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Best Airline Credit Cards for No Annual Fee in 2024
Updated: September 30, 2024
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Most of the top no-annual-fee airline credit cards are co-branded. This means they are associated with the loyalty programs of specific airlines. For example, the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card is linked to the SkyMiles Loyalty Program run by Delta Air Lines.
If you don’t favor using any one particular airline, you may want to consider getting a non-co-branded airline card such as the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.
The leading no-annual-fee airline credit cards tend to do away with foreign transaction fees, which is appealing if you want to travel internationally. Some even offer purchase and travel coverage.
OUR REVIEW AT A GLANCE
Why Trust MoneyGeek? Experts at MoneyGeek take a close look at all the existing no-annual-fee airline credit cards each month. They pick the best of the lot after taking into account aspects such as miles earned per dollar, foreign transaction fees, and introductory bonus offers. If you’re a business owner who’s looking for a card that offers rewards and travel-related perks, you may benefit by checking our selection of the best business cards for travel.
20%Air Travel Rewards Rate
10%Welcome Offer
-5%Foreign Transaction Fee
MoneyGeek’s Take: Top 2 Airline Credit Cards With No Annual Fee
Quick Summary
- Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card: A great miles rewards card with no annual fees.
- United Gateway℠ Card: A great no-annual-fee rewards card for people who fly United.
When you run a no-annual-fee airline card comparison, one of the first things you notice is that not all offer the same number of miles per dollar spent. Plus, they come with varied introductory bonus offers. We’ve selected the best cards from this category after accounting for these factors as well as APRs, foreign transaction fees and added benefits.
- Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
A great miles rewards card with no annual fees
- up to 2 Miles per $1*Rewards Rate
- 20.99% – 29.99% VariableAPR
- $0Annual Fee
- Good–ExcellentRecommended Credit
Frequent Delta flyers who want to maximize their rewards will benefit from the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Amex Card. It offers a generous sign-up bonus, 2x miles on Delta purchases, free checked bags, priority boarding and more—making it ideal for Delta travelers.
Pros
- High rewards on U.S. dining
- Generous bonus miles offer
- High rewards on Delta flights
- Free first checked bag on Delta flights
- Priority boarding on Delta flights
Cons
- High annual fee after the first year
- Limited value if not flying Delta
- Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first six months.
- Earn 2X miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases,
- Earn 2X miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- Earn 1X miles on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay With Miles: Take up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you book on delta.com.
- Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit after you use your Card on eligible Delta in-flight purchases of food, beverages and audio headsets.
- No foreign transaction fees. See rates and fees.
- No annual fee. See rates and fees.
- Terms apply.
- United Gateway℠ Card
A great no-annual-fee rewards card for people who fly United
- 1 Mile per $1Rewards Rate
- 21.99% - 28.99% VariableAPR
- $0Annual Fee
- Good–ExcellentRecommended Credit
The United Gateway℠ Card is best for occasional United travelers who want to earn miles without paying an annual fee. It offers solid rewards on United flights, gas and transit but lacks free checked bags, priority boarding and other travel perks.
Pros
- High rewards on United, gas and local transit
- No annual fee
- Sign-up bonus
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months
- Trip cancellation and rental car insurance
Cons
- Limited premium travel perks
- Inflexible rewards redemption
- Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases.
- Enjoy no annual fee.
- Earn two miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, at gas stations, and on local transit and commuting.
- Earn one mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- When you pay with your Gateway Card, you can get 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages, Wi-Fi on United-operated flights and Club premium drinks.
Summary of the Best Airline Cards for No Annual Fee
Use the corresponding table to take a quick look at reward rates, foreign transaction fees and welcome offers of other good no-annual-fee airline credit cards.
- Credit CardBest ForAvg. Reward RateAnnual FeeCredit Needed
- Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
A great miles rewards card with no annual feesup to 2 Miles per $1*$0 - United Gateway℠ Card
A great no-annual-fee rewards card for people who fly United1 Mile per $1$0 - American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card
A great travel card with no annual fee for frequent flyers on American Airlines1–2 Miles per $1$0 - Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
An excellent balance transfer card with travel rewards
MONEYGEEK EXPERT TIP
If you're not traveling much, but still want to earn airline miles on your purchases, a no-fee airline card is a great idea. Once you start flying more, you can decide if upgrading to another card to get other benefits makes sense. -- Lee Huffman, credit card expert at BaldThoughts.com.
How to Compare Airline Credit Cards & Intro Offers
There is no single best airline credit card with no annual fee because these cards come with different features and benefits that serve distinct purposes. As a result, various aspects require your consideration.
1
The airline
Narrowing down on a suitable card becomes fairly easy if you favor using any one airline over others. If not, you may consider getting a travel rewards card that does not limit your reward-earning potential to any particular airline.
2
Rewards rate
The number of miles you stand to earn may vary based on the card you get as well as on category-based spending. For instance, the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card offers 2x miles on purchases made directly with Delta and on dining at restaurants, including takeout and delivery, whereas all other purchases earn 1x miles. The VentureOne Rewards Card from Capital One offers 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.25x miles on all other purchases.
3
Ways to redeem
If you get a co-branded airline card, chances are that you’ll need to redeem the miles you earn through its linked airline loyalty program. This is the case with the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card and the United Gateway Card Credit Card. If you want more freedom surrounding how you may redeem your miles, consider getting a non-co-branded travel card.
4
Foreign transaction fees
Using your card outside of the U.S. might require that you pay foreign transaction fees. While the Delta SkyMiles Blue Card and the United Gateway Credit Card do not charge this fee, the AAdvantage MileUp Card by Citi comes with a 3% foreign transaction fee.
5
Welcome offer
The best airline credit cards with no annual fee give cardholders the ability to earn bonus miles through time- and spend-based welcome offers. For example, the Amex Delta SkyMiles Blue Card has a welcome offer through which you can earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
6
APR
Airline cards usually come with higher APRs when compared to cards with no rewards. If you intend to carry your balances over from month to month, you might be better off getting a credit card that comes with a low APR.
7
Added perks
Some of the best airline cards without annual fees offer statement credit or discounts when you use them to make in-flight purchases onboard specific carriers. Other card-specific features might include purchase protection, extended warranty, car/auto rental loss and damage insurance, trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance, and access to a concierge service. If you get a non-co-branded airline card, transferring your miles to popular frequent flyer programs might be an option.
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About Doug Milnes, CFA
Doug Milnes is a CFA charter holder with over 10 years of experience in corporate finance and the Head of Credit Cards at MoneyGeek. Formerly, he performed valuations for Duff and Phelps and financial planning and analysis for various companies. His analysis has been cited by U.S. News and World Report, The Hill, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and many other outlets.
Milnes holds a master’s degree in data science from Northwestern University. He geeks out on helping people feel on top of their credit card use, from managing debt to optimizing rewards.
*Rates, fees or bonuses may vary or include specific stipulations. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting/last updated date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. We recommend visiting the card issuer’s website for the most up-to-date information available.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses and recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. Learn more about our editorial policies and expert editorial team.
Advertiser Disclosure: MoneyGeek has partnered with CardRatings.com and CreditCards.com for our coverage of credit card products. MoneyGeek, CardRatings and CreditCards.com may receive a commission from card issuers. To ensure thorough comparisons and reviews, MoneyGeek features products from both paid partners and unaffiliated card issuers that are not paid partners.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses and recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. Learn more about our editorial policies and expert editorial team.
Advertiser Disclosure: MoneyGeek has partnered with CardRatings.com and CreditCards.com for our coverage of credit card products. MoneyGeek, CardRatings and CreditCards.com may receive a commission from card issuers. To ensure thorough comparisons and reviews, MoneyGeek features products from both paid partners and unaffiliated card issuers that are not paid partners.