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Best American Airlines Credit Cards of June 2024
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Best American Airlines Credit Cards of June 2024
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®: Best for Premium Benefits.
- AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®: Best for Easy-to-Get Sign-Up Bonus.
- American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®: Best for No Annual Fee.
- CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®: Best for Small Business Owners.
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By a variety of different metrics, American Airlines is the largest airline in the United States. It offers a number of rewards credit cards that can help you earn AAdvantage miles and other perks based on your spending. Below is a closer look at how these cards work and the benefits they offer.
By a variety of different metrics, American Airlines is the largest airline in the United States. It offers a number of rewards credit cards that can help you earn AAdvantage miles and other perks based on your spending. Below is a closer look at how these cards work and the benefits they offer.
See all of our credit cards here.
The main reason to open an American Airlines AAdvantage rewards card is to earn miles and other savings on purchases with this airline. Earn miles by using your card to make purchases with American Airlines or other businesses that fall into select rewards categories, such as grocery stores and gas stations.
Read:
Best Gas Credit Cards.Then redeem miles to book flights with American Airlines, American Eagle, oneworld airlines and partner airlines. You can also use your points to reserve preferred seats, upgrade your flight cabin, buy or renew an Admirals Club membership, get exclusive services at select airports, or book a rental car, hotel or vacation. American Airlines also allows you to donate your miles to select charities.
American Airlines cards come with plenty of perks, but they're best suited for certain types of customers. You should consider opening an AAdvantage rewards card if any of the following are true:
- You travel to AA destinations. You're able to enjoy the most perks from an American Airlines card if you travel on this airline regularly. For example, it wouldn't make sense to open one of these cards if your travel takes you often to Toledo, Ohio, or Ithaca, New York, where American Airlines does not stop.
- You're a frequent flyer. You earn the most AAdvantage points by spending money on American Airlines purchases. Plus, the perks of American Airlines cards are designed for people who spend significant time in airports. You should consider one of these cards if you fly often so you can take full advantage of the benefits they offer.
- Your spending matches rewards categories. In addition to American Airlines purchases, the highest-earning rewards categories include grocery stores, gas stations, telecommunications and others, depending on the particular card. If you tend to spend a lot in any of these areas, it could be helpful to open an American Airlines card that pays you back.
Each American Airlines credit card has its own rewards tiers, perks and fees. When choosing the right card, you should think about your spending habits and budget. For instance, you might want a basic card that helps you earn a couple of free flights per year. On the other hand, it may be worth paying a higher annual fee if you spend a lot on your card; the miles you earn and other perks, such as an Admiral Club membership and statement credits, may be worth it.
- General travel rewards credit cards. Some of the best airline credit cards are general travel rewards cards. But there are also cards such as Chase Freedom Unlimited® that you can consider if you want to earn travel rewards that aren't as focused on air travel.
- Hotel credit cards. If your travel spending tends to focus on hotel stays, you can consider hotel credit cards. There is some overlap among the best airline, best hotel and best travel credit cards, but consumers loyal to a particular hotel chain can look into co-branded cards.
- Airline rewards programs. You can still earn in an airline's frequent flyer program even if you don't have a co-branded credit card.
- Competitor airlines cards. American Airlines doesn't have to be your only choice, as there are many options to choose from when looking for an airline credit card. Some of the top airlines, including United, Delta and Southwest, have their own rewards cards.
U.S. News has helped consumers make money decisions for decades. When we rate airline cards, we factor in overall issuer satisfaction, APR, cardholder benefits, and each card’s annual fee, foreign transaction fee and balance transfer fee. We also consider several factors related to rewards: ease and flexibility of redemption, airline rewards earning rate, rewards redemption value and sign-up bonus value. Satisfaction data is based on an annual nationwide survey.
Yes, they can. If you're a current, primary AAdvantage credit card holder, your miles don't expire. However, the rules are different for non-cardholders who earn miles through the AAdvantage loyalty program. As of Sept. 8, 2022, you need to have mileage earning or redeeming activity once every 24 months in order to retain your miles. If you don't have any qualifying activity within a 24-month period, all of your miles expire. These rules don't apply to members under the age of 21.
The best rewards cards often require you to have a strong credit score in order to be approved. In general, a FICO score of 670 to 739 is considered good. The higher your score, the higher your chances of approval usually are.
The American Airlines redemption rate depends on many factors, such as your destination, the date and time of the flight, the cabin class and more. The value of one American Airlines mile is estimated at about 1.2 cents for the main cabin.
In theory, you could hold multiple Citi American Airlines credit cards and Barclays American Airlines cards. However, each issuer has rules against signing up for more than one card within a short period of time. In addition, issuers can limit your eligibility for sign-up bonuses.
And even if you get cards from each issuer, you could end up paying multiple annual fees for cards that have the same bonus spending categories.
READ:[What Are My Points Worth?]
Comparative assessments and other editorial opinions are those of U.S. News and have not been previously reviewed, approved or endorsed by any other entities, such as banks, credit card issuers or travel companies. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired.
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