Bottom Line

There's little downside to getting this card since the $99 annual fee is waived in the first year -- and since you can roll up 50,000 sign-up points pretty effortlessly. If you like American Airlines, or just really like where they go, this is a great card. The strategy is simple: Get the card, get the bonus points, use if for free for one year, then reassess if you want to pay the $99 annual fee in year 2. And don't forget the cherry on top with the first checked bag free, preferred boarding and 25% off inflight food and beverages.

Why You Might Want This Card

Go To Card For American Airline Travelers

American Airline has some terrific "Oneworld" partners to help get you around the world. Their hefty sign-up bonus of 50,000 -- paired with the MileSAAver Awards chart -- can get you to your next destination with a minimal point spend. This card is great because of the simplicity. It isn't Chase, so if you've maxed out your Chase options, this is a really nice alternative. Once you have a destination, the AA website makes searching for MileSAAver Award flights comprehensive and simple to book. Earn 2x miles on gas and restaurants to accumulate points quicker.

Exceptions To The Rule

About American Airlines Miles

American Airlines has had its ups and downs over the past few years. And while it’s not a top pick for everyone, AA miles can be exceptionally valuable and surprisingly easy to collect piles of them in a relatively short period of time. Your bonuses come through different cards and even different banks. The main contributor at this time is Citi, who has increased sign-up bonuses. Barclay also offers a line up of AAdvantage Aviator cards. And there are the American Express Rewards that are transferable to AA.

Booking can be tricky and probably one of the main reasons why people shy away. Finding non-stop flights is almost impossible; sometimes the greatest deals involve an unpleasant red-eye; and when using your points to book with one of their partners, you normally have to actually pick up the phone and talk with someone directly through the airline. (Who wants to do that anymore?)

American Airline partners up with OneWorld, opening up amazing seats even for business and first-class options without the restrictions attached to Star Alliance or the pricing inconsistency of SkyMiles. By not relying on the American Airlines website to find the best route for redemption, you can get you some pretty sweet seats on stellar partners.

Here's a trick: Cathay Pacific has a better OneWorld search. If you find a desirable One World flight there, there's a decent chance you can call American Airlines for the same flight even though it doesn't show on their site.

Or, if you decide to redeem right through the American website, there are standard “MileSAAver” seats, “MilesSAAver Off Peak” options, “Reduced Mileage Awards” and their new “Economy Web Specials Program,” where you can get flights all over the world for just 5,000 points one way.

While it may not be for everyone, it's worth having at least some AA points for when the stars align with one of their discount programs and your travel schedule.

WHAT IS AN AMERICAN AIRLINE WEB SPECIAL?

American Airlines started Web Specials in 2018. And for those of us traveling with points and miles, this was exciting -- especially when they started to include international routes and first and business class. The specials are based on demand rather than on a specific award chart. As an example, one staff member went from NY to Los Angeles for 5,000 AA Miles one way last winter. And another was able to book New York to New Zealand for the same amount of miles. So what’s the catch? If you need to cancel your trip, the cost of getting your points back could be more than the points are worth. You can cancel your trip and reinstate your miles for $150, the first award ticket and $25 for each additional ticket. Unless of course you’re an Executive Platinum member, in which case, reinstatement comes with no penalties.

Bottom Line:

Web Specials are fantastic in our opinion, especially if you’re flexible and a bit of a risk taker. We’re not Executive Platinum members, and some of us had to kiss 5,000 miles and $6 away when our plans changed this spring and our hiking trip got canceled. But if you’re holding up 5,000 AA Miles against a flight across the country, it’s really not a huge sacrifice. The fact that you can hop onboard an AA or OneWorld Alliance plane and travel for under 20,000 points is a steal. And we’re willing to take the risk of losing a few thousand miles if need be.

Where Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select WE MC Fits In This Point Ecosystem

Personal Experience