Highlights
- No annual fee on the primary card.
- Earn 3% in one Choice Category, 2% automatically at eligible grocery stores and wholesale clubs, and 1% on other net purchases; the 3% and 2% rates apply to the first $2,500 combined each calendar quarter.
- You can change the Choice Category once per calendar month. New accounts start on gas and EV charging.
- Cash Rewards do not expire while the account stays open with charging privileges.
Issuer: BOA
Network: Visa / Mastercard
Card type: Credit card
Annual fee: $0 for the primary card
Foreign transaction fee: 3% of the USD amount of foreign-currency transactions
This card earns Cash Rewards in the Customized Cash Rewards program, calculated on Net Purchases.
Welcome offer
【September 5, 2026 update】 $200 Cash Rewards + first-year Choice Category earnings up to 6% + 0% purchase APR for the first 15 statement closing dates + an extra $225 from Rakuten.com
- Spend at least $1,000 in eligible purchase transactions (excluding fees) that post within 90 days of opening a new account to earn $200 Cash Rewards. Returns, credits, and adjustments reduce that spend even if this card was not the original payment method. Cash advances and balance transfers do not count. Limit one per new account. This is only for new accounts opened in response to this offer; converting an existing account does not qualify. The account must stay open with charging privileges. After you qualify, the bonus posts in the next 1–2 billing cycles. Bonus offers advertised through other channels can differ and cannot be swapped.
- For 365 days after opening, Net Purchases in your selected Choice Category earn an extra 3% ($0.03 per $1) on top of the ongoing 3%, for 6% total. That extra 3% shares the $2,500 combined quarterly bonus-category cap with the 2% grocery and wholesale rate. After you hit the cap, further spend in those categories earns only 1% until the first day of the next quarter. Cash advances and balance transfers do not qualify. Limit one per new account; conversions do not qualify. This extra 3% does not stack with any customer or account-opening bonus, and it does not receive a Preferred Rewards bonus.
- Purchases get a 0% intro APR for the first 15 statement closing dates. After that, the APR is a variable 17.49%–27.49%, set from your creditworthiness when the account opens. Balance transfers made within 60 days of opening can also use that 0% intro APR for the first 15 statement closing dates. The intro balance-transfer fee is 3% of the transfer; after that it is 4%.
- Apply through Rakuten.com for an extra $225.
Sign up at Rakuten.com through the recommended signup link🔗 ($50 cash back after $50 in purchases within 90 days). After you register, search “bank of american customized cash rewards” on Rakuten.com to find the apply link.
Eligibility: You must be at least 18, or at least 21 if you are a permanent resident of Puerto Rico. Your residential address must be in the 50 United States, Washington, D.C., APO/FPO/DPO, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. This offer may not be available if you currently have the card or had it in the preceding 24 months.
Everyday spending
3%: one Choice Category. You can pick only one of six: Gas & EV Charging Stations (the default on new accounts), Online Shopping (including cable, internet, phone plans, and streaming paid through a website or app), Dining, Travel, Drug Stores, or Home Improvement/Furnishings. You earn $0.03 per $1 total (2% bonus + 1% base). Change the category in Online or Mobile Banking, at most once per calendar month; if you do not change it, the previous category stays. Instant Access accounts may not be able to change the category right away. Online Shopping only counts transactions the merchant reports as online or in-app. Phone, mail, and in-store payments (including order-online / pay-in-store) and in-store mobile-wallet or contactless payments are not Online Shopping. Excluded MCCs include doctors and hospitals, government services and taxes, insurance, membership organizations, schools, some utilities, and other non-retail services. The gas category excludes EV charging billed by parking lots and charging-station installation. The home category excludes business-to-business merchants and wholesale distributors. The merchant assigns the MCC; the bank will not reissue bonus-category rewards if that classification does not match what you expected.
2%: eligible grocery stores and wholesale clubs. You earn $0.02 per $1 total (1% bonus + 1% base) at eligible grocery stores, wholesale clubs, and supermarkets, meat and seafood stores, candy and nut stores, dairy stores, and bakeries. Superstores are excluded, as are smaller stores that sell groceries plus a mix of other products (for example drug stores and convenience stores).
1%: other eligible Net Purchases. You earn $0.01 per $1. The 3% and 2% bonus earnings are combined: only the first $2,500 of posted Choice Category, grocery, and wholesale Net Purchases each calendar quarter (Jan–Mar, Apr–Jun, Jul–Sep, Oct–Dec) earn the bonus rates. After that, those purchases earn only 1% until the first day of the next quarter. Balance transfers, cash advances, fees, interest, and fraudulent transactions do not earn Cash Rewards. Third-party payment accounts, digital wallets the bank does not support and that cannot pass an MCC, and some buy-now-pay-later installments may not earn bonus-category rewards. If you enroll a Partner Rewards offer at a merchant, eligible spend there earns Partner Rewards instead of this card’s base or bonus rewards.
Cash-back earnings can be increased by your BofA Rewards tier:
| Member | Preferred Plus | Preferred Honors | Premier | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum program balance | $0+ | $30,000+ | $100,000+ | $1 million+ |
| Credit card rewards bonus | 10% | 25% | 50% | 75% |
Benefits & insurance
- Authorized User
If you qualify, you can ask the bank to add someone as an Authorized User. You need that person’s express permission and identity details; account activity may appear on their credit report. Once approved, an Authorized User can use the account’s benefits but cannot add anyone else. The issuer has not published an Authorized User annual fee.
- $0 Liability Guarantee
The official application disclosure says this covers unauthorized transactions on the credit-card account. Notify the bank immediately. File claims promptly; the account holder or an Authorized User can file against pending or posted transactions. Dollar limits and verification may apply.
- Preferred Rewards bonus
The card’s Program Rules say that if you qualify and enroll in Preferred Rewards, you can get a bonus on Cash Rewards already earned: Gold 25%, Platinum 50%, and Platinum Honors / Diamond / Diamond Honors 75% (so 3% becomes 3.75%, 4.50%, or 5.25%). The bonus does not apply to account-opening bonuses, and a new card can take up to 30 days to activate it. This card is not eligible for Preferred Rewards for Business. The first-year extra 3% on your Choice Category also does not receive this bonus. Bank of America’s preferred-rewards page now markets a BofA Rewards™ relationship program with different tier names and a 10% Member bonus. Which program applies, and under which rules, depends on your account-opening materials and the program rules then in effect.
- Rewards redemption
You can redeem Cash Rewards as a statement credit; a deposit to an eligible BOA checking or savings account or a Merrill Cash Management Account®; a check; a contribution to a qualifying Merrill 529 account; or Pay with Rewards at participating merchants (the official disclosure names Amazon.com and PayPal). One-time deposits, statement credits, and Pay with Rewards have no minimum. Checks, 529 contributions, and automatic redemptions have a $25 minimum. Rewards do not expire while the account stays open with charging privileges. If you close the account or the bank closes it for inactivity, redeem within 90 days. If the bank closes the account for any other reason, the rewards are lost immediately.
