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Aviator Red Mastercard

Earn 50K AAdvantage Miles with Aviator Red Card (Plus No First Year Annual Fee)

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There's no easier way to earn a huge welcome bonus than with the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®: Forget spending a few thousand dollars, you can get a big bonus with a quick purchase.

Here's how the bonus works:

  • You'll get 50,000 AAdvantage miles after making your first purchase within 90 days
  • The card's annual fee of $99 is waived for your first year of membership

If you've got a good use for AA miles – and trust us, there are plenty – don't let this offer pass you by. These are some of the easiest miles you'll ever earn.

Just keep in mind: Credit cards are serious business, even if you don't have to spend thousands of dollars to earn a big stash of points and miles.

It's a fantastic value and one of the easiest ways to get miles for some incredible travel – and not just with American Airlines, but with amazing partner airlines like Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines, and many more. Read on for why this card is worth your attention if you're eligible.

Read more: 7 Reasons American AAdvantage Miles Have Huge Value

 

Aviator Red Mastercard

 

Apply Here (for full disclosure, this is a personal referral link).

 

AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard Card Benefits

Welcome Bonus Offer

Earn 50,000 bonus miles after making a purchase of any dollar amount in the first 90 days of opening your card. The card's $99 annual fee is even waived for your first year.

It's really that simple. Buy breakfast, a newspaper, a pack of gum, or spend any amount of money on your new card and you'll earn the 50,000-mile bonus.

Beyond that, there is no minimum spending requirement like those you'll encounter with nearly every other travel rewards credit cards. That alone sets this card apart: It makes it easier (and cheaper) to earn a huge bonus than any other card.

 

First Checked Bag Free

For the primary cardmember and up to four companions on eligible bags when traveling on domestic itineraries operated by American Airlines. You don't even need to pay for your flight with the card to get free bags.

 

Preferred Boarding

For the primary cardmember and up to four companions that are booking on the same reservation for all American Airlines operated flights.

 

A Companion Certificate

Starting in year two, you can earn a companion certificate once you've spent $20,000 in a calendar year and keep your account open for at least 45 days after your card renewal date. You'll pay just $99 for your companion to tag along on the flight.

 

Onboard Wi-Fi credit

If you pay for inflight Wi-Fi with the Aviator Mastercard, you will get up to $25 back in statement credits each year.

 

Earn 2x AAdvantage miles

You'll earn 2x the AAdvantage miles for every dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, and 1x AAdvantage miles for every dollar spent on all other purchases.

 

Flight Cents Program

There's a novel option to round up your purchases to the nearest dollar to earn more miles at a rate of 2 cents per mile.

Here's an example: Let's say you make a $1.50 but decide round up to $2. Since the round-up earns 1 mile for every 2 cents rounded up, you would earn 25 additional AAdvantage miles.

Cardholders can set a maximum they'd like to round up each statement period, from $1 to $500. By default, this option is turned off. You'll have to log in and activate it yourself.

 

25% Inflight Savings

You can get 25% back in the form of statement credit for purchases of in-flight food and beverages. There is no limit to the number of times you can use this benefit.

 

$99 Annual Fee

The card has a $99 annual fee which is waived for your first year of card membership. Adding an authorized user is free.

 

Aviator Red Mastercard

 

Apply Here (for full disclosure, this is a personal referral link).

 

Who is the Aviator Red MasterCard Best For?

Almost anyone, because this is a phenomenal offer.

These will be some of the easiest miles you will ever earn. American AAdvantage miles are among the most valuable in the world of points and miles.

That said, there are a few things you will want to consider before you apply. First, if you are currently underneath Chase Bank's 5/24 restriction meaning you haven't opened more than five new credit cards in the last 24 months it may not be worth a 5/24 spot if you eventually plan to open Chase credit cards – and you probably should.

The 5/24 rule is one of the most restrictive rules out there when it comes to opening credit cards. It's a big reason why we always suggest starting with Chase credit cards.

 

aviator red mastercard

 

There's a potential impact for your authorized user, too. Since authorized user accounts will typically appear on your credit report, they will count towards your 5/24 status. That said, there are many data points out there that suggest calling into the Chase reconsideration line may result in some representatives removing authorized user accounts from your 5/24 count.

Adding an authorized user to this Barclay's AA card is free. Just keep in mind that you, the primary cardholder, will be responsible for paying off whatever they charge to help earn that bonus, whether it's a pack of gum or something more substantial.

Next, while the welcome offer on this card is great, keeping the card open for the long run may or may not make sense. If you often fly with American Airlines and check a bag domestically, you can easily offset those fees just by holding this card by saving on bag fees. But if that isn't you, there will be little reason to hold this card past the initial first year.

Thankfully, even if you close the card before your second year, the miles you've earned will be safe and sound in your AAdvantage account.

Read More: The Best Credit Cards if You Are Under the Chase 5/24 Rule

 

Are You Eligible to Apply?

Barclays has a few application rules you'll want to be aware of before applying for their credit cards. Yet these rules seem to be inconsistently applied in practice according to data points. Here's what you need to know.

Similar to Chase's 5/24 rule, Barclays also has a rule in place to limit approvals from people who have recently been approved for a lot of new credit cards.

The bank's 6/24 rule applies if you have more than six new credit card accounts on your credit report in the last 24 months. In the past, that rule was believed to have been as high as eight new accounts.

But in practice? Data points suggest that you can still get approved for Barclays cards if you are above their 6/24 rule. At best, the rule seems inconsistent. It seems likely that Barclays may consider your existing banking relationship when applying this rule.

Notably, Barclays allows you to earn a welcome bonus multiple times … you'll just need to wait 24 months to do so. Barclays states that you need to wait 24 months from when you last closed the card to be eligible to earn a welcome bonus again. It isn't enough to simply wait 24 months to earn a bonus again: You must have closed that card at least 24 months prior.

Did you have this card more than two years ago? It's likely you're eligible to earn the bonus again.

 

How Far Can 50K AAdvantage Miles Take You?

American Airlines AAdvantage miles are some of the most valuable miles out there. Not only can you use them for flights with American Airlines, but you can also redeem them for incredible experiences for flights on their Oneworld alliance partners.

Want to fly in a Qatar Qsuite? Or how about flying Japan Airlines first class? AA is unique among the major domestic airlines in that it doesn’t charge more to redeem miles on partner airlines… at least for now. In our mind, this advantage alone makes American Airlines miles worth collecting. So what can you fly?

Qatar Airways Qsuites is widely considered the best business class seat in the world. These flights cost 70,000 AA miles one way from the U.S. You won't find a nicer business-class product in the world, period. That means that with this sign-up bonus alone you'd have almost enough miles to book a one-way flight all the way to the Middle-East.

Because of these reasonable rates, it's one of the best ways to fly to the Maldives on points and miles. It's become far more difficult to find the award availability to actually book these suites with AAdvantage miles lately, but if you can make it work, it's tough to beat.

 

qatar airways qsuite

 

Oneworld partner airlines Japan Airlines (JAL) and Cathay Pacific offer two of the best ways to fly business or first class to Asia. For example, a flight to Tokyo in Japan Airlines business class costs just 60,000 AAdvantage miles. That's right: Buy a pack of gum or a coffee and you'll have almost enough miles to book a business-class flight to Japan.

 

finding award space

 

Read more: The Best Ways to Redeem AAdvantage Miles

 

Pair with the AAdvantage Platinum Select Card to Earn 100K AA Miles

American Airlines is unique in the fact that they have co-branded credit card relationships with both Citi and Barclays. Most airlines have exclusive relationships with just one bank: United and Southwest have Chase while Delta teams up with American Express.

This is significant because you can earn the welcome offer bonus on two cards from different banks, netting you 100,000 American Airlines miles total and spending only $2,500 on the Citi® AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Card World Elite MasterCard® in the first three months of card membership.

Both cards even waive the $99 annual fee in the first year, so you can easily get 100,000 American Airlines miles without paying any money out of pocket in your first year.

Related: The Best American Airlines Credit Cards for Travelers

 

aviator red and citi AA cards

 

Bottom Line

Now is a great time to pick up the American Airlines Aviator Red card.

Earning 50,000 miles after making a single purchase and not paying an annual fee is pretty unbeatable. You simply won't find an easier way to earn a big pile of miles.

 

Aviator Red Mastercard

 

Apply Here (for full disclosure, this is a personal referral link).

 

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

56 Responses

  • You say “Now is a great time to pick up the American Airlines Aviator Red card if you haven’t had it.”
    Is there any recent data from Barclays on earning a second bonus? I had a bonus in 2015, and closed that card 10 months ago.

    • Hi Ken,

      Great question. Historically Barclays will allow you to get a bonus again 24 months after you last closed the card. If you earned the bonus back in 2015, you should be eligible.

  • If I open this card, but may not want to pay the $99 fee in year 2 and beyond, I cancel the card. However, this would affect my credit score, correct?

  • Confused as to why the Chase rule has any effect on a card issued by Barclays or Citi.

    “That said, there are a few things you will want to consider before you apply. First, if you are currently underneath Chase Bank’s 5/24 restriction, it may not be worth a 5/24 spot if you eventually plan to open Chase credit cards ……. “

    • Hi Ben. That’s because Chase 5/24 will impact you no matter what bank you get a card from. It isn’t specific to Chase cards. If you don’t plan on opening 5 cards over the next 24 months, don’t worry about it.

  • How long after you make a purchase and pay the $99 annual fee can you expect to see the 60,000 bonus miles? I am trying to book a flight in January, and paid my annual fee/card in October. Should I see those miles before then?

    • Outside of the welcome bonus offers, you are correct, they are pretty similar. I like the Barclays version better simply because of how much easier it is to earn the bonus points.

  • Dear Nick, first of all, a huge fan of your newsletter!
    Now the real business, the link to apply fails to open for me. Can you post it again?

  • Hello! I had a Barclay’s AA card, but it was several years ago. I did get a bonus of miles at that time. Can a person get this bonus again after a period of several years?

  • Swinging for the fences on this one…I’m currently 12/24, but AA miles are valuable enough and this bonus easy enough to reach that I don’t mind the inquiry. Application went to pending (for the first time in years, instead of an instant denial as usual), so hope springs eternal!

    • Once you make a purchase, you should get the miles after your first statement closes. So roughly 30-45 days after approval, assuming you make a purchase ASAP.

  • What if you closed the account but didn’t get the sign up bonus. Do you still have to wait 24 months or less before you can apply again?

  • In order to utilize the preferred boarding, does the ticket need to be purchased with the card or does it just need to be linked to my aa account. Planning to pay with a different card.

  • I signed up for the AA card the other day as soon as I was offered the deal. I just was approved today 6/26. Do I have to make a purchase by the end of june to receive my points assuming my card doesn’t come in till after end of month

  • applied, but I got this error

    We apologize for the inconvenience, but our website is experiencing technical issues.
    Please contact us at 1-866-371-0107 or try again later.

  • Hi Nick – thanks for all the valuable info! Trying to apply for the AA Red Aviator with 70k bonus but I keep getting an error ‘our website is experiencing technical issues, please try again later or call 1-866-371-0107’. I kept trying on different browsers over several days but still get the error. So I called today and the person who answered said they were only authorized to provide 50,000 miles not the 70,000 miles. (I see Andrew above had the same issue on 7/15). Can you provide any insight – has the offer expired already? And if so, do you have a crystal ball on when it might be offered again? Thanks for your help!

    • Hi Sandy. Unfortunately it looks like the offer is no longer available. I wish I had a crystal ball, but I am unsure of when or if they will offer 70k points on the card again soon.

  • I opened my card a few weeks ago and am still within the 90 day window to pay the annual fee and receive the miles when I pay. However, I have scoured my account and can’t seem to find the way to pay the annual fee. I know how to pay my balance, but can’t find where to go for the fee. Would you know where to look on the website?

    • Hi Ben, for whatever reason, it isn’t loading on certain IP addresses. Try using a mobile device not connected to WiFi. It should work.

  • Thank you for bringing this offer to my attention! (10/31/23 article describing the 60k + additional 15k miles for an authorized user) I recently closed my Barclays Aviator MC so I am not eligible. However, my wife never had one so I will have her apply for a card, pay the $99 annual fee and receive the 60 bonus. My question is, will there be any problem with her using me as the authorized user to get the additional 15k bonus miles? Do they look at the authorized user’s credit card history with Barclays in determining eligibility? Thanks!

  • Hello, I see another offer out there offering only the 60,000 miles, but with the annual fee being waived for the first year. Would you consider it worth it to effectively be buying 15,000 miles for $99?

  • I am thinking of applying for this card in order to replenish my AA account as there dont seem many ways of transferring points to the AA account like the major credit cards. Am I correct?

  • Hi Nick, does the 60k miles count towards AAdvantage status. I’m closing in on Ex Plat and I could use a booster before end of Feb.

    • AA miles don’t expire so long as you have this card (or another AAdvantage co-branded card) open. Otherwise, AA miles expire in 24 months without account activity (earning, redeeming, etc.)

  • Hi – I’ve got a few questions… I currently have this card. My P2 has never obtained this card on her own, but has been, and currently still is, an authorized user on my account. 1 – Would that prevent her from using my current referral link to sign up for her own card and get the 60k bonus miles? 2 – Assuming she is approved, she would plan to add me as an authorized user on her new card. In order to get the additional 15k miles, is it necessary to add the authorized user at the same time as the initial application? 3 – For the authorized user, does that count against Chase’s 5/24 rule? Thanks very much!

    • 1) No problem with applying if you’re already an authorized user on another person’s card.
      2) The terms and conditions merely say that you must add an authorized user and have them make a purchase within 90 days. By my reading, there should be no need to add them at the time of application.
      3) Yes, authorized users typically do get counted against the 5/24 rule – though you might be able to get Chase to waive that if it’s the one that pushes you up to 5+.

  • Hi,
    I’ve got a slightly different question.
    I applied for Barclays AA Aviator RedWorld CC with 60k bonus in November 2021 which I earned in December 2021. Then before the next AF, I downgraded to a no fee AA Aviator RedWorld CC.
    Will this no-fee CC prevent me to apply and earn a new bonus on AA Aviator RedWorld CC or should I cancel the no-fee CC first (I don’t like it anyway)?

    Do 2 or 4 years have to pass before I can apply for AA Aviator CC to eard the bonus? If it’s two years, then in case I cancel the card after the first year, then I must wait 2 years to apply/earn the new bonus, so it’s 3 years in reality, correct?
    Thanks.

    • Hi Siri. I believe you can only have one card in the same family so the downgrade will prevent you from getting it again. To the best of my knowledge, it is 24 months from when you last had the card, so your math checks out.

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