When Barclaycard transition from the U.S Airways to American Airlines credit cards, they released four personal cards with different benefits (and one business card). It’s been possible to call in and request this change for awhile, but it’s now possible to do it online as well. Let’s have a look at the differences between the four Barclaycard American Airlines cards, then how to request an upgrade online followed by two reasons why you don’t want to upgrade.
| 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 |
Requesting An Upgrade Online
Follow these steps to request an upgrade online
- Log into your Barclaycard account
- On the right hand side under ‘Barclaycard Extras’ you should see something that says ‘Upgrade your account benefits’ if you’re eligible for an upgrade.
- You will then be given details about the American Airlines silver card, if you still want to upgrade click ‘Tell me more’
- After clicking this button you’ll be given information about what dates the changes will occur to your account
Also keep in mind that the 10% rebate benefit doesn’t stack if you have the Citi Platinum Select card.
Why You Don’t Want To Upgrade
- If your account has the anniversary bonus of 10,000 miles, you’ll lose this benefit
- The silver card has an increased annual fee of $195, instead of $89
Final Thoughts
People have been reporting a lot of issues with upgrading by phone (e.g changes not being made when the phone reps said they would be made) I expect the online process should be smoother and it should also be much easier to make a complaint if certain milestones are not hit (e.g earning rates not changing by the date specified).
Hat tip to IWOL on myFICO forums
