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If you’ve just applied for the Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card, you’ll want to start spending right off the bat to make the most of your new rewards card and earn the valuable sign-up bonus.
The Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card has a $0 annual fee, and it’s one of the few card of this type that still offers a decent sign-up bonus: Earn 25,000 bonus points when you make at least $1,000 in net purchases within 60 days of your account opening which can be redeemed for a $250 statement credit towards travel purchases.
Here are the things you’ll want to do after you get your new card.
1. Earn the sign-up bonus
This is probably one of the reasons you signed up for the Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card to begin with. It’s a bonus worth $250 in travel credit. But to pocket that bonus, you have to meet the spending threshold. Don’t delay making a plan — you won’t see any of that bonus if you don’t meet the minimum entirely.
2. Learn what’s considered ‘travel’
Unlike some cards that restrict “travel” to flights, hotels and maybe cruises, the Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card has a much broader definition. You can use points on timeshares, trains, buses, ferries, at travel agencies, and even for attractions like museums, zoos and carnival admissions. Know what’s considered travel to make the most of your points.
3. Learn how to get the most points from your spending
Like many travel rewards cards, there are multiple categories of spending that can net you multiple different point levels. For most purchases, this card will earn you 1.5 points per $1. However, any travel-related bookings you make through the Bank of America® Travel Center earn 3 points per $1 so you can rack up points for free travel even faster.
4. Explore the Bank of America Travel Center
Assuming you want to earn extra points as often as you can (who wouldn’t?), take a few minutes to peruse the Travel Center, powered by Expedia. It’s just as easy to use as any other booking platform (like Priceline or Booking.com), and you can book flights, hotels and rental cars with no blackout dates.
5. Find out how to redeem points for travel
Once you have a nice bank of points on your Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card, it’s easy to redeem them for travel. In fact, it’s as simple as paying for travel with your card, then erasing the purchase with points. You can redeem as few as 2,500 points (worth $25), or all the points you have. Just go to the Rewards tab on your online account page. You’ll see the option to redeem points (for travel, cash or gift cards) and then you can choose which past purchases you’d like to apply your points toward.
6. Join Bank of America Business Advantage Relationship Rewards
The card also offers the opportunity to take advantage of membership in Bank of America® Business Advantage Relationship Rewards, but there are a few requirements before you do. First, you must also be a Bank of America® business banking client with a checking account and/or Merrill business investment account with a combined daily balance of $20,000 or more (averaged over three months).
Once you qualify, there are three levels of membership, which are based on account balances. The different levels offer different benefits but include things like fee-free cashiers checks, cash rewards for merchant services processing, a boost to your interest rate on your Business Advantage Savings account, and most exciting for travelers, bonus rewards on your Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card. That could mean up to 2.62x points on everyday purchases and 4.12x points on travel spending in the Travel Center.
The key to making the most out of your new Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card is to start using it right away. The sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll reap the benefits.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2019, including those best for:
Planning a trip? Check out these articles for more inspiration and advice:
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NerdWallet’s top travel credit cards
How to choose a travel credit card