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If you fly American Airlines (AA) regularly for business, you’ll want to get the most out of your travels. One of the easiest ways to do that is through a co-branded Citi American Airlines credit card. You’ll earn miles on purchases, get perks like free checked bags and preferred boarding, and may even earn a companion certificate. Let’s take a closer look to find the best American Airlines business credit card for you.
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Finding the Best American Airlines Business Credit Cards
The two options available to business owners are:
- AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard®
- CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®
One card is offered by Barclays, while Citi offers the other. Both options come with many perks, such as business-specific spending bonuses, companion certificates, and free checked bags. However, if neither option is a good fit, there are a few other business cards you may want to consider (more on that later).
You can also find the best American Airlines credit cards for personal use.
AAdvantage Aviator World Elite Business Mastercard
The information for the AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard® has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard® is probably the better option as it offers slightly better benefits. Barclays offers this card as part of its Aviator card family from the days of US Airways. These cards now earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles on all purchases.
Here are the card perks you will enjoy the most:
- Companion certificate good for one guest at $99 after $30,000 in annual eligible card purchases (taxes and fees apply)
- The first checked bag is free and priority boarding for up to 4 companions
- 25% savings on in-flight food and beverage purchase savings on American Airlines-operated flights
The annual fee is $95, but there are no foreign transaction fees.
Cardholders can earn:
- 2x miles on eligible American Airlines purchases
- 2x miles at office supply, telecom, and car rental purchases
- 1x mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
New card members can earn a signup bonus of up to 70,000 miles. Earn the first 60,000 miles by spending $2,000 in the first 90 days. You can earn the final 10,000 miles after a purchase is made on an employee card.
Cardholders can also earn a 5% mileage bonus earned every year after their account anniversary date (based on the total number of miles earned using the card).
Employee cards are complimentary.
How This Card Can Add Value
Earning 2x miles on select business purchases is a nice touch. However, the annual 5% mileage bonus can be a great bonus. For instance, earning 50,000 miles in a year gives you 2,500 bonus miles.
CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard
The information for the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Your second American Airlines business credit card option is the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®. This card doesn’t have as many ongoing perks as the Aviator Business, but it’s a solid contender. It’s possible to earn a larger signup bonus, for instance.
- 25% savings on in-flight WiFi, food, and beverage purchases when you use your card on American Airlines flights
- First checked bag free for you and up to 4 companions on domestic itineraries
- Preferred boarding for you and up to 4 companions
- $99 Companion certificate after $30,000 in annual card purchases and card membership is renewed
The annual fee is $0 for the first year and then $99. There is no foreign transaction fee.
Cardholders can also earn:
- 2x miles on eligible American Airlines purchases
- 2x miles for telecommunications, cable and satellite providers, car rentals, and gas stations
- 1x miles for everything else
Plus, earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases.
New card members can earn a signup bonus of 65,000 miles after spending $4,000 in the first 4 months.
One overlapping benefit between both cards is the American Airlines companion certificate. One companion flies for $99 plus fees and taxes (between $21.60 and $43.20) on a domestic main cabin ticket.
Another overlapping perk is a free first-checked bag and priority boarding for you and up to 4 companions. These benefits help make traveling with multiple people less stressful and slightly more affordable.
How This Card Can Add Value
This CitiBusiness card doesn’t offer an annual 5% bonus, and the 2x bonus categories vary slightly (though the gas station bonus category can be helpful). If the double bonus categories are better than the 5% annual bonus, this can be the better option. This card would greatly complement the Citi American Airlines personal cards.
Note that you will need an excellent credit score for this card.
When to Pick the AAdvantage Aviator Business Mastercard
The AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard® is the better fit in these cases:
- Want the 5% annual purchase rewards bonus
- Prefer 25% in-flight savings on food and beverage
- The signup bonus only has a $2,000 minimum spend
Both American Airlines’ business credit cards are World Mastercard, so the card issuer won’t necessarily factor into your decision.
When to Pick the CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select
The CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® is the better business credit card when:
- 2x bonus categories are a better fit than the Aviator Business Mastercard
- Get 25% in-flight savings on WiFi, food, and beverages
- No annual fee for the first year
Both cards offer similar free checked bags and priority boarding benefits for you and up to 4 companions. The spending requirement for the annual $99 companion certificate is similar to the Business Aviator.
Not earning 5% bonus purchase rewards is possibly the largest downside for choosing this version over the Aviator Business Mastercard.
Other Business Credit Cards to Consider
Either co-brand American Airlines business credit card is the best way to earn American Airlines on every business purchase. However, you may get more mileage from one of these cards.
The Business Platinum Card from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is the most luxurious option for frequent flyers. Benefits include:
- Earn 5x Membership Rewards on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com; Earn 1x points for each dollar spent on eligible purchases.
- Get 35% points back on select award flight redemptions (up to 500,000 back per year)
- 1:1 airline and hotel point transfers
- American Express Global Lounge Collection
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
Cardholders earn 1.5x points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on eligible purchases at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year.
Additional Perks
Additionally, unlock over $1,000 in annual statement credits on a curation of business purchases, including select purchases made with Dell Technologies, Indeed, Adobe, and U.S. wireless service providers.
Plus, get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees charged by your one selected, qualifying airline to your Card.
Cardholders can get up to $189 in statement credits per calendar year on your CLEAR® Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when they use their Business Platinum Card®.
With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, with The American Express Global Lounge Collection®. You have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market as of 03/2023. Enrollment is required for some lounges.
This is one of the best American Express business cards.
This is also one of the best metal cards to own. You won’t be able to transfer your points to American Airlines, but you can book award flights on AmexTravel. An indirect way to redeem Membership Rewards for American Airlines award flights is to first transfer them to British Airways and book a partner flight.
You can read more about this in our Amex Business Platinum Card review.
Welcome Bonus Offer
New The Business Platinum Card® from American Express cardholders have the opportunity to earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases with their Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
The annual fee is $695 (See Rates & Fees).
Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
The Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is another flexible travel rewards card with these benefits:
- Earn 3x Ultimate Rewards on travel, shipping purchases, online advertising, phone, cable, and internet services (on the first $150,000 in combined purchases)
- Points are worth 25% more when booking award travel
- 1:1 airline and hotel point transfers
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
New Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card cardholders can earn 100k bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Chase isn’t a direct partner with American Airlines, but you may transfer your points to another oneworld alliance airline (like British Airways) to get the most out of your card.
Related: Ink Business Preferred Card Review
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
The Capital One Spark Miles for Business makes it easy to earn and redeem rewards miles. All purchases earn 2x miles. You can redeem your miles for travel statement credits, booking upcoming travel, or transfer to airline partners.
One additional benefit you can enjoy is a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit of up to $100. The annual fee is $0 for the first year and then $95.
New cardholders can earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – after spending $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
Learn more: Business Credit Cards
Summary
The American Airlines business credit cards offer similar purchase rewards and additional benefits like free checked bags, priority boarding, and a companion certificate. Choosing the one that best fits your spending habits will be your best option.
FAQs
What is the best American Airlines business credit card?
Both Citi and Barclays offer an American Airlines business credit card. Each card provides these similar benefits:
- Earn up to 2 AAdvantage miles on purchases
- Free first checked bag for you and up to 4 companions
- Priority boarding for up to 4 companions
- $99 companion certificate after $30,000 in annual card purchases
- No foreign transaction fee
There are a few small differences between the AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard® and the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®. Each card has slightly different 2x purchase rewards categories, 25% in-flight savings, and a signup bonus. However, the AAdvantage Aviator Business Mastercard has a $95 annual fee while the CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum has an annual fee of $99.
You should consider applying for the AAdvantage Aviator Business Credit Card first. You get a 5% year-end purchase rewards bonus.
What credit cards does American Airlines partner with?
American Airlines has co-brand credit card relationships with Barclays and Citi. Both banks offer personal and small business credit cards.
No credit card lets you transfer credit card points directly to your AAdvantage loyalty account. There is a backdoor way to book American Airlines award flights with airline partners. You can transfer your miles to British Airways and use Avios to fly American Airlines.
British Airways is a 1:1 airline transfer partner for these credit card programs:
- American Express Membership Rewards
- Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Citi ThankYou
What credit score do I need for an American Express business credit card?
You will have the best approval odds for an American Express business credit card with a personal credit score above 700. A score in the high or mid-600s may also qualify but might require manual review.
These cards have a personal guarantee which is why your personal credit score comes into play. Having a high business income or strong business credit score may help your approval odds.
Related Articles:
- How Hard Is It To Get A Business Credit Card?
- Best No Annual Fee Business Credit Cards
- How Hard Is It To Get the Chase Ink Business Preferred?
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.