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ClearValue Cards

Best Airline Credit Cards of 2026

If you fly one airline consistently, a co-branded card earns the most miles in that program and adds trip perks — free checked bags, priority boarding, companion passes — that can outrun the annual fee on their own. If your routes change or you want aspirational redemptions, a transferable-currency card beats every co-branded card on flexibility. We rank by the value a normal flyer actually captures, not the miles-times-issuer-valuation headline.

How we ranked this list

Ranked by ClearValue Score. Co-branded perks (bag fees, companion passes) are valued at realistic annual capture and weighed against the fee; miles are valued at conservative program benchmarks, never issuer valuations. A card whose perks you cannot use does not out-rank a simpler one.

See the broader review set on the full airline credit cards category page.

Compare all 6 at a glance

Ranked by the ClearValue Score — never by commission. Verify current terms at the issuer before you apply.

#CardClearValue ScoreAnnual feeForeign txn feeOngoing APRMatch
1Southwest Rapid Rewards PriorityChase81 / 100 · Solid pick$149None21.49% – 28.49% variableMatch
2Alaska Airlines Visa SignatureBank of America77 / 100 · Worth considering$95NoneVariable APR — verify current range at bankofamerica.comMatch
3United Explorer CardChase77 / 100 · Worth considering$95None21.99% – 28.99% variableMatch
4Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite MastercardCiti76 / 100 · Worth considering$99—Variable APR — verify current range at citi.comMatch
5Delta SkyMiles Gold American ExpressAmerican Express76 / 100 · Worth considering$150None20.99% – 29.99% variableMatch
6Delta SkyMiles Platinum American ExpressAmerican Express75 / 100 · Worth considering$350None20.99% – 29.99% variableMatch
1
Chase
Solid pick
81
/100
Annual fee
$149
Ongoing APR
21.49–28.49%
Foreign txn fee
None
Best for

Southwest loyalists chasing the Companion Pass — 7,500 anniversary points + $75 Southwest travel credit + 4 upgraded boa

Fees sourced from issuer terms · 2026-06-29

ClearValue Score · how we rate →

Chase

Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority

Southwest loyalists chasing the Companion Pass — 7,500 anniversary points + $75 Southwest travel credit + 4 upgraded boa

Key specs

Annual fee
$149
Ongoing APR
21.49% – 28.49% variable
Foreign transaction fee
None
Balance transfer fee
$5 or 5%
Late payment fee
Up to $40

Pros

  • Southwest loyalists chasing the Companion Pass — 7,500 anniversary points + $75 Southwest travel credit + 4 upgraded boardings/yr. Stacked with Southwest's free-checked-bag policy, the AF math is the cleanest of any single-airline card.

Trade-offs

  • Travelers who fly other airlines internationally (Southwest's network is U.S. + Caribbean only) and anyone not chasing the Companion Pass — the entry-tier Southwest Plus is closer to right for casual Southwest flyers.

The catch

The Companion Pass is the cardholder's reason for being — earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year to get a free Companion on every Southwest flight you book for the rest of THAT year + next year. The card's earning rate alone won't get you there; the sign-up bonus + spend is the calculus.

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2
Bank of America
Worth considering
77
/100
Annual fee
$95
Ongoing APR
Variable*
Foreign txn fee
None
Best for

Alaska Airlines flyers — especially on the West Coast — who want an annual companion fare (from $122 plus taxes and fees

Fees sourced from issuer terms · 2026-07-08

ClearValue Score · how we rate →

Bank of America

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature

Alaska Airlines flyers — especially on the West Coast — who want an annual companion fare (from $122 plus taxes and fees

Key specs

Annual fee
$95
Ongoing APR
Variable APR — verify current range at bankofamerica.com
Foreign transaction fee
None

Pros

  • Alaska Airlines flyers — especially on the West Coast — who want an annual companion fare (from $122 plus taxes and fees), a free first checked bag, priority boarding, and 3x miles on Alaska purchases, with no foreign transaction fee.

Trade-offs

  • Travelers who rarely fly Alaska (the companion fare requires buying a qualifying round-trip Alaska ticket) and anyone wanting flexible points — Mileage Plan miles are valuable but locked to Alaska and its partners.

The catch

The $95 annual fee is not waived in year one, so value has to start immediately — and it usually does through the companion fare, which can exceed the fee on a single use. But the card only makes sense if Alaska is genuinely in your rotation.

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3
Chase
Worth considering
77
/100
Annual fee
$95
Ongoing APR
21.99–28.99%
Foreign txn fee
None
Best for

Travelers loyal to United who fly 2-4 round trips a year, want a free checked bag, and value priority boarding + 2× Unit

Fees sourced from issuer terms · 2026-06-29

ClearValue Score · how we rate →

Chase

United Explorer Card

Travelers loyal to United who fly 2-4 round trips a year, want a free checked bag, and value priority boarding + 2× Unit

Key specs

Annual fee
$95
Ongoing APR
21.99% – 28.99% variable
Foreign transaction fee
None
Balance transfer fee
$5 or 5%
Late payment fee
Up to $40

Pros

  • Travelers loyal to United who fly 2-4 round trips a year, want a free checked bag, and value priority boarding + 2× United-spend earning.

Trade-offs

  • Star Alliance optimizers chasing aspirational redemptions (the United Quest or Club Infinite open up better partner award charts) and anyone who flies United less than twice annually.

The catch

The 25k bonus miles for two checked bags + the free first checked bag are the math-makers. If you and a travel partner each pack carry-on only, the value collapses fast — score the card around bag-checked round trips, not nominal mile-earn.

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4
Citi
Worth considering
76
/100
Annual fee
$99
Ongoing APR
Variable*
Best for

American Airlines loyalists who want a free first checked bag (for the cardholder and up to four companions on the same

Fees sourced from issuer terms · 2026-07-08

ClearValue Score · how we rate →

Citi

Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard

American Airlines loyalists who want a free first checked bag (for the cardholder and up to four companions on the same

Key specs

Annual fee
$99
Ongoing APR
Variable APR — verify current range at citi.com

Pros

  • American Airlines loyalists who want a free first checked bag (for the cardholder and up to four companions on the same itinerary), preferred boarding, and 2x miles on American, dining, and gas — at a $99 annual fee that's waived the first year.

Trade-offs

  • Infrequent AA flyers (the free-bag benefit has to cover the $99 renewal fee to pencil out) and travelers who spread flights across airlines — a flexible transferable-points card serves them better than a single-carrier co-brand.

The catch

The first-year fee waiver gives you a year to prove the value before the $99 hits. The math rides almost entirely on the free checked bag — a couple of round trips with bags typically covers the fee, but only if you fly American regularly.

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5
American Express
Worth considering
76
/100
Annual fee
$150
Ongoing APR
20.99–29.99%
Foreign txn fee
None
Best for

Travelers who fly Delta 2-4 times a year, want a free checked bag (~$70 saved per round trip per bag), and don't want to

Fees sourced from issuer terms · 2026-06-29

ClearValue Score · how we rate →

American Express

Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express

Travelers who fly Delta 2-4 times a year, want a free checked bag (~$70 saved per round trip per bag), and don't want to

Key specs

Annual fee
$150
Ongoing APR
20.99% – 29.99% variable
Foreign transaction fee
None
Late payment fee
Up to $40

Pros

  • Travelers who fly Delta 2-4 times a year, want a free checked bag (~$70 saved per round trip per bag), and don't want to commit to a Platinum or Reserve tier annual fee.

Trade-offs

  • Light flyers (the $0 first-year + $150 ongoing AF only pencils with 2+ round trips/yr) and Delta Diamond-aspirants who need the Platinum/Reserve MQM boosts.

The catch

Year-1 $0 AF is the hook — by year 2 the math demands ~2 round trips with checked bags annually just to break even on the AF. If you're flying Delta less than that, the Delta Blue (the $0 AF sibling) is closer to honest.

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6
American Express
Worth considering
75
/100
Annual fee
$350
Ongoing APR
20.99–29.99%
Foreign txn fee
None
Best for

Delta flyers who take 4-8 round trips a year and will use the annual Companion Certificate (Main Cabin domestic round-tr

Fees sourced from issuer terms · 2026-06-29

ClearValue Score · how we rate →

American Express

Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express

Delta flyers who take 4-8 round trips a year and will use the annual Companion Certificate (Main Cabin domestic round-tr

Key specs

Annual fee
$350
Ongoing APR
20.99% – 29.99% variable
Foreign transaction fee
None
Late payment fee
Up to $40

Pros

  • Delta flyers who take 4-8 round trips a year and will use the annual Companion Certificate (Main Cabin domestic round-trip for a partner) — at one transcontinental redemption a year, the cert clears the AF on its own.

Trade-offs

  • Light Delta flyers who can't reliably use the Companion Cert within 12 months (cert is the load-bearing value, not the MQM boost) and travelers eyeing Reserve-tier Delta benefits — at that volume, the Reserve Card math overtakes Platinum.

The catch

The Companion Certificate excludes Comfort+, First, and Delta One — Main Cabin only. Account for the gap if you typically book higher classes. Also: blackout dates apply.

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Reviewed by the ClearValue Editorial Team. ClearValue Cards earns compensation solely through our CardRatings partnership, paid when a reader clicks out to CardRatings from our match tool. This compensation does not influence editorial scoring or which cards appear on our recommendations. See methodology and disclosure.