Bank of America® Travel Rewards Review: Easy Travel Rewards

With 1.5 points per dollar spent and a welcome bonus of 25,000 points (worth $250 if redeemed for travel or dining), the Bank of America® Travel Rewards card is a compelling option for travelers looking for a no-annual-fee travel card. If you’re eligible for Preferred Rewards (Bank of America’s loyalty program), you can increase the rewards you earn by up to 75%. Before applying, consider the card's lack of bonus categories and the lower value for cash redemption.

This card is best for:

• Earning consistent travel rewards from everyday purchases

This card can also work for:

• Taking advantage of the intro 0% APR offer to spread out travel expenses or transfer balances from other cards without accruing interest

This card is not ideal for:

• Those who prefer to maximize their rewards through higher earning rates in specific spending categories

The Bank of America® Travel Rewards card offers a seamless way to earn points, providing 1.5 points per dollar spent on all purchases. Ideal for travelers, points yield the most value if redeemed as a statement credit for travel and dining expenses.

With a 0% introductory APR for 15 billing cycles on both purchases and balance transfers, it also provides a strategic option for managing larger expenses or consolidating debt. This card comes with no annual fee and a generous 25,000-point bonus offer, equal to $250 in travel credit. If you qualify for Bank of America’s Preferred Rewards program, you can enjoy up to a 75% increase in the points you earn.

Although the card excels in simplicity and reward flexibility, it may not suit those with significant travel expenses and who want to maximize their earnings. You can find similar, no-annual-fee travel cards that offer up to 5 points for every dollar spent on bonus categories. If you travel frequently, cards that have annual fees may even yield higher rewards.

>>MORE: MoneyGeek's Best Travel Credit Cards

The Bank of America® Travel Rewards card works best if you’re looking to get consistent travel rewards from your purchases.

The Bank of America Preferred Rewards program increases the rewards you receive from the Bank of America® Travel Rewards card. To qualify, your three-month combined average daily balance on Bank of America and Merrill must be at least $20,000.

This program is divided into different tiers, and the rewards boost you receive depends on which tier you qualify for.

The Bank of America® Travel Rewards card is great at what it does, but it may not work for credit card power users.

Maximize the Bank of America® Travel Rewards card with these tips:

To help you decide if the Bank of America® Travel Rewards is right for you, we’ve compared it to similar cards.

The Customized Cash Rewards offers 3% cash back in your chosen category and 2% on groceries and wholesale clubs, with a combined spending cap of $2,500 per quarter. All other purchases earn 1% cash back. If you tend to spend heavily on specific areas and want to maximize the rewards you earn, the Customized Cash Rewards may provide more value.

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® lets you earn 2% cash back on all purchases, which is already higher than Travel Rewards’ rewards rate. When redeeming cash back, there are no category restrictions and you always get its full value. If you want to earn rewards on all your purchases but don’t want to limit yourself to travel rewards, the Active Cash is a solid alternative.

Our evaluation of the Bank of America® Travel Rewards card involved comparing it with 22 other travel and balance transfer credit cards. We analyzed the length of 0% APR offers, subsequent variable APRs, balance transfer and other fees and the value of the rewards program, if any.