Sonesta credit card
From Travel Strategies
Bank of America Credit Cards, Airline Credit Cards
Bank of America Webpage Sonesta Webpage
Send comments or suggestions to editor@travelstrategies.com or leave a comment below.
Annual Fee
$75, waived first year
Typical Signup Offer
60,000 points ($1,000 initial spend) plus 5,000 points for authorized cardholder.
($500 net value, .05/$)
Bonus Categories
3x Sonesta Purchases
2x Airfare, Car Rental
2x Dining
1x Everything Else
No Foreign Transaction Fee
For anyone collecting signup bonuses, the Sonesta card is a good Bank of America option, particularly for people who've already gotten Bank of America's more popular cards and can't make good use of Amtrak points. There aren't many Sonesta hotels, but you should eventually be able to use the points.
Collecting the Signup Bonus
- It is worth signing up for this card, just to collect the signup bonus. After subtracting the annual fee and the opportunity cost of using the card for $point of spending, the calculated net value for the initial year is $65000 (Expression error: Unrecognized word "point". cents per dollar spent). That's very attractive, but you can only be approved for four Bank of America cards every two years, so make sure to get the Premium Rewards, Alaska Airlines, and maybe the Amtrak cards first. After subtracting the opportunity cost of using the card for $1,000 of spending, the calculated net value of the sign-up is $500 (50 cents per dollar spent).
- It is possible to earn the same signup bonus multiple times. Bank of America doesn't limit your ability to earn multiple signup bonuses. You can even have more than one copy of the same card at the same time. However, you will only be approved for four Bank of America cards every two years (with a maximum of three cards in any twelve month period, and two cards in any two month period), so choose your opportunities wisely.
Other Notable Benefits
- Two lounge passes per year. Good at Asiana Lounges only.
- 10,000 bonus miles per year.
- $100 annual rebate on Asiana ticket purchases.
- Access to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection. As with all Visa Signature cards, you'll get access to Visa's luxury hotel program. Whenever you book one of the 900+ participating hotels, you'll receive a set of valuable benefits, including free breakfast, late check-out, and a $25 food and beverage credit. The Visa program has slightly weaker benefits than the other luxury hotel programs, but includes a larger number of more affordable hotel options and a best price guarantee. Take Advantage of Luxury Hotel Programs for Valuable Extra Perks.
- Access to Visa Signature Offers. Your card entitles you to a set of special offers available from Visa.
- Free museum entry. As with all Bank of America credit cards, you'll get free admission to hundreds of museums on the first weekend of every month. Admission is for the cardholder only. Guests are not included, nor are any special exhibitions and other ticketed shows. Museums on Us.
- BankAmeriDeals. Bank of America has a shopping discount program that works like Amex Offers. To get each discount, you'll need to "activate" it through their website. Once activated, discounts are automatically applied when you use your card for the corresponding purchase. Most deals are cash-back based (typically 10%). BankAmeriDeals.
Bonus Categories
- This card earns more valuable rewards on your Asiana purchases than almost any card. 3x Asiana miles are better than what you'd earn from most other cards, but not as good as the very best cards for airfare purchases.Best Credit Cards for Travel Spending.
- There are better options for your grocery and gas purchases. The bonus category rewards from Asiana are more valuable than what you would earn from a good general-purpose reward card, but you can earn even more valuable rewards from other cards. Best Credit Cards for Grocery Spending. Best Credit Cards for Gas Spending.
- You don't want to use these cards for your everyday spending. You'll earn higher rewards from a good general-purpose reward card. Get a Great General Purpose Reward Card and Use It for All of Your Spending.