AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Citi's American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card is one of many cards earning American Airlines miles. Each card offers varying benefits, earning rates, and annual fees. So where does the AA MileUp Card fit in?
If you're looking to earn AA miles from a simple card with no annual fee and a handful of minor perks, this may fit the bill. Otherwise, it might be wise to check out your other options, even if you fly American just a handful of times a year.
Let's take a look at what this card has to offer so you can decide for yourself.
- 15,000 AAdvantage® miles after making $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- 2X AAdvantage® miles on eligible American Airlines purchases and at grocery stores, including grocery delivery services
- Save 25% on inflight drinks and snacks when you use your card on American Airlines flights
- $0 annual fee
- 2 AAdvantage® miles for each $1 spent at grocery stores, including grocery delivery services
- 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- 1 AAdvantage® mile for every $1 spent on other purchases
Page Contents
AA MileUp Card Pros
- No annual fee.
- 2X earning rate at grocery stores and grocery delivery.
- 25% discount on in-flight purchases.
AA MileUp Card Cons
- No free checked bags.
- Limited earning potential.
- Charges foreign transaction fees.
AA MileUp Card Welcome Bonus
Earn 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. This is a fairly standard offer for a no-annual-fee card. The required spending is low, and the bonus reflects that.
In terms of offer history on this card, 15,000 miles is the best bonus we've seen. That adds a bit of perspective.
AA MileUp Card Benefits
Often, a card's benefits of a card are what help make up for the annual fee. In this case, the few benefits the card offers set you ahead from the beginning since there is no annual fee.
- 25% discount on in-flight purchases when you use your card to pay.
- No cap on the amount of miles you can earn each year.
- Add authorized users at no additional charge.
- Loyalty Points earned from purchases help contribute to earning AA Elite status.
AA MileUp Card Earning Rates
The MileUp card has a simple earning structure as follows:
- 2 AAdvantage® miles for each $1 spent at grocery stores, including grocery delivery services
- 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- 1 AAdvantage® mile for every $1 spent on other purchases
If earning American Airlines miles is your priority, putting grocery purchases on this card is an easy way to build up your stash.
Related: The 8 Best Credit Cards for Groceries and Supermarkets
Redeeming Miles With the AA MileUp Card
Miles earned from the AA MileUp Card can be used to book flights on American Airlines and nearly 20 airline partners. That means you can book flights on the following Oneworld airlines:
- Alaska Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
- SriLankan Airlines
There are also a variety of partner airlines outside of the Oneworld alliance, including:
- Aer Lingus
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Cape Air
- China Southern Airlines
- Etihad Airways
- Gol Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- IndiGo
- JetSmart
- Silver Airways
No matter where you want to go in the world, you can likely get there on one of American's partners. Or, take advantage of some of the American Airlines sweet spots that abound. How does 20,000 miles to fly to northern South America sound? Or 75,000 miles for business-class flights all the way to South Africa? You can book those with AA miles.
Additionally, you can use American Airlines miles on flight upgrades, rental cars, and hotels. However, we don't usually recommend this since the redemption rate is often poor.
Application Restrictions
The card application rules state that the card bonus is “not available if you have received a new account bonus for an AAdvantage® MileUp® account in the past 48 months.”
Beyond this, Citi also has strict application frequency rules. You can only apply for one personal card per eight-day period and only two cards in a 65-day period.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Cards That Compete With the AA MileUp Card
- 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 2X miles on American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1X miles on all other purchases
- 5 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5 Miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 1.25 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.
- If you want an American Airlines card with a higher welcome offer and more benefits, check out the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®. The card has a low annual fee of $99, waived for first 12 months. It comes with the first checked bag free for the cardholder plus four additional people on the same reservation, extended warranty, purchase protection, and earns 2X miles on AA purchases and at gas stations. You'll also earn Loyalty Points on purchases. Read our full review of the Citi AA Platinum Select to learn more.
- If you want an American Airlines card with some perks and an easier bonus, consider the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®. The card makes it incredibly easy to earn the welcome offer by simply making one purchase and paying the annual fee. It also includes $25 worth of statement credits annually for inflight Wi-Fi purchases, provides Group 5 boarding, and the first checked bag free. Learn more in our Aviator Red Card review.
- If you want a card with transferrable rewards that can be used with multiple airlines, look at the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card. It also has no annual fee, and you can transfer miles to 19 airline and hotel partners. AA isn't on the list, to be clear, but you can transfer miles to Oneworld members British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, and Qantas and then use those to book AA flights. You won't get any free checked bag or boarding benefits with American Airlines with this card, but you'll gain flexibility in your rewards. Our Capital One VentureOne review has more details.
Related: Which American Airlines Credit Card Is Right for You?
Bottom Line
The AA MileUp Card is a decent option for a no-annual-fee airline card; however, the lack of benefits you typically think about with airline credit cards leaves something to be desired. If you're trying to earn AA miles in as many ways as possible, you might consider adding this card to your collection. Otherwise, other cards can provide a larger welcome offer and better benefits.
- 15,000 AAdvantage® miles after making $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- 2X AAdvantage® miles on eligible American Airlines purchases and at grocery stores, including grocery delivery services
- Save 25% on inflight drinks and snacks when you use your card on American Airlines flights
- $0 annual fee
- 2 AAdvantage® miles for each $1 spent at grocery stores, including grocery delivery services
- 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- 1 AAdvantage® mile for every $1 spent on other purchases
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.