Following American Airlines’s July deal with Citi and Barclays, expectations were that applications for Barclays AAviator cards would be open in January 2017. It looks like Barclays is getting a 2 week head start because the following offer is now public. What is interesting is that Barclaycard are supposed to be advertising this at airports and during flights. I guess they are allowed online application links as well.
The Offer
- Sign up for the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite MasterCard and receive a sign up bonus of 40,000 AAdvantage miles after you make your first purchase in the first 90 days and pay the $95 annual fee (40,000 points will post on the next statement after you pay the annual fee).
- If you apply using the application received in flight you get an additional 500 miles.
Card Details
- No foreign transaction fee
- Annual fee of $95 is not waived the first year
- First checked bag free, for the primary cardmember and up to 4 companions on eligible bags when traveling on domestic itineraries operated by American Airlines
- Group 1 boarding, for the primary cardmember on domestic itineraries operated by American Airlines
- 10% of your redeemed miles back, up to 10,000 per calendar year
- 25% inflight savings on food, beverages, and headsets on American Airlines-operated flights1
- Earn 2x miles on all eligible American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1x points on all other purchases
Our Verdict
AAdvantage miles are pretty valuable, and you can’t beat 40,000 points with no spending requirement (Citi requires you to spend $3,000 for 50,000 to 60,000 miles on their equivalent card, the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select). Because you need to pay the $95 annual fee, you are essentially buying miles at 0.23¢ a piece.
According to View from the Wing (via GWBlueBlueBlue), you can upgrade from the AAviator Red to the AAviator Silver (which normally has a $195 annual fee) after 90 days and not have to pay the difference in the annual fee for the first year. This is probably the best offer on a card with no minimum spend (or that might go to the Avianca card with a 60,000 point bonus). Read through these things you should know about Barclaycard credit cards before asking any basic questions in the comments.
Hat tip to jpear18 on /r/churning
