American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Mastercard

The MileUp is the entry point to American's card lineup and charges no annual fee, which is why it carries our Best No-Fee badge on the Best Airline Credit Cards list at number 18. It earns 2x miles at grocery stores and 2x on eligible American Airlines purchases, with 1x on everything else, plus 25% off eligible inflight food and beverage when you pay with the card. The welcome offer is small at 15,000 miles but so is the hurdle, just $500 in three months, so it is an easy way to top off an AAdvantage balance. The notable gap is the foreign transaction fee, which is unusual on an airline card and makes it a poor choice for the international trips you are presumably earning miles toward. Use it domestically for groceries and American flights, and carry something else abroad.