Bank of America has announced that, starting June 1st, new cardholders of the Customized Cash Rewards and Unlimited Cash Rewards cards will get a significant earnings boost for the first year.
New Unlimited Cash Rewards cardholders will earn 2% cashback (in addition to the $200 welcome offer) for the first year, after which it will go back to the normal 1.5% return on all purchases.
Much more exciting is that new Customized Cash Rewards cardholders will have their 3% quarterly bonus doubled for the first year, meaning they’ll earn 6% cash back for the first year in up to $2,500 in purchases in the category of their choice: gas & EV; online shopping; dining; travel; drug stores; home improvement and furnishings. This is also in addition to the $200 welcome offer.
The Deal
- Starting June 1st, the following Bank of America credit cards will feature increased first year earnings for new cardholders:
- The Unlimited Cash Rewards card will earn 2% everywhere instead of 1.5%
- The Customized Cash Rewards card will earn 6% on the quarterly category of your choice instead of 3%
- After the first year, earnings will revert to normal
- Each card will continue to feature a welcome bonus of $200 after $1,000 in purchases.
Key Card Details
Important: DO NOT apply for either of these cards right now, the new earnings are not in effect. Wait until June 1.
| Card Name w Details No Review (no offer) |
|---|
No Annual Fee Earning rate: 3% back on your choice of the following: gas and EV charging, online shopping, cable, streaming, internet & phone plans, dining, travel, drugstores, home improvement & furnishings (can choose a new category monthly). ✦ 2% back at grocery stores & wholesale clubs ✦ 1% back everywhere else. 2% and 3% rewards are capped at $2500 in combined purchases per quarter Base: 1% Travel: 3% Dine: 3% Gas: 3% Grocery: 2% Shop: 3% Phone: 3% Other: 3% Card Info: Visa Signature issued by BOA. This card imposes foreign transaction fees. Noteworthy perks: Up to 75% bonus for Preferred Rewards banking customers |
| Card Name w Details No Review (no offer) |
|---|
No Annual Fee Earning rate: 1.5% everywhere; Earn up to 2.625% back everywhere with Bank of America Platinum Honors status Base: 1.5% Card Info: Visa Signature issued by BOA. This card imposes foreign transaction fees. Noteworthy perks: Up to 75% bonus for Preferred Rewards banking customers |
Quick Thoughts
The BOA cashback cards are sometimes forgotten about, partially because they’re not terribly memorable, partially because they have names that sound so similar to each other that it makes differentiating them a drinking game for linguists.
That said, both the business and personal versions of the Customized Cash Rewards card are interesting due to their ability to earn 3% on a quarterly category of your choosing. The personal version has more widely-applicable categories, but at a $2,500/quarter limit. The business version can earn 3% on up to $50K in spend per year.
3% on its own doesn’t seem incredibly noteworthy, but doubling that for the first year on the personal card turns it into something much more sultry, especially when combined with the $200 bonus after spending $1K.
BOA Cardholders who also have Platinum Preferred Honors get a 75% uplift on earnings, meaning those 3% categories get bumped up to 5.25%. I’m unsure exactly how the doubling will stack with Preferred Honors, but I would assume that the 75% multiplier would apply to the entire kit and kaboodle, for a total of 10.5% back. That would almost certainly make this a must-add for anyone in that situation.
Want to learn more about miles and points? Subscribe to email updates or check out our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
