Best Airline Credit Cards in November 2024

Airline credit cards are co-branded cards that offer rewards and benefits tailored to frequent flyers of a particular airline. When you make purchases on an airline credit card, you earn miles that can be redeemed for free flights or other types of rewards with the airline.

Airline cards often give you bonus miles for purchases made with the airline, and may have a bonus on other types of purchases like gas, dining and groceries. They also often offer airline perks such as priority boarding and free checked bags when flying on the airline associated with the card.

Airline credit cards are worth it if you’re loyal to an airline brand and fly frequently enough to take advantage of airline-specific benefits like free checked bags and priority boarding. This is true whether you fly frequently or only a few times each year. Premium airline cards are ideal for frequent travelers because of their generous perks and (in some cases) ability to earn elite status. Occasional travelers can also justify a $99 annual fee based on perks like free checked bags.

Checked bag fees are typically around $35 each way, so that’s a savings of $280 on a round-trip flight for a family of four.

Airline cards are not worth it if you’re not loyal to any airline and/or you’re just looking to earn miles for a free flight. A general travel credit card is better in this scenario because points are more valuable and flexible.

Looking for more flexible rewards? See the best travel credit cards

Airline miles are a rewards currency that can be redeemed for flights and other rewards with a particular airline. Miles used to be awarded based on the number of miles you flew with an airline, but this is no longer the case for most airlines. Now, airlines tend to award miles based on how much you spend, including with their co-branded credit cards and eligible airline partners.

The rate of miles that you earn will usually depend on your level of elite status and the type of purchase you’re making:

• Higher-level elite members typically earn more miles per dollar on flight purchases than lower-status members.
• For credit card spending, you’ll typically get 1 mile per dollar on general purchases made with a credit card and an even higher value when you purchase flights through the airline’s portal.
• Many airline credit cards also offer a higher rate of miles on everyday purchase categories like groceries, gas or dining.

You can typically redeem airline miles for the following:

• Travel (flights, hotel stays, upgrades and more)
• Statement credits
• Cash back
• Gift cards
• Merchandise

Before choosing an airline credit card, it is important to consider your goals, spending patterns, travel habits and other factors. Even if you want to earn a certain type of miles or points, there are often multiple credit cards for that brand that offer different earning power, benefits and annual fees. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Are you loyal to any airlines? If you’re loyal to one airline, this will help you narrow down your search. You can generally earn more miles by using an airline credit card to purchase flights. Plus, you’ll get elite-style benefits when flying with that specific airline like priority boarding, free checked bags and lounge access.
   Savvy traveler tip: If you’re trying to decide which airline to focus on, you should compare where you live to airline hub locations. Flying through an airline’s hub makes it easier to connect and often provides more direct flight options.
2. Where are you planning to travel? Some airlines don’t fly to certain parts of the world, or take strange routes to get there. For example, Southwest Airlines is popular in the U.S., but it doesn’t fly to Europe or Asia. Similarly, JetBlue flies to many popular destinations, but travelers often have to fly through New York or Boston to get there.
3. Is an annual fee worth it? Airline and travel credit cards have fees ranging from $0 to $695, so there’s a broad spectrum of choices to match everyone’s budget. You should analyze the card’s earning power and benefits to determine if an annual fee is worth it. One of the best reasons to get an airline credit card is to receive perks like priority boarding, free checked bags and in-flight discounts. But, according to a LendingTree study, only 28 of 37 airline cards reviewed had at least one of these airline perks. If you don’t pay an annual fee, you might find your card lacking in benefits.
4. Which categories do you spend the most on? Aside from paying for flights, think about where else you spend the most money each month. Airline credit cards often include bonus categories that align with the spending habits of their customers. The categories and bonus multipliers vary by card, so compare your options before applying for a new credit card. For example, the Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card offers accelerated miles at U.S. supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
5. What other benefits are valuable to you? Airline and travel credit cards often include other perks that might be more valuable than the miles you earn. This may include airport lounge access, annual travel credits, reimbursement for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry and travel protections. Travel protections can come in handy if your trip is delayed, canceled or interrupted, if your rental car is damaged and if your bags are lost or delayed.

The value of an airline mile depends on the loyalty program and how you choose to redeem your miles. The average airline mile is worth around 1.4 cents, with American Airlines AAdvantage offering the highest value. Typically, you’ll get the most value from your airline miles when you redeem them for flights. Here’s how we value miles from some of the top airline loyalty programs:

To bring you the list of best travel credit cards, we use an objective rating and ranking system that compares features across a large set of credit cards (over 200 of them from over 50 issuers). We use calculations to estimate the value of each card for the average cardholder, based on LendingTree and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

We rank cards based on the following criteria:

• Average value over two years (80% of rating): We calculate the value of rewards and perks for the average cardholder using Bureau of Labor statistics data and an annual spend of $20,000, minus the annual fee. This value includes the card’s sign-up bonus, annual bonus (including free night certificates) and travel perks like lounge access and travel credits. We look at the average rewards earned over two years to balance out a card’s ongoing value with its first-year value.
• Flexibility of rewards (15% of rating): We consider how easy the rewards are to use, looking at factors like expiration dates, minimum thresholds to redeem, blackout dates and the availability of flexible redemption options like travel statement credits and cash back.
• Other features (5% of rating): We also compare a card’s benefits, such as purchase protections, travel protections and elite status benefits against benefits from other cards.

Note, that our ratings are a starting point for comparing and choosing the best travel credit card. However, your needs may be different from the average cardholder. You should consider the amount you’re likely to spend in a card’s bonus categories and which benefits you value to choose the best card for you.