Best Airline Credit Cards of April 2025

Getting an airline credit card can be a good idea if you're loyal to a specific carrier.

Many airline cards offer perks like free checked bags or complimentary seat choices that otherwise cost extra money or require elite status.

Most charge a low annual fee, but some will give you the first year for free. And your savings from travel fees can easily outstrip what you pay each year, especially if you check a bag more than once, or travel with one or more companions.

This guide primarily focuses on airline-specific cards, but we've also reviewed two of the best travel rewards credit cards you should know about. Both earn points that can be transferred to some of the most popular U.S. airlines.

If you're struggling to make a decision, find the right airline credit card for you by identifying your travel needs, and then focusing on cards that offer the benefits you will use.

Here are our picks for the best airline credit cards you can get right now.

Best Airline Credit Cards of April 2025

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Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®: Best Airline Credit Card for American Airlines Flyers

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is best for people who are loyal to American Airlines.

Cardholders get a free checked bag on American Airlines domestic itineraries, along with preferred boarding and discounts on inflight purchases.

The card earns 2 AAdvantage® miles for every dollar spent at gas stations, restaurants, and on eligible American Airlines purchases, and 1 mile for every dollar spent on other purchases. New cardholders can earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $2,500 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.

The annual fee is $99, waived for first 12 months. If you spend $20,000 or more on the card in an account year, you'll get a $125 American Airlines flight discount on your card renewal anniversary.

Qualifying for elite status with American Airlines AAdvantage requires earning Loyalty Points. Along with earning Loyalty Points from flying and partner spending, you can earn 1 Loyalty Point per dollar spent on co-branded American Airlines cards, including the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®.

Read our full Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® review.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: Best Airline Credit Card for Delta Flyers

Delta loyalists benefit significantly from getting one of Delta's many credit cards. Out of the available Delta credit cards, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card offers the best balance between a moderate annual fee and elite-like perks that can save you cash and improve your travel experience.

New cardholders can earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership. Business Insider values Delta miles value at 1.1 cents apiece, on average, making this bonus worth about 88000 in flights.

The card earns 2 miles on Delta purchases and at U.S. Supermarkets and restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and 1 mile on all other eligible purchases. Terms apply.

The card waives the annual fee for new cardholders: $0 intro for the first year, then $150 a year after that ().

Other valuable Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card benefits include:

• First checked bag for free
• Priority boarding on Delta flights
• $200 flight credit when you spend $10,000 or more in a calendar year
• 15% off Delta flights booked with points
• 20% off inflight purchases as a statement credit

Terms apply to all of the above benefits.

The New United℠ Explorer Card: Best Airline Credit Card for United Flyers

The recently refreshed United Explorer Card offers a generous range of benefits for airline loyalists even after an annual fee increase.

The card now costs $0 intro for the first year, then $150, up from the previous rate of $95 a year.

In exchange, cardholders earn 2 miles per dollar on United® purchases, dining, and hotel stays when booked with the hotel and 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases. They also get additional benefits such as a $5 monthly rideshare credit, bonus travel credits for select rental car bookings and hotel stays, and additional rewards for spending $10,000 or more on the card each year.

The United Explorer Card comes with primary rental car coverage, which is invaluable if you frequently rent cars when traveling.

You'll also get:

• A free checked bag for you and one companion on the same reservation on United flights purchased with your United Explorer Card
• Priority boarding for you and your travel companion
• a 25% discount on inflight premium drinks and WiFi
• Bonus miles on United purchases
• Two one-time United Club passes each year for yourself or an authorized user on the card
• Application fee credit of up to $120 for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or NEXUS

New cardholders can earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open. United miles are worth1.3 cents each, based on Business Insider's calculations, so you can expect to get around 104000 in flights with this bonus.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: Best Airline Credit Card for Southwest Flyers

Southwest fans would do well to have the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card in their wallet in light of the airline's impending changes such as assigned seats and charging for checked bags.

In fact, it might make sense to get the card even if you don't often fly Southwest if you regularly check bags or travel with your family, since cardholders will get one free checked bag per traveler once bag fees are implemented.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is well worth its $149 annual fee for the right traveler, especially since it comes with an annual credit of up to $75 that offsets Southwest purchases. Cardholders also get 25% off inflight purchases in addition to earning extra rewards on Southwest transactions.

The Priority card offers a nice welcome bonus: 30,000 bonus points and a Companion Pass® good through 2/28/26 after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Points earned from any of the Southwest credit cards can also help you qualify for the coveted Southwest Companion Pass, which allows a designated companion to fly with you for just the price of taxes and fees on paid and award flights.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Best Airline Credit Card for Infrequent Flyers

If you aren't loyal to a single airline, consider getting the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. It's one of the best best travel credit cards available, offering extremely well-rounded benefits and rewards at a reasonable price point.

The Sapphire Preferred Card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, which are some of the most valuable award "currencies" in the game. Cardholders earn 5 points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2 points on all other travel purchases, and 1 point on all other purchases. Travel encompasses airfare to parking to hotels, while dining includes restaurants, delivery services, and even some bars.

The card also comes with an annual credit of $50 toward hotel stays booked through Chase Travel℠, which greatly offsets the $95 annual fee.

Cardholders can use their rewards to pay for travel booked through the Chase Travel℠ portal. Points redeemed this way have a value of 1.25 cents per point — a 25% "bonus" over the standard rate of 1 cent per point.

You can also transfer Chase points to many airline and hotel partners including Southwest, United, British Airways, JetBlue, and Hyatt. This often offers some of the best value.

The card also offers one of the strongest welcome bonuses available: 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Business Insider values Chase Ultimate Rewards points at 1.8 cents per point, so could get about 108000 in value from the bonus alone.

Finally, cardholders get valuable benefits including trip delay insurance, primary car rental insurance, and the famous Chase purchase protection.

The Platinum Card® from American Express: Best Airline Card for Luxury Travel

The Platinum Card® from American Express isn't worth the high annual fee of $695 () if you only travel once or twice a year. But if you're frequently on the road, this card's many premium travel benefits make it a wonderful travel companion, especially if you value airport lounge access and aren't loyal to a single airline.

The Amex Platinum Card earns a spot on our list of the top airline rewards cards because it earns 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 in this category of spend per calendar year). That's one of the highest earning rates available on flight purchases. Terms apply.

Amex points are extremely valuable for booking flights directly through Amex Travel instead of paying cash. You can also transfer them to more than a dozen American Express Membership Rewards partners to book flights and hotel stays on airlines like Delta or at hotels like Marriott and Hilton.

The Amex Platinum Card comes with a slew of valuable benefits after you activate them, including up to $300 annually in Equinox credits; up to $199 in annual credits for CLEAR® Plus membership; up to $200 a year in credits toward eligible prepaid hotel bookings through American Express; and up to $240 annually in credits toward eligible digital subscriptions (doled out as $20 monthly). Terms apply.

Finally, the card comes with generous credits for Uber Cash (which can be used for Uber Eats), Saks, monthly Walmart+ membership, and SoulCycle At-Home bike purchases. Terms apply and enrollment is required.

Airline Credit Card Customer Reviews

In addition to consulting our team of personal finance experts, Business Insider read online forums such as Reddit and Facebook to see what everyday consumers had to say about the best airline credit cards.

Are Airline Credit Cards Worth It? Benefits vs. Rewards

Many consumers are torn on this all-important question. Savvy cardholders evaluate the value of their airline credit cards by comparing their savings from various benefits during travel against the card's annual fee, if any.

If you typically travel with family members, getting an airline credit card can offset the cost of paying for seat assignments and checked bags, even if you pay an annual fee. But if you usually travel by yourself and look for the best deals regardless of airline, Redditors recommend staying away from cards that limit you to a single airline.

Use Airline Credit Cards to Save Money on Checked Bags

If you often check bags while traveling, an airline card can save you between $60 and $100 per round-trip ticket, easily offsetting the annual fee on most sub-$100 cards.

A checked bag on JetBlue costs $35 to $40 each way, so one cardholder mentioned that their branded JetBlue Plus Card easily pays for itself after a single round-trip flight.

Since this card covers the first checked bag for up to four travelers booked on the same itinerary, this person theoretically could save $280 to $320 for a family of four traveling together.

Airline Credit Card Are Usually Best for Benefits vs. Earning Potential

One frequent traveler said they keep the most premium United credit card for lounge access alone. Instead of focusing daily spend on that card, they use other cards for dining out and other common expenses.

If you aren't loyal to a single airline, many cardholders advise others to focus instead on generic travel rewards that can be used toward offsetting everyday travel expenses.

Choosing the Best Airline Credit Card For You

The best airline credit card depends on which carrier works best for you. For many people, the best credit card to use for flights may not even be an airline credit card at all.

Earning and Redeeming Miles with an Airline Credit Card

Airline credit cards allow cardholders to earn miles on various expenses. There isn't one "best" airline credit card or one type of airline mile that's categorically better than the others.

The value of each mile differs just like currency, so familiarize yourself with each airline's redemption methodology instead of fixating on a specific number. For example, Delta miles are generally worth less than Alaska miles, according to our estimates.

But all points and miles are only valuable if you can use them — so if you don't travel to destinations served by Alaska or its airline partners, earning its miles probably isn't your best bet.

We recommend checking out Business Insider's updated guide to what points and miles are worth,which attach a value (in cents) to the major airline currencies based on the types of award flights you can book through each.

Airline Elite Status and Cardholder Benefits

In addition to redeeming your airline miles for flights, cardholders often enjoy complimentary perks such as discounts on award redemptions, free checked bags, free WiFi, and even free elite status.

For example, Delta credit cardholders can enjoy a 15% discount on flights booked with SkyMiles.

Factors to Consider: Travel Habits and Your Home Airport

If your home airport is small, you typically have limited options when it comes to which airline you fly, so you'll likely want to earn whatever miles you need to fly from your hometown.

If you live near a large airport where your airline choices are plentiful and you have more options for loyalty, you may want to investigate how much different airline miles are worth on flights from your home airport.

Fees and APR

We've highlighted a range of credit cards here, from no-annual-fee options to premium cards that cost several hundred dollars a year. Choose an option that fits within your financial goals but still offers you the travel experience you want while flying.

If you don't fly often enough to merit keeping a premium card with a hefty annual fee, you might consider paying for day passes to a lounge and charging the expense to a generic rewards card that earns bonus points on travel-related purchases.

Why You Should Trust Us: How We Chose the Best Airline Credit Cards

Business Insider chose the top airline cards based on the value each card offers relative to its annual fee.

We reviewed credit cards from major U.S. airlines — including the "Big 3": American, Delta, and United — as well as smaller popular carriers like Alaska, JetBlue, Southwest, Frontier, and Hawaiian.

This guide only highlights the airline credit cards that offer the best value for most readers. However, other cards may make more sense for your personal needs.

There isn't simply one best airline credit card; the right option for you depends on what airline you fly, whether you're a loyalist or want flexibility, how you want to use your miles, how much of an annual fee you're comfortable paying, and several other factors.

Learn more about how we rate credit cards at Business Insider.

FAQs

Are airline credit cards worth the annual fee?

Yes, airline credit cards can be worth the annual fee if you frequently travel with the airline and take advantage of the card's benefits, such as free checked bags, priority boarding, and travel credits.

Is it worth it to get an airline miles credit card?

Yes, it can be worth your while to get an airline credit card if you're loyal to a particular airline.If you aren't loyal to a specific airline, consider one of the best travel rewards credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card instead. This card earns points that can be used to book airfare through Chase Travel, or transferred to Chase partner airlines such as Southwest and United.

How do airline credit cards work?

Airline credit cards work by earning miles in a particular frequent flyer program. You must link your frequent flyer number to your card account in order to earn miles on all eligible credit card spending. Those rewards will be reflected in your frequent flyer account, and you can use them directly from your airline account to book award flights.

What's the difference between airline credit cards and travel credit cards?

Airline credit cards earn you miles in a specific frequent flyer program, such as Southwest Rapid Rewards or United MileagePlus.Travel credit cards, on the other hand, earn transferable points — rewards that you can transfer to a variety of airline and/or hotel partners. Travel credit cards don't limit you to a single airline, but rarely offer airline-specific benefits such as free checked bags or priority boarding.

Do airline miles expire?

Yes, most airline miles expire, with some notable exceptions. Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and United miles never expire. Other programs like American Airlines AAdvantage do have expiration dates if you don't have any qualifying activity within a certain period (24 months, in the AAdvantage program). Earning miles from using a co-branded airline credit card counts as a qualifying activity, and can prevent your miles from expiring.

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