{"id":17604,"date":"2024-06-04T21:00:58","date_gmt":"2024-06-04T21:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/?p=17604"},"modified":"2026-04-08T13:58:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:58:03","slug":"aviator-red-mastercard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/credit-cards\/american-aadvantage\/aviator-red-mastercard\/","title":{"rendered":"Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles With the AAdvantage\u00ae Aviator\u00ae Red World Elite Mastercard\u00ae"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>Update: Barclays closed the AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Aviator<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Red World Elite Mastercard<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> to new applicants. If you currently have the card, you can continue to use your account as normal. For updates on Citi acquiring American Airlines' Barclays credit card lineup, please <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/news\/credit-cards\/citi-sole-issuer-aadvantage-cards\/\" rel=\"noopener\">click here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>The AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Aviator<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Red World Elite Mastercard<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> 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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"qs-card\" data-id=\"3\">\n            <div class=\"qs-data\">\n                <div class=\"qs-view\">\n                    <div class=\"qs-cardname\">AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Aviator<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Red World Elite Mastercard<sup>\u00ae<\/sup><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-image\"><img data-aspectratio=\"150\/95\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CardArt-AAdvantageAviatorRedMasterCard.png\" width=\"150\" alt=\"AAdvantage\u00ae Aviator\u00ae Red World Elite Mastercard\u00ae\" \/ class=\"lazyload\"><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-apply\"><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-rates\"><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-offer\"><strong>Welcome Bonus<\/strong> No longer accepting applications<\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"qs-info\">\n                    <strong class=\"qs-cardname\">AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Aviator<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Red World Elite Mastercard<sup>\u00ae<\/sup><\/strong>\n                    <div class=\"qs-offer\"><strong>Welcome Bonus<\/strong> No longer accepting applications<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-fee\"><strong>Annual Fee:<\/strong><b>$99<\/b><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-tabs\"><a class=\"qs-more\" href=\"#more\">Show more<\/a><a href=\"\" data-tab=\"wwl\">Why We Like It<\/a><a href=\"\" data-tab=\"er\">Earning Rates<\/a><div class=\"qs-tab-wwl\">The AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Aviator<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Red World Elite Mastercard<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> is one of the few rewards cards offering a sizeable welcome bonus after making your first purchase. For those with limited monthly spending, this card is an outstanding option to increase your American Airlines mileage balance.<\/div><div class=\"qs-tab-er\"><ul>\r\n<li>Earn 2X miles on American Airlines purchases<\/li>\r\n<li>Earn 1X miles on all other purchases<\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n            <a class=\"qs-share\" href=\"\/find-a-card\/AviatorRed\/\" title=\"copy\"><svg width=\"12\" height=\"16\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 16\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><use href=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/awardwallet\/public\/builds\/icon\/icon-sprite.svg?v2026-5-225dd03297#share-square\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/use><\/svg><\/a>\n        <\/div><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Aviator_Red_Card_Key_Features\">Aviator Red Card Key Features<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Earn 50,000 bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.<\/li>\n<li>No foreign transaction fees.<\/li>\n<li>Group 5 boarding for domestic travel.<\/li>\n<li>The first checked bag is free for domestic travel on American Airlines-operated flights.<\/li>\n<li>Get up to $25 back each year as statement credits on inflight Wi-Fi purchases.<\/li>\n<li>25% off in-flight purchases, including beverages, food, and more.<\/li>\n<li>2X miles on AA purchases.<\/li>\n<li>1X on all other purchases.<\/li>\n<li>$99 annual fee.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Aviator Red stacks up similarly to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/credit-cards\/american-aadvantage\/american-airlines-credit-card\/\" rel=\"noopener\">American Airlines' other co-branded credit cards<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n<div class=\"compare-cards-wrap compare-count-cards-3 compare-p-citi\"><div class=\"compare-card\"><div class=\"compare-pre\"><div class=\"compare-image\"><div><img data-aspectratio=\"150\/95\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CardArt-AAdvantageAviatorRedMasterCard.png\" width=\"150\" alt=\"AAdvantage\u00ae Aviator\u00ae Red World Elite Mastercard\u00ae\" \/ class=\"lazyload\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-name\">AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Aviator<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Red World Elite Mastercard<sup>\u00ae<\/sup><\/div><div class=\"compare-offer\"><strong>Welcome Bonus<\/strong> No longer accepting applications<\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-apply\"><\/div><div class=\"compare-fee-score\"><div class=\"compare-fee\"><strong>Annual Fee<\/strong><p>$99<\/p><\/div><div class=\"compare-rating compare-rating--0\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-earning\"><ul>\r\n<li>Earn 2X miles on American Airlines purchases<\/li>\r\n<li>Earn 1X miles on all other purchases<\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-card\"><div class=\"compare-pre\"><div class=\"compare-image\"><div><img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.nextinsure.com\/imaging\/opt\/c8ad7e8f-5b61-4e76-9b84-26872e38d537.jpg\" width=\"150\" alt=\"Citi\u00ae \/ AAdvantage\u00ae Platinum Select\u00ae World Elite Mastercard\u00ae\" \/ class=\"lazyload\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-name\">Citi<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> \/ AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Platinum Select<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> World Elite Mastercard<sup>\u00ae<\/sup><\/div><div class=\"compare-offer\"><strong>Welcome Offer<\/strong>\r\nEarn 60,000 American Airlines AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> bonus miles after $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.<\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-apply\"><a class=\"qs-how-apply\" data-ccid=\"3004018\" data-exit=\"ccw\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/CR-CitiAAdvantagePlatinumSelectWorldEliteMasterCard\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">How to Apply<\/a><\/div><div class=\"compare-fee-score\"><div class=\"compare-fee\"><strong>Annual Fee<\/strong><p>$99, waived for first 12 months<\/p><\/div><div class=\"compare-rating compare-rating--5\"><strong>Credit Score<\/strong><p>Excellent, Good<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-earning\"><ul>\r\n<li>Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent at restaurants<\/li>\r\n<li>Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent at gas stations<\/li>\r\n<li>Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases<\/li>\r\n<li>Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases<\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-card\"><div class=\"compare-pre\"><div class=\"compare-image\"><div><img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.nextinsure.com\/imaging\/opt\/2628f593-03e8-4f83-af89-1f091a9fc10a.png\" width=\"150\" alt=\"Citi\u00ae \/ AAdvantage\u00ae Executive World Elite Mastercard\u00ae\" \/ class=\"lazyload\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-name\">Citi<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> \/ AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Executive World Elite Mastercard<sup>\u00ae<\/sup><\/div><div class=\"compare-offer\"><strong>Welcome Offer<\/strong>\r\nEarn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> bonus miles after $7,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.<\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-apply\"><a class=\"qs-how-apply\" data-ccid=\"3004054\" data-exit=\"ccw\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/CR-CitiAAdvantageExecutiveWorldEliteMasterCard\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">How to Apply<\/a><\/div><div class=\"compare-fee-score\"><div class=\"compare-fee\"><strong>Annual Fee<\/strong><p>$595<\/p><\/div><div class=\"compare-rating compare-rating--5\"><strong>Credit Score<\/strong><p>Excellent, Good<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-earning\"><ul><li>Earn 10X miles for every $1 spent on eligible hotels booked at aa.com\/hotels and eligible rental cars booked through aa.com\/cars<\/li>\r\n<li>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)<\/li>\r\n<li>Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases<\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<h2><span id=\"Who_Is_Eligible_To_Earn_the_Aviator_Red_Welcome_Bonus\">Who Is Eligible To Earn the Aviator Red Welcome Bonus?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Aviator Red is issued by Barclays, which has an <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/credit-cards\/rewards-card-application-rules\/\" rel=\"noopener\">informal (and inconsistently applied) 6\/24 rule for new applicants<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_167670\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"600\/480\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-167670 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/American-Airlines-Plane-Featured-Daniel-Shapiro-Unsplash.png\" alt=\"American Airlines plane taking off into the sunset.\" width=\"600\" height=\"480\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/American-Airlines-Plane-Featured-Daniel-Shapiro-Unsplash.png 1000w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/American-Airlines-Plane-Featured-Daniel-Shapiro-Unsplash-300x240.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/American-Airlines-Plane-Featured-Daniel-Shapiro-Unsplash-768x614.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/American-Airlines-Plane-Featured-Daniel-Shapiro-Unsplash-325x260.png 325w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><center><em>Credit: Daniel Shapiro\/Unsplash<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<h2><span id=\"Our_Take\">Our Take<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>American AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> is one of our favorite frequent-flyer programs. With an <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/american-aadvantage\/american-airlines-partners\/\" rel=\"noopener\">extensive selection of top-tier partner airlines<\/a>, competitive award pricing with several <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/american-aadvantage\/best-ways-to-use-american-miles\/\" rel=\"noopener\">sweet spots<\/a>, and a route network that can take you almost anywhere, it's wise to add some American miles to your portfolio.<\/p>\n<p>The Aviator Red offers similar benefits to the <a data-ccid=\"3004018\" href=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/credit-cards\/american-aadvantage\/citi-aadvantage-platinum-select\/\">Citi<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> \/ AAdvantage<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Platinum Select<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> World Elite Mastercard<sup>\u00ae<\/sup><\/a>, so the choice of which American credit card to get will likely come down to the welcome bonus.<\/p>\n<p>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 <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/american-aadvantage\/reduced-mileage-awards\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Reduced Mileage Awards<\/a>, phased out as of October 1, 2021.<\/p>\n<p>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!<\/p>\n<div id=\"ftoc\"><div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"toc_light_blue no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Page Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#Aviator_Red_Card_Key_Features\">Aviator Red Card Key Features<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Who_Is_Eligible_To_Earn_the_Aviator_Red_Welcome_Bonus\">Who Is Eligible To Earn the Aviator Red Welcome Bonus?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Our_Take\">Our Take<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The AAdvantage\u00ae Aviator\u00ae Red World Elite Mastercard\u00ae can provide solid value for the occasional American flyer, with perks like early boarding, a free checked bag, and discounts on inflight purchases. It&#8217;s also one of the few cards offering a welcome bonus you can earn by making just a single purchase (of any amount) within the first 90 days of card membership. Here&#8217;s a quick overview of why you should pick up the Aviator Red.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":110546,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12055],"tags":[12776,12788,12232],"coauthors":[36432],"class_list":["post-17604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-credit-cards","tag-american-aadvantage","tag-barclays","tag-card-offers"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/80"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17604"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":256383,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17604\/revisions\/256383"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17604"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=17604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}