Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card Review
Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card
CardRatings Editor's Analysis: Pros & Cons
- Earn unlimited 1.5 points for every $1 spent on all purchases everywhere, every time - no matter how much you spend. No limit to the amount of points you can earn and points don't expire.
- Take advantage of an intro 0% APR on purchases for the first nine billing cycles (then, RegAPR).
- There's no annual fee or foreign transaction fees to eat into your rewards.
- The rewards are consistent, but not huge. If you know you spend a lot in particular categories, you could likely earn more rewards with a card that offers bonus rewards in those categories.
CardName Essentials
The CardName has the busy business traveler, particularly the busy international business traveler, in mind, and there are plenty of card features, including generous bonuses right from the start, that make this a card worth checking out.
You earn unlimited 1.5 points for every $1 spent on all purchases everywhere, every time - no matter how much you spend. No limit to the amount of points you can earn and points don't expire. Plus, if you're a Preferred Rewards for Business Platinum Honors tier member, you can get up to a 75% bonus on your base rewards earning depending on your relationship tier (25% for Gold, 50% for Platinum and 75% for Platinum Honors). And, as you'd expect with a travel rewards card, there are no foreign transaction fees to eat into your rewards.
There are no limits on the points you can earn with the CardName and your points don't expire.
So whether your business travel takes you to domestic locations or abroad you'll get plenty of rewards when you book travel through Bank of America's Travel Center and bring along your CardName on your business trips and excursions.
And because the CardName uses chip technology, there is a greater level of security in using the card in the U.S. and abroad in the more than 130 countries, including Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom, that accept chip credit cards.
Top Features
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
What Our Editors Like Most About the CardName
Many business cards with perks and rewards potential as rich as with the CardName charge an annual fee for the privilege of carrying the card. Not so with this card, a definite plus for business owners who are always thinking about their bottom line and how to cut expenses.
In this case, not only does the CardName keep you from spending money to carry the card, it could actually put money back in your pocket, and it can do it within months of your opening an account.
With the CardName, you earn 30,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 on your card within the first 90 days – redeemable for $300 in statement credit toward travel purchases.
Since CardName doesn't come with an annual fee, any rewards you redeem are just offsetting the purchases you'd be making anyway. And cardholders have a number of options for redeeming rewards points. Your earned points don't expire and can be redeemed for gift cards, cash or travel with no blackout dates.
Cardholders earn unlimited rewards at a rate of 1.5 points per $1 spent on the card.
Suddenly, those business trips look a little less expensive.
Speaking of business trips, a business travel rewards credit card wouldn't be complete without some features and perks to make your road warrior days a bit more comfortable or convenient and the CardName doesn't disappoint.
Travel-related perks such as online management tools and up to $1 million in travel accident insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, trip cancellation coverage and trip delay reimbursement are among the perks you'll appreciate on with this card (even though you hope to never need some of them).
When it comes to managing your account, the CardName comes with cash flow management tools and online services including automatic payments and transfers as well as the option to download transactions directly to QuickBooks while tracking each step in a My Report Center.
With the CardName, you can monitor your account 24/7, so you'll be able to keep close tabs on account activity for you and each of your employees wherever you are and wherever they are.
The CardName comes with zero liability protection for unauthorized purchases and there is additional protection for misuse by terminated employees.
Additionally, the CardName offers a 0% introductory APR on purchases for nine billing cycles from the card's account-opening (then, RegAPR). If you're looking to make a large purchase or perhaps have some start-up expenses ahead, this card allows you to take a bit more time to pay off those purchases interest-free.
Potential Downsides of CardName
The CardName offers plenty of great perks, but a great balance transfer intro offer is not among them. Without an introductory offer for new cardholders, you'll pay the standard APR for balance transfers right off the bat. In other words, if you are looking for a card on which to consolidate some business debt, this probably isn't the right fit.
Lastly, the rewards-earning structure is easy to understand and consistent, but if you know your business spending occurs disproportionately in particular categories, you'd likely be better off with a card that rewards that particular spending rather than offering a flat 1.5 points across the board.
How the CardName Compares to Other Business Travel Rewards Cards
CardName vs. CardName
The CardName credit card discontinued offers an opportunity to earn two miles for every $1 spent on any purchase at any time as well as five miles per $1 on hotels and car rentals through the Capital One portal. Those miles can then be redeemed without blackout dates or restrictions to consider, so it's definitely an option should your business require frequent flying. And the welcome offer is attractive: Earn 50,000 miles after spending $4,500 in the first three months of account opening. Plus, take advantage of up to a $100 reimbursement for one Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fee.
The catch, however, is that the CardName card's annual fee should be considered after your first year. The annual fee is AnnualFees, so if you spend less than $1,000 a month on the card after year one, you're likely better off with the annual-fee-free CardName.
The CardName is also a better option if you're in the market to make a number of purchases right away and take some time paying them off interest-free (then, RegAPR); the CardName doesn't offer an interest-free intro period like the Bank of America card does.
CardName vs. CardName discontinued
If you have a particular loyalty to American Airlines, the CardName (Citi is a Cardratings advertiser) could certainly be the way to go when it comes to business travel rewards credit cards.
The CardName offers cardholders two times the miles on American Airlines purchases as well as two times the miles with telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and at gas stations. All other purchases earn one mile per $1 spent.
The catch, of course, is that your miles are American Airlines AAdvantage® frequent flyer miles, which restricts your redemption to options offered through American Airlines and its travel and hotel partners.
If you're ok with a few more restrictions on your redemption options, the CardName does offer you a free first checked bag on domestic itineraries for you and up to four companions on the same itinerary. The annual fee is AnnualFees.
Overall, the CardName offers greater flexibility, if slightly lower rewards earning potential, and with no annual fee.
CardName vs. CardName
CardName isn't specifically a travel rewards business card, but you can redeem reward points for travel as well as a number of other products, services and cash back, making this the most flexible card mentioned here when it comes to redemption options. American Express is a CardRatings.com advertiser.
Right now, new cardholders can earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of opening an account. You also have a tremendous amount of flexibility when it comes to earning rewards with CardName. Get 4x Membership Rewards® points on the two select categories where your business spends the most each month. (4X points apply to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year.) Also get 25% points back after you use points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with Amex Travel, up to 250,000 points back per calendar year. Access expense management tools: Connect to Quickbooks, access the American Express® Business App, receive a Year-End Summary, and more. You can also add employee cards with a no annual fee option and earn rewards on employee purchases while tracking employee expenses with spending limits, alerts and summary reports.
The annual fee (AnnualFees) is rather steep so you'll want to determine whether your business spending fits into the bonus reward categories and if you spend enough to offset that fee with the rewards you'll earn. See Rates and Fees.
Who Should Get This Card?
Business-focused travelers who are looking for a credit card with a rich, unlimited rewards program, no annual fee and plenty of travel-specific perks and protections should take a long look at the CardName. If you have some purchases on the horizon that you might need a few extra months to pay off, you'll especially appreciate the introductory 0% APR on purchases for nine billing cycles (then, RegAPR).
See Rates and Fees of the CardName
Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card Compared to Other Travel rewards Cards
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.