The AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard® offers nice travel perks if you fly American Airlines at least a few times per year.
This card offers you free checked bags, preferred boarding, a 25% in-flight savings for food and drinks, no foreign transaction fees, and complimentary employee cards.
This article 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 up to 75,000 Bonus Miles: 60,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 in the first 90 days and 15,000 bonus miles a total of $15,000 on purchases in the first 12 months.
- 2x Miles on American Airlines and at Eligible Office Supply, Telecom, and Car Rental Companies
- Free Checked Bag on Domestic Flights & Preferred Boarding on All Flights for You & Four Companions
- 25% In-Flight Savings on Food and Drinks
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $95 Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus
TheAviator Business Mastercard currently offers the following welcome bonus:
Earn up to 75,000 Bonus Miles: 60,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 in the first 90 days and 15,000 bonus miles a total of $15,000 on purchases in the first 12 months.
Earning AAdvantage Miles
The Aviator Business Mastercard earns:
- 2 miles per dollar on American Airlines purchases.
- 2 miles per dollar at eligible office supply stores;
- 2 miles per dollar on telecom merchants;
- 2 miles per dollar at car rental merchants; and
- 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Earn Loyalty Points Through Credit Card Spending
Spending on this card allows you to earn Loyalty Points toward American Airlines 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 Aviator Business Mastercard has a $95 annual fee, which could be worth it if you take advantage of the free first checked bags, preferred boarding, and in-flight savings.
You can also add complimentary employee cards to the Aviator Business to earn AAdvantage miles for their spending for your business.
Aviator Business Card Benefits
The Barclays American Airlines Aviator Business card offers the following benefits and perks:
First Checked Bag Free
You can get a free first checked bag for you and up to four companions on the same reservation can check your first bag free by just holding this card.
This perk only applies to domestic flights and does not apply to international flights.
This is a great perk if you’re a frequent American flyer, as American typically charges $30 for the first checked bag, which could save you $150 per flight if you maximize this benefit.
Preferred Boarding
You can get Preferred Boarding in Group 5 for you and up to four companions traveling on the same reservation by having this card.
This gives you enough time to access some overhead bin space for your carry-on luggage and enjoy a smoother journey.
25% In-Flight Savings
You can get 25% savings as a statement credit when you use your card to purchase food and beverages on American Airlines-operated flights.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
This card has no foreign transaction fees on purchases outside the U.S., which is helpful if you travel internationally to help you avoid paying a 3% fee on those international purchases.
Annual 5% Mileage Bonus
The Aviator Business card offers an annual 5% AAdvantage mileage bonus, earned on your account anniversary date every year and based on the total number of miles earned.
For example, if you earned 30,000 miles from spending on the Aviator Business, you would receive 1,500 extra miles.
Anniversary Companion Certificate with Spending
American Airlines gives you a companion certificate for domestic main cabin travel each anniversary year for one guest if you spend at least $30,000 on this card every membership year.
You can redeem the certificate for $99 (plus $21.60 to $43.20 in government taxes and fees).
Pros and Cons
Here’s a quick overview of this card’s advantages and disadvantages:
Pros:
- Free first checked bag and preferred boarding for you and four travel companions.
- Ability to earn Loyalty Points towards elite status.
Cons:
- Only 2x miles on American Airlines.
- Lack of travel and purchase protections.
- $95 Annual Fee
Alternatives to the Aviator Business Card
Now that you know about this credit card’s various benefits and pros and cons, it’s time to see its alternatives.
CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®
If You Prefer Citi Over Barclays
- bonus_miles_full
- Free Checked Bags for You and 4 Companions
- 2X Miles for American Airlines, Cable, Satellite, Gas, Telecommunications, and Car Rental purchases.
- Preferred Boarding (Group 5)
- 25% Discount on American In-Flight Purchases of Wi-Fi, Food, and Beverages When Using the Card.
- $99 Annual Fee, Waived the First Year
The CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® is good for business owners that wants perks on American Airlines.
The card offers benefits such as a free checked bag on domestic flights for you an up to four travel companions on the same reservation, preferred boarding in Group 5, and a 25% savings on American Airlines inflight Wi-Fi when you use your card.
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Better for Earning Points for Travel and Benefits
- bonus_miles_full
- 3X Points on Travel, Shipping, Advertising (Social Media and Search Engines), Internet, Cable, and Phone on the First $150,000 Each Account Year
- 25% Additional Points Value in Travel Redemption
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
- Cell Phone Protection
- Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $95 Annual Fee
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review) is an excellent choice for business owners looking for a card that offers valuable rewards and benefits.
With this card, you’ll earn:
- 3 points per $1 spent on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable, phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines (up to $150,000 in combined purchases per account anniversary year).
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases, with no limit on the number of points you can earn.
Beyond the rewards, the Ink Business Preferred provides valuable benefits, including:
- Primary rental car insurance (when renting for business purposes).
- Cell phone protection (up to $600 per claim against theft or damage, with a maximum of three claims per year and a $100 deductible per claim).
- Purchase and extended warranty protection.
Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
Better for Everyday Spending
- 2 Points Per Dollar on the First $50,000 in Purchases Each Calendar Year (1x Points thereafter)
- 0.0% Intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months. After that, reg_apr,reg_apr_type APR. APRs will not exceed 29.99%
- No Annual Fee (rates & fees)
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (review) is one of my favorite cards because it has no annual fee and earns 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 in purchases every year. After that, you will earn 1 point on all other eligible purchases.
You can transfer Membership Rewards to 18 airlines and three hotel points programs, with several great sweet spots to travel in business class to anywhere in the world.
I put all of my everyday business spending on my Blue Business Plus because it is a quick way to rack up points for my next trip.
Is the Aviator Business Worth It?
The Citi AAdvantage Business Card can be worth it for if you fly at least 3 times per year on American Airlines.
If you fly multiple airlines or only take a checked bag, a better option is the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review) .
If you fly other airlines, here are recommend similar cards:
- Delta – Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express (review).
- United – card_name (review).
- Southwest – Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (review).
For rates and fees of the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, please click here.
