The Barclays AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® is an American Airlines credit card that offers a free checked bag on domestic flights, preferred boarding, 25% inflight savings, up to $25 back on inflight American Airlines Wi-Fi, and the ability to earn Loyalty Points towards American Airlines elite status.
This credit card review will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let's dive right in.
- Earn 70,000 miles after making your first purchase and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.
- 2X AAdvantage Miles on American Airlines Purchases
- Free Checked Bag for You and 4 Companions on Domestic Flights
- Preferred Boarding
- $25 In-Flight Wi-Fi Credit and 25% In-Flight Savings
- $99 Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus
The Aviator Red Mastercard currently offers the following welcome bonus:
Earn 70,000 miles after making your first purchase and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.
This easy-to-earn bonus is a significant advantage of the card, as many other airline credit cards require a certain amount of spending within a set timeframe to qualify for the bonus. It's important to note that the welcome bonus miles do not count as Loyalty Points, which are used to determine elite status with American Airlines.
Earning AAdvantage Miles
The Aviator Red Mastercard earns AAdvantage Miles at the following rate:
- 2 miles per dollar on American Airlines purchases; and
- 1 miles per dollar on all other purchases.
Earn Loyalty Points Toward Elite Status
Spending on this card allows you to earn Loyalty Points toward American AAdvantage elite status.
For every AAdvantage Mile you earn using this card, you will earn one Loyalty Point, excluding the welcome bonus.
You can also earn Loyalty points by flying on American Airlines and its partners, staying at hotels, dining at restaurants, shopping online, and many other ways.
Here are the Loyalty Points required for each level:
- AAdvantage Gold status requires 40,000 Loyalty Points.
- AAdvantage Platinum status requires 75,000 Loyalty Points.
- AAdvantage Platinum Pro status requires 125,000 Loyalty Points.
- AAdvantage Executive Platinum status requires 200,000 Loyalty Points
Annual Fee
The AAdvantage Aviator® Red charges a $99 annual fee, which is pretty standard compared with mid-level airline credit cards. While paying an annual fee is never ideal, the card offers several benefits that can easily offset this cost for frequent American Airlines flyers.
For example, the free checked bag benefit can save you $60 roundtrip per person, meaning the annual fee pays itself after just two trips with a companion. Additionally, inflight savings, companion certificate opportunities, and other perks can provide significant value throughout the year.
Card Benefits and Perks
One of the primary reasons to consider the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® is its extensive list of card benefits that can enhance your travel experience and save you money.
Free Checked Bag: As a cardholder, you’ll receive your first checked bag free for yourself and up to four companions traveling on the same domestic American Airlines reservation. With checked bag fees starting at $30 each way, this benefit can lead to substantial savings over time.
Preferred Boarding: Cardholders are entitled to preferred boarding on American Airlines flights, allowing you to board before the general group and giving you early access to overhead bin space. This perk also extends to up to four companions traveling on the same reservation.
Inflight Savings: When you use your AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® to purchase food and beverages onboard American Airlines flights, you’ll receive a 25% discount in the form of statement credits.
Companion Certificate: Each anniversary year, you have the opportunity to earn a companion certificate good for one guest at $99 (plus taxes and fees). To qualify, you must spend $20,000 on purchases and keep your account open for at least 45 days after your anniversary date. The certificate has some restrictions – it is only valid for round-trip, domestic economy travel. While the spending requirement is significant, the certificate can be quite valuable, especially for more expensive routes.
Inflight Wi-Fi Credit: Stay connected while flying with up to $25 in statement credits per anniversary year for inflight Wi-Fi purchases on American Airlines flights.
Intro APR: The Aviator Red offers 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening. After that, a variable APR will apply, 20.49% to 29.99%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors. Balance transfers carry of fee of the greater of $5 or 5%. For example, a balance transfer of $1,000 would require a $50 fee.
No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose.
Secondary Rental Car Insurance: This card provides backup protection for rental car damage or theft when you charge the full rental to your card.
Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance: This protection reimburses you for non-refundable, prepaid travel expenses if you need to cancel before departure or cut your trip short due to covered situations like severe illness or weather events. Coverage activates when you pay for your trip with the card, but it’s important to note that reimbursement only applies for specific covered reasons rather than any cancellation.
Baggage Delay Insurance: Missing luggage doesn’t have to derail your trip – this coverage steps in to reimburse you for essential purchases when your checked bags are delayed by airlines, trains, or other carriers. You can grab the necessities you need, from a fresh outfit to personal care items, while waiting for your bags to arrive.
Redeeming American Airlines Miles
American AAdvantage miles are some of the best in the business, especially if you like international premium cabin travel. American belongs to the oneworld alliance, so you can redeem miles on Alaska, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, Royal Air Maroc, and SriLankan. Beyond oneworld, you can also book Air Tahiti Nui, China Southern, GOL, and Hawaiian Airlines.
One of the biggest strengths here is pricing to the Middle East and India. A business class ticket runs 70,000 miles, and first class tops out around 115,000 miles. Etihad and Qatar Airways both fly excellent business and first class products to that region, though availability can be limited.
Africa is another sweet spot. You'll pay 75,000 miles for business class, and Etihad and Qatar again offer some of the better routings, while Royal Air Maroc gets priced as if it were Europe, making it a bargain at 57,500 miles.
Asia is worth a look too. Japan Airlines and Cathay Pacific business class awards run 60,000 to 70,000 miles depending on the zone.
Don't overlook flights on American itself. Pricing is dynamic, but connecting itineraries and routes that include a partner segment often come in cheaper than nonstop tickets.
You'll also appreciate that AAdvantage charges no change or cancellation fees on awards, so you can hold a ticket and adjust plans without losing your miles.
Pros and Cons
Here’s a quick overview of this card’s advantages and disadvantages:
Pros:
Easy Welcome Bonus: The card offers a substantial welcome bonus after making your first purchase and paying the annual fee, without having to meet any minimum spending requirements.
Valuable Airline Perks: The Aviator Red offers nice perks on American Airlines including free checked bags and priority boarding.
Companion Certificate: While it requires significant spending, the ability to earn a companion certificate each year can provide outsized value, especially for expensive fares.
Cons:
Disappointing Earning Rates: The card’s earning rates of 2x miles on American Airlines purchases and 1x miles on everything else are pretty standard and not particularly competitive compared to some other travel rewards credit cards
Bags on International Flights: The free checked bag benefit of the Aviator Red only applies to domestic flights and not international flights.
Annual Fee: Although the $99 annual fee is reasonable compared to more premium airline credit cards, it still adds to your yearly cost of card ownership and needs to be weighed against the benefits you’ll realistically use.
Is the Aviator Red Worth It?
Aviator Red Mastercard is a solid choice for frequent American Airlines flyers looking for a card with a relatively low annual fee that still provides valuable perks. The generous welcome bonus, free checked bag benefit, and inflight savings can quickly justify the $99 annual cost. However, the high spending requirement for the companion certificate and the card’s modest earning rates are potential drawbacks to consider.
Ultimately, this card is best suited for loyal American Airlines customers who fly often enough to take advantage of the benefits and aren’t put off by the idea of paying an annual fee for more rewarding perks. If you find yourself frequently traveling with American Airlines and can utilize the card’s benefits, the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard could be a worthwhile addition to your wallet.
