USA TODAY 10Best
Fly for less with the 10 best airline credit cards
Best Airline Credit Card (2023)
Free flights, priority boarding, upgrades, and no luggage fees – these are just some of the rewards you receive when you start making purchases with a good airline credit card.
10Best teamed up with a panel of miles-and-points experts to nominate the best airline credit cards available. Then, readers voted for their favorites. Here are the 10 best airline credit cards.
- Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card
- Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Mastercard
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card
- United Explorer Visa
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Visa
- Alaska Airlines Visa Signature
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Visa
- The JetBlue Plus Mastercard
- Allegiant World Mastercard
No. 10:
Travelers with a Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard get their first checked bag free for themselves and up to four companions, preferred boarding on American Airlines, no foreign transaction fees, and 25% off eligible in-flight purchases. Cardholders earn 2 miles for every dollar spent on American Airlines purchases or at restaurants and gas stations.
Photo courtesy of Delta Air Lines
No. 9:
The Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card comes packed with benefits, including an 85,000-mile sign-up bonus with eligible purchases, free Delta Sky Club access, Status Boost, complimentary upgrades, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit and one companion certificate each year.
Photo courtesy of American Airlines
No. 8:
The Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Mastercard offers key perks to cardholders including preferred boarding on American Airlines flight and a free checked bag. In addition, cardholders can get discounts or cash back on in-flight purchases and there are no foreign transaction fees.
Photo courtesy of Delta Air Lines
No. 7:
The sign-up bonus for the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card from American Express includes 85,000 bonus miles with eligible purchases. Other benefits include companion certificates, Status Boost, a free checked bag, and priority boarding. Cardholders can earn 3 miles per dollar on Delta purchases and direct hotel bookings, plus 2 miles per dollar on restaurants and supermarkets.
Photo courtesy of United Explorer Visa
No. 6:
Frequent domestic travelers enjoy perks like priority boarding, free first checked bags, and two United Club passes per year. The card comes with a 60,000-mile sign-up bonus, twice the miles on United purchases and dining, and a $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit.
Photo courtesy of Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Visa
No. 5:
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Visa earns users two points per dollar on Southwest Airlines purchases and partner hotel and car rentals, plus a point per dollar spent everywhere else. Cardholders earn 3,000 anniversary points, as well. A limited-time 60,000-point sign-up bonus sweetens the deal.
Photo courtesy of Bank of America
No. 4:
Miles racked up through the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card can be redeemed on travel with around a dozen partner airlines. A sign-up bonus of 50,000 miles and $100 statement credit (after qualifying purchases), discounted companion fares, no foreign transaction fees, and a free checked bag for up to six passengers on the same reservation add to the appeal. Plus, Mileage Plan is one of the more generous frequent flyer programs and still awards miles based upon distance flown.
Photo courtesy of Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Visa
No. 3:
Budget-minded travelers who frequently fly Southwest Airlines benefit from the Rapid Rewards Premier credit card with benefits like no foreign transaction fees, a 60,000-point sign-up bonus, four upgraded boardings per year, $75 annual travel credit, 25% back on in-flight purchases, and a 7,500-point bonus after each account anniversary.
No. 2:
For fans of JetBlue, the JetBlue Plus Mastercard offers six points per dollar spent on JetBlue purchases, two points per dollar at restaurants and grocery stores, and one point per dollar everywhere else. Cardholders enjoy no foreign transaction fees, a 40,000-point sign-up bonus, free first checked bags, 50% savings on in-flight purchases, and a 5,000-point bonus after each account anniversary.
Photo courtesy of Allegiant
No. 1:
The Allegiant World Mastercard earns three points per dollar on Allegiant purchases (including air, hotel, and car rental), two points per dollar on qualified dining, and a point per dollar on everything else. Other perks include a 15,000-point sign-up bonus (after qualifying purchases), BOGO airfare on qualifying vacation packages, priority boarding, and a free beverage on every flight.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Cindy Greenstein
Cindy Greenstein is a mother of three young adults... Read More
Cindy Greenstein is a mother of three young adults and a credit-card points expert who loves to travel for free. During her more than 20 years of marriage, she has used credit card points to travel the world while rarely paying for airline flights and hotel rooms. Some of her five-figure travel savings include trips to Aspen ($26,000); Greece ($23,000) and London ($15,000). Her favorite credit cards for point accumulation include the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Capital One Venture X and American Express Gold. Cindy—an attorney and former certified public accountant—founded The Points Mom to share her credit card rewards-program expertise with family friends and small business owners who don’t have the time to learn how to maximize their points. Her services include one-on-one consultations, group consultations, speaking engagements, and reward-program tutorials. She provides the latest offers as well as tons of tips and tricks on Instagram at thepointsmom_ . When Cindy pays for travel or hotels, she is strategic about the credit cards that she uses. For example, on her trips she pays with the card that will earn her the most rewards, gets her the closest to elite status and offers her the most lucrative benefits.
Cindy Greenstein
Cindy Greenstein is a mother of three young adults and a credit-card points expert who loves to travel for free. During her more than 20 years of marriage, she has used credit card points to travel the world while rarely paying for airline flights and hotel rooms. Some of her five-figure travel savings include trips to Aspen ($26,000); Greece ($23,000) and London ($15,000). Her favorite credit cards for point accumulation include the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Capital One Venture X and American Express Gold. Cindy—an attorney and former certified public accountant—founded The Points Mom to share her credit card rewards-program expertise with family friends and small business owners who don’t have the time to learn how to maximize their points. Her services include one-on-one consultations, group consultations, speaking engagements, and reward-program tutorials. She provides the latest offers as well as tons of tips and tricks on Instagram at thepointsmom_ . When Cindy pays for travel or hotels, she is strategic about the credit cards that she uses. For example, on her trips she pays with the card that will earn her the most rewards, gets her the closest to elite status and offers her the most lucrative benefits.
Ramsey Qubein
Ramsey Qubein is a freelance travel journalist... Read More
Ramsey Qubein is a freelance travel journalist covering hotels, cruises, airlines and loyalty programs from around the globe. His work has appeared in numerous publications including Conde Nast Traveler, Travel+Leisure, Forbes.com, CNBC.com, AFAR, Robb Report, Readers Digest, BBC Worldwide, USA Today, NerdWallet.com and Business Traveler magazine among others. Ramsey flies more than 450,000 miles per year and has traveled to 168 countries, all seven continents and 50 U.S. states. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter or via his website.
Ramsey Qubein
Ramsey Qubein is a freelance travel journalist covering hotels, cruises, airlines and loyalty programs from around the globe. His work has appeared in numerous publications including Conde Nast Traveler, Travel+Leisure, Forbes.com, CNBC.com, AFAR, Robb Report, Readers Digest, BBC Worldwide, USA Today, NerdWallet.com and Business Traveler magazine among others. Ramsey flies more than 450,000 miles per year and has traveled to 168 countries, all seven continents and 50 U.S. states. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter or via his website.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
