Best Airline Credit Cards of June 2023

The card earns 2x miles on eligible Delta purchases, 2x miles at US supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, and 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases. This makes the card a valuable option for everyday spending, not just for earning bonus miles on your Delta purchases. 

Other Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card benefits that make it a standout pick for Delta loyalists are a first checked bag for free and priority boarding on Delta flights, a $100 flight credit when you spend $10,000 or more in a calendar year, 15% off Delta award flights, and 20% off inflight purchases as a statement credit.

Gold Delta SkyMiles Amex Card Review

Best Card for United Flyers

United℠ Explorer Card

If you have this card (or any other United credit card), you get expanded access to United’s lowest-priced “saver” awards, which could help you save miles on an upcoming flight booking. The United℠ Explorer Card also offers two one-time United Club passes each anniversary year, and an application fee credit of up to $100 for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS. 

With the United℠ Explorer Card, new cardholders can earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. United miles are worth 1.3 cents each, on average, so you can expect to get around $650 in flights with this bonus.

United Explorer Card Review

Best Card for Southwest Flyers

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

This is another instance where a higher annual fee is warranted due to the value you get. Thanks to annual benefits like $75 in statement credits for travel on Southwest and four upgraded boardings where available, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card could be well worth it if you’re a regular Southwest flyer.

The Priority card offers a bonus of 7,500 Southwest Rapid Rewards points each year after your account anniversary (you can use these points to book award flights). That’s worth about $105 in airfare, based on our valuation of Southwest points. Additionally, you’ll get 25% off inflight purchases. If you fly Southwest more than once or twice a year, this card can easily be worth the annual fee.

The points you earn from any of the Southwest credit cards can help you qualify for the coveted Southwest Companion Pass, which allows a designated companion to fly with you for next to free (just pay taxes and fees) on paid and award flights.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card Review

Best Card for Alaska Airlines Flyers

Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card

Alaska Airlines doesn’t have the largest route network among US carriers, but if you live in the Pacific Northwest or another area where the airline offers extensive service — or if you fly Alaska to Hawaii — this is a great card to have. 

You also get the standard airline credit card benefits like a free checked bag and priority boarding when you fly the airline (you must use the card to pay for your ticket), 20% off inflight purchases, and bonus miles on Alaska purchases — but in this case, it’s 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible Alaska purchases rather than the more standard 2x miles bonus on airline purchases available on other cards. 

Alaska Airlines Credit Card Review

Best Card for JetBlue Flyers

JetBlue Plus Card

The standout benefits of the JetBlue Plus Card are points earning — you get 6x points on JetBlue purchases, 2x points at restaurants and grocery stores, and 1 point per dollar on everything else — and a 5,000-point bonus each year after your account anniversary. Cardholders also get a free checked bag and 50% off inflight purchases.

Beyond that, the card offers an incentive for big spenders: If you spend $50,000 or more on purchases on the JetBlue Plus card in a calendar year, you’ll get JetBlue Mosaic status, which gets you free drinks on board, waived change and cancellation fees, two free checked bags, and more. 

Best Premium Airline Card

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

The three major legacy US airlines — American Airlines, Delta, and United — each offer a premium credit card with upscale perks (and annual fees to match). The most rewarding and useful of the bunch is the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, and if you’re a Delta loyalist, it could end up saving you a lot of money.

There’s a welcome bonus of 50,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $5,000 in purchases on the card in the first six months of account opening (worth around $550 in flights based on Insider’s valuations). You’ll receive a free first checked bag and priority boarding on Delta flights, an annual Delta companion certificate, and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit after you apply through any authorized enrollment provider. Cardholders can also take advantage of 15,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after they spend $30,000 in purchases on the card in a calendar year (up to four times) and access to complimentary upgrades and upgrade priority.

This card charges a $550 annual fee, but it can be more than worthwhile if you fly Delta often and travel through airports with eligible airport lounges.

Delta Reserve Review

Best Premium Card for Flexible Travelers

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card burst into the rewards card scene last year with an excellent welcome bonus offer and top-notch benefits that can be worth much more than its $395 annual fee. 

Its annual fee is lower than similar premium cards, and it’s a solid choice if you’re not loyal to a particular airline. Cardholders earn a whopping 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel, and 2x miles on all other purchases.

You can redeem your miles at a rate of 1 cent apiece toward eligible travel purchases charged to your card (including airfare), or cash them in for flights, hotels, and car rentals through Capital One Travel. Capital One also offers over a dozen airline and hotel transfer partners, including Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, and Singapore Airlines, so if you prefer to redeem rewards for award flights, that option is there too.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Review

Best for Luxury Travel Benefits and Bonus Rewards on Flights

The Platinum Card® from American Express

The Platinum Card® from American Express earns a spot on our list of the top airline rewards cards because it earns 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (starting January 1, 2021, the 5x points will apply up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year). That’s one of the highest earning rates available on flight purchases. The Amex Membership Rewards points you earn let you book flights directly through Amex Travel, or you can transfer them to more than a dozen airline partners to book flight awards.

Even if you’re not traveling right now, the Platinum Card is still worth considering, as it’s offering a lucrative welcome bonus offer and comes with Uber (including Uber Eats) Cash credits**, Saks credits**, digital subscription credits**, Equinox credits**, Walmart+ membership credits**, and SoulCycle At-Home Bike credit you can still use if you’re staying close to home.

American Express Platinum Card Review

How Our List Compares to Other Publications

Personal Finance Insider draws on the advice and experience of its own credit card experts, but we know that research is an important part of the hunt for your next credit card. With that in mind, we’ve compared our top airline card recommendations with those from other authorities in this space.

We included a checkmark under each publication name if it recommended a given card in any of its top airline credit card coverage. For more information on why some of our recommendations differ, see the next section on popular airline cards that just missed the cut.

Popular Airline Credit Cards That Just Missed the Cut

To keep things simple, we limited our list of the best airline credit cards to one definitive pick per airline, plus a few top options that aren’t affiliated with a particular airline. However, if you’re open to doing some deeper comparison shopping, these cards are also worth a look.

• United Quest℠ Card — This card is a great pick if you fly United often because it comes with a first and second free checked bag and up to $125 annually in credits for United purchases.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card — While the Venture card is another solid option for earning miles that you can redeem with a variety of airline partners, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card outshines the card in terms of overall value.
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card— This card has a higher $250 annual fee than the Gold Delta Amex, but comes with more benefits that are suited to more frequent Delta flyers (read our Platinum Delta Amex card review)
• AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®
  — The AAdvantage Aviator stands out for offering a generous welcome bonus offer that only requires making one purchase in the first three months. It falls short of the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® when it comes to bonus categories for earning miles, though.
• Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® — With a $450 annual fee, it doesn’t necessarily make sense for all American Airlines flyers, but if you want access to American’s Admirals Club airport lounges, this card fits the bill, offering Admirals Club membership along with the usual perks like a free checked bag and priority boarding.
• Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card — If you want to earn Delta miles on your spending without paying an annual fee, give this card a look. It earns 2x miles at worldwide restaurants and offers 20% off inflight Delta purchases.
• United Gateway℠ Card — This no-annual-fee card isn’t loaded with perks, but it’s a winner for one little-known benefit — expanded access to United Saver awards. This can be a lifesaver if you’re having trouble finding award availability.
• British Airways Visa Signature® Card — Earning miles (called Avios in the British Airways program) from a European airline might seem odd if you don’t plan to fly to Europe, but Avios are incredibly valuable for booking partner awards on airlines like American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Japan Airlines.

Airline Business Credit Cards

All of the options listed above are personal credit cards, but if you have a small business (even freelancing or a side-gig), you could qualify for a small-business card. Most major US airlines offer at least one cobranded small-business credit card, and many offer lucrative welcome bonuses, spending categories geared to business owners, and top-notch perks.

Some of our favorites include:

• United℠ Business Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Read our United Business card review.
• CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®: Earn 65,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening. Read our CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select card review.
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new card in your first three months of card membership. Read our Delta American Express Platinum Business card review.
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card: Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Read our Southwest Performance Business card review. 
• Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card
  : Earn 70,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s companion fare from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. Read our Alaska Airlines Business credit card review.

What Credit Card Offers the Best Airline Miles?

There isn’t one “best” airline credit card or one type of airline mile that’s categorically better than the others, because it depends on which airline is most convenient for you.

For example, if your home airport is small, you could have limited options when it comes to which airline you fly, so you’ll likely want to earn whatever miles you need to fly from your hometown.

If you live near a large airport where your airline choices are plentiful and you have more options for loyalty, you may want to investigate how much different airline miles are worth. We recommend checking out Insider’s updated guide to points and miles valuations, which attach a value (in cents) to the major airline currencies based on the types of award flights you can book through each.

You’ll see that Delta miles are generally worth less than Alaska miles, but keep in mind all points and miles are only valuable if you can use them — so if you don’t travel to destinations served by Alaska or its airline partners, earning its miles probably isn’t your best bet.