Bank of America® offers competitive rewards credit cards to the general public. But if you’re a banking or investment customer, the cards can become outstanding choices through its BofA Rewards™ program.
That’s because the bank offers accelerated points and cash back from its rewards credit cards — along with other banking goodies — as part of that loyalty program, which can be especially lucrative for high-balance customers. Credit cards that qualify for a rewards bonus of 10% to 75% include:
You’ll earn a 10% rewards bonus for being a member of the BofA Rewards™ program, which requires having a personal checking account with the bank. However, you’ll need to keep tens of thousands of banking and investment dollars with Bank of America® to qualify for a higher “relationship bonus,” as the bank calls it.
Credit card rewards probably aren’t the foremost factor when deciding on a financial institution for your household wealth. Still, if Bank of America®'s financial products appeal to you, consider its rewards program and the accompanying boost to credit card earnings.
What is the BofA Rewards™ program?
Under the rewards program, Bank of America® customers get a bigger bump in credit card rewards if they stash mounds of cash at the bank or its Merrill-branded investment arms. To qualify for the BofA Rewards™ program, you need a Bank of America® personal checking account.
The program’s rewards tiers are labeled Member, Preferred Plus, Preferred Honors and Premier. Your combined balances determine the tier you're in, and the tier determines how much of a boost you get in your credit card rewards. To determine tier eligibility, the bank looks at three months of average balances across qualifying Bank of America® and eligible Merrill investment accounts.
Program tier | Required balance | Rewards bonus |
|---|---|---|
Member | None. | 10%. |
Preferred Plus | $30,000 to $99,999. | 25%. |
Preferred Honors | $100,000 to $999,999. | 50%. |
Premier | $1 million or more. | 75%. |
🤓Nerdy Tip
In February 2026, Bank America® announced updates to its loyalty program, including changes to its name, lifestyle benefit offerings and program tiers. The new program — BofA Rewards™ — launched in May 2026. Customers who were enrolled in the previous "Preferred Rewards" program were automatically changed to the new BofA Rewards™ program on or around that date. Previous Gold and Platinum tier members were changed to the Preferred Plus tier; Platinum Honors members were changed to the Preferred Honors tier; and Diamond Honors members were moved to the Premier tier. Once you reach a rewards tier, you can keep the program benefits for a total of 15 months if your balances drop below the thresholds.
BofA Rewards™ offers more than extra credit card rewards. You can also get interest-rate boosts on money market accounts, no-fee ATM transactions, reduced mortgage origination fees, loan rate discounts, exclusive cash-back deals, enhanced fraud and identity monitoring and more.
Plus, Preferred Honors and Premier tier members will get reimbursed for popular streaming, entertainment and news subscriptions like Paramount+ and Sirius XM, for example. Preferred Honors members can receive up to $96 per year ($8 per month maximum), and Premier tier members can receive up to $180 per year ($15 per month maximum).
For more information, see the Bank of America® website.
How card rewards add up
Rewards credit cards under the Bank of America® brand qualify for BofA Rewards™. Excluded are business credit cards and such non-rewards cards as the BankAmericard® credit card, the bank’s secured cards and its non-rewards student card.
Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card gives you 1.5 points per dollar spent on purchases. That rate gets boosted by 0.15 to 1.125 points per dollar based on your status in the BofA Rewards™ program.
Rewards level (Combined balances) | Rewards boost | Points per $1 spent |
|---|---|---|
Member (Up to $29,999) | 10% | 1.65 |
Preferred Plus ($30,000 to $99,999) | 25% | 1.875 |
Preferred Honors ($100,000 to $999,999) | 50% | 2.25 |
Premier ($1 million and up) | 75% | 2.625 |
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card pays 3% cash back in a spending category of your choice and 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, on up to $2,500 in combined spending per quarter; all other spending earns 1%. Choices for the 3% category include gas/EV charging; online shopping (including cable, streaming, internet and phone plans); dining; travel; drugstores; or home improvement/furnishings. You can update your category for future purchases once each calendar month; do nothing, and it stays the same.
(Note: In the first year of having the card, it earns 6% back on a category of your choice and 2% back on grocery stores and wholesale clubs for the first $2,500 of combined bonus category/grocery store/wholesale club spending per quarter; after hitting that threshold, you’ll earn 1% back on these purchases.)
Here's how the card's normal ongoing rates translate when you take BofA Rewards™ into account:
Rewards level (Balances) | Boost | Choice category | Grocery/ wholesale | Other spending |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Member (Up to $29,999) | 10%. | 3.3% | 2.2% | 1.1% |
Preferred Plus ($30,000 to $99,999) | 25% | 3.75% | 2.5% | 1.25% |
Preferred Honors ($100,000 to $999,999) | 50% | 4.5% | 3% | 1.5% |
Premier ($1 million and up) | 75% | 5.25% | 3.5% | 1.75% |
The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card earns unlimited 2 points per dollar spend on travel and dining and 1.5 points per dollar on other purchases. With BofA Rewards™:
Rewards level | Rewards boost | Points per $1 on dining/travel | Points per $1 on other spending |
|---|---|---|---|
Member (Up to $29,999) | 10% | 2.2 | 1.65 |
Preferred Plus ($30,000 to $99,999) | 25% | 2.5 | 1.875 |
Preferred Honors ($100,000 to $999,999) | 50% | 3 | 2.25 |
Premier ($1 million and up) | 75% | 3.5 | 2.625 |
Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card
The Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card earns a flat rate of 1.5% cash back on all purchases, with no limits or expiration rules. If you like the simplicity of earning cash and not worrying about categories, this card is a solid option.
Rewards level | Rewards boost | Cash back rate |
|---|---|---|
Member (Up to $29,999) | 10% | 1.65% |
Preferred Plus ($30,000 to $99,999) | 25% | 1.875% |
Preferred Honors ($100,000 to $999,999) | 50% | 2.25% |
Premier ($1 million and up) | 75% | 2.625% |
Why you might avoid BofA Rewards™
Compare Bank of America® account offerings for banking and investing with other choices. Higher fees and expenses on some financial products — or lower savings rates — could reduce or wipe out bonus earnings from credit card rewards.
NerdWallet rates Bank of America® banking offerings as fair overall, although the bank excels at some aspects and not others.
Credit card rewards shouldn’t drive your decision on where to do banking and investing. But if you already have a relationship with Bank of America®, the boost to your rewards is a valuable benefit.
» MORE: How to choose a bank
