You’re about to book a flight. You reach for your wallet, but what credit card should you use to pay? Is it the one with the airline’s name stamped on the front, or will a different credit card offer more?
American Airlines offers numerous credit cards, so let’s compare those to other travel rewards credit cards to see which is the best option for paying for AA flights.
Comparing credit cards for American Airlines flights
Aside from using an American Airlines credit card, you might also consider paying with a travel rewards card, which can earn transferable points on travel purchases, including booking your next flight with AA. Here are some cards you might pay with and what you could get when using these cards:
| Card name | Earning rate on American Airlines flights | Value of the rewards earned* | AA-related benefits from the card | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees) | 4 miles per dollar | 6.8 cents | Admirals Club lounge membership
Free first checked bag for you and up to eight companions traveling on the same reservation when flying on domestic flights with AA or its subsidiaries Priority check-in (where available), priority airport security screening (where available) and early boarding privileges 25% off inflight food and beverage purchases 1 Loyalty Point toward AAdvantage elite status for each eligible mile earned on the card |
$595 |
| Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® | 2 miles per dollar | 3.4 cents | Free first checked bag for you and up to four companions traveling on the same reservation when flying on domestic flights with AA or its subsidiaries
Preferred boarding 1 Loyalty Point toward AAdvantage elite status for each eligible mile earned on the card |
$0 introductory annual fee, then $99 |
| Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees) | 2 miles per dollar | 3.4 cents | Free first checked bag for you and up to four companions traveling on the same reservation when flying on domestic flights with AA or its subsidiaries
Preferred boarding 25% off inflight food and beverage purchases 1 Loyalty Point toward AAdvantage elite status for each eligible dollar spent on the card |
$0 introductory annual fee, then $99 |
| American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® | 2 miles per dollar | 3.4 cents | 25% off inflight food and beverage purchases
1 Loyalty Point toward AAdvantage elite status for each eligible mile earned on the card |
$0 |
| AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard® | 2 miles per dollar | 3.4 cents | Free first checked bag for you and up to four companions traveling on the same reservation when flying on domestic flights with AA or its subsidiaries
Preferred boarding 25% off inflight food and beverage purchases 1 Loyalty Point toward AAdvantage elite status for each eligible mile earned on the card |
$95 |
| AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® | 2 miles per dollar | 3.4 cents | Free first checked bag for you and up to four companions traveling on the same reservation when flying on domestic flights with AA or its subsidiaries
Preferred boarding 25% off inflight food and beverage purchases Up to $25 back as statement credits for inflight Wi-Fi purchases from AA during each cardmember year 1 Loyalty Point toward AAdvantage elite status for each dollar spent on the card |
$99 |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | 5 points per dollar (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) | 10 cents | None, but you can choose American Airlines as your preferred airline to cover up to $200 per year in airline incidental statement credits for things like checked baggage or preferred seat fees | $695 (see rates and fees) |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® | 3 points per dollar (or 5 points per dollar if booked via Chase Travel℠) | 6.1 cents (or 10 cents) | None, but some of your purchases can be offset by the $300 in annual travel credits offered on the card | $550 |
| American Express® Green Card | 3 points per dollar | 6 cents | None | $150 |
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | 2 miles per dollar (or 5 miles per dollar if booked in the Capital One Travel portal) | 3.7 cents (or 9.25 cents) | None, but some of your purchases can be offset by the $300 annual credit available when booking with Capital One Travel | $395 (see rates and fees) |
* Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer.
The information for the AAdvantage Platinum Select, AAdvantage MileUp, AAdvantage Aviator Red, AAdvantage Aviator World Elite Business, and American Express Green cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Which card should you use for American Airlines flights?
In many of life’s choices, what you choose can involve trade-offs. Maybe you get more of this but less of that. Not here.
Unlike United Airlines’ baggage policy, you don’t actually need to pay with your American Airlines credit card to enjoy the benefits your card provides. As long as you have had your card open for at least seven days and have attached your AAdvantage account number to your reservation, you will receive the priority boarding and checked luggage benefits available from your credit card. Just having it in your wallet is sufficient.
Related: American Airlines baggage fees and how to avoid paying them
That means you could pay with a card like the Amex Platinum Card to earn extra points or pay with the Sapphire Reserve to use part of your $300 in travel credits against your flight reservation. In fact, using your travel credits on the Sapphire Reserve when paying for the taxes and fees on an award ticket means you could erase even that minimal amount of cash you had to pay for a flight.
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
Related: The best credit cards for paying taxes and fees on award tickets
On the flip side, which card you pay with could be determined by the insurance protections you want to have during your trip. In that case, paying with the Sapphire Reserve is probably your best bet, as it has the best travel protections of the cards in the list above.
If you’re working on American Airlines elite status, paying with your American Airlines credit card is likely the best bet. That’s because you’ll earn extra Loyalty Points for each eligible mile earned on your AA credit card.
Related: How to qualify for American elite status from credit card spending alone
And if you have the Citi / AAdvantage Executive that offers Admirals Club lounge access, you’ll be happy to know you can still access the lounge whether you paid for your American Airlines flight with that card or not.
Related: The ultimate guide to American Airlines Admirals Club access
There is one time when it really matters which credit card you pay with: when you make an inflight purchase. Cards like the AAdvantage Aviator Red card and the AAdvantage Aviator World Elite Business card provide discounts and rebates when making inflight purchases. If you’re buying something on board during your flight, you won’t receive the applicable discount if you don’t pay with an eligible American Airlines credit card.
Bottom line
The good news is that you can enjoy benefits like free checked bags and priority boarding from American Airlines credit cards even if you don’t pay for your flight with a cobranded AA card. Instead, you can pay with another card to invoke travel protections or to earn extra rewards while still enjoying AA’s cardholder perks.
You’ll probably get better travel protections — and more flexible points and miles — with a general travel rewards card like the Amex Platinum Card. However, if you’re chasing AAdvantage elite status, a cobranded AA card is the way to go.
Related: Which card should I use for flights in case things go wrong?
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here.