BofA Premium Rewards Incidental Credit

[Anonymous]

Hey everyone, I’m considering getting the BofA Premium Rewards card in future once I achieve Platinum Honors. I'm sure as most of you know the card comes with a $100 airline incidental credit. I have found many data points saying buying $100 American Airlines gift card, taxes and fees on some award flights, checked bags,and some food and drink purchases onboard trigger the credit. I was wondering what else triggers the credit? One of the data points I'm curious about is that on the BofA website for the card in T&C's it mentions lounge fees but I have not found any data points on what “Lounge Fees” trigger the credit. Also do any other gift cards trigger the credit or is it only AA? I would appreciate any and all data points anyone can provide on what the $100 credit works on. 

[wasCB14]

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credit-card-programs/1870716-bofa-premium-rewards-what-works-airline...

[Anonymous]

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@wasCB14 wrote:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credit-card-programs/1870716-bofa-premium-rewards-what-works-airline...

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Thanks! I read through that thread. It seems the most popular option is the AA Gift Card.

[wasCB14]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@wasCB14 wrote:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credit-card-programs/1870716-bofa-premium-rewards-what-works-airline-expense-reimbursement-17.html

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Thanks! I read through that thread. It seems the most popular option is the AA Gift Card.

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Note, however, that some people bought AA gift cards on 1/1/20 and have not yet been reimbursed. Maybe BofA is slow, or maybe it's no longer an allowed option.

I got my reimbursement on 1/2/20 for a 12/27/19 purchase.

Edit: 12/25 purchase, 12/27 posting.

[Anonymous]

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@wasCB14 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@wasCB14 wrote:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credit-card-programs/1870716-bofa-premium-rewards-what-works-airline-expense-reimbursement-17.html

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Thanks! I read through that thread. It seems the most popular option is the AA Gift Card.

---

Note, however, that some people bought AA gift cards on 1/1/20 and have not yet been reimbursed. Maybe BofA is slow, or maybe it's no longer an allowed option.

I got my reimbursement on 1/2/20 for a 12/27/19 purchase.

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Yeah I noticed that as well. I was looking at the post that Doc has about this, and saw in the comments that someone mentioned that this happened last year in January and it took a while than longer for the credit to post. No idea if that’s 100% true, but it will be interesting to see what happened.

Have you used the credit for anything else besides the AA gift card?

[imaximous]

I’ve used my credit for bags, award ticket taxes and upgrades to premium economy.

[Anonymous]

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@imaximous wrote:
I’ve used my credit for bags, award ticket taxes and upgrades to premium economy.

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Thanks for the DP’s!

[TSlop]

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@wasCB14 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@wasCB14 wrote:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credit-card-programs/1870716-bofa-premium-rewards-what-works-airline-expense-reimbursement-17.html

---

Thanks! I read through that thread. It seems the most popular option is the AA Gift Card.

---

Note, however, that some people bought AA gift cards on 1/1/20 and have not yet been reimbursed. Maybe BofA is slow, or maybe it's no longer an allowed option.

I got my reimbursement on 1/2/20 for a 12/27/19 purchase.

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Yes, BoA can be slow. On my trip last year, I used the credit for baggage reimbursement each way. The first leg gave me credit while I was still on the trip and the second one after returning home did not credit for 2-3 weeks at least.

[Anonymous]

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@TSlop wrote:

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@wasCB14 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@wasCB14 wrote:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credit-card-programs/1870716-bofa-premium-rewards-what-works-airline-expense-reimbursement-17.html

---

Thanks! I read through that thread. It seems the most popular option is the AA Gift Card.

---

Note, however, that some people bought AA gift cards on 1/1/20 and have not yet been reimbursed. Maybe BofA is slow, or maybe it's no longer an allowed option.

I got my reimbursement on 1/2/20 for a 12/27/19 purchase.

---

Yes, BoA can be slow. On my trip last year, I used the credit for baggage reimbursement each way. The first leg gave me credit while I was still on the trip and the second one after returning home did not credit for 2-3 weeks at least.

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Thanks for DP. I believe I’ve read it can take that long sometimes for the credit to post.

[wasCB14]

@Anonymous 

This is a response to your Private Message. I'm answering you publicly so that, should you decide to share more details, others can weigh in. I can't really answer your quantitative question without more data.

The general question is whether to focus on a BofA cash back system vs. a Chase trifecta. And, separately, comparing CSP to CSR.

If the AA $100 GC doesn't work, can you use the full BofA credit through another way?

What is your CSP CL? PCing to CSR requires at least $10k

When did you get your CSP? You might not be eligible for a CSR bonus anytime soon.

What airlines do you fly? How willing are you to book flights in uncommon ways, like over the phone or through alliance partners?

How do you use, or plan to use UR points? What point values do you get or anticipate? Maybe look at a few hypothetical bookings to get an idea.

What is your current BofA Preferred Reward tier? How soon do you expect to reach the Platinum Honors tier?

I won't post them here, but you may wish to repeat your travel and dining spend.

Other than the $300 travel credit, are there any CSR perks you might use like Priority Pass, trip delay coverage, or primary rental coverage?

At first glance, it's not obvious to me which system you should focus on. You also may be near the boundary of value between CSP and CSR. That being the case, you might also consider just accumulating a few no-AF cash back cards and occasionally getting a nice bonus, closing or downgrading as practical.

A few general thoughts...

1. BofA Premium can be a tougher card to get than Cash Rewards. A lot of people who have it have strong profiles and high income/assets.

2. I don't rely too heavily on projections of long-term spending and travel redemptions. Life changes and unexpected stuff can happen. I try to start each new account with a nice bonus. After a year or so, if I can't justify a card with back-of-the-envelope math in a minute or two, the card goes (via PC to no AF or an account closure).