Bank of America is one of the most prolific credit card issuers in the United States. Its ever-changing card lineup includes enticing options for consumers and small-business owners across the income and credit score spectrum.
Some Bank of America cards are better than others, of course. Rather than sort through every single BofA card under the sun, use this list as a shortcut to pick from among the very best.
Best Credit Cards from Bank of America
These are the best credit cards offered by Bank of America right now. Each does at least one thing really well, whether it’s delivering cash-back rewards built around your unique spending patterns or helping you pay down high-interest debt before it becomes truly unmanageable.
You don’t need to have a Bank of America savings or checking account to qualify for any of these cards, although you can potentially get more out of your card if you have or open one.
Best Overall: Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card
The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card lives up to its name and delivers the best overall value of any Bank of America credit card. It’s ideal for consumers who travel and dine out frequently.
Highlights include:
- $95 annual fee
- Earn 50,000 online bonus points (worth $500) after you make at least $3,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening
- Earn unlimited 2x points on all eligible travel and dining purchases
- Earn unlimited 1.5x points on all other eligible purchases
- Flexible redemption options, including deposits to eligible bank or investment accounts, credit card statement credits, and gift cards
- Get up to $200 in travel statement credits: $100 against qualifying purchases like seat upgrades, baggage fees, airline lounge fees, and in-flight services; and up to $100 against TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fees
- No foreign transaction fees
Best Cash-Back Credit Card: Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards
The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card is a cash-back credit card with no annual fee. Meant for applicants with good credit or better, its rewards program is designed to fit around your spending patterns and lifestyle.
Highlights include:
- No annual fee
- Get a $200 online cash rewards bonus after making at least $1,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening date
- Get 0% APR for your first 15 billing cycles for purchases and balance transfers (balance transfers must be made within the first 60 days of opening your account)
- Earn 3% cash back in the category of your choice: gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement/furnishing
- Change your 3% category up to once per month
- Earn 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs
- Earn 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases
- 3% and 2% cash back capped at $2,500 in eligible purchases per quarter; then earn 1% cash back on all eligible purchases
Best for Frequent Travelers: Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card
The Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card is the perfect card for frequent travelers who don’t want to pay an annual fee. It has one of the best sign-up bonus offers around for a no-annual-fee card too.
Highlights include:
- No annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees
- Earn 25,000 online bonus points (worth $250 as a statement credit) after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of your account opening
- Earn unlimited 1.5x points on all eligible purchases
- Redeem for statement credit to reduce or cover the cost of flights, hotel stays, vacation rentals, baggage fees, and restaurant purchases (including takeout)
- Get 0% APR for your first 15 billing cycles on purchases
Best for People With Existing Credit Card Debt: BankAmericard
BankAmericard is the best Bank of America credit card for people who need to pay down existing credit card debt without paying any more interest than necessary. Its 18-month 0% APR promotion on balance transfers is a great help here.
Highlights include:
- No annual fee
- No penalty APR
- Get 0% APR for your first 18 billing cycles for purchases and balance transfers (balance transfers must be made within the first 60 days of opening your account)
- Qualify for a $100 statement credit online bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days
Best for People With Limited or Impaired Credit: Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card
The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card is a cash rewards credit card for people with limited or impaired credit. As a secured credit card, it requires a security deposit when you open your account, but don’t worry — you’ll get it back if you close your account in good standing or upgrade to an unsecured card.
Highlights include:
- No annual fee
- Deposit between $300 and $4,900 to open your account
- Earn 3% cash back in the category of your choice: gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement/furnishing
- Update your 3% category as often as once per month
- Earn 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs and 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases
- 3% and 2% cash back capped at $2,500 in eligible purchases each quarter
Best Sign-Up Bonus: Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card
The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card makes a second appearance on this list on account of its sign-up bonus, which is among the most generous of any credit card with an annual fee under $100.
To earn it, simply spend at least $3,000 in eligible purchases in the first 90 days after opening your account. Once that’s done, you’ll receive 50,000 online bonus points (worth $500) within one to two billing cycles.
Best for Students: Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students
The Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students is one of the best cash-back cards for students. And with relaxed underwriting standards, it’s open to students with limited credit history — those still building credit for the future.
Highlights include:
- No annual fee
- Get a $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases within the first 90 days
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all eligible purchases
- Get 0% APR for your first 15 billing cycles for purchases and balance transfers (balance transfers must be made within the first 60 days of opening your account)
Best for Business Owners: Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® Credit Card
The Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® Credit Card is the top Bank of America credit card for business owners. It’s particularly useful for business owners and employees who travel frequently for work.
Highlights include:
- No annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees
- Earn 3x points when you book eligible travel through the Bank of America® Travel Center
- Earn unlimited 1.5x points on all other eligible purchases
- Redeem for statement credits against eligible travel and dining purchases
- Earn 30,000 online bonus points (worth $300 as a statement credit against dining or travel purchases) after you make at least $3,000 in purchases in the first 90 days
- Get 0% APR for your first nine billing cycles on purchases
Methodology: How We Select the Best Bank of America Credit Cards
We use several key metrics to evaluate Bank of America credit cards and choose the best offers for our readers. Each relates to a specific aspect of the user experience or a particular use case, such as travel spending or transferring high-interest balances.
Rewards Program
A strong rewards program is a selling point for any credit card. Good thing Bank of America has plenty of different rewards options to choose from, including multiple cash-back credit cards and travel rewards credit cards.
Credit cards with excellent rewards programs often have annual fees, but not always. The Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Card has one of the best cash-back programs around, yet it manages to avoid a recurring levy.
Sign-Up Bonus
A great sign-up bonus is another big perk for discerning credit card applicants.
Bank of America has several credit cards with generous sign-up bonuses, including one that’s among the best in the travel rewards category (the Bank of America Premium Rewards Credit Card).
When evaluating a credit card sign-up bonus, make sure the required spend is realistic within your budget. You might have no trouble spending $500 or $1,000 during the first three months, but putting $4,000 or $5,000 on your card could be a tougher task.
0% APR Introductory Promotion
Several Bank of America credit cards have generous 0% APR introductory promotions as well. During the promotional period, these cards waive interest on purchases or balance transfers (or both).
A 0% APR credit card significantly reduces the cost of financing a major purchase that ordinarily wouldn’t fit into your monthly budget, like a home improvement project or a pre-holiday online shopping spree.
Meanwhile, a balance transfer credit card makes paying off high-interest debt a bit more manageable. The best options have other benefits, like strong cash-back or travel rewards programs.
Interest Rate
0% APR promotions do eventually end. When that happens, a low ongoing APR helps shave the cost of carrying a balance from month to month. While it’s best to pay off your credit card balances in full each month, life happens, and a lower interest rate can come in handy.
Credit Requirements
Bank of America credit cards span the credit spectrum, from secured cards designed for people with bad credit to premium travel cards for people with very good to excellent credit.
Cards that are picky about applicants’ creditworthiness aren’t necessarily worse than more lenient cards. Those picky cards usually have better rewards programs and perks. But if you’re still early in your credit journey, expect fewer choices.
Target User
Finally, we consider each card’s target user.
The biggest distinction is between personal (consumer) and small-business credit cards, but we can further break cards down by life stage, creditworthiness, and spending patterns. Some examples of common target user groups:
- Frequent travelers
- Students
- People with impaired or limited credit
- People rebuilding credit
- People with existing credit card debt
- People planning major purchases
- People who spend heavily in specific spending categories, like gas or groceries
Bank of America Credit Card FAQs
You have questions about these Bank of America credit cards. We have answers.
What Annual Fees Should You Expect From Bank of America Credit Cards?
Bank of America credit cards aren’t known for over-the-top annual fees.
Many BofA cards, including most on this list, have no annual fees at all. Those that do charge annual fees are comparatively lenient, typically under $100. That kind of fee is often worthwhile for moderate to heavy spenders who can earn enough rewards to offset it while taking advantage of other potentially valuable card benefits.
What Are the Benefits of Bank of America Credit Cards?
Bank of America credit cards reserve some noteworthy benefits for cardholders with Bank of America bank accounts or investment accounts through Merrill Lynch, its in-house brokerage.
The biggest benefit is the potential to multiply credit card rewards through the Preferred Rewards program. Depending on your total balances on deposit in eligible BofA or Merrill Lynch account, you can earn a juicy online cash rewards bonus — up to 75% more rewards — as a Bank of America Preferred Rewards member.
Existing Bank of America customers can also link their BofA credit cards to their Bank of America checking or savings accounts to prevent overdrafts. Overdraft protection transfers may incur fees and interest, however.
What’s the Best Bank of America Credit Card?
That depends on your priorities.
Any of the cards on this list can reasonably claim to be the “best” Bank of America credit card, but each has its own benefits and drawbacks. To decide which is best for you, compare each card’s attributes against your spending priorities.
What’s the Interest Rate on Bank of America Credit Cards?
That depends on the credit card you choose and your personal creditworthiness. All else being equal, having a higher credit score means qualifying for a lower interest rate.
Some Bank of America credit cards have long 0% APR introductory periods, low ongoing interest rates, or both.
If you’re planning on carrying a balance from month to month, BankAmericard is probably your best bet. Likewise if you’re planning a major purchase or balance transfer soon after opening your account thanks to BankAmericard’s long 0% APR introductory offer.
Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards is a close second on the 0% APR introductory offer front.
By contrast, Bank of America’s secured credit cards typically have higher interest rates. Don’t carry balances from month to month on these cards if you can avoid it.
How to Choose the Best Bank of America Credit Card
If you’re in the market for a new credit card from Bank of America, you can’t go wrong with any of the cards on this list. They’re the very best BofA has to offer, and we stand behind our recommendations for them.
That said, your ideal Bank of America credit card might be different from the next person’s. To choose the card that best fits your needs, ask yourself what you hope to get from it.
Do you want a low ongoing interest rate or long 0% APR introductory promotion to finance a major purchase or pay down existing high-interest debt? That’s BankAmericard.
Are you looking for a card with a rewards program that you can tailor to your spending patterns? That’s the Bank of America Customized Cash Card.
Are you looking for a premium credit card with a great sign-up bonus and generous ongoing rewards that get even better with the Preferred Rewards’ program’s online cash rewards bonus? That’s the Bank of America Premium Rewards Card.
Those are just some ideas. You might have another ideal BofA card in mind. But one thing is for sure: You can use this list to speed along your search.
