Benefits and Downsides of Major League Baseball Credit Card
Major League Baseball Card: This Credit Card is the official card of professional baseball in the U.S. It’s just the perfect card for hardcore baseball fans who need as many chances as possible to get rewards that are simply, directly related to baseball.
With your rewards points, you will be able to shop the MLB.com store and there are so many different ways to enjoy baseball with your points. It might be exactly what you were looking for in terms of a points formula, but sometimes you cannot get enough baseball in your life.
Card Details
- Earn 1% cash back on every purchase
- Earn 2% cash back at grocery stores and 3% cash back on gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement/furnishings for the first $2,500 of combined purchases each quarter
- $0 annual fee
- Redeem cash back into a Bank of America checking or savings account for a 10% bonus
- Show support for your favorite team in the MLB
- Overdraft protection for your linked Bank of America checking account
- Access your FICO score free each month
APR
- 16.24% – 26.24%
- Cash advance variable APR: 19.24% – 27.24%
- Penalty APR: Up to 29.99%
Pros
- Higher cash back amount for everyday buys like groceries and gas purchases with no need to worry about rotating categories
- $0 annual fee
- Introductory APR upon account opening on purchases and balance transfers
- Cashback bonus when you have the money deposited into a Bank of America account
Cons
- Rewards cap on groceries and gas earnings
- Comes with foreign transaction fees
- Even though it’s an MLB-branded card, it doesn’t come with specific MLB perks
- Penalty fee could be triggered by a single late payment
Bonus Rewards
The Bank of America MLB credit card comes with a $200 cash customer bonus if you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days of account opening.
Rewards Points
You can earn 1% cash back on all your purchases with this cash rewards Mastercard. However, for groceries and gas, you earn 2% and 3% back respectively, on up to a combined $2,500 of purchases each quarter.
Intro APR
You can receive 0% for 12 months on purchases, as well as any balance transfers made within 60 days of opening your account.
Recommended Credit Score
Your chances of being approved improves when your credit is good to excellent.
If you fancy Major League Baseball and desire to show support for your team, the Bank of America MLB credit card might the perfect fit for you. Additionally, it comes with cash back benefits, including higher cash back amounts on grocery and gas spending — without the need of worrying about rotating categories.
You can get extra perks including a signing bonus of $200, an introductory APR of 0%, and free access to your FICO score. Read on to find out more about how it works, and to decide if the Bank of America Major League Baseball credit card is right for you.
Benefits of the Major League Baseball Credit Card
Maybe the biggest benefit of the MLB credit card from Bank of America is the fact that it gives you a higher cash back percentage when you buy groceries and gas. These are things you buy everyday that are usually part of your regular budget, so getting a boost from that spending, on top of the standard 1% cash back reward, is a good touch.
It is also awesome that you can get a 10% cash back bonus if you have your rewards deposited into a Bank of America checking or savings account. If you’re out to get the most out of your rewards, or if you want a little bonus to save a little more money toward a specific goal, this feature can be a very big help.
There are special 0% APR offers right now, and a $200 signing and start up bonus and you don’t ever have to worry about paying yearly fees.
You can access your FICO score every month when you have this credit card, so it’s quite easy to keep an eye on what’s happening with your credit situation. Also, you can stay on top of your checking account with automatic overdraft protection for a linked Bank of America checking account.
Other Benefits of this card include:
- Online shopping security
- Fraud liability protection
- Chip cards
- Digital wallet
- Account alerts
- Text banking
If you have Bank of America accounts, integrating your credit card into it can provide you with helpful services and bonuses.
Downsides of the Major League Baseball Credit Card
- Sadly, the higher cashback rewards for groceries and gas come with a cap. Each quarter, you will only earn higher rewards on the first $2,500 you spend. Once you spend $2,500 on groceries and gas, those purchases will only net you 1% cashback until another new quarter starts.
- Another disadvantage is the fact that there are no specific MLB benefits that come with this card. You can have your team’s preferred logo displayed and it’s a really fun way to show your support, but you won’t get anything special like having access to unique experiences or chances to meet your favorite players.
- Finally, the fees and interest rates can add up if you’re not being careful. The Bank of America MLB credit card has a foreign transaction fee, and you can also get stuck with penalty fees and your first late payment could result in a penalty APR of 29.99%.
MLB Credit Card Alternatives
Discover More Card — The Discover More Card gives 10% rebates on products purchased at the MLB.com shop. You could log in to your account through Discover and then all your purchases can be logged when you go to theMLB.com store.
If you shop for baseball stuff often, you might find out that getting 10% back on all those purchases really adds up on that Discover More Card.
Citi Platinum Select Card — The Citi Platinum Select Card gives a rewards program much like the Discover More Card. One of their approved vendors is MLB.com, and this implies that you will get points back on your Citi card when you log in and click their link to MLB.com.
You will receive a discount (which changes depending on the products you buy) or you might be able to apply some of your Citi rewards points towards purchases on MLB.com. Additionally, they give more points per dollar than a sports card (you can get up to five points per dollar)
NFL Extra Points Card — The NFL has it’s own card. If you’re just a sports fan, and you’ve realized you’d rather have football stuff than baseball stuff, then you should really try the NFL Extra Points card.
It redeems just like the MLB card (one point per dollar), and there are diverse types of merchandise, experiences, and tickets that you can buy through the NFL.com store.
The NASCAR RacePoints Platinum Plus Card From Visa — Perhaps racing is your thing. Again, it’s one point per dollar, and you can buy NASCAR products with your rewards points. This is not any different than the other sports-specific cards. If you really need something from a particular sport, only getting one point per dollar will not really bother you.
Citi ThankYou Card — The Citi ThankYou card utilizes the Citi Marketplace, just like the Platinum Select Card, and it gives you more points per dollar than the sports specific cards.
You can get up to five points per dollar on gas, and there is a sliding scale for other purchases. Since MLB.com is on the Citi Marketplace, you may have more options because this card offers more rewards than the sports cards.
Bottom Line
If you’re looking for a solid cash back rewards card that offers a little extra for spending on groceries and gas, the Bank of America MLB credit card is a good bet.
You don’t have to worry about annual fees, and you can get a bit of a rewards program bonus when you spend on everyday purchases and have your rewards deposited in a connected checking or savings account. It’s also good if you’re a fan of a specific baseball team in the United States.
Whether you have an intense need for a baseball credit card, or you need a card that just quenches your thirst for sports, you can find something that will meet your needs.
The MLB Extra Bases Card will help you get closer to the baseball action, and it gives you reward points for the sport you love. However, there are other choices if you want more sports in your life. Or, maybe you need more than one. Sometimes you just can’t take the sports fanatic out of the boy!