The BBVA Compass NBA American Express Card is a credit card issued by BBVA Compass. The standard welcome bonus on this card used to be $100, while the current welcome bonus is a record-high $200. The biggest selling point of this card is that it earns 5% cash back on everything during All-Star Weekend each year and during the two weeks of the NBA Finals. When applying for this card, applicants are required to confirm that they are U.S. citizens, so we do not recommend that non-U.S. citizens apply, though in practice some non-U.S. citizens have been approved.
【Application Link】Click Here
【Minimum Spending Requirement】Spend $1,000 within the first three months after account opening to earn 20,000 points, redeemable for a $200 statement credit.
【Annual Fee】$0
BBVA Compass NBA: Pros
- Earn 3% cash back on NBA purchases, including game tickets, purchases at NBA arenas, and purchases at NBAStore.com; 2% cash back at gas stations and supermarkets; and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- Earn 5% cash back on the first $5,000 in purchases during All-Star Weekend and the NBA Finals period each year.
BBVA Compass NBA: Cons
- Only U.S. citizens can apply; even permanent residents are not eligible.
- Aside from the two annual 5% promotional periods, the everyday earning rates are somewhat weak. Even the 3% back on NBA tickets is still a bit worse than the 2x TYP on entertainment offered by Citi Thankyou Preferred and Citi Prestige. The 3% at NBAStore.com is merely on par with Citi AT&T.
- Has a foreign transaction fee.
Should You Apply?
The $200 welcome bonus is decent for a no-annual-fee card, but the value of a $200 bonus alone is still a bit underwhelming compared with a HP. This card is probably suitable for the following groups of people. First, readers who are very strong at MS: if you know how to MS, the two annual 5% opportunities can make this card quite valuable to keep long term. Second, readers who are experienced with AMEX Offer. Although many people have become less optimistic about AMEX Offer recently, this card has no annual fee and does not take up an AMEX card slot, so it can still be worth keeping. For NBA fans, if you simply want a credit card printed with the logo of your favorite team, then of course applying while this elevated $200 welcome bonus is available makes sense. But as mentioned above, this card’s cash back in the NBA category is actually not that strong, so we do not recommend putting those purchases on this card. After all, BBVA Compass is just a small bank, and if anything goes wrong, dealing with issues can be more troublesome than with a larger bank.【Application Link】Click Here
Do you have any experience with this card? Feel free to leave a comment and share with us!