The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card is a great card that offers a lot of travel and purchase protections for a $95 annual fee.
This card gets even better for those who have $20,000+ in a Bank of America or Merrill account, which makes them eligible for the Preferred Rewards program, which can earn you 25-75% more points.
Welcome Bonus
The Premium Rewards Card currently offers the following welcome bonus: bonus_miles_full
Earning Points
The Premium Rewards Card earns points at the following rate:
Extra Points with Preferred Rewards
You can boost your rewards if you are a member of the Preferred Rewards program, allowing you to earn 25% to 75% more rewards on every purchase based on the amount of money in Bank of America banking and/or Merrill Investment accounts.
Gold ($20,000 to $49,999) = 25% rewards boost.
Platinum ($50,000 to $99,999) = 50% rewards boost.
Platinum Honors ($100,000+) = 75% rewards boost.
Annual Fee
The Premium Rewards Card has a $95 annual fee, which can be offset by a $100 travel credit, trip and purchase protections, and a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit.
Benefits of Premium Rewards Card
The Premium Rewards Card offers the following benefits:
$100 Airline Fee Credit: Each year, you receive a $100 airline incidental statement credit for qualifying purchases such as seat upgrades, baggage fees, in-flight services, and airline lounge fees with U.S. Airlines.
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Credit: This card offers a credit for TSA PreCheck (expedited airport security) or Global Entry (expedited airport security and customs).
No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose.
Trip Delay Insurance: When your trip is significantly delayed due to covered reasons like equipment failures or severe weather, this protection reimburses you for reasonable expenses including lodging, meals, toiletries, and medication. The coverage activates when you pay for travel with your card and extends to family members on the same itinerary, though you’ll need to seek reimbursement from the travel carrier first.
Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance: This protection reimburses you for non-refundable, prepaid travel expenses if you need to cancel before departure or cut your trip short due to covered situations like severe illness or weather events. Coverage activates when you pay for your trip with the card, but it’s important to note that reimbursement only applies for specific covered reasons rather than any cancellation.
Baggage Delay Insurance: Missing luggage doesn’t have to derail your trip – this coverage steps in to reimburse you for essential purchases when your checked bags are delayed by airlines, trains, or other carriers. You can grab the necessities you need, from a fresh outfit to personal care items, while waiting for your bags to arrive.
Secondary Rental Car Insurance: This card provides backup protection for rental car damage or theft when you charge the full rental to your card.
Lost Luggage Reimbursement: Your checked luggage gets extra protection against loss, theft, or damage beyond the basic compensation offered by carriers when you pay for travel with this card.
Extended Warranty Protection: Your purchases gain an extra year of warranty protection when bought with this card, extending manufacturer warranties of three years or less without the inflated prices of store warranty plans.
Return Protection allows cardholders to receive a refund for purchased items within a certain timeframe for items that merchants may not accept for return.
90-Day Purchase Protection: Your new purchases are covered against damage and theft for 90 days when you use your card. This protection helps safeguard your eligible items right from the moment you buy them.
Redeeming Rewards
Redeeming Bank of America rewards is a hassle-free process. Plus, your rewards won’t expire as long as your account remains open. Here are the redemption options you’ll have:
Pros and Cons of Premium Rewards
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of this card:
Pros:
- Great travel and purchase protections.
- Reasonable annual fee of $95 when factoring in the benefits.
- $100 Annual airline fee credit.
Cons:
- No ability to transfer to airline or hotel programs for added value.
- Not a great card for earning points since points are valued at 1 cent per point. Many cards offer at least 2% back in rewards on all purchases.
Alternatives to the Premium Rewards Card
Now that you know about this credit card’s various benefits and pros and cons, it’s time to see its alternatives.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) is one of the most popular travel rewards cards because it offers nice welcome bonus and extra points on travel and dining, which can be transferred to airline and hotel partners or redeemed directly for travel at a rate of 1.25 cents per point through Chase Travel℠. The Sapphire Preferred also offers great travel and purchase protections for a card with a $95 annual fee. Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full Earning Rewards: 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2x points on all other travel purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. Card Benefits: Ability to transfer to airline and hotel partners, 25% bonus when redeeming points through Chase Travel, $50 annual hotel stay credit via Chase Travel, 10% anniversary points bonus, no foreign transaction fees, primary rental car insurance, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, baggage delay insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty. Transfer Partners: Aer Lingus, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, Emirates, Air France KLM Flying Blue, Hyatt, IHG, Iberia, JetBlue, Marriott, Singapore KrisFlyer, Southwest, United, and Virgin Atlantic.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review) delivers both everyday value with unlimited 2x miles on purchases and premium comfort through comprehensive airport lounge access for you upon enrollment. You’ll also receive $300 in annual travel credits plus 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, creating substantial ongoing value. Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full Earning Rewards: 10x miles on hotels and rental cars and 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel; 2x miles on all other purchases. Card Benefits: $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary, airport lounge access (Capital One and Priority Pass) upon enrollment, Global Entry / TSA PreCheck credit, Hertz President’s Circle elite status, primary rental car insurance, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, and cell phone protection. Transfer Partners: Accor (2 to 1), Aeromexico, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Choice Privileges, Emirates, Etihad, Finnair, I Prefer Hotels (1 to 2), Japan Airlines(2 to 1.5), JetBlue (5 to 3), Qantas, Qatar, Singapore KrisFlyer, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Red, and Wyndham Rewards.
Is the Premium Rewards Card Worth It?
The Premium Rewards Card is a pretty good option overall, but it’s lack of airline and hotel partners is why I don’t recommend it, especially if you have another travel credit card.