| Last updated on September 8th, 2023
American Airlines AAdvantage® Mile Up®
American Airlines AAdvantage® Mile Up®
American Airlines AAdvantage® Mile Up®
- 20.99% - 29.99% (Variable) Regular Purchase APR
- 20.99% - 29.99% (Variable) Balance Transfer APR
- 29.99% (Variable) Cash Advance APR
At a Glance
The American Airlines AAdvantage® Mile Up® is a no annual fee airline credit card from Citi. The co-branded card earns 2x miles for every dollar spent on ticket purchases or at gas stations. Every other dollar spent on purchases earns a single mile, with no cap on the total number of miles earnable. New accounts also benefit from 10,000 bonus miles – plus a $50 statement credit – after spending $500 in purchases within the first 90 days.
- Best Benefits
- Rates & Fees
- Why Should You Apply?
- Earn 10,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles and receive a $50 statement credit after making $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- No Annual Fee
- Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for each $1 spent at grocery stores, including grocery delivery services
- Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1 AAdvantage® mile for every $1 spent on other purchases
- Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible mile earned from purchases
- Save 25% on inflight food and beverage purchases when you use your card on American Airlines flights
- Regular Purchase APR: 20.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer APR: 20.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Transaction Fee: Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
- Cash Advance APR: 29.99% (Variable)
- Cash Advance Transaction Fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater
- Penalty APR: Up to 29.99% variable based on creditworthiness and the Prime Rate
- Foreign Transaction Fee: 3% of the transaction amount in U.S. dollars
- Late Payment Penalty Fee: Up to $41
- Return Payment Penalty Fee: Up to $41
- You prefer to fly with American Airlines or American Eagle
- You want to earn miles for every purchase, but don’t want to pay an annual fee for the privilege
- You like the idea of an easily achievable sign-up bonus
American Airlines AAdvantage® Mile Up® Review
The American Airlines AAdvantage® Mile Up® is a co-branded airline rewards card from American Airlines and Citi. The card is designed to help holders earn AAdvantage miles, American Airlines’ reward currency, with everyday purchases, as well as on eligible airline tickets. The card earns 2x miles on purchases at grocery stores, as well as on eligible American Airlines purchases, and a single mile on every other dollar spent.
A Decent Sign-Up Bonus
Most rewards credit cards come with an initial sign-up bonus – and the American Airlines AAdvantage® Mile Up® is no different. New accounts receive 10,000 bonus AAdvantage miles, plus a $50 statement credit when they use their card to make $500 in purchases within the first 90 days.
That introductory offer might not turn heads, but it provides a decent value for no annual fee. Additionally, since flights with AAdvantage and American partners start as low as 7,500 miles, it is a welcome offer with less sizeel – but plenty of steak.
What Are AAdvantage Miles Worth?
Frequent flyer miles, like reward points, form other programs, have a set value from the issuer. Typically, these are about one cent per point or mile. Often, however, the value of rewards points and miles differ from what the issuer states. Calculating the value of miles, such as AAdvantage miles, is never precise, but through careful calculation, it is possible to arrive at a sensible estimate.
AAdvantage miles have a current value of around 1.4 cents ($0.014) per mile. This valuation places the 10,000 miles sign-up bonus as a value of around $140. Combining that offer with the $50 statement credit gives new accounts a bonus of between $190 to $200 for spending $500 in 90 days, which is a very solid return on investment.
How to Redeem Miles
The easiest way to redeem miles with American Airlines AAdvantage® Mile Up® is through flights with American. One-way reward flights on American Airlines usually start from about 7,500 miles for trips that begin and end in the continental U.S. or Canada, with flights to Europe starting from about 25,000 miles. Fortunately, AAdvantage members can also apply their miles towards flights with other Oneworld alliance carriers, which includes major names like British Airways, Iberia, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and more. Here’s the full list of eligible travel partners:
| British Airways | Iberia | Qatar Airways | Royal Air Maroc | Air Tahiti Nui |
| Cathay Pacific | Japan Airlines | Finnair | Royal Jordanian | Cape Air |
| Fiji Airways | Malaysia Airlines | British Airways | Qantas | China Southern Airlines |
| Etihad Airways | GOL | Hawaiian Airlines | JetBlue | Silver Airways |
Other options for miles redemptions include:
- Hotel bookings through the AAdvantage portal
- Car rentals at over 500 destinations around the world
- Seat and status upgrades with American Airlines or their subsidiaries, including American Eagle
- Vacations booked through the AAdvantage travel portal
- Merchandise or gift cards
- Gifts for friends and family
Which AAdvantage Credit Card Is Right for Your Travel Needs?
Here’s how the AAdvantage credit cards compare:
 |
 |
 |
| American Airlines AAdvantage® Mile Up® | Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® | Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® |
| Earn 2X miles at grocery stores and eligible American Airlines purchases | Earn 2X miles at restaurants, gas stations, and on eligible American Airlines purchases | Earn 2X miles on eligible American Airlines purchases |
| 25% in-flight savings | First checked bag free on domestic itineraries | Admirals Club access |
| No annual fee | $99 annual fee ($0 first year) | $450 annual fee |
Other Perks
Beyond the mile-earning potential of the card, the AAdvantage® Mile Up® comes with many other useful perks and benefits. Cardholders receive 25% savings on in-flight food and beverage purchases with American Airlines, for example, as well as $500,000 in travel accident insurance coverage. They’ll also enjoy EMV chip technology, digital wallet capabilities, and Mastercard Platinum benefits – and all for no annual fee. Mastercard’s Platinum benefits provide essential protections, such as:
| Zero Liability Protection | Mastercard Global Services | ID Theft Protection |
FAQs About the Citibank AAdvantage Credit Cards
Here are some of the most commonly asked questions regarding the AAdvantage lineup of credit cards from Citi, along with the answers:
- Yes. AAdvanatge frequent flyer miles expire after 18 months of inactivity on the cardholder’s account. Fortunately keeping an account active is as easy as making a purchase with an AAdvantage co-brand credit card from Citi.
- You can book award travel on many partner airlines on aa.com and on the American app. Partner airline flights are included in award travel search results, and you can filter results for your preferred partner airlines on the Choose flights page
- No. American Airlines’ loyalty program – AAdvantage – is free to join. Members may purchase Admirals Club membership – providing lounge access on American flights – from $600 per year.
- If you want to downgrade your credit card to a no annual fee or lower annual fee card, you need to contact Citi credit card customer servcie. They can help downgrade or upgrade card accounts and can answer any questions regarding how much you’ll need to pay if you downgrade (if the annual fee was already assessed).
- Cardholders can expect their new card to arrive within 5-10 business days for successful application.
- Unlikely. Citi may allow you to use your card before it arrives in the mail, but always check the terms and conditions first before applying.
Citibank Ratings
How does the Citi AAdvantage stack up? Here are a selection of expert reviews for the card, as well as an overview of Citi as a bank:
| BestCards | Better Business Bureau | TrustPilot |
|
4/5 |
4/5 |
3/5 |
Should You Apply for the American Airlines AAdvantage® Mile Up®?
There are plenty of no annual fee travel cards available, so should you opt for the American Airlines AAdvantage® Mile Up® or find something else? The Mile Up® from Citi is a solid option for those who are already members of the AAdvantage program or prefer to fly with American Airlines.
While the ability to earn 2x miles on ticket purchases and at gas stations is nice, the number of miles necessary to earn a free flight with American (or Oneworld Alliance partners for that matter) requires a hefty purchase regimen. While the 10,000 bonus miles help, it simply isn’t enough to make up the distance between this card and other general travel cards.
If you already fly with American but don’t want to pay an annual fee, the AAdvantage® Mile Up® Mastercard is an okay selection. If, however, you want the freedom to earn miles towards any airline, without the annual fee, consider a general purpose travel card, such as the Discover It Miles Card, the VentureOne Rewards Card from Capital One, or even the Expedia Rewards Card from Citi.
The information related to the American Airlines AAdvantage® Mile Up® has been collected by BestCards.com and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.
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