A guide to Barclays’ AAdvantage Aviator credit cards
Editor's Note
American Airlines is among the few carriers offering cobranded credit cards through two banks. Citi has a line of AAdvantage credit cards, but American also offers a few cards with Barclays under the AAdvantage Aviator name.
Barclays used to issue a total of five Aviator credit cards — one business and four personal cards. However, only one card is still open for applications: the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard.
Today, we'll look at that card and see whether it is right for you.
The information for the Red World Elite Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard
With this card, you can earn 60,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after making just a single purchase within 90 days and paying its $99 annual fee.
The card comes with a few valuable perks that can justify its annual fee:
- Anniversary companion certificate — Each year, you can earn a companion certificate ($99 fare plus taxes and fees) after you spend at least $20,000 on your card and keep it open for 45 days after your cardmember anniversary.
- Inflight Wi-Fi credits — You'll get up to $25 in statement credits annually for inflight Wi-Fi purchases.
- Inflight savings — You can receive a 25% discount for inflight food and beverage purchases as a statement credit.
- First checked bag free — You and up to four companions traveling on the same reservation will get your first checked bags free on American Airlines itineraries.
- Preferred boarding — You and up to four traveling companions on the same reservation will be granted preferred boarding on American Airlines-operated flights.
- Travel protections — You'll receive travel accident insurance, an auto rental collision damage waiver, baggage delay insurance and trip cancellation and interruption coverage.
You'll also earn a decent 2 miles per dollar on all American Airlines purchases.
For additional details, check out our full review of the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard.
Related: Choosing the best credit card for American Airlines flyers
Bottom line
The Aviator Red is a competitive entry-level product. And once you have an Aviator Red card, you can potentially upgrade it to the Aviator Silver, which is an exceptional offer for frequent AA flyers.
However, there are many other top credit cards out there for airfare purchases, so be sure to carefully consider which would be the best fit for your wallet.
Additional reading: