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Bank of America is the second-largest bank in the United States when it comes to total assets. As a result, this bank’s credit cards are “too big to ignore.” If you are a Bank of America customer (or thinking about joining), you should consider the best Bank of America credit cards.
You should pay close attention to these cards if you are a Preferred Rewards member. Having at least $20,000 with Bank of America banking, Merrill investments, or both, means you can earn a loyalty bonus with select credit cards.
Best Bank of America Credit Cards
Here’s a preview of the cards on this list:
- Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card
- Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card
- Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card
- Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card
- BankAmericard® Secured Card
- Sonesta World Mastercard®
- Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard®
Bank of America Premium Rewards Credit Card
The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card earns unlimited 2x points on travel and dining. Non-bonus purchases earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1. Preferred Rewards members can earn up to 25%-75% more points on every purchase. That means you could earn 2.5-3.5 points on travel and dining purchases and 1.87-2.62 points on all other purchases, for every $1 you spend.
There is no limit to the points you can earn, and your points don’t expire.
It can be one of the best credit cards for travel miles, especially if you are already a Bank of America member.
Each point is worth 1 cent and redeemable for Bank of America banking or Merrill investment account deposits. You can also redeem your points for upcoming travel on the Bank of America Travel Center, cash statement credits, or gift cards.
While this card doesn’t offer point transfers or travel redemption bonuses like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you do get two other travel perks. You get a $100 airline incidental fee credit and a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit.
The annual fee is $95. The signup bonus is 50,000 bonus points (worth $500 in award travel) by spending $3,000 in the first 90 days of account opening.
Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card
The Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card doesn’t have an annual fee or foreign transaction fee. Every purchase earns 1.5 points per $1 spent. Being a Platinum Honors Preferred Rewards member means you can earn up to 75% more points (2.62 points per $1 spent).
See what other cards are our favorite no annual fee travel credit cards.
You can redeem your points for a statement credit to pay for travel or dining purchases, such as flights, hotel stays, car and vacation rentals, baggage fees, and also at restaurants including takeout. Each point is worth 1 cent each with the Bank of America Travel Rewards Visa credit card.
The signup bonus is 25,000 bonus points worth $250 in award travel via a statement credit by spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card
The Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card is probably the best of the co-brand Bank of America airline credit cards. This is one of the easiest ways to earn Alaska miles you can redeem for award flights. For example, one-way flights to Hawaii start at 15,000 miles per person.
You earn 3x miles on Alaska Airlines purchases. Cardholders also earn 2x miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, cable, streaming services, and local transit including ride-share purchases. Plus, earn 1x miles for everything else. The Alaska Airlines credit card also includes these benefits:
- Free checked bag on Alaska flights (you and up to 6 guests)
- Priority boarding for you and up to 6 guests on the same reservation, when you pay for your flight with your card — also available for co-applicants and authorized users when they book a reservation too!
- $95 annual fee
- 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America® account
Get Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. Valid on all Alaska Airlines flights booked on alaskaair.com.
Due to this and other benefits, this can be one of the best credit cards for travel rewards.
For a limited time, new Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card cardholders can earn 70,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card
For tiered cash rewards, check out the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card. Purchases either earn 3%, 2%, or 1% back. Preferred Rewards members will earn up to 5.25% back on purchases making this one of the best cash back credit cards.
You get 3% back on one bonus category of your choice like online shopping, gas, or travel (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases). Grocery stores and wholesale clubs earn 2% back (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases). All non-bonus purchases earn an unlimited 1% back.
There is no annual fee, but there is a 3% foreign transaction fee. The signup offer is a $200 bonus cash by spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
BankAmericard Secured Card
The information for the BankAmericard® Secured card has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The BankAmericard® Secured Card is a secured card and perfect for building credit. Your refundable security deposit (up to $5,000) is equal to your card spending limit. Exceptional cardholders with a positive payment history may qualify to have their security deposit refunded while still owning this secured card. Read more about some of the best balance transfer credit cards if this is something you’re interested in.
This card doesn’t earn rewards on purchases but has no annual fee. Bank of America also provides a free monthly FICO credit score so you can track your credit-building progress in real-time. This is the same credit score banks use to review your credit card application (some people pay a monthly fee to access their FICO credit score).
Sonesta World Mastercard
The information for the Sonesta World Mastercard® has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
If you stay at resorts when you travel, the Sonesta World Mastercard® is an alternate approach to the typical hotel credit card. This card offers the following benefits:
- Sonesta Travel Pass loyalty benefits
- Earn 3x points on eligible Sonesta purchases
- Earns 2x points on eligible airfare, car rental, and dining (1x points for everything else)
- Get up to 95,000 bonus points in the first year
- Introductory $0 annual fee for the first year (then $75)
Owning this card enrolls you in the Sonesta Travel Pass loyalty program.
Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard
The information for the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
For international travel, the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® is a sleeper pick for being one of the best travel rewards credit cards. You earn 3x miles on Virgin Atlantic purchases and 1.5x miles for everything else.
Some of the best flight options are flying Virgin Atlantic Upper Class from the U.S. to the U.K. from 95,000 miles plus fees and taxes each way. You can also book partner flights on Delta, ANA, and Hawaiian Airlines.
Like other co-brand Bank of America credit cards, this lets you earn bonus points every year. New cardholders can earn 30,000 bonus Virgin Points after spending $1,000 or more on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
Also, earn up to 5,000 bonus Virgin Points when you add additional cardholders to your account.
The annual fee is $90. There is no foreign transaction fee.
Summary
Preferred Rewards members will want to first focus on the Bank of America credit cards offering a loyalty bonus. However, you can also build credit with their Americard Secured Credit Card or book more award flights with a co-brand airline credit card like the Alaska Airline Visa.
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Learn more: Travel Rewards Credit Cards
