Find Your Perfect Match: A Comprehensive Guide to Bank of America Credit Cards

Stacking Bank of America credit cards is a simple system: assign every purchase a clear “best card” so you earn your top rate more often without juggling a dozen accounts. In most stacks, the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card handles your highest-value category, the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card becomes the default for everything else, and a travel card is optional if travel is a real part of your spending.

The key lever many people miss is Preferred Rewards. If you qualify through eligible Bank of America and Merrill investment balances, your card rewards can increase by 25%–75% on eligible earnings, which can materially change which card is best for each purchase. If you’re building a stack without considering Preferred Rewards, you may be optimizing the wrong way.

• Start with a clean two-card foundation:

  • Add a travel card only if it has a clear job

  • Recheck your setup if you qualify for Preferred Rewards, because the bonus can shift the math

What “stacking” Bank of America cards actually means

Stacking is not a trick. Stacking is a repeatable system that gives each card one job so you stop wasting spend on lower-earning swipes.

• One card earns more in a chosen category

• One card earns solid rewards on purchases that do not fit categories

• One optional card supports travel redemptions and practical travel benefits

The goal is not to own more cards. The goal is to reduce decision fatigue while raising your average earn rate across your real spending.

Why Preferred Rewards is the main reason a Bank of America stack can outperform

Preferred Rewards is the “multiplier” that can make a Bank of America stack unusually strong compared with a generic two-card setup. If you qualify (through eligible combined balances), your eligible card rewards can be boosted 25%–75% depending on your tier.

That matters because it can change which card you should use for everyday purchases and whether an annual-fee travel card makes sense.

• A flat-rate card becomes meaningfully more valuable when boosted

• Category earnings become even more attractive when boosted

• Premium travel cards can become easier to justify when boosted

If you do not qualify for Preferred Rewards, the stack can still be good. If you do qualify, it can become a very different conversation.

What is the simplest rule set for stacking that works in real life?

A stack only works if the rules are easy enough to follow at checkout and on autopay. Use a three-rule system you can remember.

• If the purchase fits your chosen category and you are under the bonus cap: use the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card

• If it does not: use the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card

• Use a travel card for travel purchases when you want travel redemptions and/or no foreign transaction fees, not because it automatically earns more

This keeps your stack simple while still capturing most of the available upside.

How do you build the core Bank of America stack in the simplest way?

Most people should start with the two-card foundation because it is easy to maintain and hard to mess up.

• Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card for targeted category spending

• Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card for everything else

This setup works because every purchase has an obvious home, and you avoid the common mistake of overcomplicating the system before the basics are working.

How to use Customized Cash Rewards as the category engine

The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card does the heavy lifting when you aim it at the category you actually spend the most in. The performance of this card comes down to three mechanics: the category choice, the change cadence, and the quarterly cap.

Start by choosing the category that matches your real budget, not your ideal budget. Then build a habit of checking whether you are approaching the cap.

• Choose a category based on consistent spending, not one-off months

• Treat the category choice as a setting you can adjust when life changes

• Track your quarterly progress so you do not keep swiping after the cap

What are the six 3% categories, and how often can you change them?

This is a core mechanic that should be stated plainly because it controls the entire stack.

There are six eligible 3% categories:

• Gas and EV charging stations

• Online shopping

• Dining

• Travel

• Drug stores

• Home improvement and furnishings

How often can you change your 3% category

• You can change your chosen category once each calendar month.

• The category defaults to Gas and EV charging stations until you change it.

Practical tip: if your spending shifts seasonally (for example, home improvement in spring, travel in summer, online shopping during holiday months), the monthly change cadence can help you keep the card aligned with your real spending.

What is the Customized Cash Rewards bonus limit and what counts toward it?

The “bonus limit” is the main reason people accidentally reduce their returns. It is not enough to say “watch the limits.” You need the actual cap and what it includes.

You’ll earn the 3% and 2% rates on up to $2,500 in combined purchases per quarter (choice category + grocery stores + wholesale clubs), then 1% after that.

This matters because the cap is shared. If you spend heavily in your 3% category, you can use up the cap faster than expected and end up earning 1% sooner than you planned.

• If you are close to the cap, move incremental spending to the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card

• If you hit the cap early in most quarters, consider whether a different strategy fits your spending pattern

• If you have Preferred Rewards, the boosted earning makes cap management even more important

Why Unlimited Cash Rewards is the default swipe card in a stack

A stack needs one card that requires no thinking. The Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card is the default swipe because it covers everything that does not fit your chosen category and everything you cannot easily categorize in the moment.

Use the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card for:

• Bills, subscriptions, utilities, insurance, and recurring autopay

• Everyday purchases outside your selected category

• Any purchase where you are not fully sure what qualifies

This reduces mistakes, keeps your system consistent, and prevents decision fatigue from sabotaging your earnings.

When does adding a travel card actually improve the stack?

A third card should solve a real problem. If you rarely travel or you never redeem for travel, adding a travel card can create clutter without improving results.

Add a travel card when:

• You redeem for travel consistently

• You want travel-oriented redemption options

• You spend internationally and want no foreign transaction fees

Skip a travel card when:

• You prefer cash back simplicity

• You rarely redeem for travel

• You will not remember to use a third card consistently

The right “three-card stack” is the one you will actually follow.

Travel Rewards: why it belongs in a stack (and what it is not)

The Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card does not inherently “earn more” on travel than a flat-rate card, because it earns a flat 1.5 points per dollar on everything. The main reasons to use it are redemption style and travel practicality.

Use the Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card when:

• You want travel-style statement credit redemptions for travel and related purchases

• You want no foreign transaction fees, which is a practical differentiator when traveling

• You want to keep travel spending separate from everyday spending for simplicity

Updated travel purchase rule (more accurate):
Use the Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for travel purchases when you want travel statement-credit redemptions and/or no foreign transaction fees. Otherwise, your flat-rate card may be just as strong.

This keeps your system honest: you use the Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for what it is best at, not because the word “travel” appears in the name.

Premium Rewards: what the credits are and when the annual fee is worth it

The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card can be a strong add-on, but only if the benefits match your habits and you actually use the credits. Being specific about the credits improves trust and helps readers decide quickly.

The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card includes:

• $95 annual fee

• 2x on travel and dining, 1.5x elsewhere

• Up to $100 Airline Incidental Statement Credit annually

• Up to $100 TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit every four years

Use the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card if:

• You spend steadily on travel and dining

• You will realistically use the airline incidental credit

• You will use the TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry credit when eligible

• You have Preferred Rewards and want to amplify earning (where eligible)

Skip the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card if:

• You will forget to use credits

• Your travel and dining spend is inconsistent

• You want a no-fee setup with minimal tracking

What is the best Bank of America stack for common lifestyles?

This is about choosing a setup you will maintain, not a setup that looks impressive.

Simple cash back

• Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card for one chosen category (until the cap)

• Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card for everything else

Occasional traveler

• Core two cards above

• Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for travel-oriented redemptions and no foreign transaction fees

Frequent traveler who uses credits

• Core two cards above

• Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card for travel and dining, plus credits that can offset the annual fee

What card should you use for each purchase? A simple purchase map

This is the cheat sheet that prevents mistakes.

• Chosen 3% category (under the quarterly cap): Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card

• Grocery stores and wholesale clubs (under the same cap): Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card

• Everything else: Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card

• Travel purchases:

  • Use the Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card when you want travel statement-credit redemptions and/or no foreign transaction fees

  • Use Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card when travel/dining earning and credits justify the annual fee

After the $2,500 combined quarterly cap is reached, move spending to the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card

Mistakes that quietly lower rewards in a Bank of America stack

Most people lose value because they stop following the system, not because they chose the wrong cards.

• Continuing to use the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card after the $2,500 combined quarterly cap

• Forgetting which 3% category is selected and swiping the wrong card

• Carrying Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card while leaving credits unused

• Adding a third card before the two-card system is already working

• Ignoring Preferred Rewards even when eligible, which can change the math

Quick setup checklist to stack Bank of America cards in one sitting

If you want a stack you will actually use, keep the setup simple and repeatable.

• Identify your biggest consistent spending category

• Set that category on Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card

• Remember: you can change the category once each calendar month

• Track the $2,500 combined quarterly cap so you know when to switch

• Make the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card the default card for everything else

• Decide whether travel is frequent enough to justify a third card

• Add Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for travel redemptions and no foreign transaction fees

• Add Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card only if the credits and your travel/dining spending justify the annual fee

• Recheck after a few billing cycles and adjust your chosen category

Comparison table: how the four cards fit in a stack

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Bank of America card stack for cash back?
Customized Cash Rewards for one chosen category plus Unlimited Cash Rewards for everything else is the simplest high-impact setup.