Not too long ago, there was a pretty unfortunate change to the American Airline cards that transcended to both Barclays and Citi’s credit card. It was to the point where we argued that most people only kept the card for this benefit; which of course is the removal of the 10% back rebate when you redeem your points. In an attempt to make up for that, Barclays is making some changes of its own version of the card.
The Offer
In order to make up for the lost 10% rebate, Barclays is making two different changes. The first of which is increasing the sign up bonus from 50,000 points to a total of 60,000 points. You can get the 60,000 points by making one purchase and paying the $99 annual fee.
If getting a big sign up bonus with one purchase isn’t good enough, they are throwing in a companion certificate to the deal as well. The certificate works as a $99 fare (+ taxes and fees), for any round trip domestic fare assuming that the original cardholder also travels.
Aviator Red Elite Credit Card Summary
The Aviator Red Elite card from Barclays comes with an annual fee of $99 that is not waived in the first year. The reward categories are set up as follows:
- 2x: American Airline purchases
- 1x: Everything else
In addition to the reward categories, there are other benefits to holding an airline credit card. The Aviator Red comes with priority boarding (group 5), first checked bag free for cardholder and up to 4 companions, and 25% inflight savings on food, beverage, and headphones.
Final Thoughts
The lose of the 10% rebate on AA points was a pretty big one. I feel that was the main reason a lot of people held onto the card. But, you can’t blame Barclays for trying to remedy the situation by adding a companion certificate and an increased sign up bonus. We’ll have see if the change will help retain/get people to sign up for the card.
What do you think about this offer? Let us know below!
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