The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® made our pick as the best American Airlines credit card due to its lavish perks. Benefits include complimentary Admirals Club membership, over $400 in statement credits and frequent flyer benefits like priority boarding and free checked bags.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Annual Fee | Rewards Rate | Welcome Offer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®*
|
Winner (lounge access)
|
$595 | 1X point
Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases
| 70,000 miles
Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.
| |
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
 Apply Now
on Citibank's secure site Rates & Fees |
American Airlines miles
|
$99, waived for first 12 months | 2X miles / 1X points
| 80,000 miles
For a limited time, earn 80,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $3,500 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening.
|
Apply Now
on Citibank's secure site Rates & Fees |
AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®*
|
Runner-up American Airlines miles
|
$99 | 1X - 2X miles
| 50,000 miles
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.
| |
Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®
Apply Now
on Citibank's secure site Rates & Fees |
Business
|
$99, waived for first 12 months | 1X - 2X miles + 1X point
| 65,000 miles
Earn 65,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening.
|
Apply Now
on Citibank's secure site Rates & Fees |
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card
Apply Now
on Citibank's secure site Rates & Fees |
No annual fee
|
$0 | 2X miles
| 15,000 miles
Earn 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
|
Apply Now
on Citibank's secure site Rates & Fees |
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
Winner (general travel)
|
$795 | 1X - 8X points
| 100,000 points
Earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
|
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
The Platinum Card® from American Express
|
Lounge access (general travel)
|
$695 | 5X points
| As high as 175,000 points
You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
| |
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
Flexible rewards
|
$95 | 1X - 5X points
| 75,000 points
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
|
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
To bring you the list of the best American Airlines credit cards, we use an objective rating and ranking system that compares features across a large set of credit cards (over 200 of them from over 50 issuers). We use calculations to estimate the value of each card for the average cardholder, based on LendingTree and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
We rank cards based on the following criteria:
We calculate the value of rewards and perks for the average cardholder using Bureau of Labor statistics data and an annual spend of $20,000, minus the annual fee. This value includes the card’s sign-up bonus, annual bonus (including free night certificates) and travel perks like lounge access and travel credits. We look at the average rewards earned over two years to balance out a card’s ongoing value with its first-year value.
We consider how easy the rewards are to use, looking at factors like expiration dates, minimum thresholds to redeem, blackout dates and the availability of flexible redemption options like travel statement credits and cash back.
We also compare a card’s benefits, such as purchase protections, travel protections and elite status benefits against benefits from other cards.
Note, that our ratings are a starting point for comparing and choosing the best travel credit card. However, your needs may be different from the average cardholder. You should consider the amount you’re likely to spend in a card’s bonus categories and which benefits you value to choose the best card for you.
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.Welcome offer: 70,000 miles
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 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® when you fly with American and its partners, 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 can 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. Apply Now
Welcome offer: 80,000 miles
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® 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, as well as 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.Welcome offer: 50,000 miles
The AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® is our runner-up pick for American Airlines miles, as 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.
Other benefits can make the card worthwhile as well, including a first checked bag free on domestic itineraries for you and up to four companions and preferred boarding on American Airlines operated flights. The AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® is also one of the few travel credit cards with an introductory APR offer for balance transfers.
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. Apply Now
Welcome offer: 65,000 miles
The Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® offers miles for a variety of business purchases, making it highly versatile for many businesses. You’ll be able to earn miles from employee cards, and also receive a companion certificate (which lets you fly a guest on a round-trip domestic flight for $99 (plus taxes and fees) each year you spend $30,000 on the card.
Other benefits for business travelers include a first checked bag free for you and up to four companions and preferred boarding. Like other co-branded credit cards from American, this American Airlines business credit card also earns Loyalty points toward elite status.
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. Apply Now
Welcome offer: 15,000 miles
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 reasonable option if you fly American Airlines a few times a year and don’t need a lot of extra benefits. In addition, you’ll earn elevated rewards on eligible American Airlines and grocery purchases.
→ See LendingTree’s picks for best travel cards with no annual fee.
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. Apply Now
Welcome offer: 100,000 points
If you’re flexible with which airline you fly and you want a handful of travel perks, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is the best way to go. In fact, this card made our ranking as one of the best travel credit cards.
This card gives you up to 100% more value for your points when you use them to book travel (including American Airlines flights) through Chase’s travel portal, and you can transfer your points to Chase airline and hotel partners like British Airways, Southwest Rapid Rewards and World of Hyatt. And while a $795 annual fee applies, the easy-to-use $300 annual travel credit, application fee credit for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS and free airport lounge access make the fee well worth it.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® also comes with some of the most generous travel insurance protections of any other card on the market today. These protections include primary auto rental coverage, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, baggage delay insurance 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.Welcome offer: As high as 175,000 points
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 for eligible card members. This includes Priority Pass™ Select airport lounges (enrollment required), Centurion® lounges and Delta Sky Clubs (subject to visit limitations) when you fly with Delta.
You’ll also get other elite benefits, like annual credits that add up to more than $1,000 — these can more than make up for the $695 annual fee. The large welcome offer you can earn the first year provides an even greater incentive to apply, along with the additional rewards you can earn for travel and other 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. Apply Now
Welcome offer: 75,000 points
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 up to 75% 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.
To decide between an airline credit card or a general travel credit card, you need to pick between American Airlines credit card benefits and general travel perks. Co-branded credit cards from American are the only cards that will give you frequent flyer perks like free checked bags, priority boarding and lounge membership in American Airlines’ own Admirals Club. An American Airlines AAdvantage credit card is also the only option to help you earn Loyalty Points toward elite status for each dollar you spend. Just remember that airline credit cards earn miles that are mostly good for flights, which means rewards are somewhat inflexible and more difficult to use.
General travel credit cards offer benefits like annual travel credits and airport lounge membership that works no matter which airline you fly. And, unlike American Airlines credit cards that earn miles that work for free flights with American Airlines and its oneworld partners, general travel credit cards earn points that are much easier to use. For example, a flexible travel credit card from Amex or Chase lets you book travel with any airline through a portal or transfer points to a range of airline and hotel partners.
Since earning a credit card sign-up bonus is one of the best ways to earn rewards quickly, looking over bonus offers among American Airlines credit cards is a savvy first step. 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.
American Airlines branded credit cards are designed to be used in the AAdvantage platform. Your miles can be redeemed for American Airlines flights or flights with one of its oneworld partners including Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and more.
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®. These cards allow you to get up to 75% and 100% (respectively) more value from your points when you redeem for travel through Chase’s travel portal. You can also transfer points at a rate of 1:1 to 11 airline partners 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, including 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.
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.
→ Learn more about the American Airlines AAdvantage® program.
Here are some of the common American Airlines benefits you’ll see with American Airlines credit cards:
| American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card | Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® | AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® | Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® | Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25% discount on in-flight food and beverage purchases | |||||
| No foreign transaction fees | |||||
| First checked bag free | |||||
| Preferred/Priority boarding | |||||
| American Airlines flight discount | |||||
| American Airlines companion certificate | |||||
| Lounge access | |||||
| Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit |
Based on our estimates, AAdvantage miles are worth an average of $0.017 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.
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 $575 and you need 32,500 miles plus $12 in airline taxes and fees to book it, the value of each mile is approximately $0.017.
$575 flight cash price (minus $12 in airline taxes and fees) / 32,500 miles needed for your flight = $0.017 miles value for your American Airlines flight
You can also redeem AAdvantage miles for other types of travel, upgrades on your flight and experiences. However, 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, while first-class international flights can cost hundreds of thousands of miles.
Just remember that the American AAdvantage program uses dynamic award pricing, so you’re never guaranteed to find a flight for the number of miles you expect. 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 status you can reach with qualifying activity, which centers around earning something called Loyalty Points. These status tiers include AAdvantage Gold®, AAdvantage Platinum®, AAdvantage Platinum Pro® and AAdvantage Executive Platinum®. Qualification for status with the American AAdvantage program 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 also quickly get many benefits that come with elite status by signing up for an American Airlines credit card.
You can earn Loyalty Points toward elite status in the following ways:
| 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 |
The best American Airlines credit cards are easy to maximize once you’re approved, especially if you’re a frequent flyer. The following steps can help you earn more rewards and get more use out of your card’s perks.
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.
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 credit 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.
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.
American Airlines is not a transfer partner of major credit card rewards programs like American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles or Chase Ultimate Rewards®. This makes American Airlines credit cards more valuable since you cannot earn these miles with flexible programs and transfer them to your American account when you’re ready to redeem.
To see rates & fees for American Express cards mentioned on this page, visit the links provided below:
The information related to the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® and AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.
The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.
