Our Verdict
The American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®* is a versatile card for casual American Airlines flyers and domestic travelers. With no annual fee and the ability to earn 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar on groceries and American Airline purchases and 1 mile on all other purchases, this card may make sense for the occasional traveler.
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Pros
- No annual fee
- Earn unlimited miles
- 25% discount on in-flight purchases
- Earn 2 miles per dollar on groceries and AA purchases
Cons
- 3% foreign transaction fee
- Lackluster travel perks
- Blackout dates apply to some redemptions
Current American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Credit Card Offer
- Earn 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Earn 2x AAdvantage miles per dollar on groceries and eligible American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1x AAdvantage mile per dollar on all other purchases
- No annual fee
- 25% savings on inflight food and beverage purchases on American Airlines flights when card is used
Alternatives to the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Credit Card
Table of Contents
- American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Credit Card Introduction
- Quick Facts
- What Is the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Credit Card Best For?
- American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Credit Card Rewards
- Other American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Credit Card Benefits
- Fine Print
- How the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Credit Card Stacks Up
- Is the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Credit Card for You?
- Methodology
American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Credit Card Introduction
The American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®* credit card is well-suited to new and casual American Airlines travelers looking to boost their AAdvantage miles balances for awards but are averse to paying an annual fee. It earns 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar on groceries and American Airline purchases and 1 mile on all other purchases. Plus, AAdvantage miles never expire for AAdvantage MileUp credit card members.
Quick Facts
- No annual fee
- Welcome bonus: Earn 15,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Earn 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar on groceries and American Airline purchases and 1 mile on all other purchases
- 25% savings in the form of a statement credit after you use your card on eligible American Airlines in-flight purchases of food and beverages
- 3% of each purchase transaction in U.S. dollars foreign transaction fee
What Is the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Credit Card Best For?
Since the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®* carries no annual fee, there’s little downside to holding the card aside from the slight ding to your credit from any new card application. Still, to get value out of the card, you’d have to be flying American Airlines at least a few times a year. Otherwise, the card’s AA-centric perks are not going to be worth much.
American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Credit Card Rewards
Earning Rewards
The American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®* earns American Airlines AAdvantage miles. You can earn 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar on groceries and American Airline purchases and 1 mile on all other purchases.
Grocery stores include supermarkets, dairy product stores, meat vendors, specialty food vendors, bakeries, miscellaneous convenience stores and grocery delivery services. However, you should always check your purchase history to verify the stores where you shop are categorized as grocery stores with Citi. Specifically excluded are warehouse stores, discount store/general merchandise stores and candy stores. Generally, Target or Wal-Mart may be categorized as discount stores even if they sell groceries.
The card also offers a modest welcome bonus: 15,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Redeeming Rewards
AAdvantage miles can be redeemed for flights with American Airlines, and its Oneworld partners including British Airways, Iberia Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Japan Airlines and other partner airlines such as Fiji Airways. American Airlines miles can also be redeemed for flight upgrades, hotels, rental cars and charitable donations, but you’ll generally get the best value from using them for flights.
Rewards Potential
Using data from various government agencies, Forbes Advisor estimates how much a family might spend annually in various categories. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households brings in $118,438 annually and has $39,337 in expenses that can reasonably be charged to credit cards. We base our calculations on these numbers
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®* Rewards Potential
Category | Earning Rate | Estimated Annual Spend | Estimated Annual Earnings |
---|---|---|---|
American Airlines Purchases | 2X | $770 | 1,540 AAdvantage miles |
Groceries | 2X | $4,708 | 9,416 AAdvantage miles |
All Other Purchases | 1X | $33,859 | 33,859 AAdvantage miles |
Total: 44,815 AAdvantage miles |
Other American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Credit Card Benefits
- Savings on in-flight purchases. Get 25% savings on in-flight food and beverage purchases on American Airlines flights when you use your card.
- Digital wallet compatibility. Add your American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®* card to digital wallets such as Apple Pay or Google Pay.
- Contactless pay. Shop safely with a contactless chip-enabled card. Just tap your card on the payment reader and go in seconds.
- Earn toward elite status. Receive 1 Loyalty Point for every mile that you earn through card spending.
Fine Print
Interest Rates
- Regular APR: 21.24% – 29.99% variable
- Purchase intro APR: N/A
- Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
Fees
- Annual fee: $0
- Balance transfer fee: 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum
- Foreign purchase transaction fee: 3% of each purchase transaction in U.S. dollars
How the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Credit Card Stacks Up
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®* vs. Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®*
Citibank offers several credit cards tied to American Airlines’ AAdvantage program. The next step up, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®*, carries a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99. However, it includes a number of valuable perks to frequent American Airlines flyers, especially those without elite status. If you fly American Airlines frequently, prefer to check luggage or want to earn a more lucrative welcome bonus, this card is worth a look.
You will earn 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, restaurants and gas stations and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases and will have access to other benefits not available to American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®* cardholders:
- Get your first checked bag for free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to four companions traveling on the same reservation
- Preferred boarding
In addition, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®* offers a generous welcome bonus: Earn 50,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®* vs. Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
Like the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®*, the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card (Terms apply, see rates & fees) is also an option without an annual fee. This card earns 2 miles per dollar on Delta purchases, at restaurants worldwide, and takeout and delivery in the U.S. and 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases. This is similar to the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®* card’s bonus mile opportunities, though some cardholders might derive more value from the grocery store category instead of restaurants.
The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card gains its edge by having no foreign transaction fee and offering the ability to Pay with Miles. Using the Pay with Miles feature, you can take up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem when you book on Delta.com.
Ultimately, among no annual fee airline credit cards, the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®* card offers a reasonable if not industry-leading value.
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®* vs. Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
Instead of trying to find another co-branded alternative, consider a no annual fee card that lets you earn flexible points for travel. The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card (rates & fees) is Capital One’s card for that: You can earn 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.25 miles per dollar on every other purchase. While that doesn’t seem like much, the Capital One Rewards you earn can be redeemed as cash back, used to book through Capital One Travel, or transferred to more than a dozen airline or hotel partners’ loyalty programs.
Along with a solid welcome bonus: Earn 20,000 miles after spending $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel to get you started, the VentureOne also offers an intro APR period: 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, 19.99% - 29.99% variable APR after that; 3% balance transfer fee for the first 15 months, 4% at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer you. But what really makes this card a better option for your wallet is its array of travel protections. Capital One gives cardholders auto rental insurance, travel assistance services, extended warranty on purchases and no foreign transaction fees.
Is the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Credit Card for You?
The American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®* could be attractive to occasional American Airlines travelers. Earning miles through grocery store purchases can accelerate earnings to get to that flight award sooner. Carry-on-only travelers who have a few American Airlines flights a year or AAdvantage mile collectors with large grocery expenses should take a look at the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®*.
Travelers who fly American Airlines regularly should assess their travel costs. Those paying American Airlines for checked baggage fees should consider American Airlines cards that provide a checked baggage benefit even if they have an annual fee. Just one trip with free checked bags could justify the cost.
Finally, if you tend to travel across a number of different airlines, consider a travel card that earns bonus rewards on all travel purchases. You may also want to consider cards that allow you to transfer your points to multiple airline and hotel programs.
Find the Best Travel Credit Cards for 2024
Find the best travel credit card for your travel needs.
Methodology
Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:
- Annual fees
- Welcome bonus offers
- Ongoing earning rates
- Value of individual points or miles
- Included travel or merchant credits
- Additional cardholder benefits
Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors come together to provide a star rating for each individual card.
Read more: How Forbes Advisor rates credit cards
To view rates and fees for Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card please visit this page.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
*The information for the following card(s) has been collected independently by Forbes Advisor: American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®, Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.