American Airlines has launched two AAdvantage debit cards in the UK with Currensea and Mastercard, allowing customers to earn miles.
American Airlines has launched the AAdvantage Platinum Debit Card and AAdvantage Black Debit Card in partnership with Currensea and Mastercard. The cards are the first AAdvantage-branded debit cards available to customers in the UK and allow cardholders to earn AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points through eligible spending. The cards connect to customers existing UK bank accounts and can be used wherever Mastercard is accepted. Transactions are funded through the linked bank account, without requiring customers to open a separate account or preload a prepaid card.
AAdvantage cards offer different earning rates
The Platinum and Black cards have different mileage earning rates based on where customers spend. Platinum cardholders earn 0.5 miles per GBP 1 in the UK and Europe and one mile per GBP 1 elsewhere. Black cardholders earn 0.667 miles per GBP 1 in the UK and Europe and 1.334 miles per GBP 1 elsewhere. Black cardholders can also activate Turbo Miles in the app, increasing the rate to two miles per GBP 1 on foreign-currency spending, with a 2.95% foreign exchange fee applying when the feature is active.
Cards include travel-related benefits
The Platinum card carries an annual fee of GBP 75, while the Black card costs GBP 195 annually. Both cards offer renewal bonuses when customers meet specified spending thresholds. Under an additional offer, Platinum cardholders can receive 2,000 bonus miles and Black cardholders can receive 5,000 after meeting the qualifying American Airlines spending requirement during the first 12 months, subject to the applicable terms.
Black cardholders also receive unlimited priority check-in at London Heathrow and Preferred Group 5 boarding on American Airlines flights, subject to the stated conditions. Currensea provides the payment service connecting the cards to customers’ existing UK bank accounts, while Mastercard provides the card network. The launch adds debit-card spending to the AAdvantage programme for UK customers, with the Platinum and Black cards offering different fees, earning rates, and benefits.
