by Daniel | Last Updated July 9th, 2022
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With a large range of different Airline credit cards to choose from it can be a bit of a challenge to find the best one that will suit you and your needs.
And for this exact reason, I thought it would be a great idea to review three of the best airline credit cards that are available at the moment, the Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card, the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard, and the United Club Infinite Card.
Each of these cards comes with a whole host of different benefits and user perks, not to mention a pretty decent sign-up bonus.
So now let’s take a deeper look at each of these cards so we can see which one presents the most value.
So Who Are These Cards Good For?
One of the first things to take into account is which airline you think you are more likely to use, as you will see in this review, each card is related to a particular airline, Delta, American Airlines, and United.
It is also important to consider the benefits that come with each card and whether they will be useful for you or if they are a waste of time.
The ability to earn miles is also worth keeping in mind, so if you know you will spend a fair amount of money on the higher miles earning sections with your card of choice, that will provide you even more value.
Finally, all of these cards are relatively expensive for the annual fee as they are premium travel credit cards.
And if this is an issue, remember that there are still plenty of great travel credit cards that cost substantially less than these cards and still offer some good value.
APR
Now seeing as the Federal Reserve has already increased interest rates multiple times this year, credit card interest rates are at record highs.
And according to data from the Federal Reserve almost half of all credit card holders in the US carried a balance over in the past 12 months, so I feel it’s important to go over what the APR is for each card, and what fees are associated with getting a cash advance or doing a balance transfer.
So starting first with the Delta Sky Miles Reserve card the APR for purchases is currently between 17.24% to 26.24%.
Getting Cash Advance will have an APR of 26.74% and will also incur a fee of either $10 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever amount is more.
And then the Penalty APR will be capped at 29.99% and will come into effect if there is one or more late payments or there is a payment returned by your bank.
And either of these penalties will incur a fee of up to $40.
Next up, with the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard the APR for purchases is currently between 17.49% – 26.49%.
The APR for a Cash Advance will be 26.74% and will also incur a fee of either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever amount is more.
A Balance transfer will have the same APR as Purchases but will incur a fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever amount is more.
And then similar to the Amex Card, the Penalty APR is 29.99% and will come into effect if there is a late payment or payment returned by your bank, and the fee for either is up to $40.
Now finally, with the United Club Infinite Card, the APR for Purchases is currently between 17.99% to 24.99%.
Getting a Cash Advance will have an APR of 26.49% and will also incur a fee of either $10 or 5% of the amount of each advance, whichever amount is more.
A Balance transfer has the same APR as purchases and will come with a fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, again whichever amount is more.
And then finally, the Penalty APR is the same as the other two cards at 29.99%, and will also incur a fee of up to $40 for each penalty.
Annual Fee
Now when it comes to the annual fee of these cards, they are all relatively similar and somewhat expensive, but to be fair they do come with some pretty decent benefits and perks.
And starting with the most expensive card in this review, The Delta Sky Miles Reserve has an annual fee of $550, which works out the be just over $45 per month and approximately $10.50 each week.
Then the cheapest card on this list is the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard which has an annual fee of $450, which is about $37.50 each month and approximately $8.60 each week.
Finally, the United Club Infinite Card has an annual fee of $525, which makes it just $25 less than what the Delta Sky Miles Reserve card costs.
So that’s around $43.75 per month and about $10 per week.
Sign-up Bonus
So next up, I’ll go over the sign-up bonuses that are on offer with each card, and just know that these sign-up bonuses do change relatively often throughout the year, so there is a good chance they will not be exactly the same in a month or so.
And starting first with The Delta Skymiles Reserve Card there is a limited-time offer of 100,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 within the first 3 months of opening the account, and this is valid until 8/3/2022.
It’s also worth noting that this is quite a lot more miles than what is normally offered with this card.
Now Delta SkyMiles are worth approximately 1.1 cents per mile which makes this limited sign-up bonus worth about $1,100.
Next up, with the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard it is possible to earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of card ownership.
And with AAdvantage miles being worth about 1.2 cents per mile, this sign-up bonus is worth approximately $600.
And then finally with the United Club Infinite Card, it is possible to earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 within the first 3 months of card ownership.
And with United Miles being worth approximately 1.2 cents per mile, this sign-up bonus is worth up to $1,200, which just so makes it the most valuable sign-up bonus of all three cards.
Earning Miles
Next up let’s go over how and where you can earn miles with each card and see which card has the most miles earning potential.
And starting first with the Delta Skymiles Reserve Card there are only two options for earning miles.
The highest miles earning available with this card is 3x miles on purchases that are made directly with Delta, all other purchases that are made on the card will receive 1 mile per dollar spent.
Next up the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard is relatively similar.
Basically, it is possible to earn 2x miles for eligible American Airlines purchases.
Everything else will earn 1 mile per dollar spent.
Then from here, it is possible to earn 1 Loyalty Point for every eligible AAdvantage mile earnt which will bring you closer to AAdvantage status.
And finally, if you manage to spend $40,000 over a qualifying status year, it is possible to earn an additional 10,000 Loyalty Points.
And finally, with the United Club Infinite Card, you get more options for earning miles than both of the other cards.
First of all, it is possible to earn 4x miles on purchases made on United.
Then it’s possible to earn 2x miles on all other travel purchases.
Dining and eligible delivery services will also earn 2 x miles.
And then all other purchases will earn 1 mile per dollar spent.
So in terms of the ability to earn miles, the United Club Infinite card takes the top spot for this section of the review.
Benefits and User Perks
Now when it comes to benefits and user perks, each of these cards offer some pretty decent value, from access to airport lounges to a companion certificate each year.
So starting with the delta Skymiles Reserve Card the most valuable benefit that comes with this card is the Delta Reserve Annual Companion Certificate.
After the first year of card ownership, when you renew the card you will receive a companion certificate that is good for most domestic flights within the US and can be used for either a First class, Comfort+ or Main Cabin round trip fare.
The only thing you will need to pay for is any taxes and fees that come with the fare, which are capped at $80.
Along with this, another great perk is complimentary access to the Delta Sky Club, Escape Lounges, and the Amex Centurion Lounge.
And just note that you will need to be flying on a same day Delta marked flight to gain access to any of these lounges.
There is also the ability to receive two one-time guest passes to the Delta Sky Club, which is a nice little extra to have so you can bring a friend or family member into the lounge when you travel together.
Purchases of food, beverage, and audio headsets made on Delta flights will receive 20% back in the way of a statement credit.
You and up to 9 people on the same reservation will receive their first checked bags free on Delta marked flights.
There is also Upgrade Priority when flying on Delta flights which gives priority over other Medallion members that are at the same medallion level and fare class grouping as you.
Like most premium cards, there is a $100 credit for use on either TSA PreCheck to Global Entry.
If you manage to spend $25,000 on the card within a 12-month period it will be possible to waive the Medallion Qualification Dollar Requirement for either Silver, Gold, or Platinum Medallion Status.
Then after spending more than $30,000 in a 12-month period, it is possible to earn 15,000 Medallion Qualification Miles, and this can be received up to 4 times in a calendar year.
So if you manage to spend $120,000, you will receive 60,000 MQMs.
Next up, with the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard you don’t get quite as many benefits as the Reserve card, but there are still a few nice perks.
The first is a complimentary Admirals Club Membership which provides you with free access to over 50 airport lounges worldwide, and best of all you can bring two guests with you to any of the lounges.
There is a $100 credit for use on either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.
Then from here, you will get quite a few benefits when flying on American Airlines, such as:
- A 25% saving for inflight food and beverage purchases.
- Your first checked bag free, which is also available for up to 8 people flying with you on the same flight as you.
- Priority check-in and priority boarding, again for up to 8 people on the same flight as you.
And finally, If you have a qualifying Citigold account it is possible to receive a $145 statement credit each year as long as you remain an active cardmember.
Now with the United Club Infinite Card, there are quite a lot of decent benefits to be had.
One of the most valuable benefits is the complimentary United Club Membership, which is worth approximately $650 each year.
And with this, it is possible to access over 45 United Club lounges and Star Alliance-affiliated lounges worldwide for you and 2 friends.
You and one companion will get both your first and second bag checked for free on United-operated flights.
And along with this, there is also priority check-in and boarding on United flights.
Then when onboard a United flight it is possible to receive 25% back in statement credits when purchasing food, beverages, or Wi-Fi services.
Similar to both the other cards on this list you will also receive a $100 credit for use on either TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS.
Then from here, there is the ability to receive IHG Rewards Platinum Elite status which provides specific perks such as room upgrades and extended checkout when staying at an IHG hotel or resort.
And if you use the card at one of the IHG hotels and resorts it is possible to receive a $75 IHG credit reimbursement.
Similar to this there is also access to The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection which provides room upgrades, breakfast for two, early check-in, and late check-out.
Then there is access to Avis President’s Club which provides perks such as:
- Complimentary two-car class upgrades
- Guaranteed car availability
- Expedited rental service
Now each time you make $12,000 in purchases on the card it is possible to receive 500 premier qualifying points (PQP), which go towards earning MileagePlus Premier status, and this is limited to a total of 4,000 PQPs each year.
Along with this, when using Miles to book a United Economy Saver Award flight within the US, there will be a 10% Saving Awards discount.
Insurance Related Benefits
So for the last section of this review, I’ll just go over all of the insurance-related benefits that come with each card.
Starting with the delta SkyMiles Reserve card there is Trip Delay insurance that provides up to $500 per trip if there is a delay of more than 6 hours, and this provides a maximum of 2 claims in a 12-month period.
Then there is Trip Cancellation which covers up to $10,000 per trip and up to $20,000 per Eligible Card per 12-month period.
With the Baggage Insurance Plan it is possible to receive up to $1,250 for carry-on Baggage and up to $500 for checked Baggage if it is lost, damaged, or stolen.
Then the Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance covers up to $75,000 in the event of damage or theft of a rental vehicle.
Cell phone protection is provided for up to $ 800, per claim, with the ability to make 2 claims in a 12-month period, which each claim incurring a $50 fee.
With Purchase Protection there is 90 days of coverage on new purchases that cover up to $10,000 per item and a total of $50,000 per year.
And then finally with the Extended Warranty, it is possible to receive an additional year of coverage on warranties that are 5 years or less.
And this covers up to $10,000 per item and a total of $50,000 per year.
Now with the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard, there is not nearly as much insurance coverage.
Basically, there is $0 Liability which covers you in the event of any unauthorized charges that are made to your card.
And finally, with the United Club Infinite Card, there are quite a few decent insurance benefits that include:
- Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance that covers up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip.
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement of up to $3,000 per passenger.
- Baggage Delay Insurance of up to $100 a day for 3 days if your baggage is delayed for more than 6 hours.
- Trip Delay Reimbursement of up to $500 per ticket if your trip is delayed for more than 12 hours.
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
- Purchase Protection that covers up to 120 days against damage or theft, with a maximum of $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per year.
- Return Protection that covers 90 days on new purchases that a merchant won’t take back and provides up to $500 per item, $1,000 per year.
- Extended warranty of one extra year on warranties that are 3 years or less.
Final Thoughts
So at the end of the day, all of these cards have some decent offerings.
And as I mentioned at the start of this video, it’s worth considering which airline you are more likely to travel with and what benefits will make the most sense for your situation.
For me, the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard which just happens to be the cheapest card in this review doesn’t provide nearly as much value as the other two cards, first of all, its sign-up bonus is worth around half that of the other cards, and it really lacks in its insurance-related coverage.
I think this would be a good supplemental card to either of the other two cards if you want the ability to have benefits on more than just one airline.
When it comes to choosing the most valuable card, for me I would have to lean towards the Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card.
Mainly because it comes with the Delta Reserve Annual Companion Certificate, which can be quite valuable.
And until 8/3/2022 it is possible to get the limited edition card that is made up of 25% metal from a Boeing 747 aircraft, which I think is a really nice touch.
Now if you’re looking for even more exclusive credit cards that come with some great benefits, why not check out this article here where I review and Compare the Capital One Venture X card the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, and the Amex Platinum Card.