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AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® review
Great signup bonus and attractive perks for American Airlines regulars.
- Get this card if you fly with American Airlines often.
Pick something else if you want an intro APR period on purchases.
Apply with good to excellent credit score of 670 to 850.
50,000
Miles as welcome offer
Up to 2x
Miles
$99
Annual fee
Details
Review by
Kliment Dukovski
Kliment Dukovski is a cryptocurrency and investments writer who has written over 700 articles to help readers find and compare the best financial options. Kliment has also written on money transfers, home loans and more. Previously, he ghostwrote guides and articles on foreign exchange and stock market trading.
Expert Review
Consider this card if you’re a frequent American Airlines traveler, and want perks associated with the airline. You’ll get one free checked bag, preferred boarding, in-flight savings on food and beverages and double miles earned on purchases made with the carrier.
However, you’ll have to pay an annual fee for the card.
How to apply
- You must be at least 18 years old and a US resident to apply. Residents of Puerto Rico and US territories are not eligible. Here’s how to apply:
Go to the Barclaycard AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® website and click Apply now.
Complete the application with information such as your full name and contact information, residential status, annual income and employment information, Social Security number, date of birth and mother’s maiden name.
Review your application and click Apply to submit.
What credit score do I need?
You’ll have a better chance of approval if you apply with a good to an excellent credit score of 670 or higher.
apply
benifits
- Signup bonus. Make a single purchase with your card within 90 days of account opening and earn 50,000 bonus miles and a companion certificate for one guest up to $99 plus taxes and fees. This is one of the easiest-to-earn signup bonuses you can get with an airline credit card.
AAdvantage miles. Earn 2x miles on American Airlines purchases and 1x miles on everything else you buy.
Intro APR period on balance transfers. Use 15 months of 0% intro APR period on balance transfers. After that, a variable APR of 16.24% to 25.24% applies.
First checked bag free. Save $240 on first checked bags for a family of four on a round-trip flight with American Airlines. Everyone else pays $30 for the first checked bag for a one-way trip.
No foreign transaction fees. Use your card abroad without incurring fees.
Preferred boarding. You and up to four companions traveling on your reservation can board the plane sooner.
In-flight savings. Save 25% on eligible in-flight food and beverage purchases. The savings will appear as a statement credit to your account.
Travel benefits. Mastercard concierge service offers help planning travel, insurance for auto rental, trip cancellation, trip interruption and more.
beneits
Drawbacks
- Annual fee. Expect to pay $99 annually to own the card
Balance transfer limitations. The intro APR period only applies to balances transferred in the first 45 days of account opening. Any balance transferred after that will incur the standard APR of 16.24% to 25.24% variable.
No intro APR period on purchases. You only get an intro APR period on balance transfers, not on purchases. If you’re looking to make a large purchase and carry your balance interest-free for months, try a 0% intro APR credit card.
Welcome offer eligibility. If you already own this card, or if you owned it and closed your account in the past 24 months, you may not be eligible for the signup bonus.
Make the annual fee worth it
If you often fly with American Airlines and their partners, you can make the annual fee worthwhile if you:
Make at least three one-way trips annually on American Airlines to save $90 on your first checked bag.
Earn the signup bonus, which is enough for four MileSAAver flights within the continental US. If you fly less than 500 miles, the signup bonus is enough for eight flights within the US.
Spend at least $3,000 on American Airlines purchases at the 2x rate to earn 6,000 miles. That’s worth around $90 according to the AAdvantage website at the time of this writing.
drawbacks
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