Compare the Features and Benefits of American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® and
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

For occasional travelers that fly American Airlines and are looking to earn miles with the airline, then the AAdvantage® MileUp card could be a solid option.

And while you might not think about this card if you are already an American Airlines elite traveler, you may find the bonus categories more beneficial than the $99 fee Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite MasterCard since you already have the additional benefits like free checked bags and priority boarding via your status.

This beginner-friendly card, with no annual fee, is ideal for those who don’t travel often enough to justify a more expensive, premium card.

The AAdvantage® MileUp also has a competitive 2X bonus category rate at grocery stores (including grocery delivery services) and eligible American Airlines purchases.

And remember, all base miles earned via spend on this card count as Loyalty Points towards AAdvantage® status.

In addition, you’ll get 25% off inflight food and beverage purchases and there’s no mileage cap on the card. American Airlines miles can be used on over 1,000 worldwide destinations, as you can use them for American Airlines, American Eagle and any Oneworld alliance or non-alliance partner airlines.

However, there are some significant downsides to consider as well. While this is an airline-specific card, the MileUp card doesn’t include many airline perks, such as a free checked bag perk or preferred boarding. In addition, there’s a relatively modest welcome bonus and the card charges a foreign transaction fee (so you won’t want to use this card abroad).

And if you do fly American Airlines (and Oneworld partner airlines or JetBlue) more than a couple of times per year, but are not elite already, there are some better options out there, including those from American Airlines. That includes the mid-tier Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard, offering the first checked bag free, and the premium Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard, offering Admirals Club lounge access.

The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is similar to the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card with a few main exceptions.

• The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards credit card requires a credit score of only around 600, while the The Capital One Quicksilver Cash is looking for a FICO around 700.
• The Capital One QuicksilverOne does not offer any car rental CDW / LDW coverage.
• The Capital One QuicksilverOne charges a $39 annual fee whereas the Quicksilver has no annual fee.
• The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards credit card does not have any introductory 0% APR offers or 0% intro balance transfers while the Quicksilver offers both.
• The Quicksilver offers a higher credit line.
• You can expect to be automatically considered for a credit limit increase for your Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards credit card after 6 months if you are making on-time payments.

With QuicksilverOne, you will never pay any foreign transaction fees, and you’ll earn 1.5% cash back on all eligible purchases. If you book travel via the Capital One Travel portal, you’ll earn 5% on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars (1.5% if booked outside of Capital One Travel).

PRO TIP:

If you have another credit card which earns Capital One Miles, like the Venture X, Venture, VentureOne, or Spark Miles for Business, you can transfer your cash from your QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards credit card to those cards, where they become Capital One Miles – transferable to airline and hotel partners. $10 = 1,000 Miles.

Here’s a list of Capital One Miles airline and hotel transfer partners