Best Airline Credit Cards

You need a credit score of 700 or higher to get an airline credit card, in most cases. This is because nearly all airline credit cards require good-to-excellent credit for approval, which means a credit score between 700 and 850.

Credit Score Needed for Popular Airline Credit Cards

• Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®: 700 Credit Score Needed
• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: 700 Credit Score Needed
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: 700 Credit Score Needed
• United Explorer Credit Card: 700 Credit Score Needed
• JetBlue Plus Card: 750 Credit Score Needed

Airline credit cards are co-branded with a specific airline, so each card's rewards program and benefits cater to cardholders who are loyal to that airline. Some airline credit cards even offer added perks such as priority boarding, airport lounge access, or discounted companion tickets. So it's no wonder they have high credit score requirements.

The first step to making sure you have the best approval odds for an airline credit card is to review your credit score before you apply. You can check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub.

The best credit card for travel benefits is the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card because it offers perks like airport lounge access, credits for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, and really good rewards. For starters, new cardholders get an initial bonus of 75,000 miles for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. Cardholders also earn 10 miles / $1 spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles / $1 spent on flight bookings made through Capital One Travel, and 2 miles / $1 spent on all other purchases.

On top of all that, Venture X currently offers up to $300 annually to cover travel booked through Capital One. All of these benefits could easily offset the card's annual fee of $395, assuming you have the excellent credit needed for approval.

Best Credit Cards for Travel Benefits

There is a whole list of great credit cards for travel benefits. You just have to choose the one that best fits your needs. You also have to take your credit score into consideration, because people with higher scores get the best offers.

The best airline credit card with no annual fee is the JetBlue Card because it offers 3 points per $1 spent on JetBlue purchases, 2 points per $1 spent at restaurants and grocery stores, and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. Cardholders also get an initial bonus of 10,000 points for spending $1,000 in the first 90 days. This card has a 0% foreign transaction fee, too.

Best Airline Credit Cards with No Annual Fee

• Best Overall: JetBlue Card
• Best for American Airlines Flights: American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card
• Best for Delta Flights: Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
• Best for Travel Rewards: Chase Freedom Unlimited®
• Best for a Miles Match: Discover it® Miles

Overall, there aren't too many airline credit cards with no annual fee. If you want to redeem miles for flights on any airline, or for any other travel expenses, Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a good option. It gives 5% cash back on travel through Chase, 3% back at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5% back on all other purchases (plus an additional 1.5% cash back on everything, up to $20,000 spent the first year). Plus, Chase Freedom Unlimited has a $0 annual fee.

United MileagePlus is the best airline rewards program, according to WalletHub's latest Frequent Flyer Report. And it doesn't matter whether you travel a lot, a little or somewhere in between because MileagePlus is the top choice across the board. This is largely due to the fact that MileagePlus miles don't expire because of account inactivity, in addition to the program's tens of transfer partners and its lack of blackout dates for flights booked with miles.

But you can see which airline rewards program is best for your particular needs by using WalletHub's Frequent Flyer Calculator.

It's also important to remember that credit cards are a whole different ballgame. An airline can have a great loyalty program but a crummy credit card. So, when you're considering airline rewards credit cards, make sure to keep the following key characteristics in mind. Doing so will help guide you to the most rewarding miles program possible.

How to Pick the Best Airline Rewards Program:

1. Airline Affiliation: Some airline cards offer generic miles that can be redeemed for flights on any airline. Others are tied to particular airlines and provide miles usable only for flights with affiliated carriers. The former are good for both the infrequent traveler and those who travel a lot, but on different airlines. The latter are only good for brand-loyal frequent flyers.
2. Initial Rewards Bonus: The initial bonus that you can earn during the first few months of card use is an extremely important consideration. The reason for that is bonus miles on certain cards may even exceed the number of miles attainable from a full year of card use.
3. Earning Rate: You need to figure out how quickly you'll be accruing miles, as this dictates how lucrative each card you consider will be. Just be aware of cards that require you to sign up on a quarterly basis in order to be eligible for the highest rewards earning rates.
4. Earning Tiers: Some airline miles credit cards give you a certain number of miles per $1 spent until you reach a designated spending threshold, at which time the rewards earning rate changes. Depending on your spending habits, this can significantly affect a card's appeal.
5. Expiration: If your airline miles will expire at some point, you clearly need to know about it. When present, expiration is typically linked to either account inactivity or the amount of time elapsed since miles were earned.
6. Redemption Policy: Find out how many miles you need to redeem for a flight and how much that flight would cost if purchased normally. This will tell you how much the miles are worth. You should also scan the rewards program's terms to see if there's any mention of blackout dates or a minimum number of miles required for redemption.
7. Status Miles: The rate at which status miles are doled out is a key factor for frequent flyers who are thinking of committing to a particular airline.

There usually aren’t too many airline credit cards for bad credit, and your selection doesn’t even improve much when you include other types of travel rewards, such as hotel points or discounts on gas. Most credit cards for bad credit simply don’t offer rewards, though that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. WalletHub compared the available offers to find the best options for different types of applicants. You can find their selections below.

Best Rewards Credit Cards for Bad Credit

Below, you can learn more about WalletHub’s picks for 2022’s best airline rewards credit cards for bad credit.

This content is not provided or commissioned by any issuer. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of an issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by an issuer. Please keep in mind that while some offers may come from WalletHub advertising partners, sponsorship status played no role in card selection. 

View entire answer

How many miles you need for a free flight depends on the dollar cost of the flight. On average, a one-way domestic flight will cost between 6,000 miles and 20,000 miles, depending on the airline. A one-way international coach flight will cost 35,000-50,000 miles.

Airline miles and points are generally worth around 1 cent each, but their value can vary. For instance, when redeeming Southwest points for a free flight, each point is worth 1-1.5 cents, depending on the route and date of the flight. United miles are worth between 1 and 2.5 cents each.

How Many Miles You Need for Free Flight by Major Airline:

• American Airlines: 7,500+ miles needed for a free one-way domestic flight.
• United Airlines: 10,000+ miles needed for a free one-way domestic flight.
• Southwest Airlines: 2,372+ miles needed for a free one-way flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles (cheapest option).
• Frontier Airlines: 10,000+ miles needed for a free one-way domestic flight.
• JetBlue Airlines: 3,400+ miles needed for a free one-way flight from Long Beach, CA to Las Vegas (cheapest option).

Getting an airline credit card can help you earn miles and free flights faster than a frequent flyer program alone, especially with large signup bonuses. The Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard, for example, comes with a signup bonus of 50,000 miles for spending $2,500 in the first three months. Since the $99 annual fee is waived the first year, you can get those bonus miles and redeem for free flights before having to pay any annual fee.

You don't have to be a frequent flyer to benefit from an airline miles credit card, but it certainly helps. Anyone can take advantage of an initial bonus worth a couple of free plane tickets, for example. But if you use a miles card on an ongoing basis and don't have many opportunities to redeem your earnings, the miles that you save will be subject to devaluation. And don't you want to enjoy your rewards on a regular basis? Plus, there's no reason you can't use cash-back savings for a future flight.

So the more sporadic your flight schedule, the more you should consider cash back credit cards and travel rewards cards that aren't affiliated with a specific airline.

One of the best credit cards with lounge access is Chase Sapphire Reserve®, giving you a Priority Pass Select lounge membership ($429 annual value) that gets you into 1,300+ lounges worldwide. Depending on the lounge, you may be able to bring in guests for free, too. And Sapphire Reserve also gives you a $300 annual travel credit, plus an initial bonus worth $750 toward travel.

Amex Platinum is another good airport lounge card, giving you access to 6 airport lounge networks and providing up to $200 in credits each year for incidental charges on a pre-selected airline. If you're interested in a card tied to a specific airline, check out the Delta Reserve American Express card or the Citi Executive/AAdvantage World Elite Mastercard. Each gives access to its airline's lounges.

Best Credit Cards with Lounge Access

Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Free membership to Priority Pass lounges, over 1,300 worldwide. $429 annual value. $32 per guest visit. $550 annual fee. Excellent credit needed.

The Platinum Card® from American Express: Free membership to the following lounge networks: Priority Pass (one-time enrollment required), Delta Sky Club, Centurion, International American Express, Airspace and Escape. Well over 1,300 total locations. Most places allow at least one guest for free. $695 annual fee. Good credit needed.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Free membership to Delta Sky Club lounges. More than 200 locations worldwide. $545+ value per year. $550 annual fee. Good credit needed.

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®: Free Admirals' Club lounge membership. Nearly 50 lounges worldwide. 550+ annual value. $450 annual fee. Good credit needed.

United Club Infinite Credit Card: Free United Club membership. 45 locations worldwide. $650+ annual value. $525 annual fee. Good credit needed.

As you've probably noticed, credit cards with lounge access tend to have very high annual fees. But lounge access itself can be worth several hundred dollars per year, if you actually use it. So combined with your card's other benefits, you can still get a good deal.

Choosing between cash back rewards and travel rewards ultimately comes down to your spending preferences, the perks that specific cards offer, and how you plan to redeem rewards earnings. In general, people looking for flexible redemption options and rewards with clear values that can't be changed by the card's issuer should choose cash back rewards. But frequent travelers who enjoy perks such as free flights, airport lounge access, and hotel room upgrades have the chance to earn more total value from travel rewards.

With travel rewards credit cards, the number of points or miles you'll need to redeem for a free flight or hotel night, for instance, varies from issuer to issuer and card to card. Points/miles can also lose their value any time the card's issuer decides to raise the number needed to get a certain dollar amount in redemption value. Cash back rewards, on the other hand, are easy to understand and will retain their value because they're already expressed in terms of dollars and cents.

All told, cash back rewards are the better way to go for most people. However, there are a number of variables to consider on both sides. Not everyone always needs to choose between cash back and travel rewards, either. Having both a cash back credit card and a travel rewards card in your wallet can make sense in some situations.

Cash Back vs. Travel Rewards Credit Cards

When choosing between cash back and travel rewards, it's important to be realistic in how you're going to use the card. And whichever type of rewards you pick, make sure to pay your bill in full each month, or else you could end up spending more in fees and interest than the rewards are worth.

Bottom Line: Cash Back vs. Travel Rewards

• You should get a cash back credit card if you want to earn everyday rewards and enjoy straightforward, flexible redemption options.
• You should get a travel rewards credit card if you travel multiple times per year and are confident you'll earn enough in rewards to cover the cost of the annual fee – without overspending.
• You should have both if you can manage more than one account responsibly and want the best collection of earning rates for your biggest spending categories. Just make sure you pay your balances in full each month.

As long as you use your credit cards responsibly, you have the potential to reap lucrative rewards on your everyday purchases. Just be sure to actually put those rewards to use. Rewards that go unredeemed defeat the purpose getting the card in the first place.

One of the best SkyMiles credit card is the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card because it offers an initial bonus of 40,000 miles after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months. The Delta Gold Card also has a $0 intro annual fee the first year ($99 after that), plus benefits like free checked bags and extensive ongoing rewards: 2 miles per $1 on Delta purchases, 2 miles per $1 at restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and U.S. supermarkets, and 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.

Best SkyMiles Credit Cards

For big-spenders in particular, the Delta Reserve Credit Card card may wind up being the best SkyMiles credit card because of its benefits. The Delta Reserve Credit Card card comes with a welcome offer 50,000 miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. Cardholders also get complimentary access to Delta Sky Club and Amex Centurion Lounge locations for free. This card comes with a $550 annual fee, however. So much like the Amex Delta Platinum, which charges a $250 annual fee, the Delta Reserve Credit Card is a better option for big spenders who can offset these costs.

How to Decide if a SkyMiles Card is Your Best Option

If you're a Delta enthusiast who flies with the airline regularly, it makes good sense from a rewards perspective to keep a SkyMiles card in your wallet. If you're not partial to Delta, SkyMiles cards are probably not your best option. Expanding your selection to include other airlines will open up travel reward card possibilities comparable to, and in some cases more attractive than, SkyMiles cards.

Ultimately, if you're a frequent traveler who doesn't want to be tied to a specific airline, feel free to also check out our editors' picks for the best travel credit cards on the market.