Best Bank of America® credit cards for September 2024

Bank of America travel credit cards are ideal for people who want to earn miles toward travel on everyday spending, are loyal to a particular Alaska Airlines, or who cast a wide net on the types of travel purchases they make.

Editor’s choice: The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card.

Bank of America’s cash back cards offer spending category flexibility, no-hassle earning opportunities and fairly high spending caps if they apply. Plus, Preferred Rewards Program members can earn boosted cash back when they have eligible balances in Bank of America accounts, adding more to the cash back potential.

Editor’s choice: The Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards credit card.

Bank of America’s business cards provide low-hassle rewards structures and can give businesses some autonomy over where they earn the most depending on the card. They also offer plenty of breathing room to earn in multiple business-centric spending categories that could prove lucrative for established and small businesses alike.

Editor’s choice: The Bank of America Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard credit card.

It’s important to have a firm understanding of what you want from your next Bank of America credit card since the issuer has various options to fit many needs.

To help you choose a card that fits your financial goals, here are a few points to consider:

Since many cardholders are eager to earn rewards, a key criteria for a card’s inclusion in our list is whether it offers impressive rewards value. This includes a card’s average rewards rate, estimated annual rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value and reward redemption value.

To estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings, we calculate its average rewards rate based on how much it earns in different bonus categories, as well as how closely those categories match the average person’s spending habits. In other words: Does the card earn rewards at a high rate in the most popular spending categories?

We use consumer spending data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to get a reliable third-party measure of people’s spending habits. The most recent BLS data estimates average total spending in 2021 was $66,928 per consumer. We then narrow our focus to which purchases are likely to be put on a credit card and earn rewards, subtracting expenditures like housing, vehicle purchases and education. This gives us a total “chargeable” annual spend of around $22,500.  

This includes the following spending by category:

• Groceries: $5,200
• Dining out: $3,000
• Entertainment: $2,500
• Gas: $2,100
• Apparel and services: $1,700

Using this data, we assign a weighting to each of a card’s bonus categories. For example, a card’s grocery rewards rate receives a 23 percent weighting based on how much of the average person’s budget is spent on groceries. We also estimate the redemption value of points or miles from various issuer, airline and hotel rewards programs.

This weighting and rewards valuation allows us to estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings — how many points or miles you’d earn with a given card if your spending was about average and you used the card for all of your purchases — as well as what those points are worth. We also use point valuations to determine a card’s sign-up bonus value

With these calculations complete, we assign each card a score based on how its average rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value, rewards rate and redemption value stack up against other cards in its primary category.

The better these values, the higher its score will be, making it more worthy of inclusion in our list and increasing its potential ranking.

Here’s a deeper look at the factors considered as part of a rewards card’s “Value” rating:

We also rate all cards based on how their ongoing average APR compares to the average APR you’ll find other cards in their primary category. However, the impact of an especially high or low APR on a card’s overall score depends on its primary category.

For rewards-earning cards, this factor has only a minor influence on the card’s score and whether the card is included in our list, since rewards card users generally try to avoid carrying a balance. That said, rewards-earning cards may get a solid boost in score and be more worthy of inclusion in our list if they also offer an intro APR on balance transfers or new purchases, since such offers aren’t always present on these cards.

More important to these cards’ scores and their inclusion in our list is how their annual fees influence their overall value. We consider a card’s annual fee in two ways — how it ranks relative to the fees you’ll find on other cards in the category and how it impacts a card’s overall rewards value. 

Cards with an annual fee will always be at a slight disadvantage in our scoring system since annual fees inherently cut into your rewards value. However, if a card offers terrific value via its ongoing rewards and perks, it can earn a high score and a spot in our list even if it carries a high annual fee. After all, the highest rewards rates and most valuable perks are often found on cards with annual fees.

Interest rates and intro APR offers play a much larger role in a card’s score and whether it’s included in our list when the card is designed specifically for users looking to save on interest charges, such as dedicated balance transfer or low-interest cards. 

Other fees considered include cash advance and late payment fees, along with penalty APRs. 

Along with rewards value and cost, we consider other factors that could give cards great long-term value, like flexible rewards redemption and especially unique and valuable perks.

We rate rewards-earning cards based on the restrictions they impose on earning and redeeming rewards and consider this when deciding on a card’s inclusion in our list. 

These restrictions could include only allowing users to earn a high rewards rate on a small amount of spending or requiring users to meet a certain earning threshold before they can redeem rewards. We also examine whether points are worth less when you opt for some redemption options over others and whether a card gives you the flexibility to transfer rewards to airline and hotel partners. 

We also evaluate each card’s perks based on their value, usefulness and uniqueness. Cards that offer top-tier benefits like airport lounge access or travel credits are likely to stand out, but we also aim to highlight cards that offer valuable under-the-radar perks, like cellphone protection or one-off credits for everyday expenses like dining and streaming services.

The Bank of America Preferred Rewards program is accessible to Bank of America customers by invitation. To qualify for an invitation, Bank of America customers must have at least one active Bank of America checking account that holds a minimum average daily balance of $20,000 or more, for three months.

Qualifying accounts include:

• Bank of America Advantage Banking, savings, money market savings, CDs and IRAs
• Merrill investment accounts
• Merrill 529 college savings accounts
• Revocable grantor trust accounts

As mentioned above, the program offers four tiers. Your tier, Gold, Platinum, Platinum Honors or Diamond will vary based on your account balance.

There are Bank of America credit cards for all kinds of spenders — from travelers to business owners — and each card has its own set of requirements for approval. If you’re not sure where you stand with your credit score check out Bankrate’s CardMatch™ tool to find out which Bank of America cards you may qualify for.