The Bank of America Sonesta World Mastercard® is the only credit card that earns Sonesta TravelPass points and offers nice perks such as Gold Elite status, 3x points on Sonesta purchases, and no foreign transaction fees.
This credit card review will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let’s dive right in.
- Earn 60,000 points after spending at least $1,000 within your first 90 days; 5,000 additional points after adding an authorized user within your first 90 days.
- 3X Points on Sonesta Purchases
- 2X Points on Airfare, Car Rental, and Dining
- Automatic Elite Member Status
- $0 Intro Annual Fee, Then $75 After
Welcome Bonus Sonesta Mastercard
The Sonesta Mastercard currently offers the following welcome bonus:
Earn 60,000 points after spending at least $1,000 within your first 90 days; 5,000 additional points after adding an authorized user within your first 90 days.
Earning Points with Sonesta Mastercard
The Sonesta Mastercard earns Sonesta TravelPass Rewards at the following rates:
- 3x points on eligible Sonesta purchases.
- 2x points on eligible airfare, car rental, and dining purchases.
- 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
Annual Fee of Sonesta Card
The Sonesta Mastercard has a $75 annual fee, which is waived for the first year.
Sonesta Card Benefits
Potential Anniversary Bonus: Cardholders can earn 30,000 bonus points on your Account Anniversary if you spend at least $7,500 on purchases every year.
Gold Elite Status: Cardmembers automatically receive Sonesta Gold elite status, which gets you early check-in and late checkout, a welcome gift, complimentary room upgrades (if available), complimentary breakfast, and a 75% points bonus on hotel stays.
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.
Pros and Cons
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of this card:
Pros:
- Automatic Gold Elite status.
- No foreign transaction fees.
Cons:
- Anniversary points require high spending requirement.
- Limited travel and purchase protections.
- Annual fee of $75 after the first year.
Alternatives to Bank of America Sonesta 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.
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (review) stands out with its combination of IHG elite status, reward night benefits, and nice rewards on hotel stays. The card provides good value even for moderate IHG travelers through perks like the anniversary free night certificate (up to 40,000 points) and the ability to top it off with points for higher-priced properties.
Welcome Bonus: Earn 5 Free Nights after you spending $5,000 in the first 3 months and each night is valued at up to 60,000 points.
Earning Points: 10 points per dollar spent at hotels participating in IHG One Rewards; 5 points per dollar spent on other travel purchases, at gas stations and on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services); 3 points per dollar spent on other purchases.
Card Benefits: IHG Platinum elite status, anniversary free night (up to 40,000 points), 4th night free on award stays, earn a $100 statement credit and 10,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 each calendar year, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS application fee credit of up to $100 ($120 starting 10/1/24) every four years, no foreign transaction fees, baggage delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, and purchase protection.
Is the Bank of America Sonesta Mastercard Worth It?
The Sonesta Mastercard could be worth it if you frequently stay at Sonesta Hotels. However, Sonesta’s footprint is quite small compared to IHG, Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton.
For most people, a card like the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card or Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card are better options.
