The British Airways card stood out the panel due to the card’s well-above-average sign-up bonus of 50,000 bonus miles after spending at least $3,000 in the card’s first three months.
AUSTIN, TEXAS – Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite MasterCard and British Airways Visa Signature Card tied for first place as best airline credit card, according to CreditCards.com. Top rated airline cards complement cardholders' frequent flier miles memberships with a bevy of rewards bonuses and travel-centric perks, such as priority boarding and premium travel credits.
The panel of experts were impressed with The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card's valuable rewards program, which starts with a sign-up bonus of 30,000 miles for spending at least $1,000 in the first three months, offers two AAdvantage miles for every dollar spent on American Airlines purchases, and rewards cardholders with a 10 percent bonus at the end of each year. Judges also noted that the American Airlines card's terms are somewhat less expensive than other airline cards.
"This was a close contest," says CreditCards.com senior industry analyst Matt Schulz. "However, with no annual fee for the first year, the lowest APR of our finalists and a yearly bonus of 10 percent of your redeemed miles back each year, the Citi AAdvantage card was the winner in my book."
The British Airways card stood out the panel due to the card's well-above-average sign-up bonus of 50,000 bonus miles after spending at least $3,000 in the card's first three months. Additionally, the card also offers a number of valuable perks, including a free companion ticket every year you spend at least $30,000 on your card and no foreign transaction fees. The British Airways card also awards more points on airline purchases – three points per dollar – than many of its competitors.
"Ultimately, the British Airways Visa Signature card is the one I'd add to my card portfolio," says CreditCards.com Editor-in-Chief Daniel P. Ray. "Despite its $95 annual fee and recent devaluation, it has the flexibility to earn a place in the wallet of an aspiring globetrotter.
"The generous earning scheme helps you build points rapidly, and the multiple partnerships let you spend them around the world."
To help choose the best business credit cards, CreditCards.com consulted business and personal finance experts and nominated three finalists. A panel of five judges – including three independent experts and two members of the CreditCards.com staff – separately evaluated the three finalists and ranked them in order of preference. The card with the best average rank was chosen as the winner.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
