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The AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® is one of the few rewards cards offering a big welcome bonus after making your first purchase. With most bonus offers, you'll need to spend between $1,000 and $4,000 during the first few months of card membership. But with the Aviator Red, you can pick up 50,000 bonus miles after paying the modest $99 annual fee and making your first purchase within 90 days.
This card can provide solid value for the occasional American Airlines flyer, with perks like early boarding, a free checked bag, and discounts on inflight purchases. Here's a quick overview of why you should pick up the Aviator Red during this elevated offer.
- Get $25 back as statement credits on inflight WiFi on American Airlines operated flights.
- Receive 25% inflight savings when you use your card for food and beverages on American Airlines operated flights.
- Earn a companion certificate each anniversary year, good for 1 guest at $99 (plus taxes and fees) if you spend $20,000 on purchases and your account remains open for 45 days after your anniversary date.
- Earn 2X miles on American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1X miles on all other purchases
Aviator Red Card Key Features
- Earn 50,000 bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Group 5 boarding for domestic travel.
- The first checked bag is free for domestic travel on American Airlines-operated flights.
- Get up to $25 back each year as statement credits on inflight Wi-Fi purchases.
- 25% off in-flight purchases, including beverages, food, and more.
- 2X miles on AA purchases.
- 1X on all other purchases.
- $99 annual fee.
The Aviator Red stacks up similarly to American Airlines' other co-branded credit cards. However, the biggest draw of the Aviator Red is the welcome bonus; this is the only AA card where you'll earn a sizable sum of bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying the annual fee.
- Earn 2X miles on American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1X miles on all other purchases
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent at restaurants
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent at gas stations
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases
- Earn 10X miles for every $1 spent on eligible hotels booked at aa.com/hotels and eligible rental cars booked through aa.com/cars
- Earn 4X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases (increased to 5X miles through the end of the calendar year after you pass $150,000 in purchases annually)
- Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases
Who Is Eligible To Earn the Aviator Red Welcome Bonus?
The Aviator Red is issued by Barclays, which has an informal (and inconsistently applied) 6/24 rule for new applicants. In other words, if you've opened more than six accounts in the past two years, your approval odds are lower than if you've opened less than six.
One of the unique aspects of Barclays credit cards is that you can earn a welcome offer more than once. If you've had the Aviator Red in the past, canceled it, and waited at least 24 months, you are likely eligible to earn the welcome bonus again.
Our Take
American AAdvantage® is one of our favorite frequent-flyer programs. With an extensive selection of top-tier partner airlines, competitive award pricing with several sweet spots, and a route network that can take you almost anywhere, it's wise to add some American miles to your portfolio.
The Aviator Red offers similar benefits to the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®, so the choice of which American credit card to get will likely come down to the welcome bonus.
Like other co-branded American cards, the Aviator Red has lost several benefits that used to make it a no-brainer. Among these are the 10% rebate on AAdvantage miles redeemed each year (up to 10,000 miles back) and access to Reduced Mileage Awards, phased out as of October 1, 2021.
Still, if you're looking for an easy-to-acquire bonus to set you up for your next AA award ticket, it's hard to go wrong with the Aviator Red. Take advantage of this offer before it flies away!
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
I got approved for this card, thanks for the info!
I had a question. When it came today the printed material attached to the card, under fees section, said the annual fee was waived for the first year? So does it mean you can earn the 70K point bonus just for making 1 purchase?
This would make it line up favorably with the Citi card that also waives the fee!
Oh wow! That’s not supposed to be the offer… Make sure to hold onto that paperwork in case you have to prove that it says you didn’t have to pay the annual fee to get the bonus.
Do I need to wait 30 days between credit card applications with other bank (Chase)?
Great question. No, you don’t.
Howie – do you know if you are eligible for the welcome bonus if you had had this card previously? I cant find any explicit determination in the terms & conditions. I had this card a few years back and Barclays closed the account after a couple years of little to no acitivty. Wondering if they would restrict the welcome bonus if I were approved approved again.
HP – the terms say this: “This offer is valid for approved applicants. Any bonus associated with this offer may only be earned once. You may not be eligible for this offer if you currently have or previously had an account with us in this program. In addition, you may not be eligible for this offer if, at any time during our relationship with you, we have cause, as determined by us in our sole discretion, to suspect that the account is being obtained or will be used for abusive or gaming activity (such as, but not limited to, obtaining or using the account to maximize rewards earned in a manner that is not consistent with typical consumer activity and/or multiple credit card account applications/openings). Please see the About This Offer section of the Terms and Conditions for important information.”
That said, we have seen Barclays give this bonus to the same person more than once, but there’s always the chance they could take it back (given these terms).
This is a card I’m looking at if I become a more seasoned AA flier. The one issue with Barclays cards is their pesky 6/24 rule, which I ran up against a little while ago for the JetBlue Plus card (they were as strict as Chase). I like the null spending requirement, and the 10% points redemption along with a host of travel protections gives this card a leg up over the Citi AAdvantage Platinum card. The lack of bonus categories other than AA isn’t a problem since I hold the AA MileUp card, and Chase/Amex cards are a stronger hand for everyday purchases anyway.
Thanks for sharing this offer! I was able to apply and I was pleasantly surprised that I was approved right away. I did have a Barclays account that I close about a year ago by closing the last card I had in that account which apparently did not affected my application. I am looking forward to receiving this bonus and enjoying the benefits of traveling with American Airlines.
This is fantastic! Our friends just told us about this card (they signed up on the way to Jamaica) -We are definitely in!!
Can I get this and get the bonus if I already have Citi AAdvantage?
Yes.
I have had this card since switching over from US Air. They seem to have great double point bonuses every quarter. Much better than AA CIti card which gives nearly nothing in promotions.
you can do a lot with 60k miles
I applied for this! I got the card! yeay! Never got an email confirming that I was approved, just got it in the mail. lol! I would love to be able to verify online what I qualified for but can’t find it. Do I have to call to verify? I’m hoping the 60K! That would be just awesome!
I saw that boarding is cat 5. I was just on AA Labor Day weekend. So they have 1-4 and then 5-9, right for their boarding zone group? So zone 5 is pretty good but I wish it was better. Or am I wrong with boarding zone groups?
I thank RMB for the comment about the promos! I like to know that. Amex used to do that and seems to have stopped.
Now I saw in a comment that you have 10+ cards, Howie? wow! I don’t have that many and it’s hard to pick and choose which cards to have in my wallet. Do you rotate which ones you have in your wallet?
You’re right on the zone boarding. If you call up the number on the back of your card they can confirm the bonus offer.
Just got my 60k for BB.
this is the first step in getting the silver aviator card
*pull the trigger on cancelling my old converted us air card.
Great deal, but it’s hard to pull the trigger on my old converted us air card that still gives me 10k every year upon renewal…
I’ll definitely go for this!
Great offer! I got this card earlier in the year with the 40K bonus – it is a chip and pin card that is good for travel in Europe.
It’s good to have a BarclayCard when travelling internationally because they have better Chip+PIN support.
Such a lucrative offer and easy qualification! For sure, our household will be applying.
This looks very tempting… I’m fairly new to the points/miles game and got the Chase Sapphire Reserve last December (love it!). I was sent a targeted United Explorer offer of 70,000 bonus miles a couple of months ago, which I accepted. I fly out of NYC maybe 3-5 times/year, so usually use United or American. I also have an Amex Gold & everyday and BOA travel awards cards. Is it too much to get this card now? I feel like I have too many credit cards already.
It is too much if you aren’t comfortable. That said, 10+ credit cards are definitely not crazy — I’ve got plenty more than that.
Thx Howie and Paul–I’m going to go for it and ask my dear hubby to do it too, then!
Everyone should do that. Twice the points and twice the travel.
I’d say go for it. Such an easy bonus!
Thx Howie! And there are no issues getting this card if you have the Citi exec platinum? Are there any restrictions to getting this otherwise? I may have had this product when it was a US Airways credit card and with the merger I dropped it in favor of the citi product-and I seem to recall something at that time about not being able to get it again in future…or am I confusing some minutiae regarding the red aviator vs silver aviator?
Tina, nothing restricting you based on having a Citi card — and based on my personal experience and those I know, getting this card after you’ve previously had it and have it closed for quite some time when you’ve decided to come back to AA/Barclays is not an issue.
How does this work if you have the citi executive platinum card? The rewards seem similar-if I get this will I get an additional 10% back on award points–or would I only get this benefit once with one of the cards only?
You are limited to 10,000 total miles back regardless of how many cards you have.
For the Hawaiian airlines card, Barclay has waived the annual fee since I’ve had it/. Do they do the same for this card?
Any fee waivers would be done on a case by case basis, as this is not a guaranteed benefit of the card.
Oh if only my wife wouldn’t have a fit, I’d sign her up in a minute.
It looked good at 40,000., but at least I got the 50,000 match.
Interesting card and they gave me a nice credit limit.
Ugh I got this card 2.5 months ago when the bonus was 50K.
Do you think I have any chance of getting a match for 60K?
I think you’ve got a very small chance. It never hurts to ask, but if you’re persistent and ask for a supervisor to do it as a one-time courtesy you may stand a chance. Barclaycard is not known to match bonuses.
Another question that’s a bit off topic – Any thoughts on AA Executive card to get Admiral’s Club (including any additional cardholders). I keep tossing this one around, but the $450 annual fee keeps stopping me.
It really comes down to how much time you’ll spend in the lounges. Look at your travel patters and that really needs to dictate if you’ll get enough value from the fee. You might be better suited with a card that provides Priority Pass lounge access too – https://awardwallet.com/blog/priority-pass-lounges-guide/
I think this is a great offer. I’ve had this card for a while now, and I really like it. Every year so far, they give me the opportunity to earn additional bonus miles by making another spending requirement, which prevents me from cancelling. Too bad it is getting so hard to book an award flight.
This was my first travel hacking card, and though I don’t use it much anymore, it’s still really useful! I always ask Barclay to waive the annual fee every year – and they do!
Paying an annual fee for rewards comes as standard now.
This card is usually pretty good about giving promos to earn more points throughout the year as well. They usually send offers by email but you can call in as well. Got 15k earlier in the year for spending $500/mo for 3 months.
Good to know.
Great sign up bonus and other advantages of this card, shame about the annual,fee but this is becoming normal now.
I’d rather have $600 lol. Now if this card would allow redeeming it for 1 cent per mile on their flights.
They should open up more saaver seats too
im really disappointed about AA. Delays and cancellations happen all the time.
Group 1 boarding or group 4 boarding??? I think it’s really group 4 (after concierge key, first class, executive platinum, platinum pro, and platinum).
Group 5 actually. Thanks for noticing that, I’ve fixed it.
FYI if you signed of the 50k promo within the last 30 days Barclays will match you to the 60k promo.
I had the Citi AA card and was just approved for this Barclay AA offer. Yay!!
I am allergic to annual fees.
You also must be allergic to the best travel rewards cards unfortunately!
I should cancel this card that I no longer use due to lack of AA saver award availability.
I am having the same problem on saver award flights to brazil until March
I just book a year in advance
If only AA would open more seats for what are really already paid to AA award seats.