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 airline credit cards 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 included two of the best travel rewards credit cards you should know about, since both earn points that can be transferred to some of the most popular U.S. airlines.
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 in 2025.
Best Airline Credit Cards
- Best for American Airlines: Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
- Best for Delta: Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
- Best for United: United℠ Explorer Card
- Best for Southwest: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
- Best for infrequent flyers: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Best for luxury travel: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Featured Airline Credit Cards
$95
N/A
20.49% - 27.49% Variable
Earn 60,000 bonus points
Good to Excellent
- High intro bonus offer starts you off with lots of points
- Strong travel coverage
- Doesn't offer a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit
If you're new to travel rewards credit cards or just don't want to pay hundreds in annual fees, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a smart choice. It earns bonus points on a wide variety of travel and dining purchases and offers strong travel and purchase coverage, including primary car rental insurance.
Sapphire Preferred Card- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- Member FDIC
$695
N/A
See Pay Over Time APR
Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points
Good to Excellent
- Long list of travel benefits, including airport lounge access and complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott (enrollment required)
- Annual statement credits with Saks and Uber
- Bonus categories leave something to be desired
- One of the highest annual fees among premium travel cards
If you want as many premium travel perks as possible, The Platinum Card® from American Express could be the right card for you. The annual fee is high, but you get a long list of benefits such as airport lounge access, travel statement credits, and more.
Amex Platinum Card- Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market. As of 03/2023.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®.
- $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card® Members can get out and about and explore their local area with $15 in Uber Cash for US rides each month, plus a bonus $20 in December. That can be up to $200 in annual Uber savings. Simply download the Uber app and add your Platinum Card® to your Uber account to get started. Available to Basic Card Member only. Effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit.
- $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
- Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
- Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.
- $695 annual fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
$0 intro for the first year, then $150
N/A
19.99% - 28.99% Variable
Earn 80,000 bonus miles
Good to Excellent
- Earns bonus miles at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets
- Intro annual fee is $0 for the first year (then $150)
- You get a free checked bag and Zone 5 Priority Boarding on Delta flights
- Doesn't go above and beyond in terms of benefits beyond Delta perks
If you want to earn Delta SkyMiles and can use day-of-travel benefits on the airline, you should consider the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. It has a modest annual fee so it's worth it even if you only fly the airline occasionally.
Delta SkyMiles Gold Card- Earn 80,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Enjoy a $0 introductory Annual Fee for the first year, then $150.
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- $200 Delta Flight Credit: After you spend $10,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can receive a $200 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel.
- Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at U.S. Supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- You can check your first bag free on Delta flights, saving up to $70 on a round-trip Delta flight per person. For a family of four that’s a potential savings of up to $280 per round-trip flight.
- Receive Zone 5 Priority Boarding on Delta flights; board early, stow your carry-on bag and settle in sooner.
- $100 Delta Stays Credit: Get up to $100 back per year as a statement credit after using your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays on delta.com.
- Take up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you book on delta.com.
- Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit on eligible Delta in-flight purchases after using your Card.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- With Send & Split®, you can send money and split your Card purchases with any other Venmo or PayPal user, directly from the Amex App. Enroll today.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®: Best Card for American Airlines Flyers
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® gets you a free checked bag on American Airlines domestic itineraries, along with preferred boarding and discounts on inflight purchases.
New cardholders can earn a welcome bonus of 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $2,500 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.
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.
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 is now based on 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 Card for Delta Flyers
Out of the available Delta's 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.
This Delta credit card is offering a welcome bonus of 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership (terms apply). Business Insider values Delta miles value at 1.1 cents apiece, on average, making this bonus worth about $880 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 — the cost is $0 intro for the first year, then $150 a year after that (rates and fees).
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.
Read our full review of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card.
United℠ Explorer Card: Best Card for United Flyers
The United℠ Explorer Card offers a generous range of benefits for airline loyalists:
- A free checked bag on United flights purchased with your United℠ Explorer Card
- Priority boarding
- Discounts on inflight purchases
- Bonus miles on United purchases
- Two one-time United Club passes each year on your anniversary
- Application fee credit of up to $120 for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or NEXUS.
New cardholders can earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open. United miles are worth 1.3 cents each, based on Business Insider's calculations, so you can expect to get around $650 in flights with this bonus.
The card has a very reasonable cost: $0 intro for the first year, then $95 a year after that.
Read our full review of the United Explorer card.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: Best Card for Southwest Flyers
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is another example where a higher annual fee is warranted due to the value you get.
Thanks to annual benefits like $75 in statement credits for travel on Southwest, and four upgraded boardings where available, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card can be well worth its $149 annual fee if you regularly fly Southwest.
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.
Cardholders also get 25% off inflight purchases. If you fly Southwest more than once or twice a year, this card can easily be worth the annual fee, especially after factoring in the easy-to-use annual credit of $75 toward Southwest charges.
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.
Read our full review of theSouthwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card .
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Best Card for Infrequent Flyers
If you aren't loyal to a single airline, consider getting the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
It's Business Insider's all-around choice for the best travel rewards credit card, and also offers some of the best benefits for most travelers 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 per dollar on travel purchased through Chase and 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases. The card also earns 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries.
Furthermore, the card 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.
Travel includes everything from airfare to parking to hotels, while dining includes restaurants, delivery services, and even some bars.
The card also offers one of the best welcome bonuses among consumer credit cards: 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 $1,080 in value from the bonus alone.
Finally, cardholders get valuable travel insurance benefits including trip delay insurance, primary car rental insurance, and purchase protection.
Read our full Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review.
The Platinum Card® from American Express: Best for Luxury Travel and Generous Rewards on Flights
The Platinum Card® from American Express isn't worth the high annual fee if you only travel once or twice a year. But if you're frequently on the road, the card's many premium travel benefits make it a wonderful travel companion.
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.
Amex Platinum Card comes with a slew of valuable benefits when you enroll, 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).
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.
Read our full review of The Platinum Card® from American Express.
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.
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.
Hold Your Airline Card 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.
Airline Credit Card Frequently Asked Questions
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.
If you're loyal to a particular airline, it could be worth your to get one of its co-branded cards. If you aren't loyal to a specific airline, consider a travel rewards card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card instead. This card earns points that can be used to book airfare through Chase Travel, or for specific airlines that partner with Chase such as Southwest and United.
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.
Airline credit cards earn you miles in a specific frequent flyer program, such as Southwest Rapid Rewards or United MileagePlus. Travel rewards cards, on the other hand, earn transferable points — rewards that you can transfer to a variety of airline and/or hotel partners. With travel rewards cards, you aren't locked into using your points with only one airline, but you also won't get airline-specific benefits like a free checked bag or priority boarding.
Airline miles usually expire, but there are some notable exceptions. Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and United miles never expire, but with other programs like American Airlines AAdvantage, miles do expire if you don't have any qualifying activity within a certain period (24 months, in the AAdvantage program). Keep in mind that earning miles from using a co-branded airline credit card counts as a qualifying activity and can prevent your miles from expiring.
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 three" of 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.
