Which AAdvantage® Credit Card Should You Get?

There are five Citi AAdvantage^® credit cards, each with its own benefits to make sure different travelers get the most out of their spending.

Let’s look at the benefits of these cards and any annual fees so you can decide which is right for you.

American Airlines AAdvantage^® MileUp^® Card

There are three ways to earn miles with the American Airlines AAdvantage^® MileUp^® Card:

• 2x AAdvantage^® miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
• 2x AAdvantage^® miles per dollar spent on groceries
• 1x AAdvantage^® miles per dollar spent on all other purchases

Other benefits include:

• Bonus miles: 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage^® bonus miles after $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
• No mileage cap: No limit on the AAdvantage^® miles you can earn
• Inflight savings: 25% savings on American Airlines inflight food and beverage purchases
• More users: Add authorized users and earn miles on their purchases
• No annual fee (see pricing info)

Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® World Elite Mastercard^® 

The Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® World Elite Mastercard^® can earn miles in a few different ways, like:

• 2x AAdvantage^® miles per dollar spent at restaurants, gas stations, and eligible American Airlines purchases
• 1x AAdvantage^® mile per dollar spent on all other purchases
• 1x Loyalty Point for every eligible mile earned from purchases

Some other benefits are:

• Bonus miles: 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage^® bonus miles after $2,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening 
• No mileage cap: No limit on the AAdvantage^® miles you can earn
• Inflight savings: 25% savings on American Airlines inflight food and beverage purchases
• Preferred boarding on American Airlines flights
• No foreign transaction fees (see pricing info)

Keep in mind that the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® World Elite Mastercard^® has an annual fee of $99 after the first year (see pricing info).

Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^®

The Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^® has plenty to offer, including different ways to earn miles, like:

• 4x AAdvantage^® miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases. Upon reaching $150,000 in spend on your Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard in a calendar year, earn 1 AAdvantage^® base mile and 4 AAdvantage^® bonus miles, for a total of 5 AAdvantage^® miles, for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases for the remainder of that calendar year.
• 10x AAdvantage^® miles per dollar spent on eligible hotels booked through aadvantagehotels.com and on eligible car rentals booked through aadvantagecars.com
• 1x AAdvantage^® miles per dollar spent on all other purchases
• 1x Loyalty Point for every eligible mile earned from purchases 

Additional perks to the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^® include:

• Bonus miles: 100,000 American Airlines AAdvantage^® bonus miles after making $10,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
• Loyalty points bonuses: Earn a 10,000 Loyalty Points bonus after reaching 50,000 Loyalty Points in a status qualification year. Earn another 10,000 Loyalty Points bonus after reaching 90,000 Loyalty Points in the same status qualification year.
• Admirals Club^®: Access to nearly 100 Admirals Club^® and partner lounges worldwide.
• No mileage cap: No limit on the number of AAdvantage^® miles you can earn
• No foreign transaction fees (see pricing info)
• First Checked Bag Free: The first checked bag is free on American Airlines domestic itineraries 
• Global Entry^® or TSA PreCheck^® application fee credit of up to $120 every 4 years

The annual fee for the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^® is $595 (see pricing info).

Citi^® / AAdvantage Business^™ World Elite Mastercard^®

• The Citi^® / AAdvantage Business^™ World Elite Mastercard^® can earn miles in a range of ways, such as: 2x AAdvantage^® miles for every dollar spent at select Business Categories, including telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and gas stations
• 2x AAdvantage^® miles for every dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
• 1x AAdvantage^® mile for every dollar spent on all other purchases
• 1x Loyalty Point for every eligible mile earned from purchases 

Some other perks for the Citi^® / AAdvantage Business^™ World Elite Mastercard^® are:

• Bonus miles: For a limited time, earn 65,000 American Airlines AAdvantage^® bonus miles after $4,000 in purchases within the first 5 months of account opening
• American Airlines Companion Certificate: Earn an American Airlines Companion Certificate for domestic main cabin travel after you spend $30,000 or more in purchases each cardmembership year and cardmembership is renewed. Redeeming the certificate costs $99 for the ticketing fee plus taxes and fees.
• First checked bag free on American Airlines domestic itineraries
• No mileage cap: No limit on the number of AAdvantage^® miles you can earn
• Inflight savings: 25% savings on American Airlines inflight food, beverage and Wi-Fi purchases
• No foreign transaction fees (see pricing info)
• Preferred boarding on American Airlines flights

The Citi^® / AAdvantage Business^™ World Elite Mastercard^® has no fee for the first year. After that, it costs $99 annually (see pricing info).

Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Globe™ Mastercard^®

The Citi / AAdvantage^® Globe™ Mastercard^® has a lot to offer for travelers, and many different ways to earn miles with your spending. Some of these ways include:

• Earn 3 AAdvantage^® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
• Earn 6 AAdvantage^® miles for every $1 spent on eligible hotels booked through aadvantagehotels.com
• Earn 2 AAdvantage^® miles for every $1 spent at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
• Earn 2 AAdvantage^® miles for every $1 spent on eligible Rides and Rails^™ purchases, including taxis, rideshares and public transit
• Earn 1 AAdvantage^® mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases 

Plus, it comes with other benefits, like:

• Admirals Club^® Globe^™ Passes: Every calendar year, receive four Admirals Club^® Globe^™ Passes and enjoy access to nearly 50 Admirals Club^® lounges (over $300 in value)
• First checked bag free: Your first checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to eight companions traveling with you on the same reservation
• Preferred Boarding: Enjoy preferred boarding on American Airlines flights for you and up to eight companions traveling with you on the same reservation. Find your seat sooner and get early access to overhead bins.
• Up to $240 back on Turo¹: Earn up to $30 in statement credits for each eligible Turo trip completed, for a total of up to $240 in statement credits annually. To qualify, you must link your card to your Turo account on Turo.com/Globe and pay for the trip with your card.
• Inflight purchases: Every calendar year, earn up to $100 in statement credits on inflight purchases when you use your card on American Airlines flights
• Annual Splurge Credit^℠: Every calendar year, earn up to $100 in statement credits on your choice of up to two of these brands: 1stDibs, eligible AAdvantage Hotels^™ bookings, Future Personal Training and Live Nation^® (exclusions apply)
• American Airlines Companion Certificate: Earn an American Airlines Companion Certificate starting in your second cardmembership year as long as your cardmembership is renewed. Redeeming the certificate costs $99 for the ticketing fee plus taxes and fees.
• Global Entry^® or TSA PreCheck^® application fee credit up to $120 every 4 years: You’re eligible to receive a statement credit (up to $120 every four years) as reimbursement for your application fee for Global Entry^® or TSA PreCheck^®
• No foreign transaction fees (see pricing info): Shop like a local wherever your travels take you
• Authorized users: Earn more AAdvantage^® miles with purchases made by authorized user cards added to your account at no additional charge
• 10% savings on vacation packages: Save 10% on eligible American Airlines Vacations^℠ packages at AAVacations.com/citiaadvantage
• No blackout dates: Travel when you want. Plan your travel freely with no blackout dates when booking with miles.

The annual fee for the Citi / AAdvantage^® Globe™ Mastercard^® is $350 (see pricing info).

Deciding which AAdvantage^® card to get

These cards offer useful benefits tailored to different types of travelers. Which card you consider may depend on your financial needs, how you use the card, what type of flier you are and what benefits matter to you.

You may want to consider how often you fly. If you travel only a few times a year, you may want to choose a card that suits your limited travel needs. You might also want to consider where you like to fly. If you’re traveling abroad, one of the cards with no foreign transaction fee might benefit you more. The card you choose should match your spending habits, so consider all of the different benefits, earning categories and fees before you move forward.

Disclosure: This article is for educational purposes. It is not intended to provide legal, investment, or financial advice and is not a substitute for professional advice. It does not indicate the availability of any Citi product or service. For advice about your specific circumstances, you should consult a qualified professional.

¹Benefits pursuant to this offer are limited to Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Globe^™ cardmembers. To qualify, the cardmember must link their Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Globe^™ card to their Turo account on Turo.com/Globe (a “Linked Account”) and book their trip using their Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Globe^™ card. Only one Turo account can be connected to each Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Globe^™ card. Trips paid for using Virtual Account Numbers, Virtual Card Numbers, or Digital Wallets including, but not limited to, Apple Pay, Android Pay, etc., are not Eligible Trips and will not count towards receiving the statement credit. Applicable terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. To be eligible for this benefit, your Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Globe^™ card must be open and in good standing at the time of the booking.