Best no-annual-fee airline credit cards

Starter travel rewards cards come in all shapes and sizes. If you’re looking for a way to earn frequent flyer miles with your favorite airline, there are numerous options available.

New to The Points Guy? Want to learn more about credit card points and miles? Sign up for our daily newsletter.

No-annual-fee airline credit cards are also fantastic options for experienced award travelers who are already owners of multiple cards in their wallets. These cards can help you top off your mileage balance for your next trip without breaking the bank.

Related: Best airline credit cards of 2021

The best choice for you will depend on your favorite airline, but we like the United Gateway Card out of the bunch for its inclusive earning rates and a sign-up bonus.

The best no-annual-fee airline credit cards of 2021

• American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card: Best card for American Airlines.
• Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card: Best card for Delta Air Lines (see rates and fees).
• JetBlue Card: Best card for JetBlue Airways.
• United Gateway Card: Best card for United Airlines.
• Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card: Best card for airline transfer partners.

The information for the JetBlue Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Comparing the best no-annual-fee airline credit cards

The best no-annual-fee airline credit cards

American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card: Best card for American Airlines

Current sign-up bonus: Earn 10,000 AAdvantage miles and a $50 statement credit after you spend $500 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.

Rewards rate: Earn 2x on American Airlines purchases and at grocery stores, 1x on other purchases.

Other benefits: Besides the ability to earn bonus miles, the only additional benefit you’ll get with this card is a 25% discount on inflight purchases. If you want to add an authorized user to this card, you can do so without tacking on an additional fee. Keep in mind that this card does charge a 3% foreign transaction fee, so you’ll want to avoid using it abroad.

Analysis: The MileUp card currently offers a sign-up bonus with $190 in value, including the $50 statement credit offer (based on TPG’s valuations). In 2021, American Airlines is also making it easier to earn elite status. By spending $30,000 or more on purchases with your eligible AAdvantage card, the elite qualifying dollar requirement for AAdvantage Gold, Platinum or Platinum Pro will be waived. If you’re able to meet this high spending threshold, you can speed your way to elite status, which can get you excellent perks that come with American Airlines’ credit cards with (much) higher annual fees.

Further reading: AAdvantage MileUp review

APPLY HERE: AAdvantage MileUp

Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card: Best card for Delta Air Lines

Current welcome offer: Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases within the first six months of account opening.

Rewards rate: Earn 2x on eligible Delta purchases and dining at restaurants, 1x on other purchases.

Other benefits: The Delta Blue Amex is the best way to earn SkyMiles without ever incurring an annual fee. You’ll also enjoy benefits such as 20% savings on inflight purchases (in the form of a statement credit), no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees) and a number of shopping and travel protections. These include secondary rental car coverage, the Global Assist Hotline for travel emergencies, purchase protection and extended warranty protection.

Analysis: According to TPG valuations, Delta SkyMiles are worth 1.1 cents each — making this welcome offer worth $110. This card offers a unique incentive when you pay for flights using your SkyMiles, giving you a $50 discount off the flight cost for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Delta’s Pay with Miles feature.

Further reading: Delta Blue review

APPLY HERE: Delta Blue Amex

JetBlue Card: Best card for JetBlue Airways

Current sign-up bonus: Earn 10,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.

Rewards rate: Earn 3x on JetBlue purchases, 2x at restaurants and grocery stores and 1x on all other purchases.

Other benefits: The JetBlue Card’s earning rate is better than most cards on this list, as you’ll not only earn 3 points per dollar on JetBlue purchases but 2 points per dollar on both restaurants and groceries. Plus, you’ll get a nice 50% discount on inflight purchases and enjoy no foreign transaction fees.

Analysis: This sign-up bonus is worth $130 based on TPG’s valuations. While not necessarily unique to the card, JetBlue allows for points pooling, which means you can combine your reward balances with up to seven friends and family members. If you and several friends and family open this no-annual-fee card, you can collect a decent boost of TrueBlue points.

Further reading: JetBlue Card review

Related: Best credit cards for JetBlue flyers

United Gateway Card: Best card for United Airlines

Current sign-up bonus: Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.

Rewards rate: Earn 2x on United purchases, gas stations and local transit and commuting, and 1x on all other purchases.

Other benefits: The United Gateway offers double miles on an impressive number of categories beyond United purchases, catered to those who are constantly on the go. You’ll also earn 25% back on your inflight purchases and forgo foreign transaction fees. This card is issued by Chase, who, by far, offers the most shopping and travel coverages, including secondary car rental coverage, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, purchase protection and extended warranty protection.

Analysis: Since United MileagePlus miles are worth 1.21 cents each according to TPG’s valuations, you’re looking at $242 in value from the sign-up bonus alone. As a United cardmember, you’ll have access to United-exclusive events through the carrier and Chase, as well as the ability to book hotels through Chase’s Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection for elite-like perks.

Further reading: United Gateway review

APPLY HERE: United Gateway

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card: Best card for airline transfer partners

Current sign-up bonus: Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $500 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.

Rewards rate: Earn 1.25x on all purchases.

Other benefits: The ability to earn an unlimited 1.25 miles per dollar on all purchases may be compelling for beginners who don’t want to keep track of bonus categories. In that case, you may want to opt for this travel card instead of an airline card to gain the most rewards flexibility. With your Capital One miles, you can redeem at a fixed rate of 1 cent each for any airline, hotel or miscellaneous travel booking. Or, you can transfer your miles to Capital One’s airline and hotel partners for potentially even greater value.

Analysis: We recently raised the value of Capital One miles thanks to the recent addition of four new transfer partners and a 1:1 transfer tier for select programs (in conjunction with existing 2:1.5 and 2:1 rates). Therefore, this sign-up bonus is worth $340 when transferring your miles to airline and hotel loyalty programs (based on TPG’s monthly calculations).

Further reading: Capital One VentureOne review

APPLY HERE: Capital One VentureOne

Bottom line

Nothing feels better than redeeming your airline miles for a free flight, and this is entirely possible by applying for any of the no-annual-fee cards on this list. These airline cards are all excellent introductions into the world of points and miles, as you’ll only have to worry about redeeming through a loyalty program you’re already comfortable with.

For rates and fees of the Delta Blue Amex, click here.