(Reposting 5/5/21 since an email went out today with details on this offer.)
The Bank of America Premium Rewards card has added a bonus category through December 31, 2021, (showing on the regular landing page):
- Earn 2x points on grocery store purchases through December 31, 2021 (instead of the regular 1.5x).
This works for both new cardholders and existing cardholders, as readers have verified in the comments.
Nice little bonus, especially for relationship customers who earn a 75% bonus which makes it a total 3.5% at grocery stores. There are still other cards that earn more than that at the grocery, but some might appreciate 3.5% uncapped return.
Hat tip to Dealspoints
The other nice thing about this is that BofA is using a broadly-construed definition of “grocery store”, unlike Amex, kind of like how they also take a broadly-construed definition of travel.
In reading the fine print, not only do supermarkets qualify, so do the following:
-Freezer/meat lockers
-Candy/nut/confection stores
-Dairies
-Bakeries
-Misc food stores
If you are a fan of ethnic groceries or other small ma and pops that would ordinarily not qualify for bonus spend under the BCP or Amex Gold, you now have an alternative.
The SuperWalmart near me also codes as a grocery store regardless of what I buy.
Nvm
It’s crazy how many cards now offer nice rewards in the grocery category. I actually canceled my two old blue cash cards because the 5% grocery category (which was really a bit less because of the initial $6500 spend) was no longer anything special, and it was good to free up those slots for other Amex cards.
This is an OK offer, though many other cards beat this for groceries.
3.5% cash back is a competitive offer for those who qualify for Platinum rewards. This is essentially a no fee card ($100 easy to use airline credit offsets the $95 annual fee), and the grocery spend has no restrictions for this level of reward.
Agreed! We still use the 6% Amex Blue Cash along with rotating 5% CB categories with Chase and Discover.
Thanks BofA, but big whoop, only a <1% increase.
Hopefully BoA is MS-friendly.
Nope.
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/alliant-visa-2-5-card-limits-cashback-to-10000-in-purchases-per-month-begins-march-14th/#comment-882111
Cash is king in an environment of points devaluations and travel restrictions.
I had an e-mail about this today.
We want to make you aware of an enhancement to your Premium Rewards® card. Now through December 31, 2021, as a Preferred Rewards Platinum Honors member, you will earn unlimited 3.5 points for every $1 spent on grocery store purchases, including many grocery store delivery and meal kit services. This is an enhancement to the 2.62 points per $1 you normally earn on those purchases.
Odd, I didn’t get the email. Wondering if it’s targeted.
I think it’s for everyone (though 3.5% is only for Platinum Honors members).
Did anyone ever try going HAM and buying GCs on their BofA card portfolio? Last time I did that, they shut all of my cards down.
What kind of GCs, on which CC? Quantity?
Safeway/CVS. About $5,000 per quarter across 2 Cash Rewards cards.
I have been buying Costco Gift cards getting that 5.25% cashback 🙂 But I’m not as aggressive as you on the $5k/quarter. lol.
Yeah, I just buy merchant (e.g. WM/SC) GCs as needed to get 5.25% off (online cat), so I’m not maxing anything – just organic spending at the best CB rate. I don’t think this is a problem. Perhaps COB… was doing something more MS’y.
What is “HAM?” I buy tons of GCs at the grocery store with my BofA card with no problem.
Maxing and cycling the credit limit on a 3% category. But hey, that’s a great data point you’ve provided. I’ll go for another app-o-rama once I clear my balances.
I will disclose I am platinum so not sure if that helps? The limit on my card is only 25K and I pay my card down about once a week with money orders. I just paid $18K yesterday. One other DP…I do use this card for almost all my purchases so there is a ton of organic spending.
If someone doesn’t have the many other cards giving 2+ during this time, its an improvement of course.
Though I have other cards but taking BofA separately, I don’t have preferred status so 2% is 2% for me on PR. But on Cash rewards (I know it has quarterly limit), I get 10% customer relationship bonus, giving me 2.2% on groceries.
Are you grandfathered into that 10% bonus? I was under the impression that had gone the way of the dodo.
On a general BoA note, the WWF version of BoA CR disappeared a few weeks(?) ago, and now I see that the MLB cards have disappeared too. https://www.doctorofcredit.com/author/chucksithe/
I just googled WWF credit card and it came up on the first link. It even updated to the new “customized cash rewards” name as well, so it’s likely not an old dead page
Okay, I could reproduce what you did. But some weeks ago, when I noticed WWF card was no longer on BoA CC page (just like now similarly MLB has disappeared), I tried such a search and got to a page on WWF website saying card no longer available.
So it seems it is, just you have to find it.
Yeah, WWF was totally down on the BoA site a few weeks back. I tried applying for it and there was no page at all.