Best Airline Credit Cards of September 2025
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Written by
Joseph Hostetler
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Edited by
Emily Gadd
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Reviewed by
Jasmin Baron
Whether you’re a frequent traveler or you take just a couple of trips each year, an airline credit card can save you a whole lot of money. You’ll find co-branded cards from American Airlines, Delta, United Airlines, Alaska and more.
But the best credit cards for flights aren’t always miles credit cards; travel credit cards that earn transferable rewards often make the best airline credit cards, especially for those who aren’t fiercely loyal to a specific airline.
Quick Overview: Best Airline Credit Cards
| Our Choice For | Credit Range | Annual Fee | Highlights | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel |
Good – Excellent
670 – 850*
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$95 |
Incredible rewards redemption value and a welcome bonus worth up to $1,312 in Travel Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Your points are worth up to 75% more when you redeem them through Chase Travel, making this bonus worth up to $1,312.50.
Apply Now
More Details
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Premium Perks & Benefits |
Good – Excellent
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$695 |
Massive welcome offer opportunity plus several annual statement credits, lounge access and other premium benefits 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.
Apply Now
More Details
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| $0 Annual Fee Travel Card |
Excellent, Good
670 – 850*
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$0 |
Earn a welcome bonus and 1.25X – 5X rewards Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day.
Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Apply Now
More Details
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| Travel |
Excellent/Good
670 – 850*
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$95 |
Strong ongoing rewards, elevated travel perks, plus a bonus worth $600Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that’s $600 toward your next trip.
Apply Now
More Details
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| Frequent American Airlines Travelers |
Excellent/Good
670 – 850*
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$99, waived for first 12 months |
2x rewards in popular categories plus American Airlines benefits
Apply Now
More Details
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Die-Hard Southwest Loyalists |
Good – Excellent
670 – 850*
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$229 |
Limited Time Offer: Our best points offer this year, earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 5 months from account opening.
Full Review
More Details
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Casual or Frequent United Flyers |
Excellent/Good
670 – 850*
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$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150 |
Free first checked bag when flying United
Full Review
More Details
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Frequent Delta Flyers |
Good – Excellent
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$350 |
Annual companion certificate and statement credits
Apply Now
More Details
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Detailed Overview: Best Airline Credit Cards
Top Feature
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Purchase & Balance Transfer APR
19.99% – 28.24% Variable
CardCritics™ Opinion
Recommended Credit Score
Annual Fee
Rewards
Card Details From Issuer
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
- 10% anniversary points boost – each account anniversary you’ll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Member FDIC
Top Feature
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.
Purchase APR
See Pay Over Time APR
CardCritics™ Opinion
Recommended Credit Score
Annual Fee
Rewards
5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
Terms apply.
Card Details From Issuer
- You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- Enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection, with over $500 of annual value if you visit Centurion Lounges and each of our partner lounges including Delta Sky Club® lounges when flying an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations) , select Lufthansa lounges when flying Lufthansa, Plaza Premium lounges and Escape Lounges, and enroll in Priority Pass Select. See terms.
- A Walmart+ membership can get you free shipping with no order minimum on eligible items shipped by Walmart. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive one statement credit for up to $12.95 (plus applicable taxes. Plus Ups not eligible) each month. Free Shipping excludes most Marketplace items, freight & certain location surcharges. Paramount+ Essential plan only, separate registration required.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
- $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card® Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. Receive up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for your CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Platinum Card®.
- Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
- Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- Use Global Dining Access by Resy to access premium dining experiences. Receive Priority Notify and unlock insider access to some of the world’s most sought-after restaurants with Global Dining Access by Resy. Download the Resy iOS app or log into Resy.com and add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile to take advantage of your special benefits and discover restaurants near you.
- $695 annual fee.
- Terms Apply.
Top Feature
For a limited time, earn $300 in travel bonuses. Enjoy $100 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 20,000 bonus miles once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening – that’s equal to $300 in travel
Purchase & Balance Transfer APR
0% intro on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, then 19.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
CardCritics™ Opinion
Recommended Credit Score
Annual Fee
Rewards
Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Card Details From Issuer
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn $300 in travel bonuses. Enjoy $100 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 20,000 bonus miles once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening – that’s equal to $300 in travel
- $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
- Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day
- Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months; 19.24% – 29.24% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies
Top Feature
Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that’s $600 toward your next trip.
Purchase & Balance Transfer APR
20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR
CardCritics™ Opinion
Recommended Credit Score
Annual Fee
Rewards
Card Details From Issuer
- Apply Now to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that’s $600 toward your next trip.
- Earn unlimited 5X points on hotels, 4X points on airlines, 3X points on other travel and restaurants, and 1X points on other purchases.
- $95 annual fee.
- Book your travel with the Autograph Journey Card and enjoy Travel Accident Insurance, Lost Baggage Reimbursement, Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection and Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver.
- Earn a $50 annual statement credit with $50 minimum airline purchase.
- Up to $1,000 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
- Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
Top Feature
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.
Purchase & Balance Transfer APR
20.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
CardCritics™ Opinion
Recommended Credit Score
Annual Fee
Rewards
Card Details From Issuer
- 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.
- Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent at gas stations and restaurants, and on eligible American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- First checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to four companions traveling with you on the same reservation
- Enjoy preferred boarding on American Airlines flights
Top Feature
Limited Time Offer: Our best points offer this year, earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 5 months from account opening.
Purchase & Balance Transfer APR
19.99% – 28.49% Variable
CardCritics™ Opinion
Frequent Southwest Airlines flyers will love this card for its generous rewards, no foreign transaction fees and travel protection benefits. It’s easy to justify the $229 annual fee with perks like an anniversary bonus of 7,500 points, a free first checked bag, seat upgrades when available, and an earlier boarding position. There’s a lot to like about this card, especially if you are already using your Southwest points and want to earn rewards faster.
Recommended Credit Score
Annual Fee
Rewards
Card Details From Issuer
- Limited Time Offer: Our best points offer this year, earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 5 months from account opening.
- 7,500 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 4 points per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines® purchases, including flights, inflight, and Southwest gift cards.
- Earn 2 points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and restaurants
- First checked bag free for Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation.
- Select a Preferred seat at booking, at no additional charge, when available.*
- Cardmembers and up to 8 passengers in the same reservation will board with Group 5 giving them earlier access to overhead bins.*
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Member FDIC
Top Feature
Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Purchase & Balance Transfer APR
20.49% – 28.99% Variable
CardCritics™ Opinion
Recommended Credit Score
Annual Fee
Rewards
Card Details From Issuer
- Earn 60,000 bonus miles
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
- 2x miles on United® purchases, dining, and hotel stays when booked with the hotel
- Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club℠ with 2 one-time passes each year for your anniversary
- Free first checked bag – a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
- Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
- Earn a $100 United travel credit after spending $10,000 on purchases with your United℠ Explorer Card within a calendar year
- Over $500 in partner credits each year
- Member FDIC
Top Feature
Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 10/29/2025.
Purchase APR
20.24%-29.24% Variable
CardCritics™ Opinion
Recommended Credit Score
Annual Fee
Rewards
Earn 2x miles on dining at restaurants, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
Earn 2x miles at U.S. supermarkets.
Earn 1x miles on other purchases.
Card Details From Issuer
- Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 10/29/2025.
- Receive a Companion Certificate on a Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $20 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Resy Credit: Get up to $10 in statement credits each month after you pay with your enrolled Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: earn up to $10 in statement credits each month after using your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card on U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights and save up to $70 per person on a round-trip Delta flight.
- Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Members with an eligible ticket will be added to the Complimentary Upgrade list, after Delta SkyMiles Medallion Members and Reserve Card Members.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $350 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you’re approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you’re approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
How Do Airline Credit Cards Work?
Airlines partner with banks to issue credit cards that offer unique benefits when flying a specific airline. From saving money on travel expenses (like checked bags) to elevating your travel experience (think airport lounge access), they’re often a no-brainer for a frequent traveler.
Here are examples of perks you can find on some (but not all) airline credit cards.
Earning Rates
- Welcome bonuses: Airline credit cards generally have excellent welcome bonuses that give you enough miles for multiple domestic round-trip flights, or even a round-trip coach flight to Europe. You can even book a fancy lie-flat business class seat (which often costs several thousand dollars) just by opening a single credit card.
- Bonus categories: Airline credit cards typically earn the most rewards when booking with whichever carrier is on the front of the card. In other words, if you’ve got a United Airlines credit card, you’ll get a solid return on United purchases. But you’ll also find plenty of other helpful bonus categories, including dining and grocery shopping.
Travel Credits
- Airline credits: Each anniversary year, some cards offer a discount on flights, often after meeting an annual spending requirement. As an example, the Citi AA Platinum Select card (an advertising partner) awards a $125 AA flight discount after spending $20,000 on purchases in a cardmember year and renewing your credit card.
- Annual travel credits/rewards: As a reward for paying your credit card’s annual fee each year, some cards offer bonus miles or travel credits. For example, each card anniversary, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card awards cardholders with $300 in credit to be redeemed through Capital One Travel, plus 10,000 Capital One miles. That’s a minimum of $400 in value toward travel each year.
- Hotel credits: It’s become fashionable for airline credit cards to offer some sort of hotel credit when booking through the airline’s online travel portal. The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (an advertising partner) gives up to $150 in Delta Stays Credit when booking prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through delta.com.
- Airline incidental credit: The Amex Platinum (an advertising partner) comes with up to $200 in annual statement credits to offset expenses like checked bag fees, pet fees, seat upgrades and more on a qualifying airline you select (enrollment required).
- Rideshare credits: Many airline credit cards now provide monthly credits to lower your out-of-pocket expenses for rideshare services. The New United Quest℠ Card, for example, comes with up to $100 in rideshare credits per year.
- Dining credits: Several Delta credit cards, including the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (an advertising partner), offer monthly credits to offset dining with participating Resy restaurants (enrollment required).
Day-of-Travel Benefits
- Airport lounge access: Premium airline credit cards, such as the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (an advertising partner), confer access to airport lounges with an eligible same-day boarding pass. Lounges usually offer free alcohol and snacks, lots of electrical outlets, meeting rooms, and sometimes even showers.
- Preferred boarding: Airline credit cards that charge an annual fee typically let you board the plane before most other passengers. This virtually guarantees that you’ll have plenty of overhead bin space to choose from.
- TSA PreCheck/Global Entry: A few airline cards reimburse your application fee when applying for Trusted Traveler programs like TSA PreCheck and Global Entry. These programs help you to get through domestic airport security faster by providing you with a dedicated lane and less thorough screening procedures. For example, you can wear your shoes and belt when going through TSA checkpoints.
Travel Insurance
- Trip delay insurance: When your trip is delayed by 12 hours (or less, depending on the card you have) or requires an overnight stay, you could receive hundreds of dollars to offset reasonable expenses, including hotel accommodation and meals.
- Baggage delay insurance: Some travel credit cards will reimburse you if your checked bag is delayed by more than six hours. You can use the money to buy things you need, like clothes and toiletries.
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance: If you need to cancel or cut short your nonrefundable travel plans due to an eligible reason (inclement weather, a change in military orders, injury etc.), you could be reimbursed thousands of dollars.
Other Travel Perks
- Free checked bags: Most annual fee-incurring airline credit cards offer a free checked bag for you and your companions. For example, the United Explorer gives you and one traveler on your reservation the first checked bag free when you use the card to pay for your ticket (or the taxes and fees on an award ticket).
- Annual companion fare: These single-use certificates allow you to bring along a travel buddy for super cheap (often a small fee plus applicable taxes). Depending on your route, this could save you many hundreds of dollars each year.
- Elite status benefits: Unless you live in the fuselage, airline status can be difficult to earn. Many airline cards, such as the Delta Reserve, let you supercharge your elite status earnings through spending.
- Onboard discounts: When you purchase things like food and beverages during your flight, you’ll get a discount (usually 25%) by using your airline credit card. Some cards, like the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®, even give you credits to offset Wi-Fi.
- Award discounts: A handful of airline credit cards offer discounts on award flights. For example, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (an advertising partner) reduces the award price for Delta-operated flights by 15%.
How To Choose the Best Airline Credit Card for You
There’s no shortage of credit cards to choose from. To quickly find the right airline card for your travel style, ask yourself the following questions.
Do You Have a Preferred Airline?
Which airline do you fly the most? If you book travel on the same carrier regularly, you’ll likely want an airline credit card that’s co-branded by your go-to airline. Oftentimes it’ll save you on things like checked bags and onboard purchases — and give you the privilege of boarding before most other passengers.
If you don’t have a preferred airline, focus on credit cards with transferable rewards instead. For example, the Sapphire Preferred Card earns flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards® points that transfer to multiple airline loyalty programs, including United MileagePlus, Southwest Rapid Rewards, Air Canada Aeroplan and many others. You can then convert your rewards into whichever airline miles currency best suits your upcoming trip.
How Often Do You Travel?
If you’re a frequent traveler, you may value cards that help you to fast-track your elite status. You’ll also get more value out of fancy benefits like airport lounge access, which typically comes with cards that have high annual fees. If you don’t travel often, these cards probably won’t be worth the price point.
Speaking of which …
Are You Willing To Pay an Annual Fee?
The airline credit cards with the best benefits charge an annual fee. Fortunately, it’s not difficult to squeeze more value than you’re paying for the card each year. Examine the card’s benefits and do the math to forecast whether paying the annual fee will save you money in the long run.
What Are Your Spending Habits?
The bonus spending categories you’ll find vary greatly across airline credit cards. From gas stations to shipping to dining to rental cars to groceries, it’s worth choosing a credit card that best rewards you for purchases you plan to make, anyway. The difference between earning 1 point and 3 points per dollar in meaningful spending categories can result in many tens of thousands more points in your account each year.
What’s Your Credit Score?
To be approved for most rewards credit cards, you’ll need at least a good credit score (670 or more on FICO’s scale). But some premium airline credit cards may demand a higher credit score.
Before you formally apply for a credit card, make sure you’ve got the creditworthiness to be approved. Don’t apply for a credit card that’s out of your league.
How To Maximize Rewards
The rewards you collect from airline credit cards are different from, say, cash-back credit cards. That’s because they often don’t have a fixed value; the return you get from them depends on how they’re redeemed.
All to say, there are a few things you should keep in mind to maximize credit card rewards:
- Only redeem your airline miles for flights. Airlines will sometimes let you use miles to pay for things like merchandise, hotel stays and other flight-unrelated redemptions. You’ll get the best value for your miles when you use them for their most straightforward purpose: airfare.
- Keep your travel dates flexible. If you’ve got a bit of wiggle room with your vacation time, your airline miles will often stretch a lot further. Booking award travel during popular vacation dates (think Thanksgiving and spring break) is often outrageous, whether you’re booking with cash or rewards.
- Keep your origin and destination airports flexible. Search for routes beyond just your home airport and your destination. If there are other nearby-ish airports to which you’d be willing to drive, look for flights from those areas, too. You may save tens of thousands of miles per person if you’re willing to drive an extra hour to an airport you don’t normally use.
- Use airline miles for fancy seats. To get truly outsized value from airline miles, book international business- or first-class seats. These fares can cost many thousands of dollars each way, but can often be booked for less than 100,000 miles. It’s not uncommon to receive a value of more than 5 cents per mile when using travel rewards to book a lie-flat seat across the ocean.
- Let the deals dictate your travels. Airlines routinely publish flash sales and monthly promotions to save you money on award flights. Jump on your favorite airline’s newsletter and check its website regularly to find great deals. You may find a flight to a destination you weren’t planning to visit — but a low-enough award price could be worth altering your vacation plans.
Pros and Cons of an Airline Card
Again, if you fly certain airlines regularly, airline credit cards can be a huge money saver for frequent travelers.
Pros
- Typically excellent welcome bonuses
- First checked bag is free with most cards
- Some cards offer anniversary benefits like travel credits or a companion certificate
Cons
- Often charges an annual fee
- Co-branded airline credit cards are of little value when flying other airlines
- The value of airline miles can be unpredictable
Alternatives To Consider
Airline credit cards aren’t for everyone. If you aren’t finding a good airline card to round out your wallet, try one of these:
- Cash-back credit cards: You may find the process of redeeming airline miles to be confusing and tiresome. Once you get the hang of it, it’s a snap, but if you have no desire to learn, cash-back credit cards may be a better option for you. Cash back offers a more predictable value, and redeeming it is straightforward. You can still use it to lower your vacation bill, after all.
- Transferable rewards cards: Though some of these options were recommended in our list of top airline credit cards (the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, for example), there are plenty of others to consider if you’re not loyal to a specific airline. For example, the Citi Strata Premier® Card (an advertising partner) and the Wells Fargo Autograph® Card collect travel points that you can convert into many different types of airline miles. They can even be redeemed for cash (though we don’t recommend this).
The information related to Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, The New United℠ Explorer Card and The New United Quest℠ Card was collected by CardCritics™ and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardCritics™ does not receive a commission for these products.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Best Airline Credit Cards
What is the best frequent flyer credit card?
The best frequent flyer credit card is the one that best serves your travel style. You’ll usually want to choose a credit card branded with your preferred airline, as these often come with money-saving perks like the first checked bag free.
Is it worth getting an airline credit card?
It’s worth getting an airline credit card if it’ll save you more money than you spend on its annual fee.
Which American Airlines card is best?
The best American Airlines card in terms of benefits is the Citi AA Executive card. It comes with airport lounge access, priority boarding, bonus Loyalty Points to help you earn elite status and more.
What is the best credit card to get SkyMiles?
The best rewards card to get Delta SkyMiles through everyday spending is the American Express® Gold Card (an advertising partner). It earns transferable American Express Membership Rewards® points, which you can convert into Delta SkyMiles at a 1:1 ratio — and it’s got an excellent return for common purchases like dining and groceries.
How Do Our Critics Evaluate the Cards?
All of the credit cards featured on CardCritics™ are assessed using the same criteria. Our critics evaluate fees, interest rates, balance transfer options, introductory bonuses, rewards, additional benefits and the average credit score required for approval.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.
*CardCritics™ references a FICO® 8 score, which is one of many different types of credit scores. A financial institution may use a different score when evaluating your application.