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Bank of America Cash Rewards - 3% category qualifying options

Old Dec 13, 2018, 12:13 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: rasheed
BofA has officially refreshed the Bank of America Cash Rewards card. It does not appear any aspect of the rewards program will be getting worse (only new positive options).

BofA has published a comprehensive document indicating the MCC for each bonus category.
BofA has published a pre-release article about the program for customers.
BofA has published a website detailing the 3% categories.

On a calendar monthly basis, a customer can choose a category from a pre-determined list to receive 3% cash rewards. If you do not change the category in a given calendar month, it will stay with what you picked the previous calendar month (or gas if none was ever chosen). You must make the change before the purchase happens (the term "future purchases" is used) because bonus rewards are calculated immediately when transactions post (unlike AmEx, but similar to Chase and Barclays). It seems possible that you could split the month among two categories if you leave the previous calendar month category and then change it later in the new month.

Category selection happens on mobile app or Online Banking website (not by phone call or chat).

Currently, that list is:

Gas (this will be the default if a choice is not selected)
-Pay at the pump (automated fuel dispensers including Costco Gas, Sam's Club and gas stations at grocery stores that categorize as fuel dispensers)
-Pay inside (when the convenience store is categorized as a service station)
-5172 Petroleum and Petroleum Products (*unique to BofA*)
-5541 Service Stations (includes many 7-11s for example)
-5542 Automated Fuel Dispensers (almost all pay at the pump classifies as this one regardless of brand or retailer)
-5983 Fuel Dealers (*unique to BofA*)
This is confirmed from the 3% category choice explanation website.

Gas and fuel merchants include merchants whose primary line of business is the sale of automotive gasoline that can be purchased inside the service station or at the automated fuel pump and gasoline purchased at boat marinas, as well as fuel dealers whose primary line of business is the sale of heating oil, propane and other fuels, such as kerosene.
Online Shopping
This category is actually the most restrictive of all the new choices. In general, a purchase made "online" via website or mobile should count. However, if the merchant is categorized as a service, it will likely not count. Paypal DOES pass along the MCC of the underlying merchant seller. If you are buying physical goods, it should be okay, but if you are buying any virtual item (gift cards, etc.), be aware that it probably will not count.

It appears that BofA did a NOT to include for this category and selected as many services that will not count (including tuition, taxes, healthcare bills, insurance, memberships). It also appears that BofA did NOT exclude any travel merchants where you make the purchase online (OTA/direct airlines/prepaid hotels?). So, it is an overlap of Travel.

MCCs that have confirmed to work (with Online Transaction flag as Y):
-4722 Travel Agencies and Tour Operators
-5300 Wholesale Clubs
-5399 General Merchandise/Misc
-5732 Electronics Stores
-5912 Drug Stores and Pharmacies
-5992 Florists
-8675 Automobile Associations

Paypal okay via online transaction if underlying merchant is in an allowed category.

Any major gift card use such as BHN (common charge prefix for Blackhawk), Cashstar (back-end for many retailer direct online gift card purchases) has been manually removed/deactivated so that they do not pay the 3% part.

Dining
Includes:
-5812 Eating Places and Restaurants
-5813 Drinking Places/Bars
-5814 Fast Food Restaurants
Not likely:
-5462 Bakeries (this is a fixed 2% category with grocery stores noted below )
-5811 Caterers

This is confirmed from the 3% category choice explanation website.

From another BofA card reference:
Travel and Dining Category: Dining includes Restaurants, including Fast Food, and Drinking Establishments, such as Bars or Taverns. [..]
Travel
BofA went further than all other BofA cards with travel categories for this card:
Airlines, Air Carriers, Airports, Airport Terminals, Flying Fields Amusement Parks, Carnivals, Circuses, Fortune Tellers Aquariums, Dolphinariums, Zoos and Seaquariums Art Dealers and Galleries Boat Leases and Boat Rentals Bus Lines Campgrounds and Trailer Parks Car Rental Agencies Cruise Lines Direct Marketing Travel-Related Arrangements Services Hotels, Motels, Resorts Motor Home and Recreational Vehicle Rental Package Tour Operators (for use in Germany only) Parking Lots and Garages Real Estate Agents and Managers (Rentals) Recreation Services (not elsewhere classified) Suburban and Local Commuter Passenger Travel, including Ferries Taxicabs and Limousines Timeshares Truck and Trailer Utility Rentals Passenger Railways Toll and Bridge Fees Tourist Attractions and Exhibits Transportation Services (not elsewhere classified) Travel Agencies and Tour Operators
Note, it includes many, but not all Entertainment categories found in other cards such as Savor or Marvel. Some of the key ones excluded are Movies Theater-related. This card does include theme park tickets (at the ticket booth), but not retail stores or dining in theme parks. This card also has some unusual ones such as airports and art galleries.

Another BofA card that defines travel purchases indicates the following categories

This information needs to be verified (likely through card experience):
a) Airlines, Air Carriers (MCC Codes 3000-3299, 4511); (b) Lodging-Hotels, Motels, Resorts (MCC codes 3501-3999, 7011); (c) Car Rental Agencies (MCC codes 3351-3441, 7512, 4121); (d) Cruise Lines (MCC code 4411); Travel Agencies and Tour Operators (MCC codes 4722, 4416, 4417); (e) Passenger Railways (MCC code 4112); (f) Transportation-Suburban and Local Commuter Passenger, including Ferries (MCC Code 4111); (g) Bus Lines (MCC codes 4131, 4722); (h) Transportation Services-not elsewhere classified (MCC code 4789); (i) Real Estate Agents and Managers-Rentals (MCC code 6513); (j) Timeshares (MCC code 7012); (k) Campgrounds and Trailer Parks (MCC Code 7033); (l) Motor Home and Recreational Vehicle Rental (MCC Code 7519); (m) Tourist Attractions and Exhibits (MCC Code 7991, 5971); (n) Amusement Parks, Carnivals, Circuses, Fortune Tellers (MCC Code 7996); (o) Aquariums, Dolphinariums, Zoos, and Seaquariums (MCC Code 7998); (p) Boat Leases and Boat Rentals (MCC Code 4457); or (q) Recreation Services-not elsewhere classified (MCC Code 7999)

Another list for a different program indicates (looks like it overlaps with the above list):
How Your Travel Credit Works: A travel credit is applied as a statement credit to your account to offset travel purchases from qualifying merchants in these travel-related categories: airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, trailer parks, motor home and recreational vehicle rentals, campgrounds, car rental agencies, truck and trailer rental, cruise lines, travel agencies, tour operators and real estate agents, operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, boat rentals, parking lots and garages, tolls and bridge fees, tourist attractions and exhibits like art galleries, amusement parks, carnivals, circuses, aquariums, zoos and the like. Purchases from some merchants that provide travel-related goods and services will not be eligible for a travel credit, like in-flight goods and services, and duty-free airport purchases.
Drug Stores
-5912 (Drug Stores and Pharmacies)
-5122 (Drug Proprietors and Drug Sundries) (*unique to BofA*)
This is confirmed from the 3% category choice explanation website.

Home Improvement/Furnishings
Very broad list of MCCs.
Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Repair Shops Antique Shops for Sales, Repairs and Restoration Services Architectural, Engineering and Surveying Services Building Materials, Lumber Stores, Carpentry Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Contractors, Concrete Crystal and Glassware Stores Drapery, Upholstery and Window Coverings Stores Electrical Contractors Electrical Parts and Equipment Equipment, Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores (except Appliances) Equipment, Tool, Furniture and Appliance Rental and Leasing Fireplace, Fireplace Screens and Accessories Stores Floor Covering Stores Florist Suppliers, Nursery Stock and Flowers Furniture Reupholstering, Repair and Refinishing General Contractor/Residential Building Glass, Paint, Wallpaper Stores Hardware Equipment and Supplies Hardware Stores Heating, Plumbing, Air Conditioning Contractors Home Supply Warehouse Stores Household Appliance Stores Landscaping and Horticultural Services Lawn and Garden Supply Stores Masonry, Stonework, Tile Setting, Plastering, Insulation Contractors Miscellaneous House Furnishing Specialty Shops Office and Commercial Furniture Paints, Varnishes and Supplies Plumbing and Heating Equipment and Supplies Roof, Siding and Sheet Metal Work Contractors Special Trade Contractor (not elsewhere classified)
This is confirmed from the 3% category choice explanation website.

Fixed 2% grocery stores and wholesales clubs
Purchases made at eligible grocery store merchants and wholesale clubs, which include supermarkets, freezer/meat lockers, candy, nut or confection stores, dairy product stores, and bakeries. Excluded from this Bonus Category are superstores and smaller stores (like drug stores and convenience stores) that sell groceries and other products.
BofA's 2% grocery stores category is broader than AmEx's US supermarket category.

BofA does list the relevant matching description of the merchant for the MCC on the website transactions, but does not expose the actual MCC code.

The card will continue to earn 1% elsewhere and that is not included in the $2500 per quarter spend limit.

There does not appear to be any limitation on location of merchants worldwide to earn rewards as long as the merchant is properly categorized (unlike AmEx). Those customers who had the old Schwab 2% Invest First Visa issued by a BofA affiliate that did not otherwise cancel or proactively change the card when it was discontinued may have received a BofA Cash Rewards card thats does not have an added FTF (beyond Visa's embedded FTF rate) which is different than the card currently offered to customers. This version of the card offers international reward benefits for those customers.

There is a limit of $2500 in 2% or 3% category spending per quarter that will receive the bonus rate. Rewards can be redeemed at face value for any amount at any time. As long as account is in good standing, rewards do not expire. The only reason to hold rewards would be if you plan to qualify for Preferred Rewards and wish to get the relationship bonus rate for older spending when you do redeem the balance.

BofA customer bonuses:
All BofA deposit customers can receive at least a 10% bonus when they earn their reward if their total banking relationship indicates that they have a BofA checking or savings account. This is usually associated by having a BofA online account which has both the deposit and Cash Rewards card on the same login.

Customers who have signed up for Preferred Rewards that requires a deposit relationship balance can currently receive a 25% to 75% redemption bonus. This can tremendously increase the value of the 3% and 2% categories when compared to other cards.
Information on the thresholds for that program are located here: https://www.bankofamerica.com/preferred-rewards/
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Bank of America Cash Rewards - 3% category qualifying options

Old May 20, 2019, 12:50 pm
  #91  
 
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I don't believe Apple Pay qualifies unless it is used to make an online purchase. Simply using it in-store will not trigger the bonus.
zorbachs is offline  
Old May 21, 2019, 7:36 pm
  #92  
 
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BofA will probably copy Chase's award tracker. That'll help a lot. I'm planning on using this card with combo of my premium card.
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Old May 25, 2019, 12:17 pm
  #93  
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Anyone notice that when you buy something in a bonus category and then return the item, youre only docked the 1% instead of the full amount?

Bought a TV from Costco that ended up being defective and needed to return it and only got hit with 1% points deduction and pocketed the other 1%.
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Old May 25, 2019, 12:19 pm
  #94  
 
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Originally Posted by matrixwalker2012
Anyone notice that when you buy something in a bonus category and then return the item, youre only docked the 1% instead of the full amount?

Bought a TV from Costco that ended up being defective and needed to return it and only got hit with 1% points deduction and pocketed the other 1%.
it depends on the source. If its the same source then you get 5% deducted. But if its a different source then its 1%. Costco online. Vs Costco in store is different.

Ive had that happen. But Im sure if you keep doing it they will catch it. Plus its dis honest. I noticed. But have not intentionally taken advantage of it.
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Old May 25, 2019, 12:54 pm
  #95  
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Originally Posted by RedElmo


it depends on the source. If its the same source then you get 5% deducted. But if its a different source then its 1%. Costco online. Vs Costco in store is different.

Ive had that happen. But Im sure if you keep doing it they will catch it. Plus its dis honest. I noticed. But have not intentionally taken advantage of it.
From experience, I know Chase won't claw back all of the points even if the same source. Of course, BofA could very well be different (and in general isn't really a thing one should be intentionally taking advantage of).
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Old May 25, 2019, 3:01 pm
  #96  
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I've had merchant refunds hit both the negative rewards with bonus and without even if the charge had a bonus. There are a number of factors that cause this from my experience, but BofA does try to reverse the rewards bonus if it was given with the original charge. However, they do look for a match which sometimes doesn't happen with the merchant refund.
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Old May 28, 2019, 3:13 pm
  #97  
 
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Donating to a charity online counted as online shopping!!!
rasheed and cashcow like this.
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Old Jun 16, 2019, 1:38 am
  #98  
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Originally Posted by trikotret
BofA will probably copy Chase's award tracker. That'll help a lot. I'm planning on using this card with combo of my premium card.
Sigh. Here is what says on the rewards transactions when you go pass the $2500 limit:

CATEGORY BONUS: Combined purchases for bonus exceeds the quarterly max of $2,500
Obviously the last transaction that got a bonus did not get 2x from the base, but a bit less as it ran out of bonus. I guess the next quarter cannot come soon enough.

Originally Posted by LAX
Does anyone have experience on transactions that fit more than one category? For example, does purchasing a plane ticket online count as "Online shopping" or "Travel"? Or, does ordering foods online count as "Online shopping" or "Dining"? TIA.
LAX
It would count in either category. I saw this cool feature when I went to the change category screen on the web. The system can show you how your previous spending would have been categorized. Very cool. I saw a number of transactions fit into both Travel and Online Shopping.
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Old Jun 28, 2019, 5:09 pm
  #99  
 
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This month my category is gas. Can i change it to home improvement before month ends? Is that considered double dipping between gas and home improvement
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Old Jun 29, 2019, 11:37 pm
  #100  
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You can change the category once per month so that you could have two different categories in the same month.
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Old Jul 1, 2019, 8:30 pm
  #101  
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I somehow ended up with three of these cards, so I essentially get to have 3 simultaneous categories. Plus, I also use these cards as my Costco shopping cards. Beats the 2% return of the Costco Citi card as I get my rewards monthly while that thing only returns annually.
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Old Jul 1, 2019, 11:53 pm
  #102  
 
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One of the 3% categories is for Drug Stores which includes prescriptions.
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Old Jul 2, 2019, 9:25 am
  #103  
 
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Originally Posted by matrixwalker2012
I somehow ended up with three of these cards, so I essentially get to have 3 simultaneous categories. Plus, I also use these cards as my Costco shopping cards. Beats the 2% return of the Costco Citi card as I get my rewards monthly while that thing only returns annually.
how you end up with 3? Do they allow you to earn on 3 cards if they are all on the same BofA online
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Old Jul 2, 2019, 8:10 pm
  #104  
 
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I did a purchase on June 30 for my 3x category, it posted on July 1. Will that purchase go against this quarter category? The home improvement category showing I used it for this month.
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Old Jul 8, 2019, 8:22 am
  #105  
 
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Just a quick question for people who have the BoA relationship: If I have both the Premium/Cash and want to add another cash (to add another rotating 5.25% quarterly category) should i apply for the Travel card (to keep the 2.625% on everywhere) and then product change the Premium to a second Cash to now give my two Cash's and one Travel card. Keeps the 2.625% everywhere (Travel) and two cards with a rotating category quarterly. I now would get rid of the Premium annual fee and keep the same benefits. I'm trying to see any downsides as Iw ant 5.25% on two categories, online shopping and dining. I will not be exceeding the quarterly amounts for the two cash's.

ETA - I see the Travel card doesn't let you redeem for straight cash back. I'll have to look into applying for a second Cash card.

Last edited by DeltaNeutral28; Jul 8, 2019 at 8:46 am
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