points – a $600 value – once spending at least $4,000 within the first 90 days of opening an account.

There’s a boost when it comes to earning rewards with the Premium card, too. Instead of earning 1.5 points per dollar, CardName cardholders earn unlimited two points for every $1 spent on travel and dining purchases and unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.

If you’re a Bank of America Preferred Rewards member, both cards can earn you 25%-75% more, and neither card charges foreign transaction fees.

Is the card_name a good card?

CardName is a good card for someone who does a moderate amount of traveling and doesn’t want the hassle of hidden fees or categories to earn points. Rewards are easy to redeem, and if you are a Bank of America Preferred Rewards member this card is especially beneficial because your rewards points are accelerated.

Frequently asked questions

The card_name requires a good to excellent credit score. Bank of America doesn't disclose the exact score required, however, a credit score in the 700s or higher may improve your chances for approval. While the exact credit score requirement might vary slightly depending on individual factors, having a strong credit profile can significantly increase your chances of approval for a credit card. Additionally, factors like your income, employment history, and length of credit history may also be considered by Bank of America in the decision process. Remember, this is just a general guideline. Your individual approval will depend on several factors, including your income, credit history, and overall financial situation.
The card_name offers 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.
The card_name does not charge an annual fee.
The card_name does not charge foreign transaction fees.

Our Methodology

Survey methodology: CardRatings commissioned Op4G in September 2023 to conduct surveys among 1,869 cardholders nationwide. CardRatings website analytics from Jan. 1, 2023-Aug. 31, 2023 were used to determine a selection of the most popular cards and additional cards were included to add survey breadth. Responses to each of nine questions were given on a scale of 1-10 and respondents’ scores were then averaged under broad topics. To determine the overall score, responses from questions 1-8 were summed and the answer to "How likely are you to recommend this card to a friend, coworker or family member?" was double weighted. Current Scores reflect scores from the most recent survey (2023); “Past Scores” reflect scores from the 2022 survey.

Disclaimer:The information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date it was written. Please keep in mind that credit card offers change frequently. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this article. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards. Please verify all terms and conditions of any credit card prior to applying.


This content is not provided by any company mentioned in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed here are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any such company. CardRatings.com does not review every company or every offer available on the market.


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