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Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card review: Flat-rate travel rewards with no annual fee

Great for Bank of America loyalists who travel occasionally.

 /  18 min
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Snapshot

4.1

Bankrate rating
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Rating: 4.1 stars out of 5

Bottom line

This no-annual-fee travel card is a flexible alternative to more complex travel cards with rewards that may be difficult to maximize. However, since you can’t transfer points to partner programs and there aren’t any travel-specific benefits, it can feel like a flat-rate cash back card with more red tape.

  • Rewards value
    Rating: 1.4 stars out of 5
    1.4 / 5
    APR
    Rating: 4 stars out of 5
    4 / 5
    Rewards flexibility
    Rating: 5 stars out of 5
    5 / 5
    Features
    Rating: 3 stars out of 5
    3 / 5
Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
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Recommended Credit

Intro offer

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$250

Offer valuation

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1.5X

Rewards rate

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Annual fee

Regular APR

Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card overview

The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card is a decent flat-rate rewards card for travelers who want to avoid an annual fee. It’s also a great fit for occasional travelers who only take a few trips per year and want to earn rewards on everyday spending, not just travel purchases. Since this travel rewards credit card carries a flat rewards rate and isn’t tied to specific hotel or airline partners, you won’t have to tailor your spending to any one category and can book your travel with any provider and receive a statement credit.

Bank of America credit cards also have a looser definition of travel compared to cards from other issuers, allowing you to receive a statement credit for purchases at campgrounds, travel agencies, zoos, art galleries and more. You can also redeem points for a statement credit toward dining purchases.

However, this card doesn’t have any travel-specific features to speak of, and you can’t use rewards to book travel directly through an issuer portal or a transfer partner. These details may be a dealbreaker for frequent travelers since you’ll usually get the best reward value when you redeem rewards this way, as you can with many Chase, Capital One and American Express travel cards. 

  • Credit Card Cash Back

    Rewards

    • Unlimited 1.5X points on all purchases

    Expert Appraisal: Typical
    See our expert analysis

  • Rewards

    Welcome offer

    • 25,000 online bonus points ($250 statement credit value toward travel purchases) if you make $1,000 in purchases within 90 days of opening the account

    Expert Appraisal: Typical
    See our expert analysis

  • Credit Card Apr

    0% APR offer

    • 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 18.24% - 28.24% will apply. A 3% Intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days your account is open. After the Intro balance transfer fee offer ends, the fee for future balance transfers is 4%.
    • 18.24 percent to 28.24 percent ongoing variable APR

    Expert Appraisal: Good
    See our expert analysis

  • Credit Card Search

    Rates and fees

    • No annual fee
    • No foreign transaction fee
    • 3 percent balance transfer fee (for the first 60 days your account is open; after the Intro balance transfer fee offer ends, the fee for future balance transfers is 4 percent)

    Expert Appraisal: Typical
    See our expert analysis

  • Congrats

    Other cardholder perks

    • Bank of America Preferred Rewards® 
    • BankAmeriDeals
    • Museums On Us
    • Visa Signature benefits

    Expert Appraisal: Unimpressive
    See our expert analysis

Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card pros and cons

Pros

  • Checkmark

    The lengthy intro APR on purchases and balance transfers offers much more breathing room than many other rewards cards.

  • Checkmark

    You can boost your rewards rate by up to 75 percent as a Preferred Rewards member, which could make it one of the most rewarding flat-rate travel cards for no annual fee.

  • Checkmark

    You can redeem its flexible points to cover a comprehensive list of travel and dining purchases — even if those purchases are nearly a year old.

Cons

  • The minimum redemption of 2,500 points for travel or cash back (worth $25) is high compared to competing cards.

  • It offers some of the best travel-related redemption coverage, but the rewards rate is low if you aren’t a Preferred Rewards member.

  • The limited travel benefits make travel less convenient than it can be with other cards.

Why you might want the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card

The Bank of America Travel Rewards Card has a decent flat rate for potential cardholders who want to earn rewards on every purchase. And not only that, you can pay down these purchases with an intro APR offer that’s on par with many low-interest cards. Along with its welcome offer, you could be on the fast track toward earning boosted points.

Intro APR: Great length for purchases and balance transfers

The Bank of America Travel Rewards card has a 0 percent intro APR for 15 billing cycles on purchases and on balance transfers made within your first 60 days (a 3 percent balance transfer fee applies for 60 days from account opening, and after the Intro balance transfer fee offer ends, the fee for future balance transfers is 4 percent; 18.24 percent to 28.24 percent variable ongoing APR after the promotional period). Compared to reward cards that only offer a 12-month intro APR period or shorter, this a fairly lengthy offer and can give you more than enough time to pay down a balance you’ve transferred or can be helpful when financing a big purchase during the first year. And once your intro APR offer ends, you can still get long-term value out of the card through earning flat-rate rewards on purchases.

Welcome offer: Decent value compared to similar cards

Bank of America currently offers 25,000 online bonus points when you spend at least $1,000 in qualifying purchases within 90 days of opening the account. If you redeem these points for a statement credit, they’ll be worth about $250 statement credit toward travel. Considering that this card has no annual fee, this welcome offer is generous.

A $250 value is slightly higher than what you’ll find with some other no-annual-fee cards, but keep in mind that some competing cards only require a $500 spend to earn a $200 bonus. You have to spend double with the Bank of America Travel Rewards card to qualify for an extra $50 in rewards, but the Bank of America Travel Rewards Card may be more valuable in ways other than the welcome bonus.

And though other cards’ sign-up bonuses can climb higher, they typically charge an annual fee, which will eat into your rewards. 

Rewards: Earn more with the preferred rewards program 

The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card allows you to earn unlimited 1.5X points on all purchases. However, the Bank of America Preferred Rewards® program gives the Travel Rewards card an edge over similar competing cards if you already have an eligible account with Bank of America or Merrill. 

Depending on which status tier you hold, you can earn 25 percent to 75 percent bonus points on every purchase. That means Platinum Honors Preferred Rewards members can earn up to 2.62X points on all purchases and up to 5.25X points on Travel Center purchases. Plus, you could receive other benefits like boosted interest rates on savings accounts and reduced interest rates on your home equity and auto loans.

Here are Bank of America’s Preferred Rewards status tiers:

  • Gold (at least a $20,000 combined balance): 25 percent bonus rewards
  • Platinum (at least a $50,000 combined balance): 50 percent bonus rewards
  • Platinum Honors (at least a $100,000 combined balance): 75 percent bonus rewards

The Preferred Rewards program also offers a Diamond Tier status above the Platinum Honors Tier, but it carries the same 75 percent bonus rewards boost and is only available to account holders with a $1 million to $10 million combined balance.

This boost could add up to one of the best flat rewards rates available, especially for no annual fee, and could make the Travel Rewards card an especially great deal since rival cards typically max out at 2X rewards on general spending and 5X rewards on comparable travel portal purchases through the issuer.

Redemption: Fair options for a variety of travel and dining categories

You can redeem your points for gift cards, cash or a statement credit to cover travel-related purchases. Even better, you can request credit for your travel-related purchases up to 12 months after you make them. This feature opens the door to exceptional deals that you might not get with other travel reward programs, such as discount bookings through external travel websites. 

You can also redeem points for cash back as a check or direct deposit to an eligible Bank of America checking or savings account or Merrill Cash Management account. Just keep in mind that there’s a 2,500-point redemption minimum for travel credits and cash and a 3,125-point minimum for gift cards. 

Perhaps one of the best aspects of the Bank of America Travel Rewards card’s travel credit redemption is that it covers a great variety of purchase categories that may not usually qualify as travel or dining. For example, you can get statement credits for admission tickets to tourist attractions, bar and nightclub purchases, transit and RV and boat rentals However, some travel or dining-related expenses like in-flight goods and services and duty-free airport purchases aren’t eligible for statement credits.

Knowing which purchases qualify for credits can get confusing, so here’s a handy list of Bank of America Travel Rewards card categories eligible for travel credits:

Eligible travel-related category examples Eligible dining-related category examples
  • Airlines
  • Hotels and motels
  • Timeshares
  • Trailer parks, motorhomes and recreational vehicle rentals
  • Campgrounds
  • Car, truck, trailer and boat rentals
  • Cruise lines
  • Travel agencies, tour operators and real estate agents
  • Transit including passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, parking lots and garages, tolls and bridge fees
  • Tourist attractions and exhibits like art galleries, amusement parks, carnivals, circuses, aquariums, zoos
  • Restaurants and eating places
  • Fast food restaurants
  • Bars
  • Taverns
  • Cocktail lounges
  • Nightclubs

Why you might want a different travel card

Though the Bank of America Travel Rewards Card has plenty of perks and advantages it does have some drawbacks, including a lower value for cash back redemption, no ability to transfer points to hotel or airline partners and a balance transfer fee.

Flexibility: Low redemption value and you can’t transfer points

This card offers a solid rewards rate on all your purchases, whether you’re traveling or at home, but these travel rewards work a bit differently than typical bonus miles. Instead of using rewards to book travel, your Bank of America travel rewards go toward statement credits on travel or dining purchases — meaning this card works more like a specialized cash back credit card.

However, if you redeem your points for a travel statement credit, they’re worth 1 cent each, so 25,000 points equals $250 statement credit. Cash and gift cards usually give you less bang for your buck. When redeeming for gift cards, the value of your points will vary by retailer, but when you redeem for cash, your points are only worth 0.6 cents each (or $150 for every 25,000 points). 

Compared to Chase and other issuers with traditional travel reward programs, you may get more flexibility with this card, but you can’t book travel with your points or transfer them to travel partners at a higher value. Bank of America Travel Rewards points are stuck at a maximum of 1.0 cents per point. If you’re a frequent traveler, you may squeeze more value out of a card that allows you to transfer points to airline and hotel partners. According to Bankrate’s point valuations, several issuers’ points or miles can be worth 2 cents each on average with the right transfer partner.

Perks: Doesn’t quite stand out compared to other travel cards

The Bank of America Travel Rewards card isn’t a powerhouse for perks like other travel-oriented rewards credit cards. Along with offering basic features like free access to your credit score, overdraft protection and account alerts, it has few extra benefits outside the Preferred Rewards program that might be helpful during your travels, such as:

  • BankAmeriDeals: Bank of America cardholders have exclusive access to BankAmeriDeals, the issuer’s version of card-linked limited-time offer programs like Amex Offers or Chase Offers. You can log into your account and usually earn anywhere from 5 to 50 percent extra cash back (up to a certain limit) or a sum of cash back (usually $4 to $35) for spending a certain amount at participating restaurants and other merchants after activating the respective offer. BankAmeriDeals won’t rake in big bucks, but the “coins” you get for regularly using the program can help you obtain upgraded deals.
  • Visa Signature benefits: As a Visa credit card, your Bank of America Travel Rewards card has access to a portfolio of Visa Signature perks that can come in handy on the road. Contact your issuer to see which features your card specifically carries, but you can expect to receive standard benefits like extended warranty protection, Visa Signature® Concierge services, roadside Dispatch®, lost luggage reimbursement as well as travel and emergency assistance.
  • Museums On Us: If you love planning day trips to popular museums, then this benefit is an underrated gem. Simply presenting your Bank of America debit or credit card and a valid photo ID will get you free admission to 225-plus cultural institutions during the first weekend of each month.

However, in the travel card landscape, these features aren't particularly competitive, as cards offer airport perks such as TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credits, in-flight or airline credit, airport lounge access, free checked bag(s), rental car assistance and more. However, you will normally have to pay an annual fee with these sorts of travel cards, so it is up to you whether you want a simple travel reward card with no exceptional features but no annual fee or a more luxurious travel reward card with top-tier amenities and an annual fee.

Fees: Charges a balance transfer fee

Though there is no annual fee and a long intro APR offer for purchases and balance transfers, the Bank of America Travel Rewards card charges a 3 percent fee for each transfer you make (for the first 60 days; after the Intro balance transfer fee offer ends, the fee for future balance transfers is 4 percent). If you have a large balance or multiple balances to transfer, this could be a dealbreaker. And when compared to other reward cards that don't have a balance transfer fee, as well as potentially higher rewards rates or a wider range of bonus categories, you may find that choosing a different card entirely is a smarter decision.

But on the upside, the Bank of America Travel Rewards card does not charge foreign transaction fees, so you can safely use it abroad without the typical 3 percent fee eating into your hard-earned rewards.

How the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card compares to other travel cards

The Bank of America Travel Rewards card is one of the best travel credit cards with no annual fee, if you value flexibility. It doesn’t operate like a traditional travel card with bonus points or miles but instead works like a flat-rate cash back card — except your statement credits are restricted to travel and dining-related categories. If you don’t travel frequently and “flexibility” means occasionally redeeming for cash rewards, you’re probably better off with a true flat-rate cash back card. 

Image of Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
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Apply now Lock
on Bank of America's secure site

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

25,000 points
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Rewards rate

1.5X
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
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See Rates & Fees , Terms Apply
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on Capital One's secure site

Annual fee

$95

Intro offer

Earn 75,000 miles
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Rewards rate

2 Miles - 5 Miles
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Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
Image of Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card
Bankrate Score
Apply now Lock
on Bank of America's secure site

Annual fee

$95

Intro offer

60,000 points
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Rewards rate

1.5X - 2X
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info

Best cards to pair with the Bank of America Travel Rewards Card

Since the Bank of America Travel Rewards card is a flat-rate card, the best cards to pair with should reward the categories you spend the most in with higher rates. Your Travel Rewards card points are best used to cover travel and dining purchases, so you’ll want a card that covers spending outside those two categories.

Who is the Bank of America Travel Rewards Card right for?

The Bank of America Travel Rewards Card could be a great card to choose for some, but it may not be the best option for everyone.

Bankrate’s Take — Is the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card worth it?

The no-annual-fee Bank of America Travel Rewards card is a good choice for frequent travelers who value flexibility and are Preferred Rewards members that already bank with Bank of America or Merrill.

Since you can redeem points for a travel rewards statement credit, you won’t have to deal with blackout dates or travel restrictions when redeeming, and you have the freedom to book through third-party sites for better travel deals. You’ll also be able to use your points to cover a wide range of travel purchases, from aquarium tickets to hotel stays, which aren’t covered by similar redemption options from other issuers.

However, there aren’t any travel-specific perks or opportunities to transfer rewards, so many cardholders looking for richer travel opportunities may find this card lacking. Since you can only redeem rewards for travel or dining statement credits, a 2 percent flat-rate cash back card may even be a better option if you aren’t a Preferred Rewards member.

Dig deeper: Is the Bank of America Travel Rewards card worth it?

How we rated this card

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We rate credit cards using a proprietary card scoring system that ranks each card’s estimated average rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more against those of other cards in its primary category.

Each card feature is assigned a weighting based on how important it is to people looking for a card in a given category. These features are then scored based on how they rank relative to the features on other cards in the category. Based on these calculations, each card receives an overall rating of 1-5 stars (with 5 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest). 

We analyzed over 150 of the most popular rewards and cash back cards to determine where each stacked up based on their value, cost, benefits and more. Here are some of the key factors that influenced this card’s overall score and how the score influenced our review:

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Written by
Re'Dreyona Walker
Associate Editor, Credit Cards

Re’Dreyona Walker is an editor for Bankrate and CreditCards.com, focusing on product guides and reviews. As a personal finance expert, she is dedicated to providing honest product reviews as well as in-depth, comprehensive guides to assist readers in building credit and finding the best credit cards for their needs.

Edited by Senior Editor, Credit Cards
Reviewed by Former Senior Director of Content

* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.