Bank of America Business Advantage Travel Rewards review: Better with the Preferred Rewards for Business program
The Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card earns 1.5 points per dollar on everyday business expenses and 3 points per dollar on eligible purchases at the Bank of America Travel Center. If you qualify for the Preferred Rewards for Business program, this card offers a solid return across categories. But other customers will find more value in other card options. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
The Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card is one of two Bank of America business cards that earn rewards (not counting cobranded cards). It earns a flat 1.5 points per dollar on all purchases, but you can earn even more on eligible travel purchases.
It has no annual fee and a recommended credit score of 670.
Existing Bank of America customers can potentially get a lot out of this card, but make sure that it’s the right business card option for you. There are other low-cost business cards that offer a higher return and more flexible redemption options.
BofA Business Travel Rewards pros and cons
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BofA Business Travel Rewards welcome offer
You get a decent sign-up bonus with the Business Advantage Travel Rewards for a no-annual-fee card. You’ll earn 30,000 points after spending $3,000 in purchases the first 90 days of account opening. That comes out to $300 in value.
It’s certainly not the highest sign-up bonus available right now, but $300 for only $3,000 in spending isn’t bad.
Related: Cards currently offering welcome bonuses over 100,000 points
BofA Business Travel Rewards benefits
There aren’t a ton of perks and benefits with the Business Advantage Travel Rewards, but that’s not surprising since it doesn’t charge an annual fee. You will, however, get business tools such as QuickBooks integration to help make expense tracking easier.
You’ll also get travel protections, including travel accident insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, trip cancellation coverage and trip delay reimbursement.
Related: Best Bank of America credit cards
Earning points with the BofA Business Travel Rewards
With the Business Advantage Travel Rewards, you’ll earn a flat 1.5 points per dollar on all purchases, plus 3 points per dollar when you book travel through the Bank of America Travel Center.
Expedia powers the Bank of America Travel Center, so if you already book business travel through a similar third-party site, it’s probably worth switching to Bank of America’s portal to earn 3 points per dollar. Just keep in mind that you may not earn hotel elite credits or have hotel elite status recognized when you go through a third-party portal.
Earning 1.5 points per dollar on everyday purchases makes this a decent business card for non-bonus spending, but the Preferred Rewards for Business program gives this card the potential to be quite rewarding across all purchases.
The Preferred Rewards for Business program is similar to the personal version of the program. Those who have at least a $20,000 three-month average balance in qualifying Bank of America business deposit accounts or Merrill business investment accounts are eligible for the program.
There are three tiers, each with a number of banking and credit card benefits. For cardholders, you’ll get an earnings boost on all base points earned with the card.
Related: Stop ignoring Bank of America Preferred Rewards
Redeeming points with the BofA Business Travel Rewards
You can redeem your Business Advantage Travel Rewards points as a statement credit for eligible travel purchases, gift cards or cash back. You’ll get the most out of your points when you redeem them as a statement credit for travel, as TPG editor Emily Thompson prefers.
While most of Bank of America’s cards earn fixed-value points, the Business Travel Rewards card is slightly different.
Points redeemed as a statement credit for travel are worth a flat 1 cent each, but when you redeem for cash back, they are only worth 0.6 cents each (meaning 2,500 points equate to only $15). Gift card redemption rates vary.
This limits your redemption options and puts this card at a disadvantage with business cards that offer more flexibility.
Which cards compete with the BofA Business Travel Rewards?
There are a number of cards that compete with the Business Advantage Travel Rewards.
- If you prefer Amex: The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card From American Express doesn’t have an annual fee (see rates and fees) and earns 2 points per dollar on purchases. However, the 2 points per dollar spent is only on the first $50,000 spent per calendar year (you’ll earn one point per dollar spent thereafter), and the card charges a 2.7% fee on foreign transactions (see rates and fees). For more information, read our full review of the Blue Business Plus.
- If you prefer Chase: Go with the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card. The card also earns 1.5% cash back on purchases, but you can convert these earnings to Ultimate Rewards points if you also have a premium Chase card. For more information, read our full review of the Ink Business Unlimited.
- If you prefer Capital One: Consider the Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business. This card earns 1.5 miles per dollar on all spend but carries more benefits as part of the Capital One card lineup. For more information, read our full review of the Spark Miles Select.
For additional options, check out our full list of the best business cards.
The information for the Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: Your guide to the Chase Ink Business credit cards
Is the BofA Business Travel Rewards worth it?
I think there are better options than the Business Advantage Travel Rewards out there if you aren’t a Preferred Rewards for Business member. Even the lack of an annual fee doesn’t really make the card worth it in my eyes if you’re only earning a flat 1.5 points per dollar on most purchases and 3 points per dollar on eligible travel portal spending.
If you want to earn rewards to use on travel with a flat-rate card for everyday business spending, you should consider something like the Capital One Spark Miles for Business.
Related: How to choose the right credit card for your business
Bottom line
If you qualify for the Business Preferred Rewards program, the Business Advantage Travel Rewards can be a nice way to earn travel rewards. The Preferred Rewards program offers banking and credit card benefits that make this card worth it for members.
However, nonmembers should look elsewhere for rewards. You can find cards with higher returns on both travel rewards and non-bonus spending.
Apply here: Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard®
For rates and fees of the Blue Business Plus Amex, click here.
