How To Upgrade to the Aviator Silver Card [2024]

There is a secret version of the Barclays Aviator Mastercard. It is called the AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Silver Mastercard® and it offers intriguing benefits for those who regularly fly American Airlines and are aiming for AAdvantage Status.

But you can’t directly apply for the Silver Aviator Mastercard… It is available via invite-only. There are ways to increase your odds, and we’ll cover them in this article. Let’s go!

Barclays Aviator Silver Mastercard Overview

The AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Silver Mastercard® has a $199 annual fee and comes with a handful of elevated benefits for regular American Airlines flyers.

• Earn 3X miles on American Airlines purchases
• Earn 2X miles on hotel purchases
• Earn 2X miles on car rental purchases
• Earn up to 15,000 additional Loyalty Points for using your card
• Get up to $25 back per day on inflight food & beverage purchases
• Get up to $50 back on inflight Wi-Fi purchases each anniversary year
• Earn a Companion Certificate for 2 guests at $99 each (plus taxes and fees) after you spend $20,000 on purchases each anniversary year
• First checked bag free for you and up to 8 companions
• Preferred boarding for you and up to 8 companions
• $100 Global Entry application fee credit every 5 years

This is a noticeable improvement over the AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Red Mastercard® which offers only 2X miles on American Airlines purchases (and fewer of the above benefits) for a $99 annual fee.

Is The Barclays Aviator Silver Mastercard Worth It?

You should consider upgrading to the Barclays Aviator Silver Mastercard if you are aiming for elite status with American Airlines.

In addition to the 1 Loyalty Point per dollar earned you get with the Barclays Aviator Red Mastercard, you also can earn up to 15,000 additional Loyalty Points when you meet certain spend thresholds.

Specifically, you will earn:

• 5,000 Loyalty Points when you spend $20,000 on the card
• an additional 5,000 Loyalty Points when you spend $40,000 on the card
• an additional 5,000 Loyalty Points when you spend $50,000 on the card

That means you can earn up to 65,000 Loyalty Points just by spending $50,000 with your Barclays Aviator Silver Mastercard. That is nearly enough to earn AAadvantage Platinum status just by spending on your credit card!

How do I upgrade my Aviator from Red to Silver?

While there is no way to automatically upgrade to the Barclays Aviator Silver Mastercard, there are several things you can do to increase your odds:

• Regularly use your Aviator Red Mastercard, and keep your account in good standing
• Ensure your Aviator Red Mastercard limit is above $10,000 (request a credit line increase if it isn’t)
• Ensure your Aviator Red Mastercard has been open for at least 1 year

Once your account is eligible for an upgrade, an invite will appear in your account to upgrade to the Barclays Aviator Silver Mastercard.

You will see this under Offers while logged into your account:

From there, the system will take you to a page that looks like this:

After you have reviewed the page, and confirm your decision to upgrade, click the blue Start my upgrade button (top-right). You will then see this final prompt:

Once you click “Yes, I accept”, your account will be upgraded to the Aviator Silver Mastercard on the start of your next billing period.

Closing Thoughts

The Barclays Aviator Silver Mastercard is one of the best-kept secrets for earning AAdvantage Status. You can nearly earn AAdvantage Platinum by spending $50,000 on the card! While that is a hefty amount for some, there are certainly families with kids that can easily meet that in a year. Plus, that also earns two companion certificates. Not bad for American Airlines loyalists! If you haven’t been invited to the card, don’t sweat. Your card needs to be active for at least one year, with a $10,000+ credit limit, and be used regularly. You can request a credit limit increase from Barclays at any time.

Are you thinking about upgrading to the Aviator Silver Mastercard? Leave a comment.