Best airline credit cards of 2026

An airline credit card is a card that offers benefits to travelers who frequently fly with a specific airline. These credit cards are co-branded, meaning they're issued by a specific credit card provider alongside a specific airline. You can use airline credit cards to earn rewards for purchases you make using the card, which helps you get more out of your everyday spending.

In addition to points and miles, airline credit cards also commonly offer other perks for travelers, such as travel insurance, free checked bags, priority boarding, access to airport lounges and more. When comparing various airline credit cards, keep all these potential benefits in mind to look for the credit card that offers you the greatest overall value. For example, if you fly very often, free checked bags could have big a financial payoff for you. If you fly less often, an airline credit card with flexible redemption options could help you get the most bang for your buck.

Airline miles are rewards that you earn for spending money with a specific airline, or that you rack up by using an airline co-branded credit card. Airline miles are also commonly referred to as frequent flyer miles, or simply as miles.

Airline miles are valuable for travelers because you can use them to reduce your airfare price, pay for purchases at the airport or in flight and sometimes redeem for cash back or merchandise. The most cost-effective way to use your airline miles will vary depending on the airline, so it's important to understand the redemption value for your specific airline mile credit card to come up with a strategy for getting the most out of your miles.

In order to use a specific co-branded airline credit card, it will be necessary to be enrolled in that airline's frequent flyer rewards program. That's how you'll be able to earn miles or points with your airline credit card. That said, anyone can join a frequent flyer program; you don't have to pay anything to join, and you can be a member regardless of how often you fly.

On the other hand, if you prefer not to join a specific airline loyalty program, non-branded travel credit cards can also allow you to earn rewards and take advantage of travel perks. The major difference is that, unlike a co-branded credit card, travel rewards cards allow you to maximize flexibility. Airline credit cards allow you to maximize rewards if you intend to fly primarily with a specific airline. Since your rewards are linked to their frequent flyer program, they often come at a more generous rate.

How much airline miles are worth depends on the specific airline credit card. There isn't one standard redemption value for all airline miles. A typical rate that many airline cards use is for each mile to be equivalent to around $0.01 each. For example, if you earned 1,000 miles, you'd have the equivalent of roughly $10. It's important to note that you'll typically get the most value if you redeem your miles directly for flights, rather than for cash.

Airline miles can expire, but if and when they expire depends on the specific airline. For example, Delta, JetBlue, United and Southwest miles do not expire at all, while American Airlines miles will expire after 24 months of account inactivity. Some airline miles won't expire as long as your frequent flyer account stays active, but will expire after a year of inactivity. You should check with your loyalty program and see if there is any expiration for your airline miles.

To start earning airline miles, you'll need to sign up for an airline credit card linked to a frequent flyer loyalty program at the airline of your choice to start earning and redeeming your miles.

Once you're signed up, you can earn airline miles in a variety of ways. It's a good idea to pick an airline credit card that rewards the spending you already do. For example, you could pick an airline credit card that offers 1 to 3 miles for every dollar spent on everyday purchases, from the gas you put in your car to the groceries you put in your fridge. That way, you'll get the most out of the spending you already do.

Next, you can earn more miles by using your airline credit card to purchase flights, book reservations at hotels, rent a car or make other travel-related purchases. Keep in mind that many airline credit cards reward qualified travel purchases affiliated with the airline at a higher rate than general purchases. So, for example, if you stock up on snacks in the airport refreshment shop or order a drink during your flight, you might get 5 miles per dollar spent. Compare that to other purchases, which might be rewarded at a rate of 1 to 3 miles per dollar spent.

The best way to redeem airline miles is typically through the airline's loyalty program website. Login to your frequent flyer account to review your redemption options. Be sure to pay attention to which redemption options give you the best value for your miles. You can also look for promotions that help you get even more out of your rewards. Often, you'll get the best value if you use your miles to book a flight directly through the airline's loyalty program. But in addition to using the rewards you rack up to pay for flights, you may be able to use them to upgrade your airline seating or to pay for other travel-related purchases, such as hotel stays, car rentals and merchandise.

Alternatively, you can typically redeem your airline credit card miles by logging into your credit card mobile app. You'll be able to review your rewards balance and review various redemption options. Options will vary card to card. If your airline rewards credit card offers you the ability to redeem your miles for gift cards or a statement credit, you can also do that through your credit card app. But keep in mind that these redemption options may not offer you the best value for your miles.

Yes, many airline rewards credit cards offer free checked bags as a cardholder perk. For example, some airline reward credit cards waive fees for your first checked bag on domestic flights. Credit cards that offer this benefit usually come with an annual fee, but you could still come out ahead if you use the free checked bag benefit and other perks. Be sure to balance this benefit with other incentives, such as flight discounts and welcome bonuses, when selecting the best airline credit card for you.

Credit score requirements vary between airline credit cards. Often, airline cards will require you to have good or excellent credit to qualify. That means you'll need a FICO^® Score of 670 or higher. Before you weigh the benefits of specific airline credit cards, check your credit report and score through Experian. If your credit score needs improvement, learn about how to build credit before you apply to ensure you get the credit card with the benefits you want.