AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard Review: Valuable Perks for American Airlines Fliers and Easy-to-Earn Bonus Miles

The AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard is an affordable credit card option with perks that frequent American Airlines flyers may find attractive. This card has a generous bonus miles offer with no minimum spend, making it simple to earn. Other perks include a free first checked bag for the cardholder and up to four companions, priority boarding, and an anniversary companion certificate available to big spenders. Read our review to learn more and decide if this is the right airline credit card for you.

This credit card is a good fit for: Frequent American Airlines fliers who want to earn rewards on their spending and get access to perks that improve their flying experience.

Top perks

These are some of the top perks that are included with the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard:

Generous bonus miles offer with no minimum spend

The AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard has a generous 60,000 bonus miles offer for new cardmembers. Unlike many other travel and airline cards, there's no minimum spend required to earn the bonus miles. Instead, new cardmembers are eligible after making a purchase and paying the $99 annual fee within 90 days of account opening. This makes earning the bonus miles extremely easy after qualifying for the card.

Free checked bag on domestic flights

When flying domestic routes with American Airlines, the cardmember and up to four companions traveling on the same reservation can each check one free bag without paying a checked bag fee. American Airlines normally charges $30 each way per passenger for the first checked bag on domestic flights, so this credit card perk can result in significant savings.

Early boarding

Cardmembers will be able to board early. This perk is not only available to you but also to up to four companions. This is a nice benefit if you like to have extra time to get seated and claim overhead bin space.

Earn two miles per $1 on American Airlines purchases

You'll earn two miles per $1 on all qualifying American Airlines purchases. If you fly American Airlines regularly, this is an easy way to get rewarded for your spending. The card terms state that American Airlines purchases include eligible tickets, goods, and services purchased directly from the airline.

Anniversary companion certificate

For big spenders, the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard's anniversary companion certificate is attractive. If you spend $20,000 in an anniversary year and keep the card open for 45 days after the anniversary date, you'll earn a companion certificate. This certificate will allow you to bring a companion along with you for $99 plus taxes and fees.

0% intro APR on balance transfers

If you're looking to transfer a balance from another card, this card offers a 0% introductory APR on balance transfers, valid for 15 billing cycles. You must make the balance transfer within 45 days of account opening to qualify for this promotion. After the introductory period ends, a variable APR will apply. It's worth noting that you will be charged a fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

No foreign transaction fees

There are no foreign transaction fees when using this credit card for international purchases. Credit cards that charge for international purchases charge a fee of around 3%. If you plan to travel internationally, you'll want to make sure that you're using a card that doesn't charge fees for international purchases.

Earn 25% statement credit on in-flight purchases

With the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard, you can earn 25% back on eligible in-flight food and beverage purchases in the form of a statement credit. To use this benefit, you must use your AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard to make the purchase. If you typically buy food or drinks while in the air, this benefit can save extra money.

Annual $25 wifi credit

You'll get up to $25 back as statement credits on in-flight wifi purchases made on American Airlines flights. This credit is available on every anniversary. American Airlines offers wifi on most flights, and the fee to use wifi is $10 or less. With only $25 in credit, you won't get much use out of this benefit, but it's still a nice bonus perk to have available with this card.

Read more: Best Airline Credit Cards

What could be improved

While this card comes with some notable perks, there are some drawbacks.

Annual fee

While this card does offer some excellent perks, it does come with an annual fee. You'll pay $99 per year to use this credit card. While some cards waive the annual fee for the first year, this card does not offer that option. If you're looking to avoid paying an annual fee, this is not the card for you.

0% intro APR only valid of balance transfers

While this card does offer an introductory 0% APR offer, it's only valid on balance transfers -- not purchases. That means you won't be able to take advantage of intro 0% interest on purchases that you make with this card. Instead, a variable interest rate will apply for purchases.

This credit card is intended for consumers with good to excellent credit. Applicants will have a better chance of securing approval for the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard with a FICO® Score of 670 or higher. Other factors are also assessed, such as income and current debt. It could be possible to get approved with a lower credit score -- or be denied with a higher score.

If you regularly fly with American Airlines, the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard might be a good airline card for you.

If you're already flying with American Airlines and want to earn rewards on your spending, plus take advantage of extra perks and incentives, this $99-per-year card is a good option. However, if you're not loyal to American Airlines or don't plan to fly with the airline often, this may not be the best credit card for you. Instead, a general travel card may make the most sense.

Our Credit Card Methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.