Best American Airlines Credit Cards of May 2026 Comparison
| Credit Card | Best For | Initial Bonus | Ongoing Rewards |
| Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® | Winner | 50,000 miles | 1 - 2 miles per $1 |
| American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® | No Annual Fee & Rewards | 15,000 miles | 1 - 2 miles per $1 |
| Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® | Lounge Access | 70,000 miles | 1 mile per $1 |
| Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® | Initial Bonus | 60,000 miles | 1 - 6 miles per $1 |
| Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® | Business Bonus | 75,000 miles | 1 - 2 miles per $1 |
If you would like a personalized credit card recommendation, just sign up for a free WalletHub account. There are lots of birds in the sky, so to speak. And by not shopping around, you could end up missing out on a free flight or two per year.
In case you’re wondering, WalletHub arrived at these values by comparing the number of miles required to book American Airlines award flights with the dollar cost of those same flights quoted on Kayak.com. We compared short-, medium- and long-range roundtrip flights between the largest U.S. cities and popular travel destinations both foreign and domestic. And we did so for trips during different times of the year.
Methodology for Selecting the Best American Airlines Credit Cards
To identify the best American Airlines credit cards, WalletHub’s editors regularly compare hundreds of credit card offers based on their airfare rewards, frequent flyer perks, initial bonuses, interest rates, fees, and other WalletHub Rating components. In addition to co-branded American Airlines cards, we consider credit cards affiliated with American Airlines’ partners and other cards with general travel rewards. Our final selections are made based on the lowest two-year cost.
WalletHub's Key Rating Components
Two-Year Cost: 38% – We estimate the total cost or net savings for the average American Airlines credit card holder over a two-year period. This includes annual fees, miles earned, and the value of common American Airlines benefits. Values with negative totals represent net savings.
Rewards: 29% – We evaluate how many AAdvantage® miles the card earns, ease of redemption, and the overall value they provide when used for American Airlines flights or related purchases.
Editor’s Rating: 12% – WalletHub editors assess each American Airlines credit card based on rewards, airline-specific benefits, fees, and overall value compared to other airline credit cards.
Fees: 11% – We analyze all card-related fees, including annual fees, foreign transaction fees, and other costs that may impact frequent American Airlines travelers.
User Reviews: 7% – We factor in cardholder reviews and ratings to measure overall satisfaction with the American Airlines credit cards.
Other Features: 3% – We consider additional American Airlines perks such as free checked bags, priority boarding, in-flight discounts, elite status benefits, and travel protections.
How Two-Year Cost Is Calculated
Two-year cost is used to approximate the monetary value of cards for better comparison and is calculated by combining annual and monthly membership fees over two years, adding any one-time fees or other fees (like balance transfer fees), adding any interest costs, and subtracting rewards. Negative amounts indicate savings. When fees or other terms are presented as a range, we use the midpoint for scoring purposes.
Rewards bonuses and credits have been taken into account for two-year cost calculations. However, bonuses applicable to only a very small portion of cardholders are not considered. For example, credits and bonuses awarded for spending or redeeming rewards through a company portal with non-co-branded cards have not been taken into account. Similarly, bonuses and credits related to spending with specific merchants using a non-co-branded card have not been taken into account (for example, if Card A offers credits with DoorDash, this feature would not be factored into calculations because it is hard to assess how many cardholders would use the benefit or exactly how much value they'd get from it).
Cardholder Spending Profiles
Different users have different goals and are likely to use their credit cards differently, so we identified spending profiles that are representative of the most common financial priorities and behaviors. For each cardholder type, we have assumed a specific amount of monthly spending by purchase type (e.g., groceries, gas, etc.), as well as an average balance, balance transfer amount, amount spent on large purchases and average monthly payment. Spending assumptions are based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for consumers and PEX data for businesses.
Final Thoughts
WalletHub’s editors update their best American Airlines credit card selections on a regular basis, as offers change and new cards are introduced. If you don’t want to be tied to a particular airline brand, you can check out our latest picks for the best airline credit cards overall.
If you don't always fly with American Airlines, you might want to consider one of the cards below. They can help you save with any airline.