United vs. American Airlines: Which Is Best for You?
For frequent domestic flyers, American takes the lead, while United offers more perks for flying international.
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United Airlines and American Airlines are two of three large international airlines based in the United States.
American offers more route options than United, and its loyalty program, AAdvantage, provides more value than United MileagePlus. Meanwhile, United offers more credit card options and charges passengers less for Wi-Fi.
Whether you’re picking the airline for your next trip or you’re trying to decide which airline you want to be loyal to, here’s our comparison to help you.
Where they’re based and where they fly
Winner for route options: Tie
American Airlines
One of the “Big Three” U.S. airlines, American is a member of Oneworld and features more than 350 destinations on its route network.
» Learn more: The complete guide to American Airlines partners
United Airlines
United, a member of Star Alliance, operates flights to more than 360 destinations worldwide (slightly more than American Airlines), with a presence in nearly 75 countries.
Airline loyalty programs
Winner for value of program and rewards: American Airlines
American Airlines AAdvantage
Earning AAdvantage elite status with American can be costly, but it's easier than with United thanks to the many ways you can earn Loyalty Points.
American uses semi-fixed pricing to determine the cost of an award ticket, which is something United also does — but on a much wider scale and at a far greater cost. This is one reason why NerdWallet values American miles at 1.6 cents each and United miles at just 1.2 cents apiece.
» Learn more: The guide to American Airlines elite status
United MileagePlus
United’s elite status is more rewarding than American’s in that its upgrade system is simpler to use. However, that’s about where its superiority ends.
United doesn’t publish an award chart and keeps devaluing its miles, so you might pay nearly twice as much for a flight compared to using American miles.
United also still requires you to spend money flying to earn elite status — and it has some hefty requirements. You can earn top-tier Premier 1K status with a mix of Premier Qualifying Points, which are earned on a variety of spend that you make with United, and Premier Qualifying Flights. You’ll need 22,000 PQPs and 60 PQFs to earn status with this method.
» Learn more: The guide to United Airlines Premier elite status
Extra fees
Winner for lowest fees: United Airlines
United Airlines
United and American charge for extras such as checked luggage and seat selection. However, United has a slight edge here as in-flight Wi-Fi for United members costs just $8 (or 800 miles) on eligible domestic flights. United charges $150 each way to bring your pet in the cabin with you when traveling on eligible flights.
American Airlines
American lags slightly behind United when it comes to fees. Although you can watch ads in flight for limited complimentary access to Wi-Fi, you’ll otherwise need to pay $10. American also charges $150 for pets in cabin.
» Learn more: Which airlines have the best (and worst) fees?
In-flight experience
Winner of the sky: Tie
American Airlines
American features several different cabins, including economy, Main Cabin Extra, premium economy, Flagship First and business.
American serves complimentary snacks and nonalcoholic drinks to everyone on its flights, while those in premium cabins can expect complimentary alcohol and meals (depending on the length of the flight). Longer flights include meals for all passengers.
American does offer seatback TVs on some flights, but on other aircraft you’ll need to bring your own device to watch movies, TV shows or other entertainment. If you’d like to access Wi-Fi, fees start at $10 for the flight.
Notably, American’s Main Cabin Extra seats, which are available to elite members, offer extra legroom and complimentary alcohol. This is in contrast to United’s Economy Plus, which does offer more legroom but doesn’t offer free alcoholic beverages.
» Learn more: The best airline for in-flight entertainment
United Airlines
According to the Department of Transportation’s December 2024 Air Travel Consumer Report, United ranks second when it comes to on-time performance, with an on-time percentage of 87.7%. American, meanwhile, ranks fifth with a percentage of 85.2%.
During your United flight, you can expect to find economy, premium economy and business class offerings available. Like American, United offers nonalcoholic drinks and snacks to all passengers, while those with a higher class of service can expect better snacks, meals and alcohol during their flight.
United also offers seatback entertainment on some flights but does push the use of your personal device when possible. While movies, TV shows and music can be streamed for free, other use of Wi-Fi will cost you at least $8 per flight.
» Learn more: The guide to Southwest priority boarding
Credit card offerings
Winner for best credit card: American Airlines
United Airlines
United has four personal credit cards and two business credit cards available to passengers. While its most expensive card, The New United Club℠ Card, charges a slightly lower annual fee than American’s offering, American still wins out on this round.
Here are three of the best United credit cards:
Annual fee | $0 intro for the first year, then $150. | $350. | $695. |
Welcome offer | Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. | Earn 100,000 bonus miles and 3,000 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. | Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. |
Earnings on United purchases | 2x points per $1. | 3x points per $1. | 4x points per $1. |
Other earnings | 2x points per $1 dining and hotels. 1x point per $1 everywhere else. | 2x points per $1 spent dining, all other travel and eligible streaming services. 1x point per $1 everywhere else. | 2x points per $1 spent dining and all other travel. 1x point per $1 everywhere else. |
Free checked bag | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Ability to earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) | Up to 1,000. | Up to 9,000. | Up to 15,000. |
United Club access | 2 times per year. | No. | Unlimited. |
Priority boarding | Yes. | Yes. | Yes. |
Travel insurance | Yes. | Yes. | Yes. |
Other United benefits | 25% back on eligible in-flight purchases. | $125 United credit annually, up to two 5,000-mile anniversary award flight credits annually, 25% back on eligible in-flight purchases. | 10% discount on eligible economy award flights, 25% back on eligible in-flight purchases. |
American Airlines
American has four personal credit cards and one business credit card offered by Citi. Although United has more unique benefits on its cards, American’s loyalty program means you’re able to earn top-tier elite status solely through spending. This is a feature that United’s cards lack.
Here’s a look at three of the best American credit cards:
Annual fee | $0. | $99, waived for the first 12 months. | $595. |
Welcome offer | Earn 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. | For a limited time, earn 80,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $3,500 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening. | Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first 3 months of account opening. |
Earnings on American Airlines purchases | 2x miles per $1. | 2x miles per $1. | 4x miles per $1. 5x after spending $150,000 in a calendar year. |
Other earnings | 2x miles per $1 spent at grocery stores. 1x mile per $1 everywhere else. | 2x miles per $1 spent at restaurants and gas stations. 1x mile per $1 everywhere else. | 10x miles per $1 spent on car rentals and hotels booked through American Airlines. 1 mile per $1 everywhere else. |
25% back on in-flight purchases | Yes. | Yes. | Yes. |
Free checked bag | - | Yes. | Yes. |
Priority boarding | - | Group 5. | Group 4. |
Priority check-in | - | - | Yes. |
Earn elite status | - | - | Earn 10,000 additional Loyalty Points after reaching 50,000 Loyalty Points during the status qualification year. Earn another 10,000 Loyalty Point bonus after reaching 90,000 Loyalty Points during the same qualification year. |
Additional benefits | - | $125 flight discount after spending $20,000 during your card membership year. | Admirals Club membership, Lyft credit, Avis or Budget credit, GrubHub credit, TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit. |
» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now
United vs. American Airlines: The results
American Airlines is the clear winner in this competition. Although you’ll have a pretty similar in-flight experience, the value of American’s miles and the ease with which you can earn elite status — plus the fact that it has a larger route network — means it beats out United with ease.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2025:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
Cash Back
Earn 6% cash back in the category of your choice – for the first year. Plus, get a $200 online cash rewards bonus offer!