AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Card Review 2023
The AAdvantage® Pilot® Red World Elite Mastercard® has long been a favorite of mine for one reason: the simplest sign-up bonus you can imagine. However, the card offers much more than just the bonus and is a great credit card for earning valuable American Airlines miles. Even if you only fly with American Airlines a few times per year, this card could be useful for you.
In this AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard review, we’ll discuss this card’s perks and drawbacks to help you decide if it’s a good option for your wallet.
In this AAdvantage® pilot® Red World Elite Mastercard® reviews
Who should get the AAdvantage® pilot® Red World Elite Mastercard®?
The lure of the AAdvantage® Pilot® Red World Elite Mastercard® is that nearly anyone could use it to save money. Whether you are someone who only travels a few times per year or is routinely in the air, this card could help you offset the cost of airfare by using airline miles on your flights. Plus, it offers some useful travel benefits.
If you’re looking for the best airline credit card to earn American Airlines thousands, this one is definitely worth considering. Here are some fundamentals to help you decide if this is the card for you.
card basics
| card type | travel |
| credit card issuer | barclays |
| credit card network | mastercard |
| Annual fee | $99 |
| Intro bonus | Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you make your first purchase in the first 90 days and pay the annual fee |
| reward rate | 2X miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, and 1X mile per dollar spent on all other purchases |
| Recommended credit score | excellent |
| Enter APR | 0% for 15 billing cycles (on balance transfers that post within 45 days of account opening) (then 18.99%, 22.99% or 27.99% (variable)) |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
AAdvantage® pilot® Red World Elite Mastercard® benefits and perks
- Welcome offer: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you make your first purchase in the first 90 days and pay the annual fee.
- Statement credits on inflight WiFi: Cardholders get up to $25 per year in statement credits for in-flight WiFi purchases made with your card.
- Anniversary companion certificate: You can earn a certificate good for companion airfare (valued at $99, plus taxes and fees) if you spend more than $20,000 per year on your card and keep the card open for 45 days after your cardmember anniversary date.
- In-flight savings: When you use your card to make an in-flight food or beverage purchase on American Airlines, you’ll receive a statement credit for 25% off the purchase price.
- Free checked bags: Get a first checked bag free for you and up to four traveling companions on the same American Airlines itinerary. Even if you only fly a few times per year, this perk could save you a lot on American Airlines baggage fees.
- Preferred boarding: This card offers priority boarding for you and up to four companions on the same reservation.
- travel coverage: When you use the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard to purchase travel, you’ll get access to travel coverage. Your policies will include trip cancellation/interruption coverage, travel accident insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver, and baggage delay insurance.
- Fraud liability protection: In addition to travel protections, you’ll also get $0 fraud liability coverage.
- Flight Cents: If you are interested in maximizing each one of your purchases and can spare some change, the Flight Cents program may make sense for you. When you make a purchase, this program automatically rounds your purchase up to the nearest dollar and uses that spare change to buy you American Airlines thousands.
- No foreign transaction fees: If you decide to use this card outside of the United States, you won’t incur any foreign transaction fees.
- Enter APR: With this card, you get a 0% introductory APR for 15 billing cycles (on balance transfers that post within 45 days of account opening). After that, the regular APR of 18.99%, 22.99% or 27.99% (variable) applies.
- Loyalty Points: Earn one Loyalty Point for every one eligible mile earned from purchases. Loyalty Points can help you achieve elite status with American Airlines.
Drawbacks of this card
- Has annual fee: This card has an annual fee of $99. While it could be relatively easy to offset this cost if you’re a frequent flyer on American, it’s something to consider as you compare credit cards.
- No enter APR on purchases: While the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard has an intro APR on balance transfers, it doesn’t offer an intro APR on new purchases. Instead, you’ll get the card’s regular variable APR on purchases.
Earning & redeeming American Airlines thousands
Potential earnings in years one and two
Here’s a look at how your miles can add up with the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard. To calculate these values, we used a valuation of 1 cent.
Remember, this is an estimate. The actual value is determined by how much you spend and where you spend it.
Year one earnings: $836
Year two earnings: $236
These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which takes a look at points earned via spending, the sign-up bonus, and the annual fee.
Note that these values only account for general travel spending and not spending specific to American Airlines. If you use your card frequently for American Airlines purchases, your earnings will likely be higher in years one and two.
Best ways to earn
The best way to earn American Airlines miles with the AAdvantage® Pilot® Red World Elite Mastercard® is to use it for eligible American Airlines purchases, which earn you 2X miles. All other purchases will net you 1X AAdvantage miles. The more you spend, the more you can earn, and the more you can fly for nearly free.
However, if you’re a foodie, there is an additional strategy to keep in mind when you purchase your next dinner out: consider signing up for the AAdvantage Dining Program. With this program, you can earn up to five American Airlines miles per dollar spent at their partner restaurants, along with the earnings from the credit card itself.
| categories | reward rate |
| Eligible American Airlines purchases | 2X |
| All other purchases | 1X |
Maximizing your redemptions
There are multiple options for redeeming your American Airlines miles. Here’s the full list of redemption options:
- Flights (on American Airlines, oneworld partners, and non-alliance partners)
- rental cars
- Travel packages booked through American Airlines Vacations
- Magazine and newspaper subscriptions
- Gift cards
Generally, you’ll get the most value from your miles when you use them for American Airlines flights or transfer them to an airline partner.
AAdvantage® pilot® Red World Elite Mastercard® transfer partners
American Airlines is part of the Oneworld alliance, which means Aviator Red World Elite cardholders can redeem their American Airlines AAdvantage miles across a network of airlines from around the world. You can also use your miles with a number of American Airlines partners that aren’t part of an alliance.
Here’s a full list of Advantage OneWorld partners:
- alaska airways
- British Airways
- cathay pacific
- finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- malaysian airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Morocco
- Royal Jordanian Airlines
- S7 Airlines
- Sri Lankan Airlines
Here’s a full list of non-alliance partners:
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Cape Air
- china southern airlines
- Etihad Airlines
- Fiji Airways
- GOL Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- JetBlue
- Seaborne Virgin Airlines
AAdvantage® pilot® Red World Elite Mastercard® FAQ’s
How much is 60,000 American Airlines miles worth?
American Airlines miles are worth approximately 1 cent per point. So, at that value, 60,000 American Airlines miles are worth around $600. In terms of the type of travel you can book, 60,000 miles on American Airlines could get you a round-trip flight from the continental US to Europe and back or a one-way flight to Japan.
How long does it take the AAdvantage® pilot® Red World Elite Mastercard® bonuses to post?
The sign-up bonus miles will post 4-6 weeks after the requirements have been met.
Is the AAdvantage® pilot® Red World Elite Mastercard® worth it?
The AAdvantage® Pilot® Red World Elite Mastercard® could be worth it for anyone looking to earn valuable AAdvantage program miles. It offers a simple sign-up bonus, a low annual fee, and other useful card benefits. However, you may also want to consider other American Airlines credit cards, depending on how often you fly with the airline.
What credit score do you need for the AAdvantage® pilot® Red World Elite Mastercard®?
For the AAdvantage® Pilot® Red World Elite Mastercard®, you will likely need a good-to-excellent credit score. The card issuer will look at your credit score and other things to decide if you are eligible for this card.
Other cards to consider
The Citi®/AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is a great card if you fly regularly with American Airlines. With this card, you can earn 80,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $5,500 in the first 3 months. While this is a bit lower than the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard bonus, you will also earn additional perks like access to the Admirals Club, a $100 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, and priority airport screening (when available) for you and up to eight traveling companions.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is known as one of the best travel credit cards—aand for good reason. To start, you can earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months. Then, you can send these valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points to a number of travel partners.
You will also have trip cancellation and interruption insurance, car rental coverage, delayed baggage insurance, and trip delay reimbursement in case something goes wrong on your trip.
