The
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® is a no-annual-fee airline miles credit card for people with
good credit or better whose biggest spending categories include airfare and groceries. It’s also not going to be your best option, even if you’re a frequent flyer who’s loyal to American Airlines. There are just too many other credit cards with better rewards on travel and groceries, many of which are much easier to get.
The AAdvantage MileUp Credit Card offer starts with a sign-up bonus of
15,000 miles for spending
$500 within
3 months of opening an account. That works out to roughly
$214.5 in total value, based on WalletHub’s research, for a return of about 43% back. In terms of ongoing rewards, the MileUp Card gives 2 miles per $1 spent on purchases made directly with American Airlines as well as purchases at grocery stores (including grocery-delivery services). You get 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. That’s a nice rewards package, but it doesn’t separate AAdvantage MileUp from the fleet of flight- and food-related rewards cards available right now.
Aside from its
$0 annual fee, the MileUp Card’s rates and fees don’t provide much reason for excitement, at least not in a good way. For one thing, its regular APR can be above average for a credit card that requires good credit for approval. It also has a
3% foreign transaction fee, which is unusual for a travel rewards card.
Below, you can learn more about why the MileUp Card is neither the
best American Airlines credit card nor one of the
best travel credit cards overall.
AAdvantage MileUp Card Review Highlights: - Annual Fee: $0. This saves cardholders roughly $22.29 per year compared to the average credit card. AAdvantage MileUp is far from the only travel rewards card with no annual fee, though.
- Foreign Fee: 3%. Most travel rewards credit cards have no foreign transaction fee. Sure, it is called American Airlines. But they do have international routes.
- Initial Bonus: 15,000 miles. Spending $500 within 3 months of opening an account gets you this sign-up bonus, worth around $214.5 on average. The average rewards card with points or miles gives 31,964 points/miles as an initial bonus, worth about $228.
- American Airlines Rewards: 2 miles per $1 spent. This works out to an average of about 2.66% back when you redeem your AAdvantage miles for American Airlines flights.
- Grocery Store Rewards: 2 miles per $1 spent. This earning rate applies not only to purchases at grocery stores, but also to money spent with delivery services that bring groceries from those stores to your door.
- Base Rewards Rate: 1 mile per $1 spent. The average rewards card with points or miles gives 1.22 points/miles per $1 spent.
- In-flight Discount: 25% back on food and beverage purchases on American Airlines flights. This benefit is standard on American Airlines credit cards.
- Free Bags: None. Many airline credit cards offer at least one free checked back to cardholders on eligible flights.
- Credit Needed: Good credit. You can check your credit score for free on WalletHub to get a sense of your chances.
Finally, it’s worth noting that AAdvantage ranks
5th out of the 10 largest frequent flyer programs in terms of value and perks, according to WalletHub’s annual study. You can use our
frequent flyer miles calculator to find the best airline rewards program for your needs.
Note: This review is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. Opinions and ratings are our own.