Bank of America Premium Rewards Credit Card — Full Review [2023]

Great Card If

• You want an all-around travel rewards card
• You want a card with a simple rewards and redemption structure
• You have status in the Bank of America Preferred Rewards program

Don’t Get If

• You want a card that earns transferable rewards
• You want a card that offers premium benefits

Bank of America Premium Rewards Card — Is It Worth It?

If you’re looking for an all-around travel rewards card that is easy to earn points with and offers a simple approach when it comes time to redeem your rewards, then the Bank of America Premium Rewards card might be a perfect option for you.

The card has a very reasonable fee of $95. With that, you receive benefits like a $100 annual airline incidental credit, Global Entry credit, trip delay insurance, rental car insurance, return protection, and much more.

Further, the card is practically a no-brainer for those with Bank of America Preferred Rewards status who are able to earn an additional 25% to 75% more rewards on all of their card spend.

Bank of America Premium Rewards Card Top Benefits

Bank of America Preferred Rewards Point Boost

One of the best benefits of the Bank of America Premium Rewards card is the ability to boost your credit card rewards through the Bank of America Preferred Rewards program.

The Bank of America Preferred Rewards program is the bank’s loyalty program that offers increased perks, benefits, and credit card rewards for those who meet certain asset thresholds in eligible Bank of America accounts.

Here is a look at what you need to quality for, and the credit card rewards boost you receive, at each status level.

While it requires a substantial level of assets on deposit with Bank of America, the ability to earn an uncapped 3.5x points per $1 on travel and dining and 2.625x points per $1 spent on all other purchases is pretty stellar.

Travel Benefits

Up to $100 Annual Airline Incidental Credit

Each year, you’ll receive up to $100 in airline incidental statement credits towards purchases with airlines like seat upgrades, baggage fees, inflight services, and airline lounge fees. This benefit alone can easily help you offset the card’s $95 annual fee.

Global Entry/TSA PreCheck Credit

Cardholders also receive a $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit every 5 years. For those unfamiliar, TSA PreCheck provides an expedited security experience at U.S. airports, while Global Entry helps you speed through customs when you return to the U.S. from abroad.

We recommend you opt to use your credit for Global Entry as it includes TSA PreCheck.

Travel and Purchase Protections

The card also offers a plethora of travel and purchase protections to help keep you covered.

• Trip Delay Insurance: Provides coverage for you and family members for reasonable expenses if a covered trip is delayed for more than 12 hours.
• Baggage Delay Insurance: Coverage towards essential items like clothing when your bags are delayed for more than 6 hours.
• Lost Luggage Insurance: Covers you for the cost of items in your luggage if it is lost by the carrier or stolen.
• Trip Cancellation Insurance: Receive coverage for non-refundable passenger fares if your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness or other covered situations.
• Rental Car Insurance: Provides reimbursement for damage to your rental car due to collision or theft, but the coverage is secondary to your primary auto insurance.
• Purchase Protection: If an item purchased with the card is stolen or damaged within 90 days of purchase, you can receive coverage towards a repair or replacement.
• Extended Warranty Coverage: Extends the time period of the manufacturers’ warranty for eligible items purchased with your card.
• Return Protection: If you’ve purchased an item up to 90 days ago, and the retailer will not accept the return, you can receive coverage.

Best Ways To Earn and Redeem Your Premium Rewards Points

To earn as many points as possible, you’ll want to use your card for as many purchases as you can, especially since it earns 2x points per $1 on travel and dining purchases and 1.5x points per $1 on all other purchases.

That said, you can really take your rewards earning to the next level by gaining status in the Bank of America Preferred Rewards program, as doing so allows you to boost the number of points you earn on purchases by 25% to 75% depending on your status level.

The Bank of America rewards program is a fixed rewards program, allowing you to redeem all of your points through its own travel portal at a set rate of 1 cent per point. While there isn’t an opportunity to get outsized value here, the good news is that you can redeem points towards any travel purchase, including flights, hotels, rental cars, and more.

Alternative Cards to the Bank of America Premium Rewards Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is another great starter travel rewards card option. With it, you’ll earn 5x Ultimate Rewards points per $1 on travel purchased through the Chase travel portal, 3x points per $1 on dining, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services, plus 1x point per $1 on all other purchases.

You’ll receive many of the same travel and purchase protections as the Bank of America Premium Rewards card, but you’ll also have access to Chase transfer partners, and your points are worth 1.25 cents per point when redeemed through the Chase travel portal.

See how these 2 cards compare here: Bank of America Premium Rewards card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

With the Capital One Venture card, you’ll earn 5x Capital One miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and an unlimited 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases — making it one of the few travel rewards cards to offer such a high rewards rate for non-bonused purchases.

Plus the card offers 2 free visits to a Capital One Lounge or Plaza Premium Lounge each year, Hertz Five Star status, a Global Entry credit, and access to Capital One travel transfer partners.

The information regarding the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.