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American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Mastercard® Review: Not Much Value, Even With No Annual Fee

Review Updated
Brittney Myers
Author: Brittney Myers
Brittney Myers
Brittney Myers
Writer

Brittney started her writing career in the world of science, putting her physics degree to good use. Her journey into finance started with building her personal credit, but soon grew into a borderline obsession with credit cards and travel rewards. For the last 7 years, she has enjoyed the ability to share her expertise with readers, as well as the opportunity to interview companies and individuals making an impact on our financial lives. She wholly believe most problems can be solved with the right research -- and a good spreadsheet -- and she specializes in translating complex financial topics into actionable advice to help educate and empower readers.

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Nathan Alderman
Fact Checked: Nathan Alderman
Nathan Alderman
Nathan Alderman
Fact checker

Nathan Alderman has been a full-time Motley Fool employee since 2005, making errors his arch-enemies in a variety of roles including a six-year stint as the dedicated fact-checker for The Motley Fool's premium newsletter services. As Motley Fool Money's Compliance Lead, he makes sure that all the site's information is accurate and up to date, which ensures we always steer readers right and keeps various financial partners happy. A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan spends his spare time volunteering for civic causes, writing and podcasting for fun, adoring his wife, and wrangling his two very large young children.

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OFFER STATUS

The American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card is unavailable on Motley Fool Money. All information was collected independently and not reviewed for accuracy or provided by the credit card issuer. Some items may be out of date.

The American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card is good for American Airlines flyers who want a small welcome bonus and a discount on inflight food and beverage purchases, with no annual fee. It could also be a good way to downgrade a more expensive American Airlines credit card if the annual fee isn't worth it.

Get all the details about this card in our full American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card review.

Ratings Methodology

American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card

American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card
Rating image, 2.50 out of 5 stars.
2.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 2.50 out of 5 stars.
2.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Credit Score: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Credit Score Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Intro APR Circle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers; after that, the variable APR will be 20.49% - 29.49%, based on your creditworthiness. Interest will be charged on purchases unless you pay the balance due, including balance transfers, by the due date each month.

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular APR

20.24% - 29.24% (Variable)

Rewards Circle with letter I in it. 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.

1x - 2x miles

Annual Fee Circle with letter I in it. N/A

$0

Welcome Offer Circle with letter I in it. Earn 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage®bonus miles after making $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

15,000 bonus miles

  • This no annual fee airline card isn't expensive, but you get what you pay for in terms of benefits -- as in, there aren't many. If you're a regular AA flyer, consider the airline's other cards. If not, consider a regular travel card.

    • Modest welcome bonus
    • Earn AAdvantage miles and status
    • Discount on select inflight purchases
    • No annual fee
    • Foreign transaction fee
    • Very few airline perks
    • Rewards lack flexibility
    • Earn 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
    • 0% Intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers; after that, the variable APR will be 20.24% - 29.24%, based on your creditworthiness. Interest will be charged on purchases unless you pay the balance due, including balance transfers, by the due date each month.
    • Balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each credit card balance transfer, whichever is greater. Balance Transfers must be completed within 4 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
    • Save 25% on inflight food and beverage purchases when you use your card on American Airlines flights
American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card is unavailable on Motley Fool Money. All information was collected independently from the issuer. Some items may be out of date.

Credit card comparison

We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.

Offer Our Rating Welcome Offer Rewards Program APR Learn More
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash back on rotating categories 		Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. 1% - 5% Cashback Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Intro:

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular: 18.49% - 27.49% Variable APR *Rates as of December 12, 2024.

Apply Now for Discover it® Cash Back

On Discover's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash rewards on everyday spending 		$200 cash rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. 2% cash rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers

Purchases: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening

Balance Transfers: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers

Regular: 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR

Apply Now for Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

On Wells Fargo's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for unlimited rewards on purchases 		25,000 points Circle with letter I in it. 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases 1.5 points per dollar Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 18.49% - 28.49% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers will apply. A 3% fee for 60 days from account opening, then 4% fee applies to all balance transfers.

Purchases: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases

Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days

Regular: 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable)

Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

On Bank of America's Secure Website.

American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card review

Is the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card worth it?

This airline card has no annual fee, so in terms of getting your money's worth, it doesn't take much. Unfortunately, it still isn't easy. The card has a few perks, namely just the welcome bonus and inflight discount. If you really want to earn AA miles and/or AAdvantage Loyalty Points on purchases, this is a way to do so with no fee. 

Folks who fly AA regularly will probably get better value from another AA cobranded card. Otherwise, stick with regular travel rewards cards.

Author’s note

I've had the mid-tier Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® for several years now, and in general, I've been happy with the service from Citi and the perks from American Airlines. Without those perks, however, I probably wouldn't keep this card in my wallet, so the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card isn't particularly appealing to me personally. That said, if I stop flying AA and decide to get rid of my card, I would probably downgrade to the MileUp to keep my credit line open and my miles from expiring.

What everyone else is saying

Getting a range of opinions on a new card can help you make sure it's the right fit. Let's see what everyone else thinks about the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card.

What our competitors think

Average competitor rating: 2.9 / 5.0 stars

We checked out the reviews from five of our top competitors, and it turns out they're about as unimpressed as we are with this offering. While we all agree that the lack of an annual fee is nice -- no annual fee travel cards aren't super common -- we also all agree that the perks are lackluster at best. And, like us, our competitors find the foreign transaction fee to be a major downside.

Social media consensus

The people on social media do not like this card. They agree with the rest of us that the benefits are poor, and they're not even particularly impressed by the welcome bonus.

Overall, it seems as if most folks on social media consider the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card to be a downgrade path for the annual fee cards -- and not much else.

American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card features and benefits

Boost your miles balance with minimal spending

Arguably the most appealing thing about this card for most people will be its welcome bonus. Currently, you can earn 15,000 AAdvantage miles by spending $500 in the first 3 months. The low spending requirement makes it easy for pretty much anyone to hit it, which could be good for folks who don't spend much. 

In my experience, 15,000 AAdvantage miles gets you a one-way trip pretty much anywhere domestically (contiguous states), or a short-haul round trip.

Purchase your way to free flights and airline status

If you want to earn AAdvantage miles on your credit card purchases, a cobranded airline card is really the only way to do it. American Airlines isn't a transfer partner for any of the top travel rewards programs.

Cardholders of the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card earn:

  • 2X AAdvantage miles per $1 on eligible American Airlines purchases
  • 2X AAdvantage miles per $1 on grocery stores, including grocery delivery services
  • 1X AAdvantage miles per $1 on other eligible purchases

Other cards will earn you more points on airline purchases, but if you specifically want AAdvantage miles, this isn't a bad way to go about it -- especially because you'll also be earning Loyalty Points. 

It takes 40,000 Loyalty Points to reach AAdvantage Gold status, which unlocks benefits like complimentary seat upgrades and priority boarding. In theory, you could get there with $40,000 in spend on your AAdvantage credit card.

Don't fly hangry: Enjoy a 25% rebate on inflight food and drinks

Flying on an empty stomach is like something out of a Dante novel, so it's tempting to buy snacks on the plane. But who wants to pay $10 for a glorified Lunchable? Cardholders of the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card get a 25% savings on inflight food and drinks when they use their card for the purchase. The savings is in the form of a statement credit a few weeks (up to 10) after the purchase.

No annual fee to make up for every year

Although this card isn't particularly full of perks, it doesn't necessarily have to be since it has no annual fee. Cards with annual fees use perks to get you to pay up every year. Without that fee, you can use this card as much -- or as little -- as you need to without worrying about how much it's costing you.

What could be improved

Using your card abroad will cost you an extra 3% in fees

The American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card has a 3% foreign transaction fee. This means that if you use your card to make a purchase in a foreign currency or that routes through a foreign bank, you'll need to pay an extra 3% of the transaction as a foreign transaction fee.

Travel cards that you can't use abroad without a fee are of limited use, and that is a big strike against the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card. It's actually quite odd for a travel card to have an FX fee, as the majority of them don't. (This is likely a side effect of the card having no annual fee.)

It's missing a lot of perks you get from other airline cards

If I had to sum up this card in one word, it would probably be: meh. It's just not interesting or exciting. The perks are minimal, at best, and you're missing nearly all of the benefits that entice people to get airline cards in the first place, like free checked bags, priority boarding, or lounge access. Even with no annual fee, I'm not sure if the barebones perks are worth it.

Your rewards are only good at one place: American Airlines

There aren't a lot of ways to earn AAdvantage miles, so this is handy if that's your goal. But keep in mind that AAdvantage miles are a limited currency; you can only redeem your miles through American Airlines. This limits your redemption options to pretty much AA and its alliance partners. In contrast, points from a travel card could potentially transfer to more than a dozen frequent flyer programs.

What to know before applying

American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card credit score  

It's recommended that you have at least good credit, or a score of at least 670, when you apply for this card. However, Citi will consider your entire credit history, income, and your previous banking relationship when evaluating your application.

Pre-approval process

Citi doesn't currently offer an online pre-approval tool. You may occasionally get offers in the mail, or through your online account if you are already a Citi customer. The only way to know for sure if you're qualified for a specific Citi credit card is to apply.

Regular APR

As with most travel cards, this one has no intro APR offers. Instead, you have the regular 20.24% - 29.24% (Variable) APR on purchases and balance transfers. If you pay in full before the due date each month, you can avoid paying interest fees.

Fees

  • Annual fee: This is one of the few airline cards that has no annual fee.
  • Foreign transaction fee: 3%
  • Balance transfer fee: 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.

Credit limit

Citi doesn't advertise specific credit limits for this card, so we have to go by what cardholders are self-reporting online. The lowest starting limit I saw reported was around $3,000, and the highest was over $11,000. 

You may occasionally get unsolicited credit limit increases from Citi. You can also request a credit limit increase, though this may come with a hard credit inquiry.

Alternatives to consider

We've seen many cards with more perks and rewards than this one, so we know there is something out there for just about anyone. Try these two to start, or check out our full review list to find your best fit.

If you want better American Airlines perks: The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is a step up for AA cards, offering a ton of airline perks for a moderate annual fee. You'll not only get the inflight discount, but also priority boarding, checked bag fee waivers, and a seriously good welcome bonus.

If you want more flexible rewards: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has some of the most versatile rewards points we've seen. You can redeem through Chase for travel at $0.0125 per point, or transfer to more than a dozen airline and hotel partners. The card has a moderate annual fee, but it comes with a valuable welcome bonus and some statement credits to help offset it.

Should you apply for the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card?

If you can say yes to all of these, then this card could be useful:

  • You need a small boost to your AAdvantage miles; and
  • You can benefit from an inflight discount on food and beverage; and
  • You definitely don't want to pay an annual fee.

If you also want free checked bags and priority boarding, consider upgrading to the mid-tier American Airlines card. If you don't fly AA enough to need any of these things, just skip the airline card and go for a general travel rewards card.

Our credit card methodology

At Motley Fool Money, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates credit cards.

FAQs

  • No, this card doesn't offer free checked bags. You need one of the more premium American Airlines cards for this perk, including:

    • Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
    • AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard
    • CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®
    • Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®

  • How many miles you need for an American Airlines award flight will depend on the specific flight. In general, flights start around 6,000 miles and up for short-haul domestic. Business class to Europe is typically at least 55,000 miles.

  • Yes, AA is part of the oneworld airline alliance. As such, you can use AAdvantage miles to book flights on some partner airlines.