American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Mastercard

The MileUp is the entry point to AAdvantage: no annual fee, 15,000 miles after just $500 in three months, and 2x miles at grocery stores, which is unusual for a free airline card and earns it our Best No-Fee badge among airline cards. That grocery rate is the real reason to carry it, since the 2x on airline purchases applies only to eligible American Airlines spending and everything else earns 1x. What you do not get is the usual airline perks: no free checked bag, no lounge access, and the only stated benefit is 25% off inflight food and beverage purchases on American flights. It also charges foreign transaction fees, so leave it home on international trips even though the miles are for an airline you fly abroad. Reasonable as a low-cost way to keep an AAdvantage balance alive, but a paid AA card will serve a frequent flyer better.