BofA Atmos Card Relationship Bonus: Aug 2026

With the launch and rebranding of the three new Atmos cards, one of the most interesting benefits is the 10% rewards bonus on all points earned from card purchases. This additional earn rate is nothing to scoff at, since it is a 10% increase on all points earned.

So, 3x on foreign purchases with an eligible Bank of America account is actually 3.3x, which puts the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® credit card as the best card for traveling internationally.

To get this 10% rewards bonus, there’s a little requirement listed: “if you have an eligible Bank of America® account.”

The crux of this article is answering that exact question: what is an eligible Bank of America account that qualifies you for the 10% Rewards Bonus?

TL;DR

• The 10% Relationship Bonus boosts every Atmos point earned, turning 3x foreign spend into 3.3x.

• You qualify by holding an active consumer checking, savings, or Merrill investing account with a balance above $0.

• CDs and IRAs do not count, even though they are technically Bank of America products.

• The easiest path is opening a Merrill Edge account and parking $10 in a money market fund.

• The Atmos bonus is separate from the BofA Rewards tier bonuses, which apply only to other Bank of America cards.

What Are Eligible Bank of America Accounts for the 10% Bonus?

Deep in the terms and conditions of the card, there’s this specific guidance:

“An active Qualifying Account is an open consumer (non-business) checking or savings account with Bank of America N.A. or an investment account with Merrill that maintains an average daily balance greater than $0 or a Bank of America checking or savings account that has had a deposit or withdrawal within 90 days.”

The following checking and savings accounts qualify for the 10% bonus:

• Advantage SafeBalance Banking

• Advantage Plus Banking

• Advantage Relationship Banking

• Bank of America Advantage Savings

• Merrill Lynch investing accounts

However, several accounts do not qualify for the bonus at all. Quick-reference summary:

Even if you open a qualifying account, there are some other things to keep in mind:

• Upon opening a new qualifying account, it may take up to 60 days to begin earning the Relationship Bonus Points.

• For cardholders with a qualifying account, all net purchases made with the card on or after the fifth business day of the current month through the fifth business day of the following month will earn Relationship Bonus Points.

This means that if you open a new account, it might take two months before you see any bonus points come in.

For qualifying cardholders, there’s nothing too important to take away from this.

I Don’t Have a Bank of America Account—What’s the Best Way to Get Access to One Without Paying Fees?

If you’re under 25 years old, you should open an Advantage SafeBalance Banking account because there are no monthly fees if you’re under age 25. Once you maintain an average daily balance above $0, you are set to qualify for the bonus points.

For those age 25 and older, there are a few alternative options:

• Open an Advantage SafeBalance Banking account and maintain a minimum daily balance of at least $500: While you lose out on interest—say, about $20 per year—you break even if you spend more than $700 on foreign transactions per year.

• Open a Merrill Edge account and maintain an average daily balance above $0: This is probably the easiest way to achieve the bonus, since you can put literally $10 into a money market fund and call it a day.

I have a Merrill Edge account, so I’m going to use that method to access the bonus.

Why Does the 10% Bonus Matter?

Ten percent might not seem like a lot, but the big thing is that it’s a 10% bonus on the points earned with each $1 spent. If you earn 3x points on foreign transactions, that becomes 3.3x points per $1 spent on all foreign transactions.

If you’re like me and value Atmos points at 1.5 cents per point, you’re basically getting a minimum of 4.95% back on all your spending when traveling abroad.

For comparison:

• Robinhood Gold gives 3% flat cash back on all purchases.

• Citi Double Cash® Card gives up to 2% cash back.

Getting 4.95% cash back is ridiculous. Essentially, that 10% goes pretty far when you consider that you earn 3x on foreign purchases in the first place.

The math gets even more interesting on big-ticket international spending such as hotels, tours, and dining abroad, where most flat-rate cash-back cards top out at around 2%.

On a $5,000 international trip qualifying as foreign spend, the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® credit card with the Relationship Bonus produces 16,500 Atmos points:

• 15,000 points from the standard 3x earning rate

• 1,500 additional points from the 10% bonus

At a valuation of 1.5 cents per point, those points would be worth approximately $247.50. The same spending on a 2% cash-back card would produce $100.

Try using our Atmos Summit Calculator if you’re weighing the card’s benefits!

For a deeper look at the annual fee and benefits, see our full Atmos Summit Card Review, and for how to redeem the points this bonus generates, see our Atmos Rewards Guide.

How Does The 10% Rewards Bonus Differ From BofA Rewards?

Bank of America has a program called BofA Rewards™ that gives a 10-75% bonus on eligible credit card rewards. For example, here are some cards that qualify for the BofA Rewards bonus (the following list is not exhaustive):

• Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card

• Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card (also has a limited time $250 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening)

• Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

• Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card

There are four BofA Rewards tiers, which are based on your 3 month combined average daily balance in your combined Bank of America deposit and Merrill Lynch investing balances:

• Member tier: <$30,000

• Preferred Plus tier: $30,000 to <$100,000

• Preferred Honors tier: $100,000 to <$1 million

• Premier tier: $1 million+

With the Premier tier, you will earn a 75% rewards bonus. If you're in the Premier tier, that means a Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card will not only earn 1.5% base cashback on all purchases, but will go all the way to a total of 2.625% on all purchases (this is an incredible earn rate).

However, BofA Rewards benefits do not impact Atmos card earnings. It doesn’t matter what tier you have—there is no bonus on your Atmos mileage rate. This remains true as of August 2026.

The Atmos 10% Relationship Bonus is a separate enhancement that operates outside the BofA Rewards tier system.

In practice, that simplifies things: You do not need $1 million or more sitting with Bank of America to receive the maximum Atmos earning rate. A $10 balance in a Merrill Edge account unlocks the same 10% Atmos bonus that a Premier-tier client would receive. It's part of the reason why I decided to get the Summit.

Takeaways

If you’re planning on getting the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® credit card, make sure you also open a qualifying Bank of America account.

The easiest account is the Merrill Edge investing account, which qualifies as long as you maintain a balance greater than $0. This lets you minimize your opportunity cost.

With the Relationship Bonus, you get 3.3x points per $1 of foreign spending, which is an incredible benefit to have in your back pocket.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a Bank of America credit card count as a qualifying account?

No. The terms specifically reference consumer checking, savings, and Merrill investing accounts. A standalone credit card relationship does not unlock the 10% Relationship Bonus on an Atmos card.

How long does it take for the 10% bonus to start posting?

It can take up to 60 days from the date you open a new qualifying account. After that, purchases made between the fifth business day of one month and the fifth business day of the next earn the bonus during that statement cycle.

Do business checking accounts at Bank of America qualify?

No. The terms explicitly limit qualifying accounts to consumer, non-business checking and savings products, plus Merrill investing accounts.

Can I qualify with a Merrill IRA instead of a brokerage account?

No. IRAs at both Bank of America and Merrill are excluded. You need a non-retirement Merrill investing account, such as a standard Merrill Edge brokerage account, with a balance above $0.

Does the 10% bonus apply to welcome-offer points?

The Relationship Bonus is calculated on points earned from purchases. Welcome-offer points awarded for meeting a spending threshold are issued separately and are not multiplied by the bonus.