AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard Review

This card can work well for frequent flyers trying to stockpile miles and occasional travelers who prefer planning and saving for larger trips. If either of those qualities describes you, you may enjoy all the bonus miles the card offers, and the option to easily earn extra miles on each purchase (more on that below). American Airlines fans will enjoy a handful of loyalty perks, and if you already have a Citi American Airlines card, adding this Barclays card to your wallet may seriously amplify your AAdvantage miles earning power.

Pros Explained

• Generous, easy-to-earn bonus: Most airline cards require you to spend $1,000 (or more) within three months after opening an account to earn the new cardholder bonus, but this card does not. You can literally buy a pack of gum and pay the annual fee, and the extra miles are yours. We love how accessible that makes this airline card offer.
• Good selection of travel perks: If you’re seeking an airline card, you probably have an affinity for the brand and would enjoy some loyal customer perks. This card delivers. Open this card and you (and your travel companions, in some cases) can fly with American Airlines more comfortably, thanks to benefits like a free checked bag, preferred boarding, and statement credits for in-flight purchases like snacks and Wi-Fi.  
• Optional program to boost miles earning potential: Turn spare change into extra miles with the Flight Cents program connected to this card. Enroll for free and each card purchase will be rounded up to the nearest dollar amount (or more, whatever you decide), and earn a half-mile per extra cent. It’s an easy way to accumulate more miles without thinking twice about it. More on this below.
• Valuable miles: Our research found each American Airlines AAdvantage mile is worth about 2.26 cents, on average. That’s quite high considering some other airline miles are only worth about half that.

Cons Explained

• Annual fee: If you use the free checked bag benefit on just two round-trip flights each year, the annual fee easily recoups this fee cost. However, several comparable airline cards waive their annual fees for new cardholders the first year, but this card does not. It’s not a deal breaker—just something to keep in mind.
• Few purchase categories earn extra miles: It’s typical for airline-branded credit cards to offer extra points on airline purchases, but it’s a bummer this card doesn’t offer extra points on any other purchases. The Flight Cents program is a helpful tool, but you still only get 2 miles per $1 on American Airline purchases, and not on additional expenses like dining out or gas, which other American Airline credit cards offer.

Bonus for New Cardholders

You only need to make one purchase—of any amount—and pay the $99 annual fee within 90 days of opening this card to earn 50,000 AAdvantage bonus miles. Because American Airline miles are so valuable, this bonus is worth about $1,130, based on our calculations. That’s a ridiculously good bonus for such a low spend requirement, and one of the best among airline cards right now.  

If you’ve had this card before, you may not be eligible for this offer.

Earning Points & Rewards

With this card you’ll earn 2 miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases (like flights booked directly on the American Airlines website). All other purchases earn just 1 mile per $1. You can also earn miles on eligible flights more than 20 partner airlines, including Hawaiian Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas.

This card also offers the option to enroll in Flight Cents, a program that rounds up each purchase to the nearest whole dollar for a little extra miles-earning boost. 

Through this program, you’ll get 0.5 miles for each cent rounded up. So if you spend $100.25 on groceries, Flight Cents will round your purchase total up to $101.00 and you’ll earn 37.5 miles on that extra 75 cents, for a total of 137.5 miles on that purchase overall. Without Flight Cents, that same purchase would earn 100 miles. At the end of each billing cycle, Flight Cents earnings will be rounded up to the nearest whole mile and the total number of miles will be deposited in your AAdvantage account.

Overall, there’s no limit on the number of miles you can earn with this card. AAdvantage miles expire with 18 months of inactivity. Both earning and redeeming count as an action to keep the account active and reset the 18-month clock.

Redeeming Rewards

AAdvantage miles are best used to book flights directly with American Airlines online or through the American Airlines app. Your miles will be worth 2.32 cents each on average when used for airfare, according to The Balance's calculations. That's the highest value we've found for any domestic airline's miles.

AAdvantage miles can be redeemed for a variety of other things, such as rental car and hotel reservations, vacation packages, magazine subscriptions, and gift cards. However, we advise against redeeming miles for non-travel rewards, as those options are usually a bad value. Miles cannot be redeemed for cash, statement credits, checks, or direct deposit. 

To see how the AAdvantage miles earned with this card stack up to other airline rewards, check out our in-depth analysis of what credit card points are worth.

How to Get the Most Out of This Card

Make a small purchase—like a pack of gum or cup of coffee—and pay the annual fee right away to get all the bonus miles in your account ASAP. Use this card to pay for flights booked directly through American Airlines and to supplement your earnings, enroll in Flight Cents. That will give you a little earnings boost on all your purchases since there aren’t any extra earning categories tied to this card. 

If you're already dreaming about booking award flights, read our American Airlines AAdvantage program guide to learn even more about using the miles earned with this airline card.

Excellent Perks 

The AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard has a number of quality benefits that exceed what’s typically offered by average travel cards:

• Airline companion pass: If you spend $20,000 each year (about $1,667 per month), you'll pay only $99 plus taxes and fees for a companion certificate good for a friend or family member on qualifying domestic flights.
• Free checked bag: You and up to four travel companions on the same reservation get one free checked bag per U.S. flight. 
• Annual Wi-Fi statement credit: Use your card to pay for in-flight Wi-Fi on American Airlines or select partner flights and you’ll get statement credits for the expense up to $25 each year.
• Insurance coverage for trip cancellation, interruption, or delay: Pay for your flight, train, cruise, or another travel ticket with this card and get reimbursed for costs associated with your disrupted trip. 
• Insurance coverage for delayed luggage: Get reimbursed up to $100 for three days to cover the cost of everyday necessities you need while your bags are delayed more than 12 hours.
• Travel accident insurance: Financial compensation for you or your beneficiaries if an accident occurs during a trip paid for with this card.

Other Features 

This card also comes with these additional perks: 

• Preferred boarding (board after priority but before economy)
• Discounts on in-flight purchases
• Earn extra miles on select restaurant purchases via the AAdvantage Dining Program
• Rental car collision insurance (secondary to your own policy)
• Extended warranties
• Insurance for stolen or damaged purchases

Customer Experience

Barclays is ranked ninth for customer satisfaction out of 11 major card issuers in the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study. The issuing bank scored 796 on a 1,000-point scale, which is below the industry average of 810. As a cardholder, you’ll also have free access to your FICO score through your online account. Barclays customer service can be reached 24/7 by phone. 

Security Features 

In addition to standard security protections such as $0 fraud liability and opt-in account alerts to monitor activity, Barclays also uses a two-step identity verification process to deter unauthorized account logins.

Fees 

The only fee worth noting with this card is its $99 annual fee, but as mentioned above, the sign-up bonus and benefits are worth the cost. It’s also a good card for traveling internationally, as it doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees.