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Could this be your next ultimate travel ticket?


The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite Credit Card is the ultimate for travelers who want the flexibility to redeem rewards for any airline or hotel. While she has a premium annual fee ($550), her annual credits and salon benefits can help offset that. In addition, customers with higher deposits and investments can earn up to 75% more points on every purchase.

  • Annual fee

    550 dollars

  • Welcome offer

    75,000 online bonus points — a $750 value — after you make at least $5,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening

  • Buy APR

    20.24% – 28.24% variable

  • Reward rate

    • 2x points for travel and restaurants
    • 1.5x points on all other eligible purchases
    • Bank of America Preferred Rewards® members earn 25%-75% more points on every purchase
  • Advantages

    • Up to $100 statement credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fees every four years
    • Save 20% on domestic or international airline tickets in any class when you pay with points
    • Free 24/7 concierge to book your travel, dinner reservations, event tickets and more

You can earn a welcome bonus as a new cardholder, but you’ll have to rely on the rewards rate to continue earning. The Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite has elevated spending categories for travel and dining, making this card decent for travelers and foodies. You also have an above-average base earning rate if your usual spending doesn’t match the bonus categories.

You can earn even more as a Bank of America Preferred Rewards member, but you have to calculate whether earning 25% to 75% more on purchases is worth storing your money with the Bank of America Deposit Accounts and Merrill Investment Accounts available.

To qualify for the lowest level of the Preferred Rewards program, you need at least $20,000 in quarterly combined daily balances in these accounts. This would unlock a 25% points bonus on your card.

Points earned from Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite do not expire, so there is no need to redeem them immediately. Customers can redeem points for travel, cash back, statement credits, experiences or gift cards.

Remember, you’ll get 20% savings when you use your points to book domestic or international airline tickets.

Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite is packed with premium benefits and annual credits. Although the card has a large annual fee, these benefits help justify or offset the cost.

You can get up to $300 in statement credits each year for incidental airline expenses, such as seat upgrades, baggage fees, airport waiting fees and in-flight services. These credits do not apply to airline tickets.

This credit covers various lifestyle subscriptions and fees, such as video streaming services, fitness subscriptions, food delivery and ride sharing.

Charge the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee to your card to get up to $100 back every four years.

This card includes free unlimited access to the airport’s network of Priority Pass lounges, where you can enjoy free drinks, food, WiFi and more, depending on the lounge. Cardholders get up to four free Priority Pass Select memberships, so you can share these benefits with your friends and family.

Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite is best suited for frequent travelers who can take advantage of the card’s annual credits, airport lounge access and travel protection. If you do not use your card credits for eligible purchases, the credits will expire without any benefits.

In addition, customers with higher deposit and investment balances will receive up to 75% more points on every purchase. These additional rewards for your spending can help you justify the card’s hefty annual fee and rack up a large amount of rewards.

  • Up to $450 in annual credits toward eligible airline fees and lifestyle purchases

  • Up to $100 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry refund every four years

  • Up to four free Priority Pass Select memberships

  • Earn up to 75% more rewards as a Preferred Rewards member

  • No airline or hotel transportation partner limits the ability to maximize award value

  • The high annual fee is difficult for some users to justify

  • Limited bonus categories to earn additional points when purchasing

As a Visa Infinite Card, the Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite Credit Card can be used anywhere merchants accept Visa cards for payment. Visa and Mastercard are the dominant credit card processors in the US and abroad, so you should have no problem using this card while traveling domestically or internationally. The card also waives foreign transaction fees, making it a great choice for spending outside the US

  • Online at

  • Through the bank’s mobile application (, )

  • Automatic recurring payments

  • In person at approximately 3,700 Bank of America branches and 15,000 ATMs ()

  • Call customer service at (800) 236-6497

  • Send payments to PO Box 15019, Wilmington, DE 19850-5019

  • Overnight Shipping Bank of America, Attn: Payment Processing, DE5-023-03-02, 900 Samoset Drive, Newark, DE 19713

While the Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite has many attractive features, it’s not the best card for every user. One of its main drawbacks as a luxury credit card is that there are no transfer partners available to maximize the value of your rewards. If it doesn’t seem like the right fit for you, consider these other travel credit cards.

  • Annual fee

    95 dollars

  • Welcome offer

    Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months — worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel℠

  • Current purchases APR

    20.74% – 27.74% Variable

  • Recommended credit score

    Excellent/good

  • Reward rate

    • 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
    • 3x points for restaurants, selected streaming services and online stores
    • 2x points on all other travel purchases
    • 1x points for all other purchases
  • Advantages

    • Points are worth 25% more when redeemed on airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel
    • Earn up to $50 in annual credits on hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel
    • On each account anniversary, earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made in the previous year

Why we like it: While not a premium card, it’s one of the most popular travel credit cards for good reason. It has a low annual fee of $95, so there’s a lot less to worry about when you’re trying to recoup your cardmember cost each year. Plus, you can earn flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards points that can be transferred to more than 12 airline and hotel loyalty program partners.


  • Reward rate

    • 10x miles for hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel
    • 5x miles on flights and vacation accommodations booked through Capital One Travel
    • 2x miles on all other purchases
  • Advantages

    • $300 annual credit on travel bookings through Capital One Travel
    • 10,000 annual bonus miles (valued at $100 in travel costs; starts on your first account anniversary)
    • Unlimited access for you and two guests to Capital One salons and more than 1,300 salons through partner networks

Why we like it: earn flexible rewards that can be redeemed in a variety of ways, such as transfers to over 15 travel partners. The Venture X is also attractive because of its simple benefits that can easily help offset the annual fee each year. This includes a $300 annual travel credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel and 10,000 bonus miles each year starting on your first anniversary.


  • Reward rate

    • 10x points on hotels and rental cars purchased through Chase Travel℠*
    • 5x points for flights purchased through Chase Travel*
    • 3x points for buying food and other trips
    • 1x points for all other purchases
    • *After the first $300 per year is spent on travel purchases
  • Advantages

    • Points are worth 50% more when redeemed through Chase Travel
    • Earn up to $300 in annual travel credits
    • Receive up to a $120 credit every four years to cover the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS

Why we like it: One of the most popular premium travel credit cards is . This card includes a $300 annual credit automatically applied to any eligible travel purchase, plus airport lounge access, premium travel protection and more. Its points have numerous redemption options, including transferring to more than 12 airline and hotel partners or getting 50% more value when booking travel through Chase Travel℠.

This article was edited by Ben Walker (CEPF, CFEI®)


Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. All opinions are solely those of Yahoo Finance and are not those of any other entity. Details of financial products, including tariffs and card fees, are correct as of the date of publication. All products or services are presented without warranty. Look for the latest information on the bank’s website. This page does not include all currently available offers. A credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.



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