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Could this be your next premium travel card?

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Could this be your next premium travel card?

The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite Credit Card is a premium for travelers who want flexibility in redeeming rewards at any airline or hotel. Although it has a premium annual fee ($550), the annual credits and lounge benefits can help offset this. Additionally, customers with higher deposit and investment balances can earn up to 75% more points on every purchase.

  • Annual fee

    $550

  • Welcome offer

    75,000 online bonus points – worth €750 – after you make at least €5,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of opening your account

  • Buy April

    20.24% – 28.24% variable

  • Reward rate

    • 2x points on travel and dining
    • 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 in credits every four years toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fees
    • Save 20% on domestic or international airline tickets for any class when you pay with points
    • Free 24/7 full-service concierge to book your trips, dinner reservations, event tickets and more

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

You can earn even more as a Bank of America Preferred Rewards member, but you need to calculate whether it’s worth it to earn 25% to 75% more on purchases to save money in the available Bank of America deposits and Merrill -investment accounts.

To qualify for the lowest tier of the Preferred Rewards program, you need at least a combined three-month average daily balance of $20,000 on these accounts. This unlocks a 25% points bonus on your card.

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

Don’t forget that you get a 20% discount when you use points to book domestic or international airline tickets.

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

You can receive up to $300 in credits each year for airline incidentals such as seat upgrades, baggage fees, airline lounge fees and inflight services. These credits do not apply to airline tickets.

This credit covers a variety of lifestyle subscriptions and costs, such as video streaming services, fitness memberships, food delivery and rideshare.

Charge the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee to your card and receive a refund of up to $100 once every four years.

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

The 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 protections. If you don’t use the card’s funds for eligible purchases, the funds will disappear without receiving any benefits.

Additionally, customers with larger deposit and investment balances receive up to 75% more points on every purchase. These extra rewards for your spending can help justify the card’s high annual fee and provide a host of rewards.

  • Up to $450 in annual credits on eligible airline expenses and lifestyle purchases

  • Up to $100 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee 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 transfer partner limits the ability to maximize the value of rewards

  • High annual costs are difficult to justify for some customers

  • Limited bonus categories to earn extra points on purchases

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 shouldn’t have any problems using this card while traveling domestically or abroad. The card also waives foreign transaction fees, making it a great choice for spending outside the US

  • Online at

  • Via the bank’s mobile app (, )

  • 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 by mail to PO Box 15019, Wilmington, DE 19850-5019

  • Overnight Delivery to 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 customer. One of the biggest shortcomings of a luxury credit card is that there are no transfer partners available to maximize the value of your rewards. If this doesn’t seem like the right choice for you, consider these other travel credit cards.

  • Annual fee

    $95

  • Welcome offer

    Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months – that’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel℠

  • Current purchases April

    20.74% – 27.74% Variable

  • Recommended credit score

    Excellent/good

  • Reward rate

    • 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
    • 3x points on dining, select streaming services and online shopping
    • 2x points on all other travel purchases
    • 1x points on all other purchases
  • Advantages

    • Points are worth 25% more when you redeem them for 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 from the previous year

Why we like it: While it’s not a premium card, it’s one of the most popular travel credit cards for a reason. It has a low annual fee of $95, so you have much less to worry about trying to offset the cardholder’s fees 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 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
    • 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
    • 2x miles on all other purchases
  • Advantages

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

Why we like it: It earns flexible rewards that can be redeemed in different ways, for example by transferring them to more than 15 travel partners. The Venture These include a $300 annual travel credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel and 10,000 bonus miles per year from your first anniversary.


  • Reward rate

    • 10x points on hotels and rental cars purchased through Chase Travel℠*
    • 5x points on flights purchased through Chase Travel*
    • 3x points on dining and other travel purchases
    • 1x points on all other purchases
    • *After first $300 spent annually on travel purchases
  • Advantages

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

Why we like it: One of the most popular premium travel credit cards is the . This card includes a $300 annual statement credit automatically applied to any eligible travel purchase, plus airport lounge access, premium travel protections and more. The 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 belong solely to Yahoo Finance and are not those of any other entity. Details of financial products, including card rates and charges, are accurate as of the date of publication. All products or services are offered without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information. This site does not contain all currently available offers. Credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

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