Best American Airlines Credit Cards of September 2025
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Written by
Joseph Hostetler
You don’t have to be a die-hard American Airlines flyer to open one of the best American Airlines credit cards. If you value perks like free checked bags and airport lounge access, opening an airline credit card could potentially save you a lot on your travels — as long as you step aboard an American Airlines flight a few times each year.
Let’s compare AA credit cards to help you decide which is the best option for you — and help you decide if other travel credit cards are better suited for you, instead.
Quick Overview: Best American Airlines Credit Cards
| Our Choice For | Credit Range | Annual Fee | Highlights | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
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| $0 Fee American Airlines Rewards |
Excellent/Good
670 – 850*
|
$0 |
2x at grocery stores plus American Airlines benefits
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AA Loyalists Who Want Lounge Access |
Excellent/Good
670 – 850*
|
$595 |
Admirals Club membership and partner statement credits
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| Premium Points |
Excellent/Good
670 – 850*
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$95 |
Earn up to 10x points per dollar plus a bonus worth 60,000 bonus ThankYou® PointsEarn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
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| Elevated Rewards and Premium Travel Perks |
Excellent/Good
670 – 850*
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$595 |
Earn 80,000 points and premium benefits For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening
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Detailed Overview: Best American Airlines Credit Cards
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
Earn 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Purchase & Balance Transfer APR
0% Intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers, then 19.99% – 28.99% (Variable). A 19.99% – 28.99% (Variable) APR will apply for purchases.
CardCritics™ Opinion
Recommended Credit Score
Annual Fee
Rewards
Card Details From Issuer
- Earn 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
- 0% Intro APR for 15 months from date of account opening for balance transfers only. After that the variable APR will be 19.99% – 28.99%, based on your creditworthiness. Balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening.
- Balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each credit card balance transfer, whichever is greater. Balance Transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening.
- No Annual Fee
- Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for each $1 spent at grocery stores, including grocery delivery services
- Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- Save 25% on inflight food and beverage purchases when you use your card on American Airlines flights
Top Feature
Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.
Purchase & Balance Transfer APR
19.99% – 28.99% (Variable)
CardCritics™ Opinion
Recommended Credit Score
Annual Fee
Rewards
Card Details From Issuer
- Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.
- Admirals Club® membership for you and access for up to two guests or immediate family members traveling with you
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
- Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases
- First checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to 8 companions traveling with you on the same reservation
Top Feature
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
Purchase & Balance Transfer APR
19.99% – 27.99% (Variable)
CardCritics™ Opinion
Recommended Credit Score
Annual Fee
Rewards
Card Details From Issuer
- Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
- Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
- Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Top Feature
For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening
Purchase & Balance Transfer APR
20.99% – 28.99% (Variable)
CardCritics™ Opinion
Recommended Credit Score
Annual Fee
Rewards
Card Details From Issuer
- For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com
- Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time
- Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
How To Choose the Best American Airlines Card for You
Still unsure about which American Airlines credit card is best for you? Keep these questions in mind to help you decide:
How Often Do You Fly American Airlines?
Co-branded American Airlines credit cards have benefits that are specifically tailored to AA travelers. For example, cards may give you free checked bags, preferred boarding, even American Airlines Admirals Club lounge access — but only when flying with American.
If you don’t want to stick to one airline, opening an AA-specific credit card may not be worth it for you. Instead, focus on credit cards that earn flexible points, such as the Citi Strata Premier Card or Citi Strata Elite, both advertising partners. You can transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards® points earned from these cards to American Airlines AAdvantage (and other Citi transfer partners) at a 1:1 ratio.
Though AA isn’t a transfer partner of most other major transferable rewards currencies, you can often use these points to book American Airlines flights through AA’s Oneworld partners and other partner airlines. Plus, you can typically book AA flights through your card issuer’s proprietary online travel portal.
For example, you could transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards® points from the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to British Airways, a Chase transfer partner and a member of the Oneworld alliance. From there, you can redeem your British Airways Avios points to book American Airlines award flights.
Do You Want To Earn American Airlines Elite Status?
American Airlines credit cards give you the ability to fast-track your way to elite status through activities such as everyday spending.
Depending on your status level, AA elites get perks like complimentary seat upgrades, extra free checked bags, priority check-in and much more. If elite status is important to you, opening and spending with a qualifying American Airlines credit card can be a huge help in reaching your goal.
What Are Your Biggest Expenses?
Another factor to consider is your spending habits. Each card comes with unique bonus categories, such as grocery stores, restaurants, hotels and telecommunications merchants. Pick a card that best rewards you for your organic spending.
American Airlines also offers a small business card, the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®. If you’re a business owner, this is a great card to put your company expenses on.
Are You Willing To Pay an Annual Fee?
If you travel semi-regularly, an American Airlines credit card may easily justify its annual fee with perks like free checked bags, airport lounge access and preferred boarding. Examine a card’s perks and decide if paying the annual fee will save you money in the long run.
If you’re not interested in the initial investment, the Citi AAdvantage MileUp Card, an advertising partner, doesn’t charge an annual fee. It also doesn’t come with most of the powerful money-saving benefits that annual fee-incurring cards do.
Pros and Cons of an American Airlines Credit Card
American Airlines credit cards are great for many travelers, but they aren’t for everyone. Keep these pros and cons in mind before you apply.
Pros
- First checked bag free with some cards
- Often come with day-of-travel perks (such as priority boarding and in-flight discounts)
- Excellent welcome offers
Cons
- Most cards charge annual fees
- A less straightforward process to maximize credit card rewards, as airline miles value varies widely depending on your redemption
- You must be flying on American Airlines to use the vast majority of card benefits
American Airlines Card Benefits
The majority of American Airlines co-branded credit cards come with benefits that are similar across the board, including:
- Preferred boarding: AA credit cards with an annual fee allow you to board before most other travelers. You’ll get either preferred boarding (Group 5) or priority boarding (Group 4), depending on the card.
- Free checked bag: Annual fee AA credit cards also offer the first checked bag free on American domestic itineraries for you and between four and eight companions on the same reservation, depending on the specific card.
- In-flight discounts: American Airlines cardholders receive a 25% savings on eligible in-flight food and beverage purchases.
- Earn points toward elite status: You’ll earn 1 AA Loyalty Point per dollar spent with your American Airlines credit card.
Additionally, some cards offer unique benefits that you won’t find on other American Airlines cards, including:
- Airport lounge access: The Citi AA Executive card confers Admirals Club membership when you fly American Airlines or its partners. It even gives your authorized users (slightly more restricted) entry into the lounges. For less-frequent travelers, the Citi Strata Elite includes four one-time Admirals Club passes each year.
- Companion Certificate: The AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® offers a Companion Certificate each cardmember year that you spend $20,000 on purchases and keep your card open for 45 days after your account anniversary. With the certificate, you can bring along a travel buddy on a domestic economy fare for just $99 (plus taxes and fees). This could save you several hundred dollars, depending on how you use it.
- $125 flight credit: The Citi AA Platinum Select card gives you a $125 discount on an American Airlines flight each cardmember year in which you spend at least $20,000 on purchases.
- TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit: Upon account opening — and every four years after, the Citi AA Executive card offers up to $120 in reimbursement for the application fee of either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. TSA PreCheck is designed to get you through domestic airport security checkpoints faster. Global Entry gets you through US immigration faster (and it comes with TSA PreCheck).
- Wi-Fi credits: The AAdvantage Aviator Red Card comes with up to $25 in Wi-Fi credits per 12-month period (on American Airlines-marketed flights only).
- 10x return rate for travel purchases: The Citi AA Executive card earns a whopping 10 miles per dollar for hotels booked through aadvantagehotels.com and on rental cars booked through aadvantagecars.com. If you use online travel agencies to book accommodations or car rentals regularly, this is the best card for earning American Airlines AAdvantage miles.
Alternatives To Consider
Don’t fly American Airlines often enough to warrant opening an American Airlines credit card? There are likely non-AA cards that suit your lifestyle better, which can also benefit you when flying on American Airlines:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express, an advertising partner: You won’t earn AA miles or get any day-of-travel perks like preferred boarding with this card, but you will get access to over 1,000 airport lounges — no matter which airline you’re flying. You can use the points you earn to book American Airlines flights through Amex Travel®, or you can transfer to partners like British Airways to book AA award flights. Amex Platinum benefits include up to $200 in airline incidental credits to offset checked baggage fees, pet fees, seat upgrades and more. Enrollment is required for some perks.
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: The only other rewards program that transfers directly to American Airlines is Marriott Bonvoy. For every 3 Marriott points you transfer, you’ll get 1 American Airlines mile. Not a great deal, but worth considering if you only need to top up your account. This card also comes with Priority Pass Select membership, which grants you entry to more than 1,000 airport lounges, whether you’re flying AA or not (enrollment required).
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: You can redeem Capital One miles to offset airfare (including American Airlines) at a rate of 1 cent each. And similar to the Amex Platinum Card, you can transfer points to partners like Qantas to book American Airlines award flights — and potentially get even more value for your miles.
What Credit Score Do You Need?
To open any of the best credit cards for American Airlines, you should have at least a good credit score (670 or higher on FICO’s scale). But to give yourself the best chance at approval, wait until your credit score is 700 or above.
If your credit score isn’t quite there yet, focus on using your current credit cards responsibly. Stay current on your payments, work to keep your credit utilization low, and you may find yourself eligible for an American Airlines card before you know it.
The information related to Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®, Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® and AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® 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 American Airlines Credit Cards
How much is 100,000 AA miles worth?
American Airlines miles are worth around 1.37 cents each on average, per CardCritics™ estimations — making 100,000 AA miles worth about $1,370 in travel. However, it’s possible to get exponentially more value than this depending on the specific award flight you book.
Which AA card gets lounge access?
The Citi AA Executive card gives access to American Airlines Admirals Club lounges (of which there are nearly 50).
How many miles for a free flight on American?
The number of miles you’ll need for an American Airlines flight varies dramatically by date, time, route and cabin. Flights cost as little as 5,000 miles for a short-haul economy seat to hundreds of thousands of miles for a transpacific first class seat. You’ll have to check your specific flight to know the exact price.
Which American Airlines credit card gives priority boarding?
Several American Airlines credit cards give priority or preferred boarding, including the Citi AA Executive card and the Citi AA Platinum Select card.
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.