The Barclays Aviator Red World Elite MasterCard just recently upped the welcome bonus available after sign up from 50k AAdvantage miles to 60k. This is the highest offer I’ve seen on the personal card and only becomes available periodically. The welcome bonus also includes an introductory Companion Certificate which has not happened with the 60k welcome bonus in the past. Keep in mind that there is a $99 annual fee that is not waived the first year, but the miles AND Companion Certificate are available after a SINGLE purchase within the first 90 days. This card provides the easiest possible way to accumulate AAdvantage miles rather quickly. Let’s look at the rewards and benefits of the Barclays Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard. (not an affiliate link)
Rewards
- Earn 60k AAdvantage bonus miles after making your first purchase in the first 90 days and paying the $99 annual fee
- Earn an introductory Companion Certificate good for 1 guest at $99 (plus taxes and fees) after making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in the first 90 days
- Get up to $25 back as statement credits on inflight Wi-Fi purchases every anniversary year on American Airlines operated flights
- Each anniversary year earn a Companion Certificate good for 1 guest at $99 (plus taxes and fees) after spending $20,000 on purchases
- Earn 2X miles for every dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1X AAdvantage miles for every dollar spent on all other purchases
- 25% inflight savings as statement credits on food and beverages when you use your card on American Airlines operated flights
Benefits
- First checked bag free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for the primary cardmember and up to 4 companions traveling on the same reservation
- Preferred boarding for the primary cardmember and up to 4 companions on their reservation for all American Airlines operated flights
- Flight Cents™ which turns your change into AAdvantage miles by rounding up your purchases to the nearest dollar so you can get more AAdvantage miles
- Superior travel coverage- Travel Accident Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Baggage Delay Insurance, 24/7 Travel Assistance Services, Trip Cancellation and Interruption coverage and more (restrictions, limitations and exclusions apply)
- World Elite Travel Benefits
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 Fraud Liability protection
Should I Add the Aviator to my Wallet?
I recently signed up for the business version of this card, which is also offering a great welcome bonus of 75k miles. While AAdvantage miles will be devalued at some point in the future, there are some really strong redemption values available at the moment. You could sign up for the personal and business version of the Aviator card and earn 135k miles in total which is enough to book three roundtrip flights to Europe like we did recently. The rewards and benefits of the Barclays Aviator Red World Elite MasterCard card are also strong enough for frequent AA flyers to keep on an ongoing basis. I compared them to my CitiBusiness /AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard and was planning to cancel the Citi card before I was convinced to keep it open a while longer after being offered a $100 retention bonus by Citi.
Other credit card options – up to 150,000 points
If you’re looking for other top credit cards, you’ll want to check out our list of top credit cards.
The Aviator’s sweetened welcome bonus has me considering adding this card to my wallet. If you are in need of some AAdvantage miles or have considered this card in the past, now is a great time to take advantage of this all-time best offer.
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Can we add a second one of these and get the bonus I have had this card for years when it was originally USAir. I know in the past you could have more than one of these. Has anyone tried?
Does Barclays have a limit on how many cards you signed up for recently on this card? I was declined for the Barclays Arrival+ due to the number of credit cards I signed up for.
From what I’ve seen, they don’t have a hard / established limit like Chase 5/24, but they are definitely sensitive to lots of cards / credit inquiries
What is the expiration for the companion certificate? Do you have to book the flight prior to its expiration (which can add almost another year to its expiration) or must the flight be completed prior to its expiration? Thank you.
Hal, The companion certificate is valid for one year after the issue date and my understanding is the travel needs to be completed before the expiration date.
I had to cancel my card due to Barclays not supporting my claim. I have never had this type of experience with any other credit card and had been using it exclusively until now. They chose to believe a company who sent the wrong items, didn’t respond to phone or email, then the bak said it was my fault. Poor business model when you don’t trust your customer even after they submitted evidence.