When the U.S Airways cards that are issued by Barclaycard became American Airline cards, Barlcaycard released four different versions of the card. Most people were automatically converted to the Red card, as it was the most similar to the previous U.S Airways card. There was also a Silver card with a higher annual fee but more benefits.
Originally Barclaycard said cardholders would be able to request a product change immediately, they then said cardholders will have to wait until June 1st to request this change. I’m happy to report that it’s now possible to ask for a product change.
Comparison Table
Below you can view all four of the different Barclaycard American Airline cards and the benefits of each card.
| Barclaycard Aviator | Barclaycard Blue | Barclaycard Red | Barclaycard Silver | |
| Earn rate on AA | 1x | 2x | 2x | 3x |
| Earn rate on hotels & car rentals | 0.5x | 1x | 1x | 2x |
| Earn rate on all other purchases | 0.5x | 1x | 1x | 1x |
| Annual fee | $0 | $49 | $89 | $195 |
| 10% of redeemed miles back | No | No | Yes (10,000 mile limit) | Yes (10,000 mile limit) |
| Free checked bag | No | No | Yes, for you and up to 4 companions | Yes, for you and up to 8 companions |
| Priority boarding | No | No | Yes, group one | Yes |
| $100 flight discount | No | No | Yes, must spend $30,000+ in a calendar year | No |
| 25% in flight savings | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Additional Redemption Flexibility | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Elite qualifying miles | No | No | No | 5,000 for $20,000 in spend (10,000 for $40,000+ in spend) |
| Companion Certificate | No | No | No | Yes |
| Global Entry | No | No | No | Yes, $100 statement credit |
| Anniversary bonus continue to be received | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Foreign transaction fees | Yes | No | No | No |
If you want to see how these stack up compared to the cards offered by Citi, you can do so here.
The Warning
If your card currently comes with the 10,000 mile anniversary bonus and you request a product change, you will forever lose this anniversary bonus. I’d recommend keeping your card as is if you have this bonus tied to your account, but that choice is yours.
Also keep in mind the 10% rebates do not stack, even if you have a Citi card as well.
How To Request A Product Change
If you’d like to request a product change, here is what you need to do:
- You must have received your American Airlines branded card. If you haven’t received this before then you can do so, more information here.
- Call the number on the back of your card and ask to be changed over to the product you’d prefer (be weary of loosing your anniversary bonus! See above)
- If approved you’ll keep your credit history on your report and they’ll issue a new card
Not everybody will be approved, especially when requesting the Silver card but all you can do is ask. If you request a product change, let us know your experiences in the comments below.
