The Bank of America WorldPoints credit card allows you to earn points for every purchase you make. Once you’ve earned enough, you can cash those points in for a money deposit into your Bank of America account, gift cards or airline travel. Unlike traditional airline reward programs, there are no blackout dates associated with using points for travel, making this a more appealing program.
Earning Points
Every time you use your Bank of America WorldPoints card, you earn one point for every dollar you spend. Depending on how much you use your card, you can easily earn 1,000 points or more each month. There is no limit to the amount of points you can earn.
Though it’s nice to earn points every time you make a purchase, your points will add up more quickly if you use the WorldPoints mall. By clicking through to a company’s site from the mall, you’ll earn a certain amount of bonus points. These are stores at which you might normally shop, such as the Gap, Macy’s, Orbitz, Lowes and Newegg.com. Typically you’ll earn around 2 bonus points for each dollar you spend at the merchant, though some retailers offer 10 points or more per dollar. The key is to click through from Bank of America’s WorldPoints mall site. If you make a purchase by going directly to the site, you won’t earn your bonus points.
Maximizing Points
If you really want to get the most out of your WorldPoints card, you need to use it as often as possible. Use it while getting groceries or gas, and set up automatic payments for your utilities or car insurance. If you’re doing this, though, it’s important to pay off the full balance every month, so that you’re not falling behind financially.
Additionally, whenever you think about making an online purchase, the WorldPoints mall should be your first stop. The site conveniently allows you to search for specific products or browse retailers based on category. Don’t let the idea of bonus points sway you to any one retailer, though. It’s still smart to shop around for the best deal. It’s not worth paying an extra $10 for a few extra bonus points.
Spending Your WorldPoints
When you’ve earned at least 2,500 points, you can start redeeming your points through the WorldPoints site. Simply sign into the site using your login and password and browse through the rewards that interest you most. Possibilities include gift cards to places like Amazon, Staples and Old Navy. You could also just request cash back, or a credit toward your bill. Add your selection to your cart and make a purchase using your points. They’ll subtract this amount from your total points and your gift will be on its way. Purchase airline tickets by searching available flights, then choosing the ticket you want and buying it, using WorldPoints instead of cash.
If you have any problems with redeeming your WorldPoints online, or if you just prefer to do such things over the phone, you can call 1-800-434-9313. Travel reservations are available 24 hours a day, but gift card redemption is only available during Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time, and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern time.
Earning and redeeming your Bank of America WorldPoints is fairly easy, but be smart about it: You get more bang for your points when you’re cashing in at higher point levels. It’s nice to think that you could get a $25 gift card to your favorite store, but you’ll notice that you actually get a slightly better deal if you wait to cash in at least 25,000 points. It may be hard to wait until you have that many points, but think of how you’ll spend that $250 gift card instead!
