The 5 best no-annual-fee airline credit cards

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

Starter travel rewards cards come in all shapes and sizes. If you’re looking for a way to earn frequent flyer miles with your favorite airline, numerous options are available.

No-annual-fee airline credit cards are also fantastic options for experienced award travelers who already own multiple cards in their wallets. These cards can help you top off your mileage balance for your next trip without breaking the bank.

The best choice for you will depend on your favorite airline, but we like the United Gateway℠ Card out of the bunch for its inclusive earning rates and welcome offer.

The best no-annual-fee airline credit cards

• American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®: Best card for American Airlines
• Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card: Best card for Delta Air Lines
• JetBlue Card: Best card for JetBlue Airways
• United Gateway Card: Best card for United Airlines
• Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card: Best card for airline transfer partners

The information for the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp and JetBlue cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Comparing the best no-annual-fee airline credit cards

American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp

Welcome offer: Earn 15,000 AAdvantage miles after you spend $500 in purchases within the first three months of account opening. TPG’s February 2025 valuations peg AAdvantage miles at 1.65 cents a piece, making this welcome bonus worth $248.

The AA Mileup earns 2 miles per dollar spent on American Airlines purchases and at grocery stores (including delivery) and 1 mile per dollar spent on other purchases.

Besides the ability to earn bonus miles, the only additional benefit you’ll get with this card is a 25% discount on inflight purchases. If you want to add an authorized user to this card, you can do so without tacking on an additional fee. Keep in mind that this card does charge a 3% foreign transaction fee, so you’ll want to avoid using it abroad.

In 2022, American Airlines revamped its loyalty program by replacing all earning metrics with Loyalty Points. You earn Loyalty Points when you spend on a cobranded credit card, so spending $1,000 on a cobranded credit card would earn 1,000 Loyalty Points.

Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card

Welcome offer: Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases within the first six months of account opening. TPG’s February 2025 valuations peg Delta SkyMiles at 1.2 cents a piece, making this welcome bonus worth $120.

The Delta Blue Amex is the best way to earn SkyMiles without incurring an annual fee (see rates and fees). You’ll earn 2 miles per dollar spent on eligible Delta purchases and dining at restaurants and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.

You’ll also enjoy benefits such as 20% savings on inflight purchases (in the form of a statement credit), no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees) and a number of shopping and travel protections.

This card also offers a unique incentive when you pay for flights using your SkyMiles, giving you a $50 discount off the flight cost for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Delta’s Pay with Miles feature.

To learn more, check out our full review of the  Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express card.

Apply here: Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card

JetBlue Card

Welcome offer: Earn 10,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. TPG’s February 2025 valuations peg JetBlue Miles at 1.35 cents a piece, making this welcome bonus worth $135.

The JetBlue Card’s earning rate is better than most cards on this list, as you’ll not only earn 3 points per dollar spent on JetBlue purchases but you’ll also earn 2 points per dollar spent on both restaurants and groceries and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Plus, you’ll get a nice 50% discount on inflight purchases and enjoy no foreign transaction fees.

Additionally, while not necessarily unique to the card, JetBlue allows for points pooling, which means you can combine your reward balances with up to seven friends and family members. If you and several friends and family open this no-annual-fee card, you can collect a decent amount of TrueBlue points.

Related: Best credit cards for JetBlue flyers

United Gateway Card

Welcome offer: Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. TPG’s February 2025 valuations peg United Miles at 1.3 cents a piece, making this welcome bonus worth $260. 

The United Gateway offers double miles on an impressive number of categories beyond United purchases, catering to those constantly on the go. You’ll earn 2 miles per dollar on United purchases, gas stations and local transit and commuting and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases

You’ll also earn 25% back on your inflight purchases and forgo foreign transaction fees. This card is issued by Chase, who offers extensive shopping and travel coverages, including secondary car rental coverage, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, purchase protection and extended warranty protection.

As a United cardholder, you’ll have access to United-exclusive events through the airline and Chase, as well as the ability to book hotels through Chase’s the Edit, which provides cardholders elitelike perks.

To learn more, read our full review of the United Gateway card.

Apply here: United Gateway Card

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

Welcome offer: Earn 20,000 bonus miles once you spend $500 within the first three months from account opening. TPG’s February 2025 valuations peg Capital One Miles at 1.85 cents a piece, making this welcome bonus worth $370.

The VentureOne earns an unlimited 1.25 miles per dollar spent on all purchases. Additionally, it earns 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. This may be compelling for beginners who don’t want to keep track of bonus categories. In that case, you may want to opt for this travel card instead of an airline card to gain the most reward flexibility.

With your Capital One miles, you can redeem at a fixed rate of 1 cent each for any airline, hotel or travel booking. Or, you can transfer your miles to Capital One’s 15-plus airline and hotel partners for potentially even greater value.

The card also comes with no foreign transaction fees, car rental coverage and extended warranty protection.

To learn more, check out our full review of Capital One VentureOne card.

Learn more: Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

Bottom line

Nothing feels better than redeeming your airline miles for a flight at no additional cost, and this is entirely possible by applying for any of the no-annual-fee cards on this list. These airline cards are all excellent introductions into the world of points and miles, as you’ll only have to worry about redeeming through a loyalty program you’re already comfortable with.

Related: The best airline credit cards

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, click here.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.