Credit Cards That Help You Earn Airline Elite Status To Unlock Travel Benefits

Are you looking to get elite status on your loyalty rewards program? Along with elite status comes with a variety of benefits such as lounge access, free checked bags, complimentary upgrades, early boarding, bonus earning rates and more.

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If you want a fast way to earn elite status, you will want to open up an airline rewards card that will get you elite-qualifying dollars and/or elite-qualifying miles. In this guide, we will cover the credit cards of six major U.S. carriers that can help you unlock elite status.

American Airlines

To unlock Mileage Plan elite status, you need a certain amount of Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs) and either enough Elite Qualifying Segments (EQSs) or Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs). Here are the current status requirements:

With the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®, earn 10,000 EQMs after hitting the $40,000 spending requirement in a calendar year.

Other AAdvantage perks include Admirals Club membership, one free checked bag on domestic itineraries and priority boarding.

Delta Air Lines

In order to earn Medallion elite status, you will need to earn a certain number of Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) and either enough Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) or Medallion Qualification Segments (MQSs). Here are the requirements:

The MQD requirement for all status levels can be waived if you can hold the cobranded card below and meet these spending requirements:

• $25,000 in one calendar year (for Silver/Gold/Platinum qualification)
• $250,000 in one calendar year (for Diamond qualification)

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card offers 90,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees. You'll earn: • 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. • 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets. • 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. • $120 Rideshare Credit: You can earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month on U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers after you pay with your Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card. Enrollment Required. Receive a Companion Certificate on Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Ticket requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights and no more than $250 for roundtrip international flights (both for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details. Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost. $150 Delta Stays Credit: Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card Members can earn up to $150 back annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com. Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Receive Zone 5 Priority Boarding on Delta flights; board early, stow your carry-on bag and settle in sooner. Want even more flexibility? 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. This card comes with a $350 annual fee and no foreign transaction fee. You'll also get fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre?®. (See Rates & Fees). Terms Apply. Click here to learn how to apply

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card offers 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Enjoy complimentary access to the Delta Sky Club. Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of Visits each year starting on 2/1/25, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter. Once all 15 Visits have been used, Eligible Card Members may purchase additional Delta Sky Club Visits at a per-Visit rate of $50 per person using the Card. Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion Lounge when you book a Delta flight with your Reserve Card. Receive a Companion Certificate on First Class, Delta Comfort+, or Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Ticket requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights and no more than $250 for roundtrip international flights (both for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details. You'll earn: • Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. • Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. • $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required. • $200 Delta Stays Statement Credit: Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card Members can earn up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com. • Receive four Delta Sky Club One-Time Guest Passes each year when you fly together on Delta. After that, you may bring up to two guests at a per-visit rate of $50 per person, per location. • Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees. Want even more flexibility? 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. Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. This card does come with a $650 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. Click here to learn how to apply

Frontier Airlines

Earn the Frontier Elite Status, you will need to get either a certain number of Qualifying Miles or Qualifying Segments in a calendar year. Here are the current status requirements:

Frontier Airlines World Mastercard

The Frontier Airlines World Mastercard gives you the ability to earn 1x Qualifying Miles on all purchases. That means you can unlock Frontier’s highest elite tier on credit card spending alone.

JetBlue

JetBlue has one level of elite status – Mosaic – and there are two qualifying ways to earn it:

1. 30 flight segments + 12,000 base points
2. 15,000 base points

Mosaic status is quite easy to earn and with the JetBlue Plus Card, it is even easier to earn.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines has two elite status tiers, A-List and A-List Preferred, which you can unlock with Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) or by flying a certain number of segments within a calendar year:

SOUTHWEST RAPID REWARDS® PREMIER CREDIT CARDSOUTHWEST RAPID REWARDS® PRIORITY CREDIT CARDSOUTHWEST RAPID REWARDS® PERFORMANCE BUSINESS CREDIT CARD

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card offers 85,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. In addition, you'll earn 6,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary each year. You'll earn: • Earn 3X points on Southwest purchases. • Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. • Earn 2X points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming. You're able to redeem your points for flights, hotel stays, gift cards, access to events and more. This card does carry a $99 annual fee, but there are no foreign transaction fee. Click here to learn how to apply

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. In addition, you'll earn 7,500 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary each year. You'll earn: • Earn 3X points on Southwest purchases. • Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. • Earn 2X points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming. Some perks include $75 Southwest travel credit each year., receiving 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available, savings of 25% back on in-flight drinks and WiFi, and more! This card carries a $149 annual fee and no transaction fees. Click here to learn how to apply

The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card offers up to 120,000 points. Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening and an additional 40,000 points when you spend $15,000 in 9 months. This card earns • Earn 4X points on Southwest purchases. • Earn 3X points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car partners. • Earn 2X points on rideshare. • Earn 2X points on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services and 1X points on all other purchases. In addition, you can score 9,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary, get 4 upgraded boarding passes per year, and more! Member FDIC Click here to learn how to apply

United Airlines

To unlock United Airlines’ Premier Status, you must earn a certain amount of Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) and  Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF), or an elevated number of PQP. Below are normal Premier requirements (for 2021, it is only half of these due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic):

The United Explorer Card offers 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. You'll earn: • Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays, and United purchases • Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining including eligible delivery services Perks of this card include: • Getting up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit • Get your first bag checked for free (up to $160 savings per roundtrip). Terms apply. • Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club with 2 one-time passes each year for your anniversary • 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks • Get one-year complimentary DashPass, a membership for both DoorDash and Caviar that provides unlimited deliveries with $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders. After that, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate. Activate by 12/31/24. There is a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. Click here to learn how to apply

The United ClubSM Infinite Card offers 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn: • 4 miles per $1 spent on United purchases • 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel and dining • 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases • Earn up to 10,000 Premier qualifying points per calendar year (25 PQP for every $500 you spend on purchases) This card does carry an annual fee of $525. However, you can get up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit. In addition, you'll get a savings of up to $360 per roundtrip (terms apply) by getting your first and second checked bags for free and Premier Access travel services! Member FDIC Click here to learn how to apply

Bottom Line

As you can see throughout the post there are plenty of cobranded airline cards that can be useful in earning elite status for loyalty rewards programs. This being said, you should consider whether spending towards an elite status is the right move for you. By putting your purchases on an airline card, you will be passing up an opportunity of earning better rewards on other credit cards.

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