AAdvantage® Aviator® Silver Mastercard®
REVIEW

BackGround of the AAdvantage Silver Aviator Mastercard

Before we actually review this card, I think it is really important to understand how this card came about.

American Airlines has credit cards that are both issued by Citi and Barclaycard. They always had their cards by Citi. Today's American Airline is a product of a merger between American Airlines and US Airways. US Airways credit card used to be issued by Barclaycard. Their frequent flyer programs merged in 2015 and existing US Airways cardholders were converted to Aviator cards (specifically the Red Aviator). Above the Red Aviator is the Silver and below it is the Blue and no annual fee Aviator Mastercard.

One of the most attractive features initially of all Aviator cards was that you could earn EQD (Elite Qualifying Dollars) through credit card spending. When the Aviator cards were launched, you could earn EQDs on the Blue, Red and Silver Aviator cards. But Barclaycard made some changes in 2018 and now, you can only earn EQD through credit card spending with the Silver Aviator (this card).

Now that we have got this out of the way, let us review this card starting with it's features.

Key Features of the Aviator Silver

• Earn 3X on American Airlines purchases and 2X on hotels and car rentals

• First Checked Bag Free

• Priority Boarding - Up to 8 companions - Zone 5

• Credit on Global Entry Application Fee

• 25% Food and Beverage Statement Credit

• $50 Annual Onboard Wifi Purchase Credit

• Flight Cents - Dollar amount is rounded up on card

• Annual 2X $99 Companion Ticket after spending $20,000

• Earn 10,000 Elite Qualifying Miles after $40,000 Spend

• Earn 3,000 - 6,000 Elite Qualifying Distance after $50,000 Spend

• $195 Annual Fee

Analysis of Silver Aviator Features

As there are four different AA cards from Barclaycard and three different ones from Citi, AA frequent flyers have lots of options. But deciding on the right card may be confusing. They way we will approach our final thoughts on this card is to point out features that are common in other cards and to see what is unique about the Aviator Silver.

Earning Miles with Silver Aviator

As far as earning miles is concerned, this card ranks up there among all AA cards. Recall that you can earn 3X on AA airlines, 2X on hotels and car rentals, and 1X on other regular purchases. 3X on AA airline tickets is the best earning rate among all AA cards though the Citi AA Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard allows you to earn 2X on AA airline tickets and also 2X at gas stations and restaurants.

However, the Citi Premier (with a $95 annual fee) allows you to earn 3X on travel (including airfare, hotels, car rentals and gasoline) and 2X at restaurants and entertainment. The Citi Prestige Card ($450 annual fee) allows you to earn 5X on air travel and restaurants, 3X on hotels and cruises. The ThankYou points you earn on these Citi cards can be transferred to AA miles.

So while this card has the best earnings rate among dedicated AA cards, you can get equal or better earning rates with the Citi Premier or Citi Prestige. So, in my opinion, should not be getting this card solely for the earnings rate.

Inflight Food, Beverage, Wifi, First Checked Bag Free, Preferred Boarding

This card also has features like the $25 back a day on statement credit for inflight food and beverages, $50 annual statement credit on wifi purchases, first checked bag free (for domestic flights) and preferred boarding are all features that are present in some form in other AA Barclaycard and Citi AA cards.

For those of you who fly a few times with AA and also fly economy, then these perks might come in handy. But you also have to explore the Aviator Red and Blue cards because they have these features as well.

$50 Annual OnBoard Wifi Credits

Wifi access can be purchased for as little as $10 on AA flights. They also have monthly plan ($49.95 a month plus taxes) that may suit you if you fly a lot. The $50 annual wifi credit will help you save a bit if you pay for wifi onboard your AA flight.

Global Entry Credit

When you apply for your Global Entry pass, the application fee is $100. The Silver Aviator will credit you the fee. Since Global Entry is valid for 5 years, you are effectively getting a value of $20 a year. While this feature is common in many premium cards, the cards that offer this benefit usual have annual fees in the $450-550 range. This is actually a nice benefit for a card with an annual fee that is less than $200.

2X Companion Tickets

There are two key reasons why American Airlines frequent flyers might want to consider getting this card. There first reason is that you can get two $99 companion tickets when you spend $20,000 in a calendar year. This feature alone will cover the annual fee if you use it. If you have a family, travel on your vacations with AA, then this is the only AA card (either Citi or Barclaycard) that gives you TWO companion tickets.

It is also worth pointing out that the Aviator Red gives you one annual companion ticket for $99 if you spend $20,000 on the card. All Citi AA cards do not have annual companion ticket feature although the Citi AA Platinum Select Mastercard allows you to get a $125 flight discount when you spend $20,000 a year on the card. My personal opinion is that the companion ticket will be worth more than $125 in most cases.

Earn EQM and EQD from Spending

AA frequent flyers who value elite status might also want find this card useful because through spending, you can earn extra EQM and EQD. So if you are a high Platinum but low Platinum Pro type flyer, then having extra EQM and EQD might just push you over the edge to the Platinum Pro status.

The other only AA card that can earn EQM is the Citi AA Executive Elite Mastercard. With this card you can earn 10,000 EQM when you spend $40,000 on the card. However, you cannot earn EQDs. So the Silver Aviator is the only AA card that allows you to earn extra EQD through credit card spending.

Who Should Get the AAdvantage Aviator Silver Mastercard?

Because of the extensive lineup of AA cards between Citi and Barclaycard, there is always one that is suitable for different types of AA flyers. For example, in my review of the Aviator Red and Citi AA World Elite Mastercard, my conclusions were that even if you are a light AA flyer and fly just a couple of times with you family twice a year, it is worth getting those cards even if you do not want to use them as your everyday card because you can save money just from the first free checked bags.

The more I look at this card, I more I think this card will many most AA flyers regardless of whether they fly a lot or just a few times a year. And the main reason is because of the two companion tickets you can get and the first free checked bags.

Those Who Can Take Advantage of the 2 $99 Companion Ticket and First Free Checked Bags

Let us take the example of a family that flies twice a year on AA (maybe for vacation or during Thanksgiving). While the Red Aviator or Citi AA World Elite Mastercard might get him or her free checked bags for the family (whose savings are more than likely to offset the annual fee), with this card, he or she can get two companion tickets for $99 each (plus taxes) and save even more money just from those couple of annual trips. The Silver Aviator has a slightly higher annual fee ($195 vs $99). You have to do your own calculations, but I suspect many folks will save money if they use the companion tickets.

Those Who Need EQM and EQD Boost

The Silver Aviator will also appeal to AA flyers who need EQM and/or EQD boost to either maintain a certain elite level or bump up to the next level. For example, if you are a high Platinum but low Platinum Pro flyer, having the extra EQM and EQD might be the difference between having a Platinum Pro elite status rather than a Platinum status.

Max AA miles through credit card spend

The Silver Aviator also has the best earning rates among all the AA cards. 3X on AA purchases and 2X on hotels and car rentals. Those who want to max out their AA miles through credit card spending will find that this is the best AA card to do so. The folks who would most likely want to max out their AA miles are frequent flyers who probably have high status.

Our Take: Is the Silver Aviator A Good Credit Card?

To sum up, I think the AAdvantage Silver Aviator is the best AA credit card because the features mean that most AA flyers will benefit from this card regardless of whether they are frequent AA flyers or not. Those who only fly a few times a year will benefit from the free first checked bags (especially if you have a family, do not fly business or first class and do not have elite status). The two companions you will get can also save you more money (depending on the cost of your ticket).

Frequent flyers and those with status will also benefit from this card because it has the best miles earning rate among all AA cards and also because you can get EQM and EQD boost from your credit card spending.

To top it all, the $195 annual fee is so reasonable compared to other premium credit cards whose annual fee starts from $450. If you pay for your Global Entry application with the card, make use of the wifi credits, first free checked bags and your two $99 companion ticket, it is very realistic that these features alone will more than offset the $195 annual fee.

If you are an AA flyer, I would seriously urge you to check out the Silver Aviator. If you decide to get it, you have to remember that you actually cannot apply directly for it. You must first get the Red Aviator card and then upgrade. (don't ask me why but this is how Barclaycard and AA have made this arrangement).