American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® review
No-annual-fee airline rewards cards are rare – especially cards that offer bonus rewards on more than just purchases with the airline. This card offers two miles for every $1 spent with American Airlines as well as on your grocery store purchases.
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Key Features
descriptionEditor Analysis:
- Jump start your rewards earning with 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $1000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- Snag two miles per $1 spent on all your grocery store and grocery delivery service purchases, a rare earning rate for an airline rewards card.
- Save money with 25% savings on your American Airlines in-flight food and beverage purchases when you pay with your card.
- This card charges a fee on foreign transactions so it's not the best option to travel abroad with.
CardName benefits
What if we told you that trips to the supermarket could pay for your next vacation? Or at least help to get you there…
Citi and American Airlines have teamed up to offer consumers the CardName, a no-annual-fee credit card that turns everyday spending into exciting travel opportunities with two miles earned on every $1 spent at the grocery store, on grocery delivery services and on qualifying American Airlines purchases. You’ll also earn one mile per $1 on everything else. Plus, new card members are eligible for 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $1000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening. Grocery purchases are something most of us make regularly, so this card is a great option for anyone looking to save toward their next vacation, without any extra work at all. Citi is a CardRatings.com advertiser.
Most notable features of the CardName include:
- 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $1000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- An unlimited two miles earned per $1 spent on grocery purchases, including grocery delivery purchases, and on eligible American Airlines purchases, and one mile per $1 on all other purchases
- No annual fee
- 25% savings on in-flight food and beverage purchases
- No mileage cap on the number of AAdvantage® miles you can earn
- Access to purchase presale tickets and VIP experiences for thousands of events each year through CitiPrivate Pass
Though the welcome bonus for this card isn’t huge, 15,000 miles is still a solid offer, especially considering that the spending threshold is fairly low. Many people spend $500 in just one month on grocery purchases alone, so the fact that you can earn two miles for every $1 spent at the supermarket, all while working towards this bonus is a great incentive. That’s another thing that’s great about this card – since groceries are an essential purchase, unlike say restaurant or vacation purchases, when grocery shopping with the CardName you’ll automatically earn miles for purchases you’d be making regardless, which really makes saving up for your next getaway a breeze.
To put things into perspective, if your plans are flexible, American Airlines MileSAAver tickets are available for as low as 7,500 miles each way for flights of less than 500 miles within the United States and Canada, so after just a few months of using your card, you could easily have enough miles to embark on your next getaway.
CardRatings Tip
Learn more about earning and redeeming miles in our American Airlines AAdvantage® program guide.
Potential downsides of the CardName
Two miles for grocery and American Airlines purchases is, of course, solid earning if you frequently use your credit card for these things, but if don’t often fly American Airlines, or you’re looking for a card that could quickly earn you miles on purchases outside of these categories, the CardName might not be the best choice for you.
Another important thing to note is that the CardName charges a foreign_transaction_fee foreign transaction fee for every purchase made outside of the United States, which means this card isn’t ideal for frequent international travelers.
How do cardholders rate the CardName?
CardRatings conducts a survey annually to learn what actual cardholders think of their cards. Here are the results for the CardName:
| Current Scores | Past Scores | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 78.2 | 74.7 |
| Features Satisfaction | 7.6 | 7.5 |
| Customer Service | 7.6 | 7.5 |
| Website/App Usability | 8.6 | 7.8 |
| Likelihood of Continuing to Use | 8.4 | 7.6 |
| Recommend to a Friend/Colleague | 7.8 | 7.1 |
How does the CardName compare to other cards?
CardName vs. CardName
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The CardName is a great choice for those who love the structure of the CardName, but who are looking for a few more benefits. New CardName cardholders can earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $2,500 on their new card within the first three months. Additionally, earn two AAdvantage® bonus miles for every $1 spent at gas stations, restaurants and on eligible American Airlines purchases. This card may be an excellent choice if you frequently use it to fill up at the gas pump on the way to your favorite restaurant.
The perks don’t stop there. The CardName also includes:
- One free checked bag on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to four people traveling with you
- Preferred boarding on American Airlines flights
- No foreign transaction fees
- A $125 American Airlines flight discount after you spend $20,000 or more in purchases during your card membership year and renew your card
- 25% savings on inflight food and beverage purchases when you use your card on American Airlines flights
While it’s true that the CardName does include a few more tempting benefits than the CardName, as with most good things, it comes with a price. Whereas CardName cardholders can use their card with no annual fee to worry about, the CardName charges an annual fee of AnnualFees.
If it comes down to deciding between these two cards, the biggest questions you’ll need to ask yourself are 1) Are you realistically able to meet the spending threshold within three months to earn the new member bonus, and 2) Will you use your card enough to offset the cost of the annual fee? If your answers are no, rest assured that the CardName is a solid option to fall back on.
CardName vs. CardName
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Though the no-annual-fee CardName credit card doesn’t offer a traditional bonus initially when opening an account, it does match all the miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. With an earning rate of 1.5 miles on every $1 spent, there’s some serious earning potential to be had that first year of card membership.
Thanks to this match, new cardholders of CardName effectively earn three miles for every $1 spent with the card during the first year. While choosing a card based strictly on an introductory offer is rarely the best idea, the good news is that after your first year, CardName is still an excellent no-annual-fee option with its unlimited earning potential of 1.5 miles per $1 for all purchases made. That’s still a respectable opportunity to consistently rack up rewards, even after your first year match period has passed.
Depending on your spending habits, CardName could be a great option for anyone looking to make a lot of big purchases in their first year, or who wants the freedom to redeem rewards with any airline; however, if you’re loyal to the American Airlines brand or you predominantly just use your card for grocery and American Airlines travel purchases, you’re likely better off sticking with the CardName, which will earn you two miles all the time (for groceries and American Airlines purchases), and not just during your first year of card membership.
Who should get the CardName?
The CardName is a great option for those loyal to the American Airlines brand who are looking for a no-annual-fee card that can help you easily earn rewards to use toward travel. This is an especially great option for those who most often use their credit card for grocery purchases.
Our Methodology
Survey methodology: CardRatings commissioned Op4G in September 2023 to conduct surveys among 1,869 cardholders nationwide. CardRatings website analytics from Jan. 1, 2023-Aug. 31, 2023 were used to determine a selection of the most popular cards and additional cards were included to add survey breadth. Responses to each of nine questions were given on a scale of 1-10 and respondents’ scores were then averaged under broad topics. To determine the overall score, responses from questions 1-8 were summed and the answer to "How likely are you to recommend this card to a friend, coworker or family member?" was double weighted. Current Scores reflect scores from the most recent survey (2023); “Past Scores” reflect scores from the 2022 survey.
Disclaimer:The information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date it was written. Please keep in mind that credit card offers change frequently. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this article. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards. Please verify all terms and conditions of any credit card prior to applying.
This content is not provided by any company mentioned in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed here are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any such company. CardRatings.com does not review every company or every offer available on the market.
