Bank of America Business Advantage Travel Rewards Credit Card Review
By: Alexandria White
Updated on: Oct 10, 2018
*Editorial Note: This content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuer. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and may not have been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer. This site may be compensated through a credit card issuer partnership.
This article was last updated Oct 10, 2018, but some terms and conditions may have changed or are no longer available. For the most accurate and up to date information please consult the terms and conditions found on the issuer website.
Who the card is best for
The Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card is suited for businesses who travel frequently and are looking to earn a consistent rewards rate on all purchases. Your business can benefit from the $0 annual fee and 1.5 rewards points for every $1 on all purchases. The foreign transaction fee is none so you can use this card for business trips outside the U.S. and not incur an additional fee.
Additionally, businesses looking to make large purchases can take advantage of the intro purchase period: 0% for 9 billing cycles. This allows you to pay off any debt in a decent amount of time without accruing interest. After the intro period, a 13.49% - 23.49% Variable APR applies.
Where this card stands out in its category
The Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card has a competitive flat-rate rewards program at 1.5 rewards points for every $1 on all purchases. This is a rare find among business travel cards that typically offer more points for travel purchases and not all spending. By using this card for all spending your business can see points accumulate faster compared to some competing cards. There is also a great feature to gain more points: earn 3 points per every dollar spent when you book your travel (car, hotel, airline) through the Bank of America® Travel Center – powered by Expedia®. By booking travel this way, your business will earn more points than booking travel elsewhere.
Where this card falls short in its category
Compared to other business travel cards, this card doesn’t provide as many travel perks. Other cards offer baggage insurance, exclusive lounge access, airline fee credits, a free checked bag and more when you travel for business. This card lacks these features so if your business travels a lot you may want to look at other business cards that offer additional travel perks. You also can’t transfer points earned with this card to frequent travel programs, limiting the flexibility you have when redeeming points.
Additional card benefits
The Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card offers just a couple of additional card benefits:
- Cash flow management tools: The MyReport Center provides various services to facilitate business processes such as automatic payments, transfers, downloading transactions into QuickBooks and more.
- Travel and emergency services: Your business can receive up to $250,000 for eligible travel services including travel accident insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, trip cancellation coverage and trip delay reimbursement.
How to use the card most effectively
Businesses can get the most value with the Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card by using it for all purchases since you earn the same rewards rate. The best way for your business to maximize rewards is to book travel through the Bank of America Travel Center. You earn 3 points per every dollar spent when you book your travel (car, hotel, airline) through the Bank of America Travel Center® – powered by Expedia®.
To earn extra points in the beginning months of card membership, be sure to meet the requirements of the online exclusive bonus: 25,000 bonus points when you make at least $1,000 in net purchases within 60 days of your account opening. This card is also a good card to use abroad since unlike other cards with a 2% to 5% foreign transaction fee there is none.
Rewards breakdown
The Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card offers 1.5 rewards points for every $1 on all purchases. You can also earn 3 points per every dollar spent when you book your travel (car, hotel, airline) through the Bank of America Travel Center® – powered by Expedia®. This is a great extra feature that can bring in more rewards for your business. There is no limit to the amount of points you earn and points don’t expire.*
When redeeming points, you have the flexibility to choose from a statement credit to pay for eligible travel purchases, new travel reservations, cash back or gift cards. There are no blackout dates or restrictions. Travel purchases that qualify for statement credit include flights, hotels, vacation packages, cruises, rental cars and baggage fees. Statement credits must be made within 12 months from date of travel purchase.
There is a bonus points offer where you can earn 25,000 bonus points when you make at least $1,000 in net purchases within 60 days of your account opening.
Compare it with the Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card
The Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card and the Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card are travel business cards that are similar in some aspects and different in others. The rewards programs for each card are different, with the Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card offering a tiered program: Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases—with no limit to the amount you can earn. And, the Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card offering a flat-rate of 1.5 rewards points for every $1 on all purchases. If your business doesn’t spend in the higher rewards value categories listed for the Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases—with no limit to the amount you can earn., and say spends more on dining, you’ll earn a higher rate with the Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card
Both cards offer additional perks when redeeming for travel at their respective rewards portal. The Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card offers 25% more value when you redeem points at Chase Ultimate Rewards® and with the Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card you earn 3 points per every dollar spent when you book your travel (car, hotel, airline) through the Bank of America Travel Center® – powered by Expedia®.
So which is better? It’s not that clear-cut. You can easily get tempted by the 25% points value boost that the Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card offers, making the effective points rate 3.75 and 1.25 — but keep in mind the rewards program for that card has limitations and needs to be taken into consideration before choosing a card. The Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card is more straightforward without special categories or annual caps and as a result may be better for businesses that don’t have clear spending habits.
With the Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card, you have more flexibility when redeeming points. You can transfer points at a 1:1 rate to partner frequent travel programs. However, the Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card has a $95 annual fee. Therefore if you want a $0 annual fee card, the Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card may be a better option.
Here’s a breakdown of the key features of each card.
| Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card | Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $0 | $95 |
| Purchase Intro Rate | 0% for 9 billing cycles | N/A |
| Balance Transfer Intro Rate | N/A | N/A |
| Balance Transfer Fee | Either $10 or 4%, whichever is greater | Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater |
| Regular Purchase APR | 13.49% - 23.49% Variable APR | 18.24% - 23.24% Variable |
| Rewards | 1.5 rewards points for every $1 on all purchases | Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases—with no limit to the amount you can earn. |
| Sign Up Bonus | 25,000 bonus points when you make at least $1,000 in net purchases within 60 days of your account opening | Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening |
| Foreign Transaction Fee | None | $0 |
Bottom Line
The Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card is a good option for businesses that travel often and want a $0 annual fee card with a competitive rewards rate. You’ll see an added bonus when booking travel via the Bank of America® Travel Center and can easily apply points earned to past or new travel purchases.
