AAdvantage Aviator Red Review: Rich and Easy-to-Snag Sign-Up Bonus

Qualifying for a five-figure sign-up bonus usually involves spending a four-figure sum in a short period of time (no pressure!). That’s not the case with the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®, which offers an easy-to-snag sign-up bonus. Make one purchase and pay the annual fee within the first 90 days, and you’re done. Any purchase of any amount will do. That means buying a pack of gum can be the first step toward a deeply discounted vacation.

The AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®, issued by Barclays, features perks that frequent American Airlines flyers would appreciate. But like many co-branded airline cards, the benefits are very much tied to American. If you’re not loyal to any specific airline, a general travel rewards credit card will likely be a better fit.

Note that Barclays also offers the AAdvantage® Aviator® Silver Mastercard®, a more high-end American Airlines card. It’s available if you request an upgrade from the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®.

Here’s how the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® and AAdvantage® Aviator® Silver Mastercard® compare.

» MORE: Which American Airlines credit card should you choose?

AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®: Basics

Card type: Airline.

Annual fee: $99.

APR: 0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening. Then the ongoing APR of 20.49%, 24.49% or 29.49%, Variable APR

Sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.

Rewards:

• 2 AAdvantage miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases.

• 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Foreign transaction fee: None.

Other perks:

• Free checked bag on domestic American Airlines flights for cardholders and up to four traveling companions on the same reservation.

• Preferred boarding on all American Airlines-operated flights for cardholders and up to four traveling companions on the same reservation.

• Annual companion certificate.

• Discounts on in-flight purchases: Get up to $25 back per anniversary year as statement credits on in-flight Wi-Fi purchases, and save 25% on in-flight food and beverage purchases on American Airlines-operated flights (you’ll get the discount in the form of a statement credit).

• Credit card purchases earn points toward AAdvantage loyalty status.

» MORE: American Airlines AAdvantage Program: The complete guide

A generous sign-up bonus without a spending goal

Most of the time, if you want a travel rewards card's sign-up bonus, you have to spend a certain amount — sometimes $3,000 or more — in the first three to 12 months you have the card. Unless you typically spend enough or have a major purchase on the horizon, reaching the spending minimum can be tough on your budget. That’s why the sign-up bonus on the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® stands out: Earn 50,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.

Annual companion certificate

If you spend $20,000 in an anniversary year and keep the card open for 45 days after your anniversary date (meaning the day you get charged the annual fee again), you’ll get a companion certificate that will allow you to bring another traveler along for $99 (plus taxes and fees).

» MORE: Top airline credit cards with companion tickets

Extras that make travel easier

You'll get one free checked bag and preferred boarding for you and up to four companions on the same American Airlines reservation. With the first checked bag costing $30 per flight for domestic travel, this perk could easily offset the $99 annual fee. You’ll also get a $25 statement credit per year for in-flight Wi-Fi purchases, plus 25% off in-flight food and beverage purchases (the discount will be in the form of a statement credit).

Earn status through credit card spending

Your spending on American Airlines co-branded credit cards, including the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®, will earn points toward status on AAdvantage. Every mile you earn on the card equals one loyalty point. You can attain AAdvantage Gold status, the lowest tier, by accumulating 30,000 loyalty points. You can also earn loyalty points by flying on American Airlines, American Eagle and oneworld partner airlines, or by shopping or dining with partner merchants.

Can be combined with other American Airlines cards

American Airlines is unique in that it offers co-branded credit cards from two different issuers: Barclays and Citi. That means you can have multiple cards all feeding bonus miles directly into your AAdvantage account. And since the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® grants you its large sign-up bonus after just one purchase, you don’t have to worry about meeting two spending minimums at the same time.

Combine that card with, say, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® and earn even more AAdvantage miles via its similarly generous sign-up bonus. Plus, you'll earn richer rewards on everyday spending. Unlike the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®, the Citi co-branded card earns double miles on more than just eligible American Airlines purchases. Restaurants and gas stations are bonus categories, too.

» MORE: AAdvantage Aviator Red vs. Citi AAdvantage Platinum

Turn pocket change into miles

The optional Flight Cents program allows you to round up purchases to the nearest dollar and use that extra cash to buy AAdvantage miles. You set a threshold of $1 to $500 (or opt out by keeping your threshold set to $0), and the “spare change” out of all purchases up to that threshold will be set aside until the day before your billing cycle ends. Whatever you’ve saved up will buy miles at a rate of 0.5 AAdvantage miles per penny. (Put another way, that's a cost of 2 cents per mile.)

Ongoing rewards rates are limited

Earning 2 miles per $1 only on American Airlines purchases puts limits on this card’s long-term potential. That’s where a card like the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® comes out on top, since it earns not just 2 miles per $1 on American Airlines purchases, but also at gas stations and restaurants.

Benefits are American-centric

Free checked bags and in-flight discounts don’t mean much when you don’t fly American Airlines often — or ever. If you want the flexibility to book flights on any airline without blackout dates, consider the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. You’ll earn 2 miles per $1 on purchases and can redeem them in the form of a statement credit for recent travel purchases. The card also offers a credit toward the cost of Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. It has a welcome bonus, too: Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel. The annual fee is $95.