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Bank of America Travel Rewards Card for Students Review [2024]

While the Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students doesn't offer many travel-specific perks, it has no annual fee, offers a welcome bonus, and provides an intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers.

Updated Dec. 2, 2024
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Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students

Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students
4.8
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OUR VIEW

As a long-time Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card cardholder, I wanted to love the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students. I'd hoped it would offer some of the same benefits I appreciate in my card, like access to Bank of America Preferred Rewards benefits, travel statement credits, and generous bonus rewards for travel-related spending. Unfortunately, it offers none of these perks.

While the student card doesn't have the $95 annual fee my Premium Rewards card does, it also doesn't offer many impressive benefits beyond introductory APRs for purchases and qualifying balance transfers.

With the Bank of America Travel Rewards card for Students, you earn 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases with no bonus categories, a welcome offer you must spend a lot to earn, and some credit-building tools common to student cards.

The Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students Card isn't just a disappointment relative to my Premium Rewards card either. It also falls short in important ways compared with other top student credit cards.

Pros

Introductory purchase and qualifying balance transfer APRs
Welcome offer
Credit-building tools, including monthly access to your FICO score
No annual fee
No foreign transaction fees

Cons

No bonus rewards categories
Missing important travel-related perks, such as travel accident insurance
No special statement credits or spending categories
High spending requirement for the welcome bonus
How we evaluate products

Card basics

Card type Student / Travel
Card issuer Bank of America
Card network Visa
Annual fee $0
Welcome bonus Earn 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases
APR 0% intro APR on qualifying balance transfers for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days, and then 18.49% - 28.49% Variable

0% intro APR on purchases for 15 billing cycles, and then 18.49% - 28.49% Variable

Reward rate 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases
Other card benefits
  • Free monthly FICO score
  • Personal finance education through Better Money Habits
  • Balance Connect for overdrafts (if you link your card to your Bank of America bank accounts)
Recommended credit score Excellent, Good

Who should get the Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students card?

You should consider the Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students card if you want to take advantage of the intro APR offers or if you can qualify for the welcome offer where you could earn 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.

The introductory purchase APR can be useful for making a major purchase, such as buying a computer or textbooks for your classes, while the introductory qualifying balance transfer APR can be used for moving a high-interest balance from an existing credit card. While the spending requirement for the welcome bonus could seem high for students, it may be obtainable if you plan to use the card for your everyday expenses for a few months.

If you're hoping for bonus rewards or travel-specific features — which I've always felt make a travel card worth signing up for — you should look elsewhere. When I sign up for a travel card, I generally expect bonus rewards on travel as well as perks like travel insurance. Bank of America's card offers none of these benefits while other student cards do.

The Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card, for example, provides 5% back for hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. It also offers travel accident insurance.

On the other hand, the Discover it® Student Cash Back isn't as travel-focused but does offer 5% cash back for your spending in rotating categories each quarter, on up to $1,500 in purchases when you activate then 1% cash back on all other purchases and Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. This is still a better deal for many students than Bank of America's card.

Here’s a closer look at this card’s top benefits

Here are more details about the perks offered by Bank of America's Travel Rewards for Students card.

  • Welcome offer: You can earn 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases. But as I noted earlier, this does seem like a steep spending requirement for college students.
  • Credit building tools: Bank of America's mobile app and website are designed to help you monitor and improve your credit. You can manage bank accounts, make payments, and obtain your FICO score. All of these tools, plus the bank's Better Money Habits resources, can help you get your financial life started right.
  • No annual fee or foreign transaction fees: Unlike my Bank of America Premium Rewards, which has a $95 annual fee, the Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students card has a $0 annual fee. You also won't pay foreign transaction fees if you spend money abroad.

Earning and redeeming Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students rewards

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your cash back can add up with the Bank of America Travel Rewards Card for Students.

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $459

Year two earnings: $209

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which takes a look at points earned via spending, the welcome bonus, and the annual fee.

Best ways to earn

Another downside of the Bank of America Travel Rewards Card for Students is that you have no opportunity to earn bonus rewards — even for travel-related purchases. You always earn 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases.

Categories Rewards Rate
All purchases 1.5X

Maximizing your redemptions

You don't have the option to optimize your rewards by redeeming them strategically as you do with many of the best travel cards. You’re also only able to redeem rewards for statement credits. Unlike with some of the best credit cards, you don't redeem points directly for travel or shop through a special travel portal.

While some people might prefer not needing to be strategic about redemptions, I'm not one of them. When I traveled frequently before having two kids, I preferred a travel card that allowed me to maximize my savings by redeeming directly through a travel portal (Chase cards are great for this).

After all, in my opinion, the reason for getting a travel card is to earn bonus travel-related rewards to subsidize your trips.

Other cards to consider

If you're looking for alternatives with better rewards or travel perks, check out these cards.

  • The Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card offers unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day; plus unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. You also get travel accident insurance, exclusive access to presale tickets, and a more attainable welcome offer. With a $0 annual fee, this option may be a better choice if you want a student card that can help you save money on vacation. Learn more in our Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card review
  • Discover it® Student Cash Back allows you to earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.. , and you can take advantage of some of the same credit-building tools Bank of America's card offers. It also has a $0 annual fee and includes more redemption options than Bank of America’s card. Learn more in our Discover it® Student Cash Back review

FAQs

Is the Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students card good?

The Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students card is fine if you qualify for the welcome offer or can take advantage of the intro APR for purchases or qualifying balance transfers. However, it falls short in important ways compared to other student cards and other travel cards.

Will my Bank of America student credit card’s rewards points expire?

Your Bank of America student credit card’s rewards points don’t expire as long as you don’t close the account.

Bottom line

Finding a card as a student can be more challenging since your credit history likely isn't long. If you would like a simple card with a flat cashback rate — and you don’t need common travel perks — then the Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students card could be a good fit. This is especially true since you can save money on interest with the intro APRs and spend enough to earn the welcome bonus.

Still, there are some great alternatives out there, including some awesome Bank of America credit cards like the Premium Rewards card I have in my wallet. Be sure to explore all of them, as you may find a card that's a better fit if you want to earn a higher rewards rate or take advantage of more travel-specific perks. Or if you want a student-focused card, check out our list of the best student credit cards.

Lucrative Welcome Bonus

4.8
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Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students

Annual Fee

$0

Benefits and Drawbacks
Card Details

Author Details

Christy Rakoczy

Christy Rakoczy has a Juris Doctorate from UCLA Law School with a focus in Business Law, and a Certificate in Business Marketing with an English Degree from The University of Rochester. As a full-time personal finance writer, she writes about all things money-related but her special areas of focus are credit cards, personal loans, student loans, mortgages, smart debt payoff strategies, and retirement and Social Security. Her work has been featured by USA Today, MSN Money, CNN Money and more, and you can learn more at her LinkedIn profile.