Best Airline Credit Cards in December 2024

Despite its high $650 annual fee, the Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card is the best choice for frequent flyers. You’ll get the best value of any airline card, thanks to its long list of valuable benefits like lounge access, an annual Companion Certificate and up to $560 in annual statement credits (enrollment required).

You’ll also get $2,500 Medallion Qualification® Dollars each year and earn $1 Medallion Qualification® Dollar per $10 on purchases to help you reach Medallion status faster. Medallion status offers additional benefits like unlimited complimentary upgrades and waived fees.

American Airlines miles can be hard to come by, and the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® World Elite Mastercard^® offers the best opportunity of any airline card for earning AA miles. That’s due to its generous sign-up and the fact that you can earn bonus miles on common purchases, like gas and dining.

On top of that, you’ll get a few valuable perks, including your first checked bag for free for you and up to four travel companions, which could save more than $35 per person each way. You’ll also get preferred boarding and a 25% discount on in-flight food and beverage purchases. When you spend $20,000 before your renewal date, you’ll get a $125 American Airlines flight discount on a future flight.

The Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card is the best card for earning Delta SkyMiles because it earns bonus miles on household expenses while charging a reasonable fee. It even includes a $200 Delta flight credit when you spend $10,000 each year, which can cover the card’s annual fee.

You’ll get a few other Delta perks, including free checked bags and the opportunity to save 15% when booking award flights. But, you won’t get some of the perks that come with the higher-annual-fee Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card like lounge access or a boost toward Delta Medallion status.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards^® Premier Credit Card offers the most point-earning potential of any personal Southwest card for a moderate $99 annual fee.

You’ll start with the opportunity to earn a large sign-up bonus (which also can count toward Southwest’s famous companion pass). And, you’ll get 3X points on Southwest purchases, plus 6,000 Rapid Rewards points on your card anniversary each year. You can also board the plane earlier with two complimentary Upgraded Boardings each year.

The United℠ Explorer Card lets you earn a large number of United MileagePlus miles for a reasonable annual fee. The card includes a sign-up bonus that requires less spending than many travel credit cards on this list. You’ll also earn 2x miles on United® purchases, dining, and hotel stays. 1x mile on all other purchases.

You’ll get two United Club passes each year, and you can get a jump start on United elite status by earning up to 1,000 PQPs each year through your credit card spending.

The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature^® credit card — the only personal card from Alaska Airlines — also happens to be a good airline card. It has a high ongoing rewards value compared to other travel cards because of its accelerated earning rate in several everyday categories. You’ll earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases. 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit purchases including ride share. 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases.

Plus, the card comes with additional benefits for a reasonable annual fee including Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000.

While Delta and United Airlines offer no-annual-fee cards, the American Airlines AAdvantage^® MileUp^® Card is the only $0-annual-fee airline card that’s worth a look. That’s because it lets you earn bonus AA miles on grocery purchases — a feature that you won’t find on any other card. It’s a decent option for someone who wants to try out the AAdvantage program and earn miles at a fair clip without committing to an annual fee.

Current AAdvantage cardholders should also give it a close look. You can use its grocery bonus to complement your earnings on other cards like the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® World Elite Mastercard^®.

The Citi^® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard^® is our choice for the best business airline card because it allows businesses to maximize rewards on some of the most common business spending categories. You’ll earn bonus AA miles on gas, car rentals, telecommunications and cable/satellite purchases.

Plus, you can add employee cards for free with individual credit limits for each card.

The Platinum Card^® from American Express gives you one of the best collections of airport lounges of any airline or travel card. You’ll get access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across the globe. In addition to Priority Pass* and Escape Lounge benefits, American Express has its own Centurion Lounges exclusively for Platinum and Centurion cardholders. Plus, you can enter the Delta Sky Club lounges for free when flying on Delta Airlines.

Travelers who are carrying debt can benefit from the long 0% interest balance transfer offer from the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®. You’ll get a 0% introductory APR for the first 15 billing cycles following each balance transfer that posts to your account within 45 days of account opening (Followed by a 20.49% - 29.99% APR.)

The card also provides good American Airlines benefits, including a sign-up bonus that you can earn just by making your first purchase on the card. And, you can earn a Companion Certificate each year you spend $20,000 or more.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the best airline and hotel credit card because it offers the highest earning power of any card when shopping for hotels, flights and rental cars. You’ll earn 2X Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 10X Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel; 5X Miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel.

You’ll also get an annual $300 travel credit for Capital One Travel and 10,000 bonus miles every year, starting on your first card anniversary. These miles can be transferred to Capital One’s 15+ airline and hotel partners.