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The American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card is the most inexpensive option from the American Airlines credit card family. It has no annual fee and features a 25% discount on in-flight purchases, but that’s about all.
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We give the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card 4 out of 5 Stars. It features an uncomplicated earning experience with very few bells and whistles. But that’s to be expected from a travel card with no annual fee.
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The MileUp card is just about as simple as it gets when it comes to travel rewards credit cards. You’ll earn 2X miles per dollar for American Airlines flights and on groceries, and gain a 25% discount on in-flight purchases.
The selling point is the lack of an annual fee, so if you don’t travel often, and fly AA when you do, this could be the card you want. However, there are very few perks and no shopping or travel protections. So if you travel frequently, you’d likely get more out of a more advanced card.
Luckily, AA offers a pretty large selection of credit cards, ranging from the inexpensive (this card) to the high-end.
Here’s a quick overview of the non-business AA cards:
Card | Annual Fee |
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American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card (This review) | $0 |
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® (Review) | $99, waived for first 12 months |
AAdvantage® Aviator™ Red World Elite Mastercard® | $99 |
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (Review) | $450 |
This card can be pretty rewarding, considering there’s no annual fee. If your miles are worth 1–2 cents, you’ll earn the equivalent of 7%–14% cash back on your flights (if you’re earning 7X miles per dollar).
You’ll see a cash back equivalent of 2%–4% for the grocery category. That isn’t as impressive, but still pretty good for a card like this.
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In addition to the 2X miles per dollar from the card, you’ll get at least 5X miles per dollar on flights from your American Airlines membership. That brings your total miles to 7X per dollar.
There are a few routes you can take when it comes time to redeem your miles. The most profitable of these, however, will be redeeming them for American Airlines reward flights. But you have other options available to you.
You can:
AA’s hotel partners include: Best Western Hotels and Resorts, PointsHound, and Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. But AA states you can redeem your miles for hotels and car rentals at over 150,000 locations in 500+ destinations worldwide.
If you go to the American Airlines website, you’ll be able to search for your desired flight. You can check the small box near the search bar in order to pay for it with your miles rather than your cash.
You won’t be able to redeem for economy class seats, however.
Take a look at a few examples of one-way flights we ran through to get a sense of the kind of mile values you’ll likely see:
Flights | Cash (includes taxes and fees) | Miles | Mile Value |
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Rochester (ROC) to Houston (HOU) | $252.60 | 16,000 + $5.60 | 1.58 cents |
New York City (JFK) to Denver (DEN) | $231.10 | 22,500 + $5.60 | 1.03 cents |
Indianapolis (IND) to Phoenix (PHX) | $248.10 | 19,000 + $5.60 | 1.31 cents |
Orlando (MCO) to Chicago (ORD) | $202.60 | 19,000 + $5.60 | 1.07 cents |
Cincinnati (CVG) to Philadelphia (PHL) | $308.10 | 12,500 + $5.60 | 2.47 cents |
On the high-end, from Cincinnati to Philadelphia, you’d see a mile value of 2.47 cents. That’ll equal a cash back equivalent of about 17.3%, which is pretty great.
However, mile values are pretty volatile, so you won’t always see that kind of return on your spending. Take the New York City to Denver flight, for example, where your mile value is 1.03 cents. That’ll get you a cash back equivalent of about 7.2%, less than half of the other flight.
That volatility means that if you don’t get a mile value you like (the price divided by the mile requirement) you can look around for other flights with a higher value. If you can’t find a satisfying deal, check back later or perhaps consider using your card for the trip, and your miles for the next.
The card benefits attached to the MileUp are pretty scarce, but it’s not all that surprising considering how inexpensive it is.
Purchase APR | Balance Transfer APR | Cash Advance APR |
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15.99% - 24.99% (Variable) | 15.99% - 24.99% (Variable) | 25.24% (Variable) |
Annual Fee | Foreign Transaction Fee |
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$0 | 3% |
Balance Transfer Fee | Cash Advance Fee |
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3% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum. | 5% of each cash advance; $10 minimum |
Penalty APR | Late Fee | Returned Payment Fee |
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Up to 29.99% (Variable) | Up to $40 | Up to $40 |
The most important thing to be aware of here is the foreign transaction fee. It’s somewhat rare amongst travel cards, so if you plan on flying internationally, it might be best to check out cards with no foreign transaction fees.
The American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card is a good choice for people who don’t travel too much and prefer to fly AA when they do.
There’s not a lot to it. You’ll earn rewards for flying the skies, and get a discount on in-flight food and beverages. But there are few, if any, shopping or travel protections attached so if you’re more than an occasional traveler, you’d probably get more out of a different card.
Luckily, AA has plenty to choose from. Or, if you don’t want a card tied to a specific airline, you can take a look at some of our best picks for general travel.
Simply follow the link below to securely apply on the credit card issuer’s website. You’ll need to fill out an application which shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. You’ll likely hear back pretty quickly if you’ve been approved or not.
It’s recommended that you have excellent credit, or near to it, to qualify.
That would mean your credit scores would be in the ranges of 800–850 for FICO and 750–850 for VantageScore. As long as your credit is looking good, you should have a decent shot.
It’s important to remember, however, that credit card companies take more into account than just credit scores when figuring out your creditworthiness. They’ll look at things like income and your monthly mortgage or rent payments, so if your credit scores aren’t at that level, you still may be approved.
That also means that if your scores are high enough, you could be denied due to other factors.
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We found, on average, your miles are worth 1–2 cents. That means you’d likely see a cash back equivalent of 7%–14% when purchasing AA flights, when earning 7X miles per dollar.
You can see a few example mile values we ran through for an idea of what you might get.
You probably won’t get any shopping or travel protections from this card. You can look at other American Airlines cards that offer more benefits, but cost a bit more too.
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® (Review) is a step up from the AAdvantage MileUp card. It features expanded benefits and asks for an annual fee.
Despite the annual fee (which is waived for the first year) if you travel more than just every so often, you’d get more out of this card. The benefits include things like your first checked bag free, preferred boarding for AA flights, and a mileage discount when redeeming for flights. There are a few shopping protections, too.
The rewards are practically the same, but with this card you’ll have the opportunity to earn 2X miles per dollar at restaurants as well. So it could be worth it if you travel a little more frequently. Plus, there’s no foreign transaction fee, meaning you can spend without worry if you leave the country.
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Citi is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (Review) is a good option if you prefer Southwest Airlines over AA. And if you don’t have any preference, this card would likely serve you better than the MileUp.
Don’t let the annual fee put you off, there’s a yearly travel credit that helps soften the blow. The $75 credit effectively drops the fee to $74, which really isn’t bad for a travel card.
For that fee, this card offers four upgraded boardings, 7,500 anniversary points, a 20% discount on in-flight purchases, and a wide selection of travel protections. These protections, like travel accident and rental car insurance, could end up saving you quite a bit of money in the unfortunate event you need them.
There’s little difference in the rewards. Rather than miles you’ll earn points, and instead of earning on groceries, you’ll earn 2X points per dollar with Southwest Airlines’ hotel and car rental partners.
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On top of that, you’ll earn 12X points per dollar on Business Select fares, 10X on Anytime fares, and 6X points on Wanna Get Away fares.
The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card (Review) is different from the other cards here, because it’s not tied to any airlines.
It’s a good option for people who don’t travel very often and aren’t picky about which airline they get. You’ll earn a flat rate no matter who you fly with or what you buy. There’s an introductory APR, so your purchases won’t earn interest for for 12 months (after which your rate will be 15.49% - 25.49% (Variable)).
The benefits are a bit more impressive with this card too. In addition to several travel and shopping protections, you’ll be able to monitor your credit, transfer your miles to Capital One’s travel partners at a 2:1.5 rate, and get special perks at a variety of hotels around the world.
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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Review) carries an annual fee, but provides a lot of flexibility and quite a few travel protections.
You’ll earn in a broader travel category than with the MileUp card, on dining, and on Lyft rides. As a nice touch, if you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you’ll get a 25% bonus. So your points will be worth a little more.
And thanks to Chase’s 1:1 transfer rate, you can take your points and transfer them to any of Chase’s travel partners. You might be able to find a point value of 2 cents at a wide selection of airlines and hotels, providing a pretty solid 4% cash back equivalent for the 2X categories, and 10% for Lyft rides. That’s slightly less than the MileUp card, but you won’t be restricted to only redeeming for AA flights.
The travel and shopping protections are probably the most useful of the bunch, but you’ll also get Shop through Chase and the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection. Shop through Chase offers higher earnings with a selection of retailers, and the latter benefit will give you perks at a variety of hotels around the globe.
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Do you use the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card? Have you enjoyed any reward flights since receiving your card? Let us know how you like it in the comments below!
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Citi is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
Evan graduated from SUNY Oswego with a degree in journalism and creative writing. In his professional writing career, he strives for precision and comprehension in his work. He’s written news articles, blog posts, and copy, working across a slew of different mediums. With in-depth research and great care for accuracy and detail, he now works to bring you the most up-to-date credit information.
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