Earn American miles without an annual fee: The AAdvantage MileUp review
Editor's Note
Citi is a TPG advertising partner.
American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp card overview
The American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® card offers the ability to earn frequent flyer miles for no annual fee. For occasional American flyers looking for a starter rewards card, the AAdvantage MileUp card fits the bill. However, given its limited perks and card protection benefits, other options are worth considering. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG's editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
When it comes to choosing your first travel rewards credit card, you have a lot of options.
The American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp is an entry-level American AAdvantage card in the airline's cobranded card lineup. This means you'll earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles on the card.
One of the biggest factors in selecting a cobranded airline credit card is the frequency with which you'll fly the carrier. Will you be flying the airline enough to take advantage of the benefits?
Or will you be better suited to a card that earns straight cash back or another, more flexible rewards currency? And, is it worth ponying up some cash for an annual fee?
In order to qualify for the AAdvantage MileUp card, we recommend a credit score of 670 or higher.
Let's dive into answering these questions for the MileUp card to see if this no-annual-fee card is right for you.
The information for the AAdvantage MileUp 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.
AAdvantage MileUp card pros and cons
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AAdvantage MileUp card welcome offer
New cardholders can earn 15,000 miles after spending $500 in purchases within the first three months of account opening, which TPG's December 2024 valuations peg at $248.
With no annual fee and a low spending requirement, this is certainly a reasonable offer but far from the most lucrative offer on an American Airlines card.
If you already have another AAdvantage card, you can also earn the bonus on the AAdvantage MileUp card; you just can't earn the bonus again if you've received a new account bonus for an AAdvantage MileUp account in the past 48 months.
That might be a good opportunity to grab more AAdvantage miles for no annual fee.
AAdvantage MileUp card benefits
While it doesn't have any high-value perks, the MileUp has a few benefits that American Airlines flyers should take note of:
- 25% savings on inflight purchases: You'll get a discount on inflight food and beverage purchases (but not on inflight Wi-Fi, which a third party manages). This discount comes in the form of a statement credit after a transaction has posted to your account.
- No mileage cap: You can earn as many American miles as you like and then redeem them for flights, upgrades, car rentals and hotel stays (although flights are the most valuable redemption)
- Earn Loyalty points: Cardholders earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible mile earned from purchases
Unfortunately, Citi has taken away most of the travel and shopping protection benefits they offered on nearly all their credit cards.
Additionally, the MileUp card has a 3% foreign transaction fee, so you won't want to use it when traveling abroad. Instead, you may want to consider cards that offer no foreign transaction fees.
The savings on inflight concessions have the potential to be a nice little perk should you actually need to purchase a snack or meal. For instance, if a family of four had two round-trip flights per year and each bought a $10 sandwich on board in each direction, that family would save $40 each year with the AAdvantage MileUp card. That's not bad for a card with no annual fee.
Related: The best airline credit cards with inflight discounts
Earning miles on the AAdvantage MileUp card
This is what you can expect to earn on your purchases using the MileUp card:
- 2 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- 2 miles per dollar at grocery stores (including grocery delivery services)
- 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases
It may be wise to use the AAdvantage MileUp card for everyday grocery spending and eligible American Airlines purchases.
However, remember that many card options have lucrative earning rates for grocery purchases. Like many issuers, Citi excludes discount stores and warehouse clubs from the grocery store bonus rate.
Related: The best grocery credit cards
Redeeming miles on the AAdvantage MileUp card
As a cobranded airline credit card, you can only redeem your earned miles toward travel with American Airlines and its partners.
Your points can also be used on Oneworld and nonalliance partners, such as Etihad, Air Tahiti Nui and Japan Airlines. I enjoy redeeming AAdvantage miles with Oneworld partner airlines, such as for West Coast to Tokyo on Japan Airlines business class for 60,000 miles.
In addition, you can redeem American miles on:
- Flight upgrades
- Admirals Club memberships
- Rental cars
- Hotel stays
- Charities
However, non-flight redemptions almost always provide a poor redemption rate.
Miles earned on the MileUp card have no expiration date as long you either earn or redeem them every 24 months. This is great if you have a big trip in mind for the future.
While we don't recommend hoarding points and miles (they can be devalued at any time), you could spend years racking up AAdvantage miles and redeem them anytime, so long as you're using the card from time to time.
Related: Best uses of American Airlines AAdvantage miles
Which cards compete with the AAdvantage MileUp card?
As mentioned earlier, there are plenty of options for entry-level rewards credit cards. Even within American Airlines' own lineup of Citi cards, there are several to choose from, alongside a cobranded partnership with Barclays which is set to be discontinued.
- If you prefer more benefits: The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® comes with an introductory $0 annual fee (then $99 per year). Benefits include a first free checked bag (for you and up to four companions on the same reservation), no foreign transaction fees and a $125 American Airlines flight discount after spending $20,000 on the card in a cardmember year.
- If you prefer elite benefits with American Airlines: The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees) comes with an Admirals Club membership, giving you access to nearly 100 Admirals Club and partner lounges worldwide. Cardholders also have the ability to bring up to two guests when you have a same-day boarding pass for American or one of its partners. You'll also get priority check-in and boarding. To learn more, read our full review of the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard.
- If you prefer United: The United Gateway℠ Card is the no-annual-fee option for United flyers. This card has a better rewards rate than most of its competitors for travel, gas and transit purchases. You can receive 25% back on United inflight and United Club premium drink purchases with this card, a solid benefit for a no-annual-fee product. To learn more, read our full review of the United Gateway Card.
For additional options, check out our full list of the best travel credit cards and best American Airlines cards.
Related: How to choose an airline credit card
The information for the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Is the AAdvantage MileUp card worth it?
The AAdvantage MileUp card probably isn't the card for you if you want perks like a free checked bag or priority boarding. However, if you can forgo the perks and are committed to earning AAdvantage miles or live near an American hub, this can be a valuable rewards starter card.
Bottom line
If you want to earn status and miles faster with American Airlines, the AAdvantage MileUp card could be a great start. The lack of an annual fee makes it perfect for those who don't travel often enough to justify paying one. The AAdvantage MileUp also has a solid earnings rate for groceries and American Airlines purchases.
However, if you fly American Airlines more than a couple of times per year or if you're seeking a card that offers more lucrative perks or travel rewards, there are better options available.
Related: The best starter travel credit cards