Bank of America Travel Rewards rental car insurance covers damage, theft, loss of use and towing charges for any rental car paid for with the BofA Travel Rewards card. It's a free benefit that pays up to the actual cash value of a rented vehicle. To get coverage, the cardholder must decline the rental agency's insurance and pay for the entire rental with the Travel Rewards card. The benefit covers domestic rentals up to 15 consecutive days. It's 31 days for rentals in another country. Coverage does not apply to vehicles rented in Israel, Jamaica, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Bank of America does not directly provide the rental car insurance on its cards. The Visa and Mastercard networks actually administer this benefit on all Bank of America credit cards. Your coverage depends on which network the card is on. For example, the Bank of America Travel Rewards card is a Visa Signature card. As such, it comes with Visa Signature's car rental insurance.

Bank of America Travel Rewards rental car insurance does not cover certain types of vehicles and situations. For example, the benefit covers only the rented vehicle. It does not cover damage to other vehicles, property or personal injuries. Coverage also does not apply to cargo vans, trucks, motorcycles or several other types of vehicles. And you won't be covered for any damages caused by drunk or reckless driving, among other situations.

You can redeem Bank of America Travel Rewards points for a statement credit to cover dining or travel purchases made in the past 12 months. BofA Travel Rewards points can also be used for gift cards or for cash back, via paper check or a Bank of America deposit-account credit. You can redeem your points by signing in to your account online or on the BofA mobile app, or by calling (888) 268-7800. The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card gives at least 1.5 points per $1 spent on purchases, so that can add up quickly.

How to Redeem Bank of America Travel Rewards Points Online

1. Log in to your Bank of America account online.
2. Select the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card.
3. Click on the “Rewards” tab.
4. Browse the rewards options and redeem your Travel Rewards points.

If you travel frequently, you should have no trouble redeeming your Bank of America Travel Rewards points. While you can't actually use points to purchase travel directly, you can pay for a travel purchase with the card through the BofA Travel Center and earn 3 points per $1 spent. Two days later, you can redeem those points to count toward the travel purchase as long as you have at least 2,500 points ($25 travel value).

If you don't want to wait, you can redeem immediately for cash back once you've collected at least 2,500 points ($15 cash back value). But you'll need at least 3,125 points to use Travel Rewards points for gift cards.

One great thing about redeeming Bank of America Travel Rewards points for your travel purchases is BofA's broad interpretation of what counts as a travel purchase. You can use points toward purchases at places like circuses, art galleries, amusement parks, tourist attractions, boat rental agencies, and zoos, along with your ordinary travel expenses like plane tickets and hotel reservations. And unlike a lot of other credit card companies, BofA counts Airbnb rentals in its travel category, which lets you use your points toward those purchases.

The Bank of America Travel Rewards foreign transaction fee is 0%. This applies to all three BofA “Travel Rewards” cards: The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card, the Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students and the Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® Credit Card. International purchases made with any of these cards are not subject to a foreign transaction fee.

Plus, there are several other Bank of America credit cards with travel rewards and no foreign fee. They are the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card, the Alaska Airlines Credit Card and the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card.

A foreign transaction fee is a surcharge, usually between 0%-3%, added to transactions processed outside of the United States. The transaction doesn't need to be made on foreign soil in order for the fee to apply. Online purchases stateside through an internationally-based merchant also incur a fee.

Some Bank of America cards charge a 3% foreign transaction fee. Examples include the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card, the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students, the BankAmericard® credit card and the Platinum Plus® Mastercard® Business Card.

Bank of America Travel Rewards Cards' Foreign Transaction Fees:

• Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card: 0%
• Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students: 0%
• Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® Credit Card: 0%
• Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card: 0%
• Alaska Airlines Credit Card: 0%
• Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card: 0%

Both the Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students and the Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® Credit Card offer 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases booked through the Bank of America Travel Center, and all three cards with “Travel Rewards” in their name give 1.5 points / $1 on all other purchases.

You will need 100 Discover miles for every $1 of the flight's cost. Discover miles are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for airfare. So if a flight costs $500, you will need to redeem 50,000 points to cover the entire cost of the ticket. You can only earn Discover miles when you use the Discover it® Miles card. It offers 1.5 miles for every $1 spent on all purchases.

Keep in mind that you can redeem miles toward part of the cost of a flight and pay the rest in cash. To redeem miles for a credit toward a flight, log in to your online account and select “Ways to Redeem.” Then, under “Travel Purchases,” click “Credit Past Travel.” You'll see the number of miles you've earned and their value in U.S. dollars. The number of miles you apply will be deducted from the cost of the purchase. To redeem by phone, call the number on the back of your Discover it® Miles card. Follow the voice prompts to redeem or tell a customer service agent you want to redeem miles.

You can redeem miles to pay for any travel purchase from the past 180 days. In addition to flights, that includes hotel rooms, bus tours, cruises, car rentals and more. You can also redeem miles for a bank account deposit or Amazon.com purchases. Miles are always worth 1 cent, regardless of which redemption method you choose.

Bank of America Travel Rewards points are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for travel. For example, 10,000 BofA Travel Rewards points are worth $100 in travel expenses. Redeeming for travel is your best option with the Bank of America Travel Rewards card.

These points are significantly less valuable when redeemed for a gift card, for cash back or for a miscellaneous item such as a charitable donation. For example, each point is worth 0.8 cent when redeemed for gift cards and 0.6 cent when redeemed for cash back.

The Bank of America Travel Rewards Card's main travel insurance benefit is rental car insurance. This BofA credit card is a Visa Signature card, which means you get rental car insurance, roadside dispatch, extended warranty protection, and travel/emergency assistance services.

The Bank of America Travel Rewards Card does not have the most common forms of travel insurance, such as lost luggage insurance, travel accident insurance, or trip cancellation protection. You need a Visa Infinite card for those perks.

Discover it vs. Discover it Miles comes down to whether you prefer a steady rewards rate or one with more boom-or-bust potential. Neither card charges an annual fee. Both double the rewards you earn the first year. And both require at least good credit for approval. The main difference in the Discover it vs. Discover it Miles matchup is how you earn rewards on purchases. With Discover it, you get 5% cash back for spending in bonus categories that change every few months, plus 1% everywhere else. And Discover it Miles offers 1.5 miles for every dollar you spend in all categories. 

So Discover it is the way to go if you're interested in earning 5% cash back in rotating bonus categories. And if you subscribe to the idea that slow and steady wins the race, Discover it Miles is a better bet. But you'll want to compare the cards for yourself, so I'll lay out what each offers in the most important categories.

Here's the breakdown for Discover it vs Discover it Miles:

• Annual fee: $0 for both cards.
• Rewards: Discover it offers 5% cash back on categories that change every quarter, plus 1% cash back on all other purchases. Discover it Miles lets you earn 1.5 miles for every dollar you spend.
• 1st year bonus:  Both cards match the rewards you earn the first year your account is open.
• Redemption: With Discover it, you can use your cash to get a statement credit, donate to charity, pay at Amazon.com, or receive a bank account deposit. You can also buy gift cards, and you'll get a $5 bonus when you do. Discover it Miles lets you redeem for cash or a statement credit to cover travel purchases. Either way, each mile is worth 1 cent.
• Purchase APR: For both cards, it's 0% for 14 months, then somewhere between 12.24% and 24.24%, depending on credit worthiness.

In some cases, Discover it might win the Discover it vs. Discover it Miles competition. After all, some people do have the organizational skills to consistently sign up for a different bonus category every few months. But even if you sign up for all the bonus categories, they're not guaranteed to fit your natural spending patterns, so it's still a gamble.

You can redeem Discover miles for cash (as a direct deposit) travel credit, or Amazon.com and PayPal purchases. The value of Discover miles is the same across all redemption methods. There's also no minimum number of miles needed to redeem, and Discover will credit your account with any unused miles when you close the account or if you don't use your card for 18 consecutive months.

To redeem Discover miles online, log in to your Discover.com account and click "Ways to Redeem." Then select Travel Purchases, Miles as Cash, or Amazon.com as your redemption method. If redeeming by phone, call (800) 347-2683 and follow the voice prompts. You can also connect to a customer service representative for assistance with redeeming miles.

Here is how to redeem Discover miles:

• Redeem for cash or statement credit: You can redeem miles for cash back as a direct deposit to your bank account or as statement credit that goes toward your credit card bills.
• Apply miles toward travel: You can get travel credits to cover at least part of the cost of travel purchases (airfare or hotels) made in the last 180 days. You can select any purchase coded as travel and “erase” its cost with your earned miles. Eligible travel purchases include airfare, hotel bookings, purchases made through online travel sites, and others. Airbnb rentals, taxicab and limousine rides, Uber and Lyft rides, and more are also covered.
• Pay with rewards: You can use your miles directly at Amazon.com and through PayPal to pay for purchases. Simply link your Discover it Miles card to your Amazon.com account, then link your rewards by following the instructions. From the Amazon.com checkout page, under “Payment Method,” there is an option to apply miles toward your purchase. It also lists the number of miles you have available. For PayPal purchases, visit the PayPal website to link your Discover it Miles card to your account.

The Discover it Miles card is the only way you can earn Discover miles. It offers 1.5 miles per $1 spent on all purchases. Plus, Discover matches all miles you earn in the first year. To find out the number of miles you have to redeem, check the first page of your monthly statement, under "Miles Available to Redeem." You'll also see the available balance online at the top of your account page.

The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card credit score requirement is 750 or better. That means people with excellent credit have a shot at getting approved for the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card.

You should note that while your credit score is an important factor, there are plenty of other things that will impact your chances of being approved for the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card, too. Some other key criteria include your income, existing debt load, number of open accounts, recent credit inquiries, employment status and housing status.

If you excel in other areas, you might be able to get approved with a slightly lower credit score in some cases. But it's best to wait to apply until you meet the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card credit score requirement. You can check your credit score for free on WalletHub.

To get the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card sign-up bonus, new cardholders must spend $1,000 within the first 90 days of opening an account. The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card bonus is 25,000 points.

Keep in mind, however, that you will not be eligible for this introductory bonus if you currently have the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card, regardless of whether you previously received the bonus. You also may not be eligible if you recently earned the bonus.

In addition to the sign-up bonus, the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card offers 1.5 points per $1 on purchases. Its annual fee is $0, and you need excellent credit to get approved.