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Barclaycard AAdvantage Aviator Silver and Red Cards (master thread)

Old Apr 29, 2015, 6:33 am
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Last edit by: ZenFlyer
AAdvantage Aviator Silver and Red Cards from BarclayCard
There are five AAdvantage-linked Aviator-branded cards by Barclaycard. Two of them can be applied for directly, the other three are upgrades or downgrades after receiving a Red card.

The Many Flavors of Barclaycard AAdvantage Aviator

Where can I see information on all available Barclays Barclaycard AAdvantage cards?


Aviator Red (On AA.com)
Aviator Silver (On AA.com)
Aviator Business (On AA.com)
Aviator Red applications are available at the airport, in flight, or online at https://www.barclaycardus.com/.

Red cardholders may receive an offer to upgrade to Aviator Silver after a period of time that varies, usually 3-11 months. The offer appears in the online "Offers" section, if it is declined there may be no simple way to receive the upgrade. Be careful with your clicking! Silver benefits begin at the start of the next statement, but the increased annual fee won't hit until the next card-member year starts.



Aviator Silver Vs Red
Annual Fee: Silver $199 Red $99
Miles on AA Purchases: Silver 3x Red 2x
Miles on hotels and car rentals: Silver 2x, Red 1x
Miles on all other purchases: Silver 1x, Red 1x
Bonus Loyalty Points: Silver 5k LP after $20k/$40k/$50k Per Status Year Red None
In-Flight Food & Beverage: Silver $25 back/day Red 25% back
Wifi Credits: Silver $50/anniversary year Red $25/anniversary year
Companion Ticket: Silver 2 Companions Red 1 Companion (Minimum Anniversary-Year Spend Required for both)
PreCheck/Global Entry: Silver $100 credit Red No Credit


Card Benefit Details

FlyerTalk thread Citi & Barclaycard AAdvantage Credit Card Free Domestic Checked Bag / Baggage

Aviator Silver Bonus Loyalty Points: Bonuses are based on spend during status year, not anniversary year. When upgrading to Silver your Red spending will carry over. Five thousand Loyalty Points after spending $20k/$40k/$50k. You cannot stack multiple Silver accounts to earn this multiple times.

Companion Certificate: $20k in anniversary year spend required, issued about 45 days after you annual fee hits. Red gets one companion, Silver can have two. $99+tax for companions, round-trip 48 contiguous US States only unless you live in Alaska or Hawaii, in which case you may fly from your home state to the 48.











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Barclaycard AAdvantage Aviator Silver and Red Cards (master thread)

Old Jan 3, 2018, 6:34 am
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 69
So to clarify the Red and Silver cannot be stacked right?

I have RED now and looking to maximize both EQD and EQM - I should switch to Silver ASAP correct?
patrickf3 is offline  
Old Jan 3, 2018, 7:37 am
  #2  
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: PHL
Programs: AA Executive Platinum; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,655
Correct.
apeortdz is offline  
Old Jan 6, 2018, 7:38 am
  #3  
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 122
Can Silver and Business be stacked together? That'd be $9k EQD in total
rinipiyan is offline  
Old Jan 6, 2018, 7:51 am
  #4  
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: WAS, LAX
Programs: AS 100K
Posts: 1,330
Originally Posted by rinipiyan
Can Silver and Business be stacked together? That'd be $9k EQD in total
No.
flyingmusicianlax is offline  
Old Jan 6, 2018, 10:55 am
  #5  
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: New Orleans (MSY)
Programs: AA EXP, IHG PLT, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Explorist, Amtrak, WN
Posts: 2,617
Any recent reports of switching to Silver? I've had the card about two years now and I'm looking to convert -- it seems like a much better deal than the Citi cards at this point. Also, will my current spend toward EQD/EQM this year "switch over" from Red to Silver?

If not, I'm going to try to convert once I hit the EQD spend requirement this year.
brewdog11 is offline  
Old Jan 6, 2018, 12:20 pm
  #6  
Moderator: Travel Safety/Security, Travel Tools, California, Los Angeles; FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: oneword Emerald
Posts: 20,431
Originally Posted by brewdog11
Any recent reports of switching to Silver? I've had the card about two years now and I'm looking to convert -- it seems like a much better deal than the Citi cards at this point. Also, will my current spend toward EQD/EQM this year "switch over" from Red to Silver?
I just received this offer:

Start off the new year by upgrading to a card that offers unparalleled benefits and luxury the AAdvantage Aviator Silver World Elite Mastercard.1 Enjoy valuable new benefits that extend beyond those included with your current card...

And, keep many of the benefits you already enjoy.Continue to earn miles on all your purchases with no limit to the AAdvantage miles you can earn, preferred boarding, first checked bag free, no foreign transaction fees, 10% of your redeemed miles back and more!

Its easy.Your account number and expiration date will stay the same. Youll simply receive a new card (with more benefits) in the mail. Additionally, your existing account balance, transaction history and miles will be automatically transferred to your new, upgraded card.
brewdog11 likes this.
TWA884 is offline  
Old Jan 6, 2018, 1:37 pm
  #7  
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: New Orleans (MSY)
Programs: AA EXP, IHG PLT, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Explorist, Amtrak, WN
Posts: 2,617
Originally Posted by TWA884
I just received this offer:
Good to know. Thank you!
brewdog11 is offline  
Old Jan 6, 2018, 2:26 pm
  #8  
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat
Posts: 6,976
Originally Posted by scubadu
So with apologies, I'm going to ask a question which is a slight riff on the does the "spend tracker" carry over from Red to Silver. I've read the Wiki and most (but certainly not all) posts in this thread.

I completely understand that if one has the Red card and later upgrades to Silver the spending does follow the upgrade and you don't have to "start over." Got it.

In my case, I'm considering putting some rather substantial, time sensitive expenses on these cards (in 2018), but given the rather bizarre vagaries of getting the "invite" for the Silver it's possible I'll need to make the spend before I would be eligible for the Silver invite.

So, I'm curious if anyone has experience putting literally the entire $50K of spend all on the Red card, then down the line being upgraded to the Silver. In that case will you just magically (and automatically) be given the incremental benefits that come from the Silver card (i.e. the additional EQMs, the additional EQDs and the companion certificate)?

I know this has been sort of asked, but I haven't seen anyone speak to this specific scenario. Personally, I care little about AA RDMs, only the EQD/EQMs, so I'm hesitant to divert this amount of spend to this card without clarity of those items being granted. Particularly interested in first hand experiences, if there are any, as opposed to theoretical deductions or pointers to the T&Cs (I'm familiar with them)

Regards
Thought I'd try to bump once. No one on FT has tried this? (that would kind of suprise me)

Regards
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scubadu is offline  
Old Jan 6, 2018, 9:33 pm
  #9  
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Amb Elite & LT Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,230
Originally Posted by scubadu
Thought I'd try to bump once. No one on FT has tried this? (that would kind of suprise me)

Regards
I just received my upgrade letter, which says 'You'll simply receive a new card with these enhanced benefits in the mail. additionally, your existing account balance, transaction history and miles will be automatically transferred to the new card'.

I'd recommend making a few calls since you have a unique situation. I talked to Barclay last year to confirm the terms and timing and they were pretty aware of the details.

Separately, I've had this card (red) since June, hit the 25k in Dec and received the UG offer the first week of January.
deac83 is offline  
Old Jan 6, 2018, 11:36 pm
  #10  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: East Coast
Programs: AA CONCIERGE KEY & 1MM, HILTON DIAMOND
Posts: 11,784
I'd be careful with Barclay. They now have a policy that you can only be approved for the same card once every 24 months from the last time you closed your account. They won't approve you for a new card of the same product even if you are ok not receiving the welcome bonus; they just won't approve your application.
fly747first is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2018, 5:22 pm
  #11  
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: stuck with AA in PHL
Posts: 112
Aviator Platinum (Plutonium?)

just got off the phone with a sort of loony barclays agent who, when i voiced my displeasure with the Aviator Silver as compared with the Citi Exec (in at attempt to get a retention offer) mentioned that there is a new HIGHER annual fee barclays product, but would give me no further details as my account was not eligible to change to it. does anyone have a clue what she was talking about???
orvando is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2018, 5:46 pm
  #12  
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat
Posts: 6,976
Originally Posted by deac83
I just received my upgrade letter, which says 'You'll simply receive a new card with these enhanced benefits in the mail. additionally, your existing account balance, transaction history and miles will be automatically transferred to the new card'.

I'd recommend making a few calls since you have a unique situation. I talked to Barclay last year to confirm the terms and timing and they were pretty aware of the details.

Separately, I've had this card (red) since June, hit the 25k in Dec and received the UG offer the first week of January.
Thanks. Something tells me if I call them, they will likely be unable to answer this question since even the vagaries of being offered the upgrade seem to be a mystery...

Regards
scubadu is offline  
Old Jan 9, 2018, 12:26 pm
  #13  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: PHX
Posts: 4,782
Originally Posted by Snuggs


Be interested in your experience. Barclay is pretty clear that you earn in the calendar year the spend posts.
Just following up. I waited until 12/30 to go over $50,000 -- I held back a few dollars and then bought an amazon gift card on 12/30. The transaction posted on 1/3/18 with a transaction date of 12/30. When I go into my benefits page, it shows me having earned the second $3,000 EQDs, but they have not yet posted to my aa account (either for 2017 or for 2018). I am fully expecting when they post (if they post automatically) they will post for 2017, but we'll see (and obviously I'll update here).

Last edited by lkar; Jan 9, 2018 at 9:22 pm
lkar is offline  
Old Jan 10, 2018, 4:55 pm
  #14  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: RIC
Programs: AA Exec Plat, Delta Plat, Bonvoy Platinum, Honors Diamond, WOH Globalist
Posts: 126
Originally Posted by lkar


Just following up. I waited until 12/30 to go over $50,000 -- I held back a few dollars and then bought an amazon gift card on 12/30. The transaction posted on 1/3/18 with a transaction date of 12/30. When I go into my benefits page, it shows me having earned the second $3,000 EQDs, but they have not yet posted to my aa account (either for 2017 or for 2018). I am fully expecting when they post (if they post automatically) they will post for 2017, but we'll see (and obviously I'll update here).
I hit the 50k spend threshold on 12/22. Still waiting for the EQD's to post. When I hit the 25k spend threshold in October it took 17 days for the EQD's to post. I'm now at 19 days. I know the web site says it can take 6-8 weeks but that was not my experience in the past. Like you, I presume the EQD's will go towards 2017 status- which is what I'm hoping, to get knocked into Platinum Pro.
pubsmeister is offline  
Old Jan 11, 2018, 5:47 am
  #15  
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1P, DL PM
Posts: 34
I received a reply from AAdvantage confirming that the bonus EQD for mileage earned in late 2017 be posted towards 2017 qualification; however, they appear to have been posted dating to my statement closing date, counting for the 2018 qualification year. I have asked if this could be revised.
G.RAES is offline  

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