Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students vs Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students
Both cards cost $0/yr. The Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students leads on everyday spending; the Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students on travel.
Card data as of November 13, 2026.
Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for StudentsBank of America · No annual fee
Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for StudentsBank of America · No annual fee
Overview
- Annual fee
- Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students$0Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students$0
- Welcome offerCurrent public offer
- Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students$250 cash backBank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students25,000 points
- Rewards
- Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for StudentsCash backBank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for StudentsBank of America points
- Foreign transaction fee
- Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students3%Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for StudentsNoneLowest
- Network
- Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for StudentsVisa SignatureBank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for StudentsVisa Signature
Earn ratesPer $1 spent · points and cash back aren’t ranked against each other
- Everything else
- Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students1.5%Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students1.5x
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
- Other credits
- Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students—Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students
- 0% APR for 15 billing cycles on purchases and transfers
Perks & access— means none on record
- Other perks
- Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students
- Apple Pay, Google Pay, and contactless payments
Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students- Zero foreign transaction fees worldwide
- Tap to pay with contactless and digital wallets
- Free overdraft protection for BofA checking
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
- Purchase & returns
- Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students—Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students
- $10,000 purchase protection per claim
- Other protections
- Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students
- $0 liability for unauthorized transactions
- Free overdraft protection for your checking account
- FICO score monitoring
Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students- $0 liability for unauthorized transactions
- FICO® Score
Pros & cons
- Pros
- Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students—Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students
- 25,000 point welcome bonus after $1,000 spend ($250 travel value)
- Flat 1.5 points per dollar on all purchases
- No foreign transaction fee (ideal for study abroad)
- No annual fee
- 0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers
- Cons
- Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students—Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students
- Requires Bank of America relationship for best value (BofA Rewards)
- Points less flexible than cash back
- Lower earn rate than category-specific cards
- Higher credit requirement (Good/Excellent) than other student cards
- Missing good grades reward that Discover offers
Category-by-Category Winner
No unconditional category winner — 1 category depend on how you earn.
Travel
Depends: via issuer travel portal
Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students earns 3X when conditions are met; Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students earns 1.5X (1.5X without restrictions)
Year One vs Ongoing Value
Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.
Close — depends on how much of the credits you use
| Scenario | Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students | Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students | Ongoing winner | Year-one winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light spender: $1,000/month | Rewards: $180 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $180 Year one: $430 | Rewards: $180 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $180 Year one: $430 | Close — depends on how much of the credits you use | Close — depends on how much of the credits you use |
| Heavy spender: $4,000/month | Rewards: $720 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $720 Year one: $970 | Rewards: $720 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $720 Year one: $970 | Close — depends on how much of the credits you use | Close — depends on how much of the credits you use |
The Bottom Line
Close — depends on how much of the credits you use
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which card earns more rewards, the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students or Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students?
- Both cards earn 1.5X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.
- Should I get the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards for Students or the Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students?
- Both cards have the same $0/yr fee. Choose based on which bonus categories match your spending — check the earn rate comparison above.
Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published November 13, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.