Rewards Plan
Sign up Bonus
Credit Rating
0% Intro
Annual Fee
APR
- Global Entry/ TSA PreCheck
- Admirals Club Membership
- Annual Fee
- Few Non Travel Perks
Rewards Plan
Sign up Bonus
0% Intro
PROS
- Global Entry/ TSA PreCheck
- Admirals Club Membership
CONS
- Annual Fee
- Few Non Travel Perks
APR
21.24% - 29.99% (Variable)
Annual Fee
$450
Balance Transfer Fee
$5 or 5% (whichever is greater)
Credit Requirements
Good - Excellent
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® offers similar perks to other luxury airline cards, but its primary focus is American Airlines.
You’ll earn 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases and 1 mile for every $1 spent on other purchases. Citi also has a generous welcome bonus of 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. You'll also enjoy a variety of additional benefits such as Admirals club membership, free first checked Bag, TSA PreCheck or global entry reimbursement and no foreign transaction fees.
This makes this card a good choice if you are a fan of American Airlines and have other reward cards for the majority of your other purchases. However, besides the high annual fee ($450), cardholders who aren't flying frequently or need this card for everyday spending rewards, may want to shop around for another card.
- Admirals Club Membership
- Reimbursement for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
- Dedicated Concierge
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Free First Checked Bag
- Enhanced Airport Experience
- Savings on In-Flight Food and Beverage
- Citi Entertainment
- Non-Flight Benefits are Limited
- Annual Fee
- Few Non-Travel Perks
- There is no insurance coverage
What is the initial credit limit?
Citi offers approved AAdvantage Executive World Elite customers a minimum credit limit of $5,000.
How much is 10,000 miles worth?
AAdvantage miles have a lower average redemption value at about 1.27 cents per mile. This means that 10,000 miles could be worth $127 with the Aadvantage Executive World Elite.
When it's recommended to skip this card?
The top reason to avoid the Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite is if you’re looking for a card that offers travel insurance protections, as this card does not offer this coverage.
In this Review
Benefits
- Admirals Club Membership
Membership entitles you to bring up to two guests or immediate family members into nearly 50 Admirals Club lounges around the world.
- Reimbursement for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
You can receive up to $100 in statement credit every five years as reimbursement for your application fee.
- Dedicated Concierge
This service gives you access to a team of experts who can assist you with domestic and international travel, dining, household, entertainment, and shopping.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
There are no foreign transaction fees when you use your card to make purchases outside of the United States.
- Free First Checked Bag
On domestic American Airlines flights, you and up to eight travel companions can receive your first checked bag for free.
- Enhanced Airport Experience
Cardholders and up to eight travel companions can enjoy priority check-in, screening, and boarding privileges at airports where available.
- Savings on In-Flight Food and Beverage
When you use your card, you'll receive a 25% discount on food and beverage purchases on American Airlines flights.
- Citi Entertainment
This platform allows you to purchase tickets to events and exclusive experiences with special access.
Drawbacks
- Non-Flight Benefits are Limited
Not only will you earn fewer miles per dollar on flights, but there are only two reward tiers, so anything other than an American Airlines purchase will earn you only one mile per dollar.
- Annual Fee
The annual fee is high and stands on $450. The annual fee that is not waived for the first year.
- Few Non-Travel Perks
Additionally, the card has few non-AA travel perks, so if you want an everyday card, this is not a good choice.
- There is no insurance coverage
Unlike the many other airline cards, this card does not include trip interruption, delay, or baggage insurance, which is a glaring omission for a travel card.
Simulate Your Rewards: How Much You Earn?
It's difficult to understand the actual reward potential without a scenario comparison.
While cardholders earn above-average rewards, the benefits are not as valuable. The true value of the card stems from the luxury perks they offer, such as global entry or TSA PreCheck, statement credit for in-flight purchases, trip delay reimbursement, and so on; more on this in the section that follows.
Remember that the figures should be adjusted to your regular spending categories, which may vary, so the exact calculation is dependent on your personal habits.
| |
|---|---|
Spend Per Category | Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive |
$15,000 – U.S Supermarkets | 15,000 miles |
$5,000 – Restaurants
| 5,000 miles |
$5,000 – Airline | 10,000 miles |
$4,000 – Hotels | 4,000 miles |
$4,000 – Gas | 4,000 miles |
Total Miles/Points | 38,000 miles |
Estimated Redemption Value (Flights) | 1 mile = ~1.2 cents |
Estimated Annual Value | $456 |
Which Redemption options Are Available?
You can use the miles from this and other Citi cards in a variety of ways.
However, if you want to get the best redemption rates, you can use your miles to travel to over 1,000 destinations worldwide and a wide range of airline partners. This redemption method has an average value per mile of about 2 cents.
If you prefer, you can also use your miles to purchase First Class or Business Class upgrades, hotel stays, car rentals or vacation packages, retail gift cards, or merchandise.
How to Get the most out of your Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive?
The redemption rate for Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive miles can vary greatly, so if you want to maximize the benefits of this card, you should be prepared to carefully research your flight options.
If you simply book any flight, you might only get a value of one cent per mile. On the other hand, if you do some research on your flight options, especially if your travel dates are flexible, you could get a rate of two cents or more per mile.
If you want to maximize your Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive rewards, you should carefully research your American Airlines flight options. If you simply use the miles to book any trip, you may only get a rate of 1 cent per mile.
However, if you do your homework and are flexible with your travel dates, you can get a much better redemption rate.
What Customers Think?
Satisfied borrowers report that the Admirals Club membership is a fantastic perk, with ongoing improvements to the food and other amenities available in various locations around the world.
Negative comments appear to be related to the glaring omission of not including trip interruption or delay insurance. This used to be a feature of this card, but it has since been discontinued. As a result, long-term customers have complained that this service is no longer available.
Bottom Line: When You Should Consider It?
Here are the main cases you'll want to consider the Citi® / AAdvantage Executive:
You travel in a larger group: While many airline cards provide some great travel benefits, many of these benefits are limited to the cardholder and one travel companion. This cardm for example, offers up to eight travel companions can benefit from free first check bags and a better airport experience.
You're looking for lounge access: When you fly with the AAdvantage Executive World Elite card, you can add up to 10 authorized users to gain access to Admiral Club lounges.
It is only a travel card for you: The card has some great travel benefits but few non-travel benefits, so it might be a good choice if you only want the card for travel purchases.
Compare The Alternatives
If you're looking for an airline credit card with premium travel rewards – the AAdvantage executive card is definitely an option, but there are some good alternatives:
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|
The Platinum Card® from American Express | Chase Sapphire Reserve® | Citi Premier® Card | |
Annual Fee | $695. See Rates & Fees | $550 | $95 |
Rewards |
1X – 5X
5X points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare and flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel (per calendar year), 2X points on prepaid car rentals through American Express Travel and 1X points on all other purchases
|
1X – 10X
5X total points on air travel and 10X total points on hotels, car rentals when you purchase through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, immediately after earning your $300 annual travel credit. Also, earn 3x points on dining at restaurants and travel (after meeting the $300 travel credit), then 1x points per dollar spent on all other purchases
|
1X – 3X
3X points per dollar on restaurant, supermarket, gas station, hotel and air travel and other hotels purchases, and 1X points per dollar on all other purchases
|
Welcome bonus |
80,000 points
80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership
|
60,000 points
60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
|
60,000 points
60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel portal through June 30, 2024
|
Foreign Transaction Fee | 0%. See Rates & Fees | 0% | None
|
Purchase APR | 21.24% – 29.24% APR Variable | 22.24%–29.24% variable APR | 21.24% – 29.24% (Variable) |
FAQ
it is possible to obtain the Citi AAdvantage card with good to excellent credit. However, there are no stated income requirements. Your credit score will be used to determine your eligibility, while your income will determine your credit limit upon approval.
There is an expiration on AAdvantage miles, but this is only if you have 18 months of account inactivity. So, if you keep your account active, you should not have any problems with miles expiring.
American Airlines has limited redemption options for other airlines. As of November 2021, you can use your AAdvantage miles for JetBlue flights, but otherwise you are limited to American Airlines flights.
Citi does occasionally offer pre approval mail outs for its cards, but if you haven’t received a mailer, the online application does not allow for pre approval and you will need to complete a full application, which will involve a hard credit pull.
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