If you're in the market for a rewards credit card or 0% intro APR credit card, you might have overlooked the ABOC Platinum Rewards Mastercard®. But this underdog has a lot to offer: automatic 5X points in rotating categories, a nice sign-up bonus, no annual fee, and a 0% intro APR on purchases.

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Great for: 0% intro APR

ABOC Platinum Rewards Mastercard®

Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars.

Bottom Line

Packs in a robust rewards program for popular spending categories and a competitive 0% intro APR for purchases, all with no annual fee.

Credit Rating Requirement: Good/Excellent

Rewards

5x rewards on up to $1,500 in combined purchases each quarter in popular categories such as dining, groceries, travel, and automotive

Annual Fee

$0

Intro APR

Purchases: 0%, 12 months

Balance Transfers: N/A

Ongoing APR

12.90% - 22.90%, variable

Welcome Bonus

$150 statement credit after spending $1,200 within 90 days

Highlights

0% Intro APR on Purchases for 12 months; after that the variable APR will be 14.40% – 24.40%, based on your creditworthiness
Earn $150 Statement Credit after you spend $1,200 on purchases within the first 90 days from account opening
Earn 5x rewards on up to $1,500 in combined purchases each quarter in popular categories such as dining, groceries, travel, and automotive
No upper limit on the points you can accumulate, and since points never expire, you can save up for a big award!
Earn Points on Every Purchase! It's simple: $1 = 1 Point
No Annual Fee or Foreign Transaction Fee
Select Your Rewards Your Way

Card Details [+-]

Full ABOC Platinum Rewards Card review

Top perks

No annual fee: This card comes with a lot of benefits, and you won't have to pay an annual fee to get them.

0% intro APR for 12 months for purchases: You'll also get a full 12 months before you have to pay any interest on purchases.

$150 sign-up bonus: If you spend at least $1,200 on purchases within the first three months of getting this card, you'll receive a statement credit for $150. That spending threshold is a little higher than what some other no-annual-fee rewards cards require, but the amount of the reward is comparable.

Up to 5X points: There are several cards that offer 5% cash back in rotating quarterly categories. The ABOC Platinum Rewards Mastercard® differs in a couple of ways. First, there's no need to opt-in to earn more: any bonus category spending automatically counts. And instead of earning 5% cash back, you earn 5X points on spending in bonus categories ($1,500 quarterly spending cap), which may be worth more or less, depending on how you redeem them.

Broad bonus categories: Other rotating-category cards offer bonuses for narrower categories like fitness clubs, gas stations, or Uber and Lyft. The ABOC Platinum Rewards Mastercard® bonus categories cast a wider net:

First quarter: monthly bills (including utilities, Netflix, cell phone, etc.)
Second quarter: dining and transportation (including restaurants, gas, tolls, bus fares, etc.)
Third quarter: travel (including gas, airline tickets, hotels, rideshares, etc.)
Fourth quarter: department stores (including Amazon.com, Best Buy, Walmart, etc.)

What could be improved

Points redemption options: Your mileage may vary with the points you earn -- literally. You can redeem points through the ABOC rewards portal, but not all options are competitive with other rewards cards, including the redemption value for statement credits. The redemption values are as follows:
Statement credit: You can redeem your points for a statement credit for a flat rate of $0.0075 per point. That's around half of what your points are worth if you redeem them for travel.
Travel: The exact amount of points to redeem airfare, hotels, car rentals, and cruises may differ. According to a company spokesperson, however, you can expect a redemption value of around $0.013 per point in this category, which is very good.
Merchandise: Although it's not a popular redemption method, you can redeem your points for merchandise. This largely consists of "union-themed apparel, coffee mugs, etc." It may be hard to find gems in this category.
Gift cards: The higher the value of the gift card you redeem, the fewer points it'll take. You can redeem gift cards starting at 3,250 points for $25 ($0.0077/point) all the way up to 50,000 points for a $500 gift card ($0.01/point).

ABOC Platinum Rewards Card credit score

The ABOC Platinum Rewards Mastercard® is best for people with at least a good credit rating. According to FICO, that translates into a score of 670 or better. This makes the card easier to qualify for than some of its competitors, especially if you have a lower credit score. Worth noting: Approval depends on a combination of other factors, including your income level and other aspects of your credit report.

Alternatives to consider

If you want a longer interest-free runway: The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer gives you a full 18 months to pay off any balance transfers with a 0% APR. It also offers 2% cash back (1% when you buy something, and another 1% when you pay off the charge) on everything, so you don't have to worry about tracking rotating categories every few months.
If you want an easier-to-earn bonus: The Chase Freedom Unlimited® card offers unlimited 1.5% cash back, as well as it has a slightly longer 0% intro APR and a better sign-up bonus. Instead of requiring you to spend $1,200 to qualify, you only need to spend $500 to earn an even higher bonus of $200.

As of Jan. 05, 2021


Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer	Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Rating image, 5.0 out of 5 stars. 5.0 stars	Rating image, 5.0 out of 5 stars. 5.0 stars
Apply Now On Citi's Secure Website.	Apply Now On Chase's Secure Website.
Read Full Review	Read Full Review

Credit Rating Requirement: Excellent	Credit Rating Requirement: Good/Excellent

Welcome Bonus: N/A	Welcome Bonus: $200 after spending $500 within 3 months

Rewards Program: 2% cash back: 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay	Rewards Program: Unlimited 1.5% cash back, 5% cash back on travel through Chase

Intro APR: Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: 0%, 18 months	Intro APR: Purchases: 0%, 15 months Balance Transfers: N/A, N/A

Regular APR: 13.99% – 23.99%, variable	Regular APR: 14.99% - 23.74% Variable

Annual Fee: $0	Annual Fee: $0

Highlights: Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Balance Transfer Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 13.99% – 23.99%, based on your creditworthiness. Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month. There is a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. The standard variable APR for Citi Flex Plan is 13.99% – 23.99% based on your creditworthiness. Citi Flex Plan offers are made available at Citi's discretion.	Highlights: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. Earn 5% on travel purchased through Chase, 3% on dining at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5% on all other purchases. No annual fee. 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases, then a variable APR of 14.99 - 23.74%. No minimum to redeem for cash back. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open.
Apply Now On Citi's Secure Website.	Apply Now On Chase's Secure Website.
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This credit card is right for you if:

The ABOC Platinum Rewards Mastercard® is one of the more underrated rewards cards, and that's why we think it deserves your consideration. That said, there are some people it might serve better than others. That might be you if:

You want the higher rewards of rotating-category cards, but you don't want to remember to activate them. Most rotating-category cards require you to activate them each quarter before you start earning the higher bonus rewards. That's unfortunate if you ramp up your spending only to forget this key detail. You won't have to do that with this card -- you'll earn the bonus rewards automatically.
You want to travel more and use credit cards to get there. You'll get the most value with this card if you redeem your points for travel. Points are worth around $0.013 each, in this case. Even with some of the biggest no-annual-fee travel rewards cards, your points are only worth $0.01 each, so your points will stretch further with this card.

ABOC Platinum Rewards Card Review: Great for a One-Card Wallet