What is the best American Airlines AAdvantage Credit Card?

We review credit cards that earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles below. All of these cards earn 1 Loyalty Point per dollar spent, enabling you to earn American’s AAdvantage status levels purely by spending on these cards. 

The most popular card for consumers is the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard which has a waived annual fee the first year.

For small businesses, the CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard is the best option and includes a bonus offer for 65,000 bonus American Airlines AAdvantage miles when you meet minimum spend requrements and also waives the annual fee the first year.

And the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard, with a $450 annual fee, sounds expensive – but if you would buy American Airlines Admiral’s Club (airport lounge access) anyway, it’s surprisingly cheaper to carry this card, which includes Admiral’s Club access, than to buy it directly from American Airlines!

Why are American Airlines AAdvantage miles so valuable?

Contrary to what you might think, we don’t think advise getting AAdvantage miles to use on American Airlines flight. Indeed, the best uses of American Airlines’s AAdvantage miles are on Oneworld and partner airlines.

What are AAdvantage Loyalty Points?

Loyalty Points are how you earn status with American Airlines and you can earn points from flying as always, but not you can earn tham from select other activities like credit card spend. All cards earn 1 Loyalty Point per dollar spent, regardless of bonus multipiers. Bonus points do not award Loyalty Points.

• AAdvantage Gold® = 30,000 Loyalty Points
• AAdvantage Platinum® = 75,000 Loyalty Points
• AAdvantage Platinum Pro® = 125,000 Loyalty Points
• AAdvantage Executive Platinum® = 200,000 Loyalty Points

Our top 5 ways to use miles earned from AAdvantage credit cards are:

1) The Etihad First Class Apartment: With closing doors in your own personal Suite in the Sky, an onboard chef that customizes your meals for you, an onboard bar, and even a shower to use in-flight, this is our top pick for using AAdvantage miles.

Eithad First Class Apartment

2) Japan Airlines (JAL) First Class: Just 80,000 AAdvantage miles each way will get you a First Class ticket from the US to Japan. Enjoy ridiculously expensive champagne and top grade A5 Wagyu steak while sitting in one of the most comfortable seats in the sky.  While a flight from New York to Tokyo is blocked at 14 hours, you’ll wish you had more time!

JAL First Class[/caption] JAL First Class

3) Qantas First Class: Need to get “Down Under?” There’s no better way that flying Qantas, another American Airlines AAdvantage partner. While availability can be a bit tough to find, it’s quite the score when you do. The seat’s not as opulent as Eithad, but the food and service are fantastic and the seat is incredibly comfy. Again, you’ll wish you had more time in-flight despite a flight time of around 15 hours non-stop from the US.

4) Cathay Pacific First Class: Yet another huge First Class seat which even has a spot for a companion to join you for dinner. Spectacular service and food and don’t miss the Cathay Pacific lounges in Hong Kong if you are connecting or departing. There, you can enjoy your own private suite with shower and loungers while you wait. Of course, you can also eat more amazing food in the lounge.

5) Qatar QSuites: While not quite as spacious as the First Class seats above, Qatar’s QSuites are industry leading Business Class seats, making them less expensive in miles. In fact, you can experience them from the US starting at just 70,000 miles one-way to the Middle East or Indian Subcontinent (like the Maldives, for instance) with a connection in Doha, Qatar.  In fact, just one of the credit card bonuses on this page could get you almost all the miles you need for one of these tickets!

Qatar’s Famous QSuites – Book with AAdvantage Miles

If you want more detail, this MilesTalk article explains 5 reasons we believe American Airlines AAdvantage miles are underrated. All of these AAdvantage credit cards earn miles that you can use on t he flights mentioned above.

While these cards offer nice bonuses and perks like free checked bags, you may also want to consider Credit Cards That Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, Credit Cards That Earn American Express (Amex) Membership Rewards Points, or Credit Cards That Earn Capital One Miles.

Note: You cannot login to your Citi or AAdvantage account here. Please go to Citi.com or AA.com to login.

You can also use the Your Best Credit Cards “rewards optimization calculator” to find the best card for your spend.

Advertiser Disclosure: Your Best Credit Cards has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Your Best Credit Cards and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Commissions do not affect or prioritize placement within our results and not all cards displayed earn us a commission. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone.