Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card Review

What the Bank of America Travel Rewards card actually is

This is the simple starter travel card. You earn an unlimited 1.5 points per dollar on every purchase, with no categories to track and no quarterly hoops. Points are worth 1 cent each toward travel, so you're looking at roughly 1.5% back when you redeem against flights, hotels, rental cars, and a few other travel-coded charges.

There's no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee. That second part matters more than people realize. A lot of cash-back cards quietly tack on 3% every time you swipe outside the US, which wipes out your rewards on a trip. This one doesn't, which makes it a legitimate card to carry overseas.

How it performs day to day

Plain and predictable. You spend, you earn 1.5x, and redemptions happen as a statement credit against travel purchases you've already made. That last detail trips some people up. You don't book through a clunky portal or transfer to airline partners. You buy the flight on your card, then erase the charge with points. It's flexible and you never overpay for a 'rewards' fare.

The catch is the ceiling. Flat 1.5x is fine, but it's no longer impressive in a market where plenty of free cards do better on the spending you actually care about. The card earns the same on a plane ticket as it does on toothpaste, which is convenient but rarely optimal.

Where this card jumps a tier is if you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards member. Depending on your relationship balance across BofA and Merrill accounts, you can get a 25% to 75% bonus on rewards, which pushes the effective rate to as high as roughly 2.62%. That's genuinely strong. If you don't bank with BofA, you'll never see it.

The good and the annoying

On the plus side: zero annual fee, zero foreign transaction fees, a flat rate that requires no thought, and a sign-up bonus that's reasonable for a free card. The statement-credit redemption is refreshingly honest because every point is worth the same penny no matter how you spend it.

The annoying parts: 1.5x is mediocre unless you stack the Preferred Rewards bonus. Travel redemptions only apply to travel-coded purchases, so a charge that codes as something else won't qualify. And the points have no transfer partners, so there's no path to outsized value the way Chase or Amex points offer. This is a floor, not a ceiling.

Who it's for, who should skip it

Get it if you're a BofA or Merrill customer with enough on deposit to trigger Preferred Rewards. At the higher tiers this quietly becomes one of the best flat-rate cards around, and it costs nothing to hold. It's also a smart pick for occasional travelers who want one no-fee card they can use abroad without doing math.

Skip it if you don't bank with BofA and you actually travel a lot. The Capital One Venture or a Chase Sapphire Preferred will out-earn this on travel and come with transfer partners and trip protections, even after their annual fees. And if you mostly spend on groceries and gas, a tiered cash-back card will beat a flat 1.5%.

Verdict: a solid, boring, genuinely free card that's quietly excellent for BofA loyalists and merely fine for everyone else. Match it to your bank, not your wanderlust.

Frequently asked questions

How do you redeem Bank of America Travel Rewards points?

You redeem points as a statement credit against travel purchases already on your card, like flights, hotels, and rental cars. Each point is worth 1 cent toward travel. There's no portal booking requirement and no airline transfer partners.

Does the Bank of America Travel Rewards card have foreign transaction fees?

No. There are no foreign transaction fees, which makes it a good card to use on international trips. Combined with no annual fee, it's cheap to keep just for travel.

Is the 1.5x rewards rate worth it?

On its own, 1.5x is average. The card gets much more competitive if you're a BofA Preferred Rewards member, where a 25% to 75% bonus can push the effective rate up to around 2.62%. Without that, other cards earn more on travel and everyday categories.