5 Reasons to Get the Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card

June CasagrandeMarch 1, 2019
Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.

The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card is a good option for travelers who like a lot of flexibility in both earning and redeeming rewards. It pays 1.5 points per $1 on purchases, and you can earn 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.

Here are five reasons why this card may be for you.

1. You’re not committed to an airline or hotel group

Anyone who’s worked hard to earn Hilton Honors points knows how frustrating it can be to discover that, for your next destination, there's a Marriott property you like even better. Or, after saving up American AAdvantage miles, you discover that only United has nonstops to your next vacation spot.

That’s not an issue with the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card. The points you earn can be applied toward awards travel with most airlines, hotels, online travel booking sites and other providers.

2. You can make reservations through your preferred website

Co-branded hotel and airline credit cards, as well as a number of others like Chase credit cards, require you (or at least create incentives for you) to redeem points through their websites. As a result, you can miss out on deals.

With the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card, redemptions are a lot more flexible. You can book travel on your card through just about any provider you like, then you use your points to apply a credit to your statement, erasing some or all of the costs.

3. You’re not restricted on redemptions

Airlines and hotels are notorious for hiking up award redemption rates during peak times, or forbidding peak-time redemptions altogether. With this card, you don't have to worry about such restrictions. Simply find the best price you can with any airline, hotel or vacation package provider, book as you would if you were paying cash, then use your points to erase some or all of the charges from your credit card bill.

4. You don’t have to worry about spending categories

More and more travel credit cards offer bonus rewards in certain spending categories, especially dining and travel, but rewards can be lackluster in other spending categories. The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card keeps things simple: It pays 1.5 points for every $1 you spend on the card no matter what you purchase.

5. The $0 annual fee

The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card’s $0 annual fee is, without a doubt, one of the best reasons to get this card. There’s no risk you’ll end up paying more in annual fees than you earn back in rewards.

How to Maximize Your Rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2021, including those best for:

Check out these articles for more inspiration and advice: Bank of America v. Chase: Which is best for you? NerdWallet’s top travel credit cards How to choose a travel credit card

We want to hear from you and encourage a lively discussion among our users. Please help us keep our site clean and safe by following our posting guidelines, and avoid disclosing personal or sensitive information such as bank account or phone numbers. Any comments posted under NerdWallet’s official account are not reviewed or endorsed by representatives of financial institutions affiliated with the reviewed products, unless explicitly stated otherwise.