The Plane House owners and Pilots Affiliation (AOPA) has its personal co-branded bank card, the aptly named AOPA World Mastercard. It touts itself as “the most effective bank card for pilots,” which can be true contemplating the cardboard’s excessive rewards charges on aviation gear, aviation gas, pilot workshops and clinics. Regardless of the cardboard’s affiliation with the AOPA, membership within the group isn’t required to qualify for the bank card.
Nonetheless, the AOPA bank card has some main limitations on incomes rewards that will trigger even profession pilots to go. Whereas the cardboard additionally earns rewards on nonaviation purchases, many common rewards bank cards have stronger rewards charges and perks missing within the AOPA bank card.
Right here’s what it’s essential to know concerning the AOPA World Mastercard, issued by Commerce Financial institution.
1. Rewards are tailored for pilots
If you happen to aren’t a pilot, you gained’t get a lot worth out of the AOPA bank card, because the rewards classes are nearly completely aviation-related. The cardboard presents:
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4% money again on choose AOPA purchases together with AOPA memberships, pilot safety companies, AOPA flight teacher refresher clinics, AOPA occasion registration and AOPA pilot gear retailer purchases.
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3% money again on purchases at choose AOPA companions together with Plane Spruce & Specialty Co., Aero-House Stories, Jeppesen, Sirius XM Aviation, PilotWorkshops and Sporty’s Pilot Store.
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3% money again on streaming, satellite tv for pc and cable. Amazon streaming, Pandora and YouTube Music/TV aren’t eligible.
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2% money again for mounted based mostly operator purchases, aviation gas, automobile gasoline, trip sharing and taxis.
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1% money again for all different purchases.
Nonpilots who need the AOPA card’s stable rewards fee on streaming and gasoline ought to take a look at a card just like the Blue Money Most well-liked® Card from American Specific. It presents a stellar 6% again on choose U.S. streaming subscriptions and three% at U.S. gasoline stations. (Phrases apply.)
2. Cap on bonus rewards limits potential earnings
Whereas the AOPA card’s earnings potential might sound spectacular, it comes with a giant caveat: Bonus factors, or the factors earned above the cardboard’s 1% base fee, are capped at 2,500 factors per quarter. Factors are value 1 cent every, which means you may by no means earn greater than a $25 bonus per quarter, even on expensive airplane purchases.
Say you spend $4,000 at Sporty’s Pilot Store in 1 / 4. Sporty’s Pilot Store purchases earn 3% money again, credited as 3 factors per greenback spent, with the AOPA bank card. Of these 3 factors, 1 level is taken into account a base level and the opposite 2 are bonus factors. Nonetheless, due to the two,500 factors cap, solely a fraction of the entire buy quantity will get the three% fee.
If you happen to spent $4,000 on aviation gear per quarter at Sporty’s Pilot Store, you’d get simply $65 money again. Right here’s how:
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$4,000 X 1 (base fee) = 4,000 factors, the equal of $40 money again.
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$1,250 X 2 (bonus fee) = 2,500 factors, the equal of $25 money again.
For comparability, if your entire $4,000 earned the three% fee, you’d come away with $120 money again.
🤓Nerdy Tip
Some cardholders will obtain an AOPA journey mug after they open an AOPA bank card.
3. You will not land a sign-up bonus
Many money again bank cards can take your rewards to new heights while you first join the cardboard, however the AOPA card is not amongst them. That implies that a unique card, even one which earns much less on air-specific purchases, may very well be extra rewarding.
The Wells Fargo Lively Money® Card, for instance, earns a vast 2% money again on all purchases and presents this incentive for brand spanking new cardholders: Earn a $200 money rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases within the first 3 months.
Returning to our instance above, in the event you spent $4,000 at Sporty’s Pilot Store on a brand new Wells Fargo Lively Money® Card, you’ll earn the next rewards:
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$200 new cardholder bonus.
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$4,000 x 2% = $80 rewards from the acquisition.
That is a complete of $280 money again on that buy in contrast with the $65 you’ll yield from the AOPA card with no sign-up bonus and capped rewards.
4. There are restrictions on some redemption choices
Factors earned with the AOPA bank card may be redeemed for the next:
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Money again within the type of an announcement credit score. Cardholders want a minimum of 2,500 factors to get money again. One level is value 1 cent when redeemed for money.
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Airline ticket credit score. Cardholders want a minimum of 10,000 factors for this redemption, and there could also be a redemption payment of as much as $40, a extremely uncommon requirement.
Factors expire three years from the quarter that the factors had been posted to the account. For instance, factors that had been credited to the rewards account within the first quarter of 2024 will expire on the finish of the primary quarter of 2027.
5. It presents a low intro APR on purchases and steadiness transfers
The AOPA bank card presents a superb 1.99% APR on purchases and steadiness transfers made within the first six months of account opening. (After the six months, the APR rises to fifteen.49%-25.49%, as of January 2024.) Notice that you will pay a steadiness switch payment of 5% or $10, whichever is larger.
Whereas that intro APR supply is sweet, it’s in no way the most effective available on the market. It’s doable to seek out playing cards that supply 0% curiosity on steadiness transfers and purchases for a 12 months or extra such because the U.S. Financial institution Money+® Visa Signature® Card. The cardboard presents 0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles on purchases and steadiness transfers, after which the continuing APR of 19.49%-29.74% Variable APR. Its steadiness switch payment is 3% of the quantity of every switch or $5, whichever is larger.