Co-branded airline credit cards are a staple in many Americans' wallets. From no-annual fee (and no frills) cards like the *united gateway*, all the way up to the top-tier, pricey *delta skymiles reserve*, there's an airline card for just about every type of traveler.
But then there are a handful of cards, issued by banks in the U.S., with airline names like British Airways and Air Canada emblazoned across them that Americans are also eligible to apply for. If you don't ever plan to fly with one of these international carriers, you're probably wondering what good one of their cards would do you. It's a valid question … but the answer might surprise you.
Thanks to the power of airline alliances and partnerships, you can use one airline's miles to fly on a completely different airline's planes. This means you could use British Airways Avios to fly domestically with American Airlines – or Alaska Airlines. Meanwhile, Air Canada partners with United Airlines … and nearly 50 other carriers around the globe.
And best of all, some of these foreign airline cards come with bigger bonus offers and better perks than what we're used to with the U.S.-based airline cards. So no matter if you dream of flying to Boise or Budapest, using the miles earned with a foreign airline credit card could be just the ticket.
Here's what you need to know in deciding whether a foreign airline card is right for you … and some of the best options.
Who Should (and Shouldn't) Get a Foreign Airline Card?
Let's start by ruling out those who shouldn't get a foreign airline credit card.
If you're just getting started with points and miles and don't regularly fly with one of these airlines, there are far better options on the table. Picking up a card that earns transferrable points like the *chase sapphire preferred* or the *venture x* will be a much better choice. Both of these cards come with big bonus offers of their own, provide superior perks … and most importantly, give you the flexibility to use your points with multiple airline and hotel partners.
Heck, if you really have your heart set on getting an airline card, most beginners would be better off going with a card from one of the big domestic carriers like Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, or American Airlines. Even if the miles earned with these cards are arguably less valuable, you could at least make use of the added perks like free checked baggage and priority boarding.
But for some people, adding a foreign airline card can make a lot of sense…
Let's start by stating the obvious: If you're a U.S.-based traveler who regularly flies with one of these airlines, having a co-branded card can be a perfect fit. Not only can you earn a big sign-up bonus after meeting the card's minimum spending requirement, but you'll also earn more miles on your everyday purchases and benefit from airline specific perks like a free checked bag and preferred pricing on tickets.
But even if you rarely fly these foreign carriers, picking up their co-branded credit card can still make a lot of sense. If you've already earned big welcome offers on cards from banks like Chase, American Express, and Capital One, it might be time to dig a little deeper for your next card. Considering many of these foreign airlines are also the best transfer partners at each of these banks, wouldn't it make sense to go straight to the source for more miles?
So while international airline cards won't be right for every type of traveler, they can be a really solid choice for many – even those who never fly on their airplanes.
Read more: The Best Cards to Get Started With Travel
The Best Foreign Airline Cards for U.S. Travelers
Aeroplan® Credit Card
Aeroplan is the loyalty program of Canada's flag carrier Air Canada … but it's also one of the best airline loyalty programs, period. With straightforward award pricing and an easy-to-use site, it's often the best way to book flights on nearly 50 airlines, from Star Alliance carriers like United, Lufthansa, and Turkish to awesome partners like Emirates and Etihad.
Whether you're booking a flight from the mainland U.S. to Hawaii or an ultra-long-haul business class suite to the Middle East, Aeroplan has you covered. Let's have a look…
If Hawaii has been on your radar, you're in luck. Due to Aeroplan's distance-based pricing model, you'll want to start from the West Coast where flights are shorter. Your best bet is looking for flights from Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO) flying United Airlines.
You can book a one-way flight for just 12,500 miles in economy – roughly half of what United itself would normally charge. That same pricing applies to transcontinental flights like those between Newark (EWR) and Los Angeles (LAX).
Aeroplan is also a good option for hopping the pond in style. Nonstop flights from the East Coast start at just 60,000 points one-way in business class plus ~$60 in fees like this flight from New York (JFK) to Geneva (GVA) flying Swiss Air Lines.
Longer flights require more miles but you'll be able to book for 70,000 points one-way from several cities in the Midwest, like this flight from Chicago (ORD) to Munich (MUC) flying United Polaris business class … much less than what United charges for the same flight.
Read next: 88K Points or Less: Why Aeroplan is the Best for Booking Biz Class
While you can easily transfer points to Aeroplan from the likes of Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, or Capital One Miles, there's no better way to earn a whole lot of them in a hurry than with the *Aeroplan Card*.
That's because right now, the card comes with a limited-time bonus offer: *Aeroplan Bonus*
Beyond that big bonus, you'll continue racking up points by earning 3x points per dollar spent at grocery stores, on dining, and purchases made with Air Canada. This card also has a unique feature where you earn 500 bonus points for every $2,000 you spend in a calendar month – up to 1,500 points per month. All other purchases earn 1x point per dollar spent.
Those points are good for much more than just flights, though. With the Aeroplan card's Pay Yourself Back feature, you'll have the ability to reimburse yourself at a rate of 1.25 cents each for any purchase that codes as travel, from flights and hotels to vacation rentals, cruises, train tickets, campgrounds, and more. It's one of the best benefits on any travel card, period.
Beyond that, the card also comes with valuable perks like a statement credit of up to $120 (every four years) for enrollment in Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS. And it will even get you complimentary Aeroplan 25K Status for the remainder of this calendar year and next. Add in a free first checked bag on Air Canada flights and preferred pricing on flight rewards and this card quickly becomes a compelling option for Air Canada loyalists and modest travelers alike!
Annual Fee: annual_fees
Learn more about the *Aeroplan Card*.
British Airways Visa Signature® Card
Avios is the points and miles currency used by … well, a lot of airlines these days: Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways, and even Finnair. And while most airlines don't allow you to transfer miles to another carrier, these Avios partners are an awesome exception. This is useful because even though they all use the same type of currency, they each price awards a little bit different.
Say you want to go to Europe … but in style. There's no cheaper way to get there in business class than flying Iberia. One-way flights from the East Coast hubs of Boston (BOS), Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD), New York City (JFK) – and oddly enough, Chicago (ORD) – all price out at 34,000 Avios each way.
While Iberia's business class is unlikely to win any awards soon, it's still provides a really comfortable way to get to Europe. And you simply can't beat that low price!
How about a trip to Hawaii? Using Finnair Avios, you can book flights to the Hawaiian islands operated by American or Alaska Airlines for just 15,000 miles each way … and not just for those shorter nonstops. Even one- and two-stop itineraries from the Midwest and East Coast still clock in at just 15,000 Avios each way! Meanwhile, flights within North America (continental U.S. and Canada) aren't quite as good of deal, pricing out at 16,500 Avios one-way, regardless of the route.
The trick here is you can't book these flights online, you'll have to call or chat with Finnair to reserve your seat. But that's a small extra step for such a good deal.
But Avios are useful for more than just flying around the U.S. – they also unlock the best business class flight in the world. While not always the case, Qatar Avios have quickly become the best way to book the airline's outstanding Qsuites business class seats due to practically non-existent partner availability.
You could book a simple nonstop from many cities in the U.S. over to Doha (DOH) for just 70,000 British Airways Avios. If you want to take it next level and connect elsewhere – Dubai (DXB) or Muscat (MCT) in the Middle East, Cairo (CAI), or maybe even the Maldives (MLE) or down to Cape Town (CPT) in South Africa – you'll want to turn to Qatar Airways Avios, where the lengthiest routes top out at just 95,000 Avios each way.
Sadly, both Qatar and British Airways recently raised taxes and fees on these business class redemptions. What was once a $100-or-so charge has increased to roughly $235. That's a small price to pay to fly the world's best business class, if you ask us.
OK, now that you're sold on just how valuable Avios can be – even if you never plan to fly with British Airways – let's take a look at how you can earn a boatload of them … in a hurry.
The *British Airways Card* comes with a big bonus offer: *BA Bonus*
That's enough for two roundtrip flights to Hawaii in economy … or a single roundtrip to Spain in Iberia business class. Or you could instead get to just about anywhere in the world flying Qatar's Qsuites. Who cares about getting home?
Beyond the big bonus, the British Airways Card earns 3x Avios per dollar on Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and LEVEL airfare purchases, 2x Avios per dollar on hotels, and 1x Avios per dollar on all other purchases.
Additional perks include a 10% discount on British Airways flights (originating in the U.S.) and up to $200 in statement credits to cover the cost of taxes and fees on award tickets originating in the U.S. – which can be prohibitively high. You'll get $100 credit for economy and premium economy bookings, and a $200 credit for business and first class. This statement credit can be redeemed up to three times per calendar year for a maximum of $600 in credits. Not a bad perk if you're often booking awards between the U.S. and U.K.
And if you prefer to fly with other Avios airlines like Iberia and Aer Lingus, Chase issues nearly identical cards for each of them: The *Aer Lingus Card* and the *Iberia Card*. Both of these cards come with the same bonus offer you'll find on the British Airways version.
Annual Fee: annual_fees
Learn more about the *British Airways Card*.
Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard®
Air France and KLM share a frequent flyer program called Flying Blue … and you can go far by using Flying Blue miles. With recently lowered business class award prices to Europe – yes, you read that right – Flying Blue miles are one of our favorite ways to book business class. Monthly promo rewards can make booking Air France and KLM economy awards to Europe a bargain, too.
But these miles can also be some of the best ways to book flights on Delta, whether you're flying within the continental U.S., over to Europe, or down to Mexico. Here are a few examples of what's possible…
Unless you snag a dirt-cheap Delta SkyMiles flash sale, Flying Blue should be the first place you turn for many domestic Delta flights. For example, you can book this Delta flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) all the way to Fort Myers, Florida (RSW) in economy for as few as 15,500 miles each way, or 31,000 miles roundtrip.
And ultra-short flights can be even cheaper than that! This flight from Minneapolis to Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) would costs just 6,500 points each way. While Virgin Atlantic remains a solid choice for booking short Delta flights, going through Flying Blue is even better.
Looking to fly Delta One business class to Europe? You and just about everyone else. These days, Flying Blue miles might be the best way to pull it off.
After Virgin Atlantic recently raised award rates and added a cash surcharge of more than $1,000 on each and every Delta business class redemption to Europe, Air France/KLM Flying Blue is now your best bet.
While finding availability on any of Delta's nonstop routes from Europe can be a challenge, we recently alerted our Thrifty Traveler Premium members to multiple deals flying Delta One from Boston (BOS) to London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) for just 63,5000 miles one-way.
That's right: Taxes & fees are just $10 one-way or around $333 roundtrip – which is drastically lower than the $1,000+ in fees you'd pay to fly Delta One to Europe using Virgin points. And you'll pay even lower fees when flying to other cities in Europe, like Amsterdam or Dublin.
So whether it's Delta, Air France, KLM, or one of the program's other partners you want to travel with, there are countless ways to put Flying Blue miles to good use. And while you can certainly transfer points to Flying Blue from a half-dozen different banks, you can also earn a whole lot of them with the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard®.
For a limited-time, new applicants can earn 70,000 Bonus Miles and 40 XP (Experience Points) after making $3,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. Plus, get another 60 XP upon approval, which is good enough for instant Flying Blue Silver elite status. This means cardholders will get free checked baggage and priority check-in, baggage drop-off, and boarding with all SkyTeam airlines … including Delta!
The Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard earns 3x Flying Blue miles per dollar on all Air France, KLM, SkyTeam (Delta) purchases and 1.5x miles on all other purchases. Each year upon renewal, you'll also get a 5,000 mile anniversary bonus, so long as you spent $50 or more in the previous anniversary year.
Annual Fee: $89
Learn more about the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard®.
Bottom Line
Airline credit cards from the likes of British Airways and Air Canada might not seem like a worthwhile addition to your wallet, but considering their miles can be used to fly many different airlines – including plenty of familiar names here in the U.S. – it might be high time to stop overlooking them.
With worthwhile travel perks and bigger bonus offers, these cards can be worth holding … even if you never plan to step foot on one of their planes.
