You will be booking a flight from American Airlines. You can use your wallet and pause – should you use a common AA card to pay or choose a general travel reward card?
The good news is that there are several AA credit cards, so you have a choice. Let’s compare them with other travel reward credit cards to see which is the best choice for AA flight payments.
Compare credit cards for American Airlines flights
In addition to using an American Airlines credit card, you can also consider paying with a Travel Reward Card that earns transferable points when purchasing a trip, including booking your next flight with the AA.
| Card name | American Airlines flight revenue rate | Value of the reward (according to TPG’s September 2025 valuation) | AA-related card benefits | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| citi® /aadvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (See rates and fees) | 4 miles per dollar | 6.2 cents |
|
$595 |
| citi® /aadvantage®Platinum Select®World Elite Mastercard® | 2 miles per dollar | 3.1 cents |
|
$0 introductory annual fee, then $99 |
| citi® / aadvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (See rates and fees) | 2 miles per dollar | 3.1 cents |
|
$0 introductory annual fee, then $99 |
| American Airlines Aadvantage®Mileup® | 2 miles per dollar | 3.1 cents |
|
$ 0 |
| Aadvantage®Vantage®World Elite Business Mastercard®
This card does not currently accept new applicants |
2 miles per dollar | 3.1 cents |
|
$95 |
| Aadvantagnation®VAVIATOR®Red World Elite Mastercard® | 2 miles per dollar | 3.1 cents |
|
$99 |
| American Express Platinum Card® | 5 cents per dollar spend (These purchases for each calendar year can reach up to $500,000, and then 1 point per dollar) | 10 cents | $895 (see rates and fees) | |
| Chase SapphireReserve® (See rates and fees) | 4 points per dollar (8 points if booked through Chase Travel)) | 8.2 cents (or 16.4 cents booked by chase travel) | $795 | |
| Capital One Venture X Reward Credit Card | 2 miles per dollar spend (or 5 miles per dollar spend If booking in Capital One Travel Portal) | 3.7 cents (or 9.25 cents, if booked through Capital One Travel) | $395 | |
| Citigroup Elite Card (See rates and fees) |
Air travel booked through Cititravel.com, 6 points per dollar (or 1.5 points spent on all other ticket purchases made outside the portal) | 11.4 cents if booked through Citi Travel (or 2.85 cents purchased outdoors) |
|
$595 |
| Citi Layer Premier® Card (See rates and fees) | Spend 3 points per dollar on air travel | 5.7 cents | 1:1 point transfer to Aadvantage | $95 |
Information on Citi/Aadvantage Platinum Select, Aadvantage Mileup, Aadvantage Pilot Red and Aadvantage Pilot World Elite Business Card has been independently collected by Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Which card should you use for US Airlines flights?
Unlike United Airlines’ baggage policy, you don’t really need to pay with a U.S. Airline credit card to enjoy the benefits your co-card offers.
As long as you open the card for at least 7 days and have attached your Aadvantage account to your reservation, you can get priority boarding and checking luggage benefits from your credit card. Keeping it in your wallet is enough.
Related: American Airlines’ baggage fees and how to avoid payments
This means you can use something like Amex Platinum Card Earn extra points or use Sapphire Conservation Area Use a portion of your $300 travel credit to compare with your flight booking.
In fact, when paying for the taxes and fees of the award ticket, use your travel credit on the sapphire reserve, which means you can even delete the minimum cash you have to pay for your flight.
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On the other hand, the card you use can be determined by the insurance protection you want to have on the go. In this case, paying with sapphire reserves may be your best choice as it has the best travel protections on the market.
If you are studying American Airlines Elite Identity, then using a U.S. Airlines credit card to pay is probably the best option. That’s because you’ll earn extra loyalty points for every qualified mile you earn on your AA credit card.
Related: How My Aadvantage Credit Card Helps Me Earn American Airlines Elite Identity Every Year
If you have Citi/Aadvantage execution This provides access to the Admiral Club Lounge, and whether you pay for a US Air flight using the card or not, you can still know that you can still access the lounge.
Otherwise, if you are Citigroup Eliteyou can buy tickets from American Airlines from Citi Travel and earn 6 points per dollar and Use some of the Admiral Club Passes that come with this card.
Also, Citi’s thank you points transferred 1:1 to Aadvantage, so buying AA tickets with one of Citi’s premium cards is not a bad idea.
If you spend money frequently on the machine, choose a card that pays carefully. Products like Aadvantage Pilot Red and Aadvantage Pilot Business offer discounts when making these purchases, but only if you use the right card. If you do not pay with a qualified American Airlines credit card, you will not receive the applicable discount.
Related: How to access the American Airlines Admiral Club Lounge
Bottom line
The good news is that even if you don’t pay with a Cobrand AA card, you can enjoy the benefits of free check bags and priority boarding on American Airlines credit cards. Instead, you can pay with another card to invoke travel protections or get additional rewards while still enjoying the AA’s cardholder allowance.
You may get better travel protection, as well as more flexible points and miles, and use general travel reward cards (e.g. Sapphire Conservation Area. However, if you are chasing an Aadvantage Elite identity, you must use a common AA card.
Related: How to Redeem American Airlines Aadvantage Miles for Maximum Value
For rates and fees for Amex Platinum cards, click here.
