The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is the best American Airlines credit card — it offers AAdvantage miles on everyday purchases, as well as valuable airline benefits like free checked bags.
American Airlines offers a range of credit card options for both frequent and occasional American Airlines flyers. The best American Airlines credit cards offer generous earning rates on American Airlines purchases, additional bonus rewards on other popular spending categories, valuable airline perks and points toward elite status.
There are several co-branded American Airlines cards that provide these benefits, as well as general travel cards that offer even more flexibility.
Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Annual Fee | Rewards Rate | Welcome Offer | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®*
Learn More
on Citibank's secure site |
Winner
|
$99, waived for first 12 months | Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent at gas stations and restaurants, and on eligible American Airlines purchases. Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases. | Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening |
Learn More
on Citibank's secure site |
AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®*
Learn More
on Barclays's secure site |
3.9
Runner-up
|
$99 | Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases and 1 AAdvantage® mile per $1 spent on all other purchases | Earn 50,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. |
Learn More
on Barclays's secure site |
CitiBusiness®/ AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®*
Learn More
on Citibank's secure site |
3.7
Business
|
$99, waived for first 12 months | Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases. Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent on purchases at telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and at gas stations. 1 AAdvantage® mile for every $1 spent on other purchases. | Earn 65,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening. |
Learn More
on Citibank's secure site |
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®*
Learn More
on Citibank's secure site |
Lounge access (co-branded)
|
$595 | Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases | Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first 3 months of account opening. |
Learn More
on Citibank's secure site |
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®*
Learn More
on Citibank's secure site |
No annual fee
|
$0 | Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for each $1 spent at grocery stores, including grocery delivery services. Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases. Earn 1 AAdvantage® mile for every $1 spent on other purchases. | Earn 10,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles and receive a $50 statement credit after making $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening |
Learn More
on Citibank's secure site |
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
Winner (general travel)
|
$550 | Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase TravelSM immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase TravelSM. |
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
The Platinum Card® from American Express
|
Lounge access (general travel)
|
$695 | 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Terms apply. | Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. | |
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
Flexible rewards
|
$95 | Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more. | Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠. |
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
Bilt World Elite MasterCard®*
Review Coming Soon
|
2.9
Transferring points
|
$0 | Earn 1X point on rent payments without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year; up to 5X Bilt points on Lyft rides when you link your Bilt account and pay with your Bilt card; 2X points on travel, 3X points on dining, 1X points on other purchases. Use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points. | None | Review Coming Soon |
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Earn 2 miles on gas, restaurant and American Airlines purchases
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is our pick for the best American Airlines credit card because it has the best miles-earning potential — with accelerated miles on gas station, restaurant and American Airlines purchases.
This card also comes with a lower annual fee than many travel credit cards, and extra American Airlines perks like a free checked bag for you and up to four companions, preferred boarding and a $125 American Airlines flight discount after spending $20,000 in your card membership year.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Earn 2 miles on American Airlines purchases
This is our runner-up pick for the best American Airlines card because it comes with one of the easiest sign-up bonuses to qualify for. You’ll earn 50,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.
You’ll also get the chance to earn a Companion certificate each year after spending $20,000 on the card.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Earn 2X miles on gas, car rentals, American Airlines, telecommunications and cable and satellite purchases
The CitiBusiness®/ AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® offers miles for a variety of business purchases, making it highly versatile for many businesses. You can also earn miles from employee cards and get a companion certificate good for a guest for $99 (plus taxes and fees) each year you spend $30,000 on the card.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Earn 10X AAdvantage® miles on hotels and car rentals through aa.com, 4X AAdvantage® miles on American Airlines purchases and 1X AAdvantage® mile on all other purchases
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is packed with the most premium travel perks of any American Airlines credit card. You’ll get benefits like complimentary lounge access, free checked bags for you and up to eight travelers, priority boarding, VIP airport screening, in-flight discounts, trip protections and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit. Plus, you’ll get access to the Admirals Club, which is an $850 value.
You’ll have to pay a high $595 annual fee to own this card, but if you use this long list of benefits, you’ll quickly make up for the cost.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Earn 2 miles on groceries and American Airlines purchases
The American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® card is the only American Airlines branded credit card that has a $0 annual fee. You won’t get the same level of perks you’d get by paying an annual fee, but it’s a great option if you fly American Airlines a few times a year and don’t need a lot of extra benefits.
Additionally, you’ll earn elevated rewards on eligible American Airlines and grocery purchases.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Earn 5x points on flights, 10x points on hotels and car rentals and 3x points on other travel and dining
If you’re flexible with which airline you fly and want a handful of travel perks, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is the best way to go. In fact, it’s our overall pick for the best travel credit card.
You’ll also get 50% more value for your points when you use them to book travel (including American Airlines flights) through Chase’s travel portal. And while a $550 annual fee applies, the easy-to-use $300 annual travel credit, application fee credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS and free airport lounge access make the fee well worth it.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Earn up to 5X points on flights booked directly with airlines and flights and prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel
If you want a premium travel card that offers perks that extend well beyond American Airlines flights, The Platinum Card® from American Express is worth considering. It’s our overall pick for the best card for airport lounge access, since it offers access to The Global Lounge Collection. This includes Priority Pass™ Select airport lounges* Centurion® lounges and Delta Sky Clubs when you fly with Delta.
You’ll also get other elite benefits like annual credits that add up to more than $1,500 — which more than make up for the $695 annual fee.
*Enrollment required
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Earn 5X points on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is another great choice for consumers looking to earn flexible points they can use toward American Airlines purchases or elsewhere. For a moderate annual fee, this card offers up to a $50 annual Chase TravelSM hotel credit, $0 foreign transaction fees and a 10% anniversary points boost to help you fund your next trip.
Plus, your points are worth 25% more when you redeem them for travel through Chase TravelSM. Cardholders also receive benefits like trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage delay coverage, primary rental car coverage, trip delay reimbursement and more.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Earn 3x points on dining
The $0-annual-fee Bilt World Elite MasterCard® allows you to earn points on rent payments — which you can then redeem for travel including American Airlines flights. The card also provides great travel protections, like an auto rental collision damage waiver, trip cancellation and interruption protection and trip delay reimbursement.
Co-branded travel credit cards are credit cards branded with a hotel brand or airline like American Airlines. These cards typically offer perks and rewards that center around one specific brand or their partner brands. American Airlines co-branded cards offer great airline perks that can be very valuable for loyal American Airlines flyers, like free checked bags and priority boarding.
But if you aren’t interested in being tied down to one specific airline brand and are looking for more flexible rewards, a general travel credit card may be the way to go. Depending on the card, you’ll likely be able to use your miles to book travel with American Airlines or other airlines.
For example, the Chase TravelSM, American Express Membership Rewards and Capital One Travel programs let you transfer points to the British Airways Executive Club program at a 1:1 ratio. From there, you can use your newfound “Avios” (the currency of the British Airways Executive Club) to book one-way domestic flights on partner American for as little as 7,500 Avios one-way for short-haul flights.
You should take a close look at each card’s sign-up bonus, since this can be a quick way to earn an award flight on American Airlines. Some things to consider when evaluating the bonus:
American Airlines offers credit cards with annual fees ranging from $0 to $595. To decide if you’ll be able to justify an annual fee, look at the benefits and rewards offered by each card.
Typically, higher annual fee cards come with premium protections and card benefits. If you don’t think you’ll rack up enough rewards or get enough use out of a card’s benefits to cover the annual fee, you’ll want to opt for the no-annual-fee choice.
For example, The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® has the highest annual fee at $595, but it comes with a long list of benefits including a complimentary Admirals Club® membership valued at up to $850. This benefit alone can make up for the additional cost.
The AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® comes with a $99 annual fee, but offers a free checked bag for you and up to four companions on every flight. The free checked bag benefit alone may justify paying $99 a year.
American Airlines branded credit cards are designed to be used in the AAdvantage platform. Your miles can easily be redeemed for American Airlines flights or transferred to one of American Airlines transfer partners, which consists of 13 airlines.
If you don’t think you’ll get the most use out of your miles by redeeming them for American Airlines flights, consider a general travel card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card. These cards allow you to get 25% and 50% (respectively) more value from your points when you redeem for travel through Chase’s portal. You can also transfer points at a rate of 1:1 to 11 airline parents and three hotel partners or redeem for cash back and gift cards.
One of the main reasons to get a co-branded AAdvantage card is to score a range of important airline perks, such as free checked bags and discounts on inflight purchases. The more you fly with American Airlines, the more you can use those benefits — making the card even more valuable. On the other hand, if you rarely fly with American Airlines, or if you’re unlikely to use the airline perks, a general travel card may be the better way to go.
Here are some of the common American Airlines benefits that you’ll see with American Express credit cards:
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® | AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® | CitiBusiness®/ AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® | Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® | American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First checked bag free | |||||
Preferred/Priority boarding | |||||
Lounge access | |||||
Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit | |||||
American Airlines companion certificate | |||||
American Airlines Flight Discount | |||||
25% discount on in-flight food and beverage purchases | |||||
No foreign transaction fees |
By our estimates, AAdvantage miles are worth an average of $0.018 per mile. This is the highest point value among the five major domestic airlines. But the value will vary depending on how you use your miles.
To calculate the value of miles, use this equation:
Flight cash price (minus taxes and fees) / Number of miles needed for flight = Miles value of an American Airlines flight
For example, if a flight’s cash price is $600 and you need 32,500 miles to cover the flight, the value of each mile is approximately $0.018.
$600 flight cash price (minus taxes and fees) / 32,500 miles needed for your flight = $0.018 miles value for your American Airlines flight
You can also redeem AAdvantage miles for merchandise and gift cards. But you’ll find that you generally get less than 1 cent per mile on these redemptions.
The number of AAdvantage miles required for an award flight varies widely, depending on the type of fare, origin, destination and whether you’re able to find a deal. Some flights can cost as little as 7,500 miles. Whereas international flights in first class can cost hundreds of thousands of miles. Here are some sample fares for different fare types on American Airlines reward flights:
Region | Main cabin starting miles | Premium economy starting miles | Business/first class staring miles |
---|---|---|---|
Hawaii + Alaska | 20,000 | 40,000 | 60,000 |
Europe | 25,000 | 50,000 | 75,000 |
South America – Long Haul | 30,000 | 60,000 | 90,000 |
Asia + Middle East + South Pacific | 35,000 | 60,000 | 95,000 |
South America – Short Haul | 15,000 | - | 30,000 |
Mexico + Caribbean + Central America | 10,000 | - | 20,000 |
Contiguous 48 U.S. states + Canada | 7,500 | - | 15,000 |
There are four tiers of American Airlines statuses that you can reach — AAdvantage Gold®, AAdvantage Platinum®, AAdvantage Platinum Pro® and AAdvantage Executive Platinum®. Loyalty Points are the only way that you can reach AAdvantage® status. Qualification for status is based on the Loyalty Points you earn for a 12-month period starting on March 1 each year.
Loyalty Points required to earn AAdvantage® status range from 40,000 to 200,000 points. Once you hit an elite status, you’ll gain access to additional benefits like free upgrades, free checked bags and complimentary preferred seating.
You can earn Loyalty Points toward elite status in the following ways:
1. Earn AAdvantage® miles when you fly with American Airlines and partner airlines: Earn between 5 and 11 Loyalty Points per dollar
When you fly with American Airlines and select oneworld® partner airlines, you’ll get extra miles that count towards earning Loyalty Points. Prioritize earning status tier one (AAdvantage Gold), and work your way up from there.
Status tier | Earning rate? | Increase in earning potential |
---|---|---|
AAdvantage® Member* | Earns 5 miles per dollar | No additional miles earned for membership |
Tier 1: AAdvantage Gold® | Earns 7 miles per dollar | 40% bonus |
Tier 2: AAdvantage Platinum® | Earns 8 miles per dollar | 60% bonus |
Tier 3: AAdvantage Platinum Pro® | Earns 9 miles per dollar | 80% bonus |
Tier 4: AAdvantage Executive Platinum® | Earns 11 miles per dollar | 120% bonus |
2. Make purchases with an AAdvantage® credit card: Earn 1 Loyalty Point per dollar
3. Earn eligible miles with AAdvantage® partners: The shopping portal and dining program are examples.
American AAdvantage miles expire if you don’t earn or burn them at least once every 24 months. That said, choosing one of the American Airlines credit card offers on this page and using it for spending will restart the clock and keep your miles valid for another two years.
The best American Airlines credit card for you is the one that comes with the perks and rewards you are most likely to use. That said, we named the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® as our top pick due to its array of benefits and great earning rate for a reasonable annual fee.
If you’re looking for an American Airlines co-branded credit card with lounge access, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is the best choice. You’ll get access to nearly 50 Admirals Club® lounges and more than 60 partner lounges worldwide. You’ll also get lounge access with some general travel credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card.
American Airlines credit cards don’t disclose a specific minimum credit score requirement. However, rewards and travel credit cards are typically geared to individuals with good or excellent credit.
You can use your American Airlines points to book travel for yourself or for others. This makes it easy to use your rewards to book flights for your entire family, or to give someone an award flight as a gift.
All co-branded American Airlines credit cards offer a free checked bag benefit with the exception of the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®.
Several American Airlines credit cards and general travel credit cards offer travel insurance and protections. For example, The AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® offers a few travel insurance perks, including trip cancellation and interruption coverage, baggage delay insurance and travel accident insurance.
To make choosing the right card easier, we’ve looked at credit cards reviewed on LendingTree as well as cards on major issuer sites to compile a list of the best rewards credit cards available right now. Our recommendations are based on the additional value you can earn with the cards — including the rewards value, cost of ownership and value of benefits such as travel and purchase protections, lounge membership and airline companion passes. Our choices are not influenced by our advertisers. Learn more about how we calculate rewards.
Sammi Scharf is a writer covering credit cards at LendingTree.
Before joining LendingTree, Sammi worked as a content marketing and paid media specialist at a digital marketing agency, a marketing specialist covering topics in home appliances and real estate and a freelance writer. From her experience writing about personal finance and homeownership, Sammi is passionate about guiding consumers toward making wise financial decisions
Sammi earned a bachelor’s degree in communications with a focus in advertising from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.
Read MoreThe above offers and/or promotions may have since changed, expired, or is no longer available. Check the Issuers’ website for more details.