The 8 best credit cards for American Airlines flyers, from a no-annual-fee option to premium perks

January 22, 2021

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The best credit cards for American Airlines flyers:

Best for occasional American flyers: Chase Sapphire Preferred
Best for earning miles: Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
Best for budget travelers: American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card
Best for airport lounge access: Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®
Best for elite status: AAdvantage® Aviator® Silver Mastercard®
Best for inflight discounts: AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®
Best overall for business: AAdvantage® Aviator® Business Mastercard®
Another great business card option: CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®

If you fly American Airlines more than once or twice a year, a co-branded American Airlines card could make sense so you can earn miles toward award flights, and enjoy benefits like a free checked bag.

Between its two issuer partners, Citi and Barclays, American Airlines now offers an overwhelming eight credit cards that are available to new members. They range from a no-annual-fee option to a $450-per-year premium card that offers includes access to the airline's Admirals Club airport lounges and rewards high spenders with elite-qualifying miles.

With all those choices, picking the right card for your needs is more difficult than ever. Take a look at each of their benefits, how they differ, and decide which one's perks you can most easily leverage based on your regular spending activity. Here's a snapshot of what type of traveler each card might be best for.

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

While American Airlines isn't a Chase transfer partner — meaning you can't move your Chase points into the AAdvantage frequent flyer program — you can use your rewards from the Chase Sapphire Preferred to book American Airlines flights directly through the Chase travel portal. Even better, your points are worth 25% more when you redeem them for travel, so you'll get 1.25 cents in value toward flights.

If you prefer a premium credit card, you could consider the Chase Sapphire Reserve instead. It earns 3x points (instead of 2x) on travel and dining, and your points are worth 1.5 cents apiece toward American Airlines flights booked through Chase. The card has a $550 annual fee, but up to $300 annual travel credits helps offset that cost.

Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®

Aside from that, cardholders get a free checked bag on domestic AA itineraries for themselves and up to four companions, preferred boarding, and 25% inflight food and beverage discounts. Those who spend $20,000 or more on purchases in a calendar year and renew the card can earn a $125 flight discount certificate.

The card's annual fee is $99, waived for first 12 months, and it's currently offering a sign-up bonus of 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $2,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card

The card earns a respectable 2x miles on both eligible American Airlines purchases and at grocery stores, and 1x on everything else. Its only day-of-travel benefit is a 25% discount on inflight food and beverage, so don't expect free checked bags or priority boarding.

The American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card is currently offering 10,000 bonus miles and a $50 statement credit after you make $500 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®

Cardholders are eligible for up to a $100 statement credit to cover the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee once every five years. They also get free checked bags for themselves and up to eight companions on American Airlines domestic itineraries, are entitled to priority boarding, and get a 25% discount on inflight food and beverage purchases.

Those who spend $40,000 or more on purchases in a calendar year receive 10,000 elite-qualifying miles toward status with the airline. Foreign transaction fees are waived, and cardholders can book reduced-mileage awards on some domestic routes.

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is currently offering 50,000 bonus AAdvantage miles after you make $5,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.

Best for elite status: AAdvantage Aviator Silver Mastercard

The AAdvantage® Aviator® Silver Mastercard® is not open to new applicants, but you can upgrade to it if you have the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard. The reason this card wins in this category is that it allows you to earn both elite-qualifying miles (EQMs) and elite-qualifying dollars (EQDs) toward American Airlines AAdvantage status.

You can earn 5,000 EQMs by spending $20,000 or more on purchases in a calendar year, and an additional 5,000 EQMs for hitting $40,000. Not only that, but cardholders can also earn $3,000 EQDs after spending $50,000 on purchases in a calendar year. Those are some big numbers, but if you're the type of flyer who takes longer flights on less-expensive fares, those extra EQDs might be all the boost you need to hit the next tier of status.

This card's other value-packed perks include up to a $100 credit to cover the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck once every five years, up to $25 back per day on inflight food and beverage purchases, and up to $50 refunded for Wi-Fi purchases on American flights each year.

Cardholders also enjoy preferred boarding, free checked bags on domestic American Airlines itineraries for the cardholder and up to eight companions on the same reservation, and two $99 (plus taxes) companion certificates after spending $20,000 in purchases each account year that they can redeem toward round-trip domestic economy itineraries.

The card earns 3x miles on American Airlines purchases, 2x miles on hotels and car rentals, and 1x on everything else. Its annual fee is $195.

Best for discounts: AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard

While the Aviator Silver offers more significant onboard discounts, you might still want to consider the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® instead for a few reasons. First and foremost, it's open to new applicants and is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 50,000 miles that you earn after making a single purchase in the first 90 days and paying the $99 annual fee.

In addition to offering 25% savings on inflight food and beverage purchases, it will also reimburse you up to $25 each year for inflight Wi-Fi. However, since it's also a World Elite Mastercard, you can take advantage of perks recently added to that program including a $10 Lyft credit after taking five or more rides each month, and a 5% cash rewards credit for shopping on Boxed. Plus, the card includes cell phone protection (with a $50 deductible per claim) against loss or damage on up to $800 per claim, or up to two claims and a total of $1,000 per year, which can be a lifesaver.

The card waives foreign transaction fees and earns 2x miles on American Airlines purchases and 1x on everything else. Day-of-travel benefits include preferred boarding and a free checked bag for the cardholder and up to four companions on the same domestic American Airlines reservation. If you spend more than $20,000 on purchases per account year, you will also receive a $99 (plus taxes) companion certificate good for a round-trip domestic economy ticket.

Best for business travelers who want status: AAdvantage Aviator Business card

Barclays' AAdvantage® Aviator® Business Mastercard® wins out in this category for a few reasons, not the least of which a sign-up bonus of up to 75,000 miles. You'll earn 65,000 miles after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days, and 10,000 miles when a purchase is made on an employee card.

The card earns 2x miles not just on American Airlines purchases, but also at office supply stores and on purchases from telecom companies and car rental agencies, and 1x everywhere else. Cardholders also get a 5% annual bonus on all the points earned each account year.

Those who make $25,000 in purchases on it in a calendar year are eligible to receive $3,000 EQDs toward elite status, while those who spend $30,000 or more during an account year receive a $99 (plus taxes and fees) companion travel certificate. During travel, the first checked bag is free for cardholders and up to four companions on the same domestic American Airlines reservation, all of whom also receive preferred boarding, and inflight food and beverage purchases are eligible for a 25% discount. The annual fee is $95.

CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®

The bonus earning categories include 2x on eligible American Airlines purchases, gas stations, cable and satellite services, telecommunications, and car rentals. This card has the same checked bag and boarding benefits as the Barclays version, though its inflight purchase discount includes Wi-Fi.

Those who spend $30,000 or more on purchases in an account year and renew their card receive a $99 companion travel certificate, too (provided their account remains open for at least 45 days after the account anniversary).

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