If you live in one of American Airlines’ hub cities or just love to fly with them, you should get an American Airlines co-branded credit card.
Whether you’re a road warrior, an occasional traveler, or a business owner, their co-branded cards offer a plethora of benefits for all types of travelers.
Picture this: lounge access, buddy tickets, extra miles, in-flight discounts, and more travel perks.
Without further adieu, let’s jump into this article where we’ll explore the top American Airlines credit cards.
Best for Premium Benefits: Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®
Best No-annual-fee Card: American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®
Best Welcome Bonus: AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®
1. Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®
Best for Premium Benefits + Admirals Club Access
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- Admirals Club Lounge Membership
- Free Checked Bag (for you and 8 travel companions)
- Priority Boarding and Priority Check-In
- Global Entry / TSA Pre-Check Credit
- $595 Annual Fee
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is a good option for frequent American Airlines travelers since it offers an Admirals Club membership, free checked bags, priority boarding, and priority check-in on American Airlines.
2. Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
Best for Travel & Everyday Spending
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- 2x Miles for American Airlines, Gas Stations, and Restaurants purchases.
- Free Checked Bag and Preferred Boarding
- 25% In-Flight Savings on Food and Drinks
- $99 Annual Fee, Waived for First 12 Months
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is a good option for American Airlines flyers because it offers a free first checked bag on domestic flights for you and up to 4 travel companions on the same reservation, plus preferred boarding on American Airlines flights.
Plus, you earn 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar at restaurants, gas stations, and on American Airlines.
The AAdvantage Platinum card can also help you earn AAdvantage elite status because every dollar spent on the card equals one Loyalty Point.
3. American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®
Best for No Annual Fees
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- 2x Miles on American Airlines and at Grocery Stores
- Earns Loyalty Points Towards Elite Status
- 25% In-Flight Savings on Food and Drinks
- No Annual Fee
The American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® is great for people who want to earn American Airlines miles without an annual fee.
The MileUp card doesn’t offer a big welcome mileage bonus, free checked bags, or priority boarding like other American Airlines credit cards.
But MileUp cardmembers earn 2x miles on American Airlines and at grocery stores, and receive a 25% in-flight savings on food and drinks.
4. Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
Best for Small Businesses
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- 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.
5. AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®
Best for Earning a Quick Welcome Bonus
The Barclays American Airlines AAdvantage Aviator Red earns 2x AAdvantage miles on American Airlines purchases.
This card has a $99 annual fee, which can be offset by the free checked bag perk for you and four companions for more than $100 savings on a one-way trip plus preferred boarding, a $25 credit on in-flight Wi-Fi expenses, and 25% in-flight savings on food and beverages.
The Aviator Red gives you a companion certificate for one guest every anniversary year for $99 with taxes and fees when you spend $20,000 and comes with a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months.
6. AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard®
Best for Earning Companion Certificates
- 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
The Barclays AAdvantage Aviator World Elite Business Mastercard earns 2x miles on American Airlines, office supply, telecom, and car rental purchases.
For $95 per year, the Aviator Business Mastercard gets you free checked bags on domestic American Airlines flights and preferred boarding on all American Airlines flights for you and four companions on the same reservation for up to $240 savings on bag fees on a round-trip and early boarding privilege.
This business card also provides 25% in-flight discounts on food and beverages, and a 5% AAdvantage mileage bonus earned every account anniversary.
Lastly, you can potentially earn 1 companion certificate (at $99) for 1 guest if you can spend $30,000 or more on eligible purchases.
