Airline loyalty programs typically offer cobranded credit cards with major banks to allow those who open accounts to gather loyalty points and status through expenditure on the cards. Typically, these offerings provide cardmembers with key inflight benefits, as well as a number of discounts made exclusively available to cardholders, and some even offer lounge access.

Traditionally, however, airlines would only offer cobranded credit cards in their home countries, making it challenging for those abroad to take advantage of their offerings. However, the relatively recent advent of cobranded credit cards being offered overseas has made this possible, with a number of carriers now offering American citizens specifically the opportunity to capitalize on these cards.

The largest number of cobranded credit cards from abroad that are offered in the United States unsurprisingly come from Europe, the other major aviation market with well-established loyalty programs and strong traffic from the American market. In this article, we will take a look at five cobranded credit cards offered by European airlines in the United States.

Air France-KLM World Elite Mastercard

Loyalty program: Flying Blue

Accrual schedule:

1. Earn 3 miles per $1 spent on purchases directly with Air France, KLM, or other SkyTeam partner airlines
2. Earn 1.5 miles per $1 spent on all other purchases

Air France-KLM’s US cobranded credit card definitely provides a lot of opportunities that are not always available with credit cards from US legacy carriers. An accrual rate of 1.5 miles per $1 spent is significantly higher than most US credit cards, which typically offer simple $1 for 1 mile conversions.

Photo: Fasttailwind | Shutterstock

The card’s annual fee of $89 is also significantly lower than most legacy carrier products, a factor that may stem from the card being offered through Bank of America, which typically provides lower fees on airline-cobranded credit cards. A comparable card, Delta’s SkyMiles Gold American Express, offers a significantly higher annual fee of $150.

According to the Flying Blue website, the card offers a generous signup bonus of 70,000 miles alongside 40 experience points, allowing one to get a jumpstart on earning SkyTeam status. When Air France or KLM is running promotions, this signup bonus alone can be enough to get you to and from Europe for free.

Lufthansa World Elite Mastercard

Loyalty program: Miles & More

Accrual schedule:

1. 2 miles per $1 spent on Lufthansa or Star Alliance partner airline purchases
2. 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases

Offered through Barclays US, Lufthansa’s cobranded credit card allows US citizens to earn miles and build Star Alliance status. The card offers the same low annual fees as Air France-KLM’s World Elite Mastercard, and offers a few different benefits.

Photo: Barclays

The signup bonus is lower, at just 50,000 miles, and does not offer a status boost. According to Barclays, however, the card does offer two complementary one-time vouchers for Lufthansa’s business lounges, among some of the highest-rated in Europe.

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Iberia Plus Visa Signature Card

Loyalty program: Avios

Accrual schedule:

1. 3 points per $1 spent on Avios partner airline purchases (Iberia, Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Level)
2. 2 points per $1 spent on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel
3. 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases

Offered by Chase Bank, the loyalty program Avios offers an impressive cobranded credit card in the United States, which provides both a generous signup bonus and high mileage accrual rates. The low annual fee of $89 is still significantly below American legacy carrier offerings and is in line with other cards offered in the United States by European carriers.

Photo: Chase

The card’s 75,000 point signup bonus is on par with Air France-KLM’s, but it has a higher minimum spending requirement of $5,000 in purchases within the first three months of opening the card account. According to Chase, the card offers no foreign transaction fees, a benefit common among co-branded airline credit cards.

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TAP American Express Card

Loyalty program: Miles&Go

Accrual schedule:

1. 3 miles per $1 spent on purchases with TAP Air Portugal
2. 2 miles per $1 spent on hotels, car rentals or rideshare services
3. 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases

The TAP American Express card offers US citizens a unique opportunity to accrue TAP miles, which can be transferred to other Star Alliance loyalty programs. The card’s annual fee, according to the airline, is below its competitors at just $79. While lower than legacy airline card fees, this still remains above the annual fees offered by some budget airline credit cards in the US.

Photo: TAP

The card’s signup bonus is lower than other offerings, with just 55,000 bonus miles being awarded. The minimum spend requirement to achieve this bonus, however, is also lower, at just $2,500 in the first 90 days of having the account open.

British Airways Visa Signature Card

Loyalty program: Avios

Accrual schedule:

1. 3 points per $1 spent on Avios airline purchases
2. 2 points per $1 spent on hotel accomodation booked directly through the hotel
3. 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases

Avios, which has continued to innovate its product offerings including the recent launch of a new logo, also offers a cobranded card through British Airways. The card offers a 75,000 point signup bonus, with a fairly high $5,000 purchase requirement in just three months.

Photo: QualityHD | Shutterstock

The card offers a generous accrual schedule, allowing one to quickly rack up the joint loyalty program’s points. Like all the cards on the list, the British Airways Visa Signature Card offers no foreign transaction fees, alongside a low annual fee of just $89.