Compare the Features and Benefits of American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® and
Capital One Spark Cash Select Review

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 Spark Cash Select credit card is ideal for small business owners that want a cash back card with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.

It’s a very simple card. You won’t find transferable points nor a rich suite of card benefits here, but that’s the tradeoff to avoid any sort of annual fee. You still get free employee cards.

Small business owners earn 1.5% cash back on all eligible purchases, plus 5% when you book hotels and rental cars through the Capital One Travel Portal.

If you also have a Capital One credit card that earns Capital One miles like a  Capital One Spark Miles for Business card, or a personal Venture X, Venture, or VentureOne credit card, you can transfer your cash from the Capital One Spark Cash Select to those cards, making them Capital One Miles – transferable to airline and hotel partners. $10 = 1,000 Miles.

Unlike the Spark Cash Plus, the Spark Cash Select will report to your personal credit profile.