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AAdvantage miles may not be worth anywhere near as much as they were once worth (I currently value them at 1.25 cents each) but they still have some very nice uses, so opportunities to earn them with ease should always be considered.
Right now, the Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Business credit card is offering an impressive 75,000 AAdvantage miles as its sign-up bonus but, as a recent email I received suggested this was my “last chance” to earn this bonus, it’s possible that this offer will not be around for much longer.
The AAdvantage Aviator Business Mastercard
Here’s what you need to know:
Annual Fee:
- $95
Sign-up Bonus:
Earn 65,000 miles after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days
- Earn 65,000 miles after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days
- Earn 10,000 miles when a purchase is made on an employee card
I’ve seen two links to this bonus:
Earnings:
- 2 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases.
- 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent at eligible office supply, telecom, and car rental merchants
- 1 AAdvantage mile per dollar spent on all other purchases
- 5% annual mileage bonus on the total number of miles earned using the card awarded every year after the account anniversary date.
Primary Benefits:
- First checked bag free cardholder and up to 4 companions on eligible bags when traveling on domestic itineraries operated by American Airlines.
- Companion Certificate good for 1 guest at $99, issued each year after the account anniversary after spending $30,000 or more on eligible purchases (taxes and fees apply).
- Preferred boarding for the cardholder and up to 4 companions on the same reservation when traveling on itineraries operated by American Airlines.
- Earn $3,000 Elite Qualifying Dollars after spending $25,000 on purchases each calendar year.
- Receive 25% inflight savings on food and beverages when the card is used on American Airlines operated flights.
- No foreign transaction fees
- Complimentary employee cards
Make sure you read all the terms and conditions before committing to an application.
Thoughts
Let’s assume for a moment that you have absolutely no interest in anything the card has to offer other than the sign-up bonus.
With that assumption in mind (and considering the fact that employee cards come free of charge) this sign-up bonus is effectively offering 75,000 AAdvantage Miles in exchange for a $95 annual fee – that’s approximately 0.127 cents per mile.
Even the most ardent anti-AAdvantage person in the world would have a hard time arguing that this isn’t a fantastic rate at which to buy miles.
If you actually like the idea of a $95/year business credit card that offers 2 miles/dollar for American Airlines spending, 5% bonus miles on all spending, no foreign transaction fees, a free checked bag for the cardholder and up to 4 other companions and 25% off all American Airlines in-flight food and drinks then this deal becomes a no-brainer.
If you happen to have a business where spending is high enough to justify earning the companion certificate and the bonus Elite Qualifying Dollars then this card will easily pay for itself a few times over.
Bottom Line
I like the sound of this card and I may well apply for it. I’m looking for a replacement for my Aviator Red credit card (now that its value has taken a serious hit) and this sounds like a pretty good option.
75,000 AAdvantage Miles will go a long way to paying for a nice roundtrip Etihad Business Class fare between Europe and the Middle East (total cost is 85,000 + taxes) or I could use it on the likes of Cathay or JAL the next time I need to get to Asia from LA.
Overall this is one of the more attractive credit card offers I’ve seen in recent weeks and, while it may not be of great interest if you never fly with oneworld airlines, there are probably quite a few people who should be considering this offer pretty seriously.
