Why You Might Want This Card

Go To Biz Card For AA Traveler

The big draws to this card:

1. The hefty 70,000 sign-up bonus you get after a modest minimum spend

2. A reasonable annual fee of just $99 (waived the first year).

The great thing about American Airline miles is they can be used on any partner airline, including British Airways, Cathay Pacific and many others. That makes traveling the world fairly accessible. Also worth mentioning is the handy companion certificate after spending $30,000 on your card in one year. That said -- our guess is that you'd be much better off using the $30,000 extra spend collecting sign-up bonuses on other cards. You'll also get one bag checked free and priority zone 5 early boarding when you book with this card. The spending multipliers are reasonable but nothing to get excited about. The highest multiplier is 2x on airfare, cell phones, internet/cable and gas stations.

Bottom Line

If you're looking to rack up AA miles, this is a good card. The sign-up bonus is beefy (we've seen it as high as 70,000 points), though the amount of points you get on regular spending is subpar. Checked bags are free, saving you at least $50 per round-trip flight. Priority boarding and no foreign transaction fee makes travel less stressful. And the potential to double your miles is simple if you use this card for all business expenses like car rentals, gas and paying your phone bill (though multipliers on other cards can offer you much better value).

Another drawback is that this card doesn't offer any lounge access. But if you're already getting that with another card -- or only plan to take straight flights with no layovers -- then this really isn't a big deal.

At bottom, this might be a good card to get for the sign-up bonus. And then keep it in your wallet to get free checked bags and priority boarding in later years.