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Key takeaways
- American Airlines’ co-branded business credit cards earn American AAdvantage miles on business expenses and travel.
- Currently, there’s only one American AAdvantage program business card open for application: the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®*.
- The CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® offers standout perks, including a companion certificate that’s good for a $99 domestic economy companion fare.
- Though business options are limited, there are other consumer and business cards that can meet the needs of American Airlines loyalists.
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When the American AAdvantage program was unveiled in 1981, it was one of the first airline loyalty programs. These days, you can use this program to travel to hundreds of global destinations. If you fly frequently with American Airlines, you can earn elite status and qualify for special perks like priority check-in, priority boarding, free checked bags and more.
If you’re a business owner, you’ll be happy to know you can earn American AAdvantage miles on business-related flights and on each dollar you spend. This is thanks to the American AAdvantage program’s co-branded business credit cards.
There’s only one business card currently open to applications, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t options for those who frequently fly with American Airlines. Select consumer and business cards can be a rewarding addition to your wallet despite not being co-branded cards.
Top business cards for American Airlines
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The CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® offers quite a few cardholder perks, including a free checked bag for you and up to four companions on domestic American flights, along with 2X miles on eligible American purchases and on purchases with telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and gas stations.
This card charges an $99, waived for first 12 months. You can add employees as authorized users, access a personal business assistant to help with travel needs and view streamlined online account summaries.
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Pros
- Numerous American Airlines-focused benefits for frequent flyers can save money on travel.
- Bonus categories are geared toward business spending.
Cons
- This card can be hard to qualify for if you don’t have an excellent credit score.
- Redemption options are limited to American Airlines miles.
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For American Airlines loyalists, the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard may be a perfect fit. You earn 10X miles for car rentals and hotels and 4X miles on eligible American Airlines purchases.
Plus, there are benefits added like trip protection, loyalty point bonuses, statement credits on Lyft and much more. This is on top of valuable perks like Admiral Club membership and a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry statement credit.
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Pros
- Card includes Admiral Club membership, which more than covers the annual fee.
- Get a free checked bag, in-flight discounts on food and drinks and the chance to earn more Loyalty Points toward elite status.
Cons
- High annual fee isn’t worth it if you don’t value Admirals Club access.
- Rewards are limited to American Airlines miles.
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The consumer version of the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® still has key travel perks, such as free checked bags for domestic flights, preferred boarding and savings on in-flight purchases when you use your card.
It also has a generous welcome offer and offers bonus miles at restaurants and gas stations, which may suit your spending habits better.
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Pros
- Great midtier option for American Airlines loyalists.
- No foreign transaction fees on overseas purchases.
Cons
- Low base rewards rate.
- Few perks apart from those offered for American Airlines travel.
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For on-the-go business travelers, the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card can be especially rewarding. You earn 3X points (on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year, then 1X points).
On top of this, you also get perks like free employee cards, trip cancellation and interruption insurance and cellphone protection. Because this card is part of Chase Ultimate Rewards, points are worth up to 1.25 cents when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
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Pros
- Card has useful bonus categories and travel protections.
- Rewards redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards can be worth more than points redeemed through the AAdvantage program.
Cons
- Spending caps may limit rewards for businesses with high spending.
- May not be worthwhile if you don’t spend in the bonus categories regularly.
Comparing the best business cards for American Airlines
| Card name | Best for | Annual fee | Recommended credit score | Reward highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® | Business spending | $99, waived for first 12 months | Excellent (740 – 850) |
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| Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® | Frequent flyers | $595 | Good to Excellent (670 – 850) |
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| Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®* | Welcome bonus offer | $99, waived for first 12 months | Good to Excellent (670 – 850) |
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| Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card | General business travel | $95 | Excellent (740 – 850) |
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How to choose an American Airlines business credit card
It’s easy to become overwhelmed with all the credit card options available, but you got this. As long as you choose a card that plays into your business spending categories, preferred annual fee and extra perks, you can narrow down the choices.
With that in mind, here are factors to consider as you choose the best business credit card for your needs:
- Which sign-up bonus is easier to earn? Some welcome offers require a lot of spending in a short amount of time. If you’re comfortable with that, you can score a sizable offer — but don’t stretch your budget just to earn one.
- How do the categories align with your spending? Let’s be honest: The base rewards rate on most cards is low and it’s all about the bonus categories. Pick bonus categories that closely match your spending so you can keep the rewards rolling in.
- Will you use the cardholder perks? For example, American AAdvantage credit cards offer free checked bags, priority boarding, 25 percent off select in-flight purchases, a companion certificate and similar earning structures. But the CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard offers 2X miles at gas stations, whereas the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® has big rewards on hotels and car rentals.
- Do you want to pay an annual fee? In general, the bigger the annual fee, the better the benefits are. But will you use them? Only pay for what you’re confident you’ll use — and make a plan to do so.
Should you get a business card and a personal card?
If you’ve been researching American Airlines credit cards, you may have noticed that some versions are geared toward individuals while others are geared toward business owners. Either a personal card or a business card can be a swell option if your goal is to score frequent flyer perks and free flights, but remember you can pick up a personal card and a business card to earn even more miles over time.
For example, you could consider pairing an American AAdvantage business credit card with an American Airlines consumer credit card like the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®.
While having both a personal and a business credit card may seem complicated, this strategy actually works rather well. Using a business credit card for business purchases can help you keep your expenses separate, thus simplifying your finances for bookkeeping and tax purposes. Having both types of cards can also help you double up on bonus offers and gain access to different perks and earning rates that can help you grow your miles balance over time.
What’s next?
The bottom line
If you’re a business owner interested in earning miles for award flights with American Airlines, you may want to consider getting the CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard. Alternatively, getting business and personal cards can help you maximize earnings and perks for your next American Airlines flight. If you still don’t see the card for you, our CardMatch feature can help you find a card that fits your needs.
Frequently asked questions
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An excellent credit score (740 – 850 FICO Score) is recommended for the CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard. This card might be hard to get for those just starting, so a better option may be other American Airlines cards, which only require having a good score (670 – 850).
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American Airlines AAdvantage miles are currently valued at 1 cent per mile when redeemed. While not the highest around, this is still a solid rate as you don’t lose value by redeeming the miles.
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No. A there is only one American Airlines business card, this would not be possible. However, should American Airlines introduce a new card, this may be an option. The best way to know is to call American Airlines’ customer service line.
*Information about the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® and Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
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