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It’s easy to spot an American Airlines jet on the tarmac thanks to the distinctive red, white, and blue coloring—what can be a little harder is selecting the best American Airlines credit card for your travel needs, due to the variety of options on the market. Citi and Barclays both issue co-branded American cards, and Wells Fargo issues a flexible travel card that earns points you can transfer to the airline’s AAdvantage loyalty program.
We’ll help you choose the best American Airlines card based on factors such as whether you’re willing to pay an annual fee, whether you need Admirals Club airport lounge access, and whether you need the flexibility to use your rewards with other airlines.
With a reasonable annual fee and valuable perks such as a free checked bag, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is a strong choice for frequent American Airlines travelers.
Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
| Annual fee | $0 intro for the first year, then ($99 thereafter) |
| Regular APR | 21.24%–29.99% variable |
Why we like this card: If you fly on American several times a year, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® could be a great fit. With an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then ($99 thereafter) and a generous welcome bonus offer that can help you rack up AAdvantage miles, the card offers incredible value, especially in the first year of card ownership.
Plus, there are several airline-specific benefits on the AAdvantage Platinum Select card that can make your travels easier. These include a 25% discount on in-flight food and beverage purchases, priority boarding, and the star perk for most travelers—your first checked bag free on select American flights for the primary cardholder and up to four travel companions.
First checked baggage fees for domestic flights range from $35 to $40 per bag. Thus, this benefit alone could save significant money if you frequently travel with family or other people.
The card also offers a $125 American Airlines flight discount after $20,000 in purchases within a year and after the card is renewed.
Check out our full review of the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Card.
Maybe you fly American Airlines once in a while, and would like a card that earns miles and keeps the miles in your count from expiring, but you don’t want to pay an annual fee. In that case, the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard® is your best (really your only) option.
Earn 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
| Annual fee | $0 |
| Regular APR | 20.74%–29.74% Variable |
Why we like this card: The American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card is the airline’s entry-level card, which means it has fewer benefits than the AAdvantage Platinum card. However, one way to prevent AAdvantage miles from expiring after 24 months is to be the primary cardholder on an American Airlines credit card. And, the MileUp card charges no annual fee, making it your best choice if you only rarely fly on American.
The MileUp card comes with a so-so bonus offer but only requires $500 spending in the first three months to earn it, so it should be attainable for most cardholders. You’ll also receive a 25% discount on in-flight food and beverage purchases when you use your card to pay and will earn miles at OK bonus rates on American Airlines purchases and at the grocery store.
Unfortunately for an airline credit card, the MileUp card does charge a 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each transaction., so it’s not what we recommend keeping in your wallet if flying internationally.
In short, this is a bare-bones card, with rewards you probably won’t be moved to write home about and few benefits. But if you want to earn rewards redeemable for American Airlines flights and not have to worry about the miles in your account expiring, the MileUp card is a serviceable choice—particularly if you don’t usually need to check a bag and you mostly fly domestically.
Access luxury benefits, including entry to Admirals Club lounges, with the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®.
70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first 3 months of account opening
| Annual fee | $595 |
| Regular APR | 21.24%–29.99% variable |
Why we like this card: The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard is for loyal American Airlines customers who want the very best benefits and perks offered by the airline and aren’t afraid to pay for them. The card comes with a massive $595 annual fee but can offer enough value in the right hands to offset the cost.
Cardholders receive an annual membership to Admirals Club, the airline’s airport lounge network. The membership is worth up to $850 and also provides lounge access for select family members or guests traveling with you.
The Citi / AAdvantage Executive card also offers a huge welcome bonus and an incredibly high earning rate on American Airlines purchases. Plus, you can earn an even higher rate after spending $150,000 in a calendar year. You’ll also enjoy a first checked bag free on domestic American flights for you and up to eight companions traveling on the same reservation.
In addition, the card provides priority check-in (where available) and boarding, priority screening at select airports, a credit to reimburse the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, credits for Grubhub purchases, Lyft rides, and Avis and Budget car rentals, a 25% discount on in-flight purchases of food and beverages, and a dedicated concierge to assist with travel, shopping, dining and more.
Travelers will also appreciate an array of insurance benefits: trip delay protection, trip cancellation and interruption protection, worldwide car rental insurance and lost baggage protection.
Check out our full review of the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®.
The Bilt Mastercard® earns rewards on rent payments, travel, and dining. These points can be transferred to numerous airline and hotel loyalty programs, including American Airlines AAdvantage. If you’re a traveler who prioritizes flexibility over perks on one specific airline, the Bilt card might be right for you.
The Bilt Mastercard offers the unique ability to earn points on rent.
Why we like this card: The Bilt Rewards Mastercard is becoming a favorite of renters everywhere. The card offers something rare—the ability to earn rewards on rent payments while avoiding the convenience fee typically charged for paying rent by credit card.
Cardholders earn 3X Bilt Points on dining, and 1X Bilt Points on purchases. You must use the card five or more times per statement period to earn points.
Bilt offers a myriad of redemption options, including more than a dozen airline and hotel transfer partners—the American Airlines Advantage program among them. At the time of writing, Bilt is one of the main flexible credit card rewards programs allowing points transfers to American. Points transfer 1:1 to all partners. (Marriott Bonvoy is another program where points can be transferred to American, but at a 3:1 rate.)
The Bilt card is great for international travel, too, with no foreign currency conversion fees. However, one downfall of this otherwise standout card is that it has no welcome bonus.
On the other hand, cardholders can earn double points (up to 10,000 points) on all non-rent spending the first of every month if you use the card 5 times within the statement period, dubbed Rent Day. This means 6X on dining, 4X on eligible travel and 2X on other purchases excluding rent.
The Bilt card also offers primary rental car insurance (except to New York State residents), trip cancellation and interruption protection, and trip delay reimbursement. These are surprisingly robust travel benefits for a no-annual-fee card.
To view rates and fees of the Bilt Mastercard®, see this page
American Airlines credit cards earn rewards, called miles, on purchases with American Airlines and other eligible spending. These miles can be redeemed for award flights on American Airlines as well as eligible flights with Oneworld alliance airlines and partner airlines.
Beyond flights, you can redeem miles for cabin and seat upgrades, Admirals Club membership, to book rental cars, hotels and vacations, luxury and exclusive experiences or to make donations to partner charities.
In addition to rewards earning, American Airlines cards offer a range of airline-specific perks, which can vary greatly depending on the card you have. For example, the AAdvantage Platinum Select card offers a first checked bag free, potentially saving you $35 to $40 every time you fly.
American Airlines is one of few brands to have co-branded credit cards through multiple issuers. Both Citi and Barclays issue American Airlines credit cards.
At the time of writing, the only Barclays-issued American Airlines card available to new applicants is the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®. (Though Barclays continues to service other previously issued American Airlines cards.)
Citi currently has three personal co-branded American Airlines cards and one business card available to new applicants. These cards are as follows:
When choosing an American Airlines card, consider your travel preferences and needs. Luckily, the airline offers several options to suit different types of travelers. American Airlines cards offer a range of benefits and annual fees—from a card with no annual fee to one that charges $595 per year just to carry. Determine whether you just need a card to earn a few AAdvantage miles, for perks like free checked bags and priority boarding, or luxury benefits like lounge access and travel-related credits.
You should consider an American Airlines credit card if American is your preferred airline and offers flights to the travel destinations you frequent. For example, if you live in a city with a big American Airlines hub (think DFW in Dallas or CLT in Charlotte), a card that rewards you for flying American is probably a solid choice.
On the flipside, American Airlines doesn’t fly everywhere, so it may not offer flights out of your home airport or to destinations you regularly visit. If that’s the case, you may get more utility out of a different airline credit card or flexible travel card.
Most American Airlines co-branded credit cards that are currently available come with a free first checked bag on eligible domestic flights. The only one that does not come with a free checked bag is the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card.
Almost all American Airlines co-branded credit cards offer preferred boarding for cardholders. The one exception is the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card.
The amount of miles needed to book award flights through American Airlines varies based on the date, destination and other factors. American Airlines award flights start at around 7,500 miles one way plus taxes and fees.
Yes. Unless you take an action that extends the life of your miles, they expire after 24 months. However, qualifying activity (earning or redeeming miles on American or with a partner airline) extends the life of your miles 24 months from when you took that action.
And, if you’re the primary cardholder on an American Airlines co-branded credit card account, you don’t have to worry about your miles expiring while the account is open and in good standing.
You can transfer points earned with the Bilt Mastercard to American Airlines and receive AAdvantage miles in exchange.
Several hotel loyalty programs with accompanying credit cards also allow you to transfer points to American Airlines AAdvantage program, including World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, IHG One Rewards, Wyndham Rewards and Drury Rewards. Conversion ratios vary between the programs so check to see how much your points are worth in American Airlines miles before you transfer them.
However, popular credit card rewards programs including American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Chase Ultimate Rewards cannot transfer points directly to American Airlines. Instead, you’d have to look for a workaround involving a partner airline, such as transferring your Chase points to British Airways and using British Airways Executive Club to search for partner flights on American metal.
Fortune Recommends™ has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Fortune Recommends™ and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying.
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