The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard® (learn more) is the sole credit card that offers an American Admirals Club membership. This is American’s most premium credit card, and there are lots of reasons to consider getting this card, from a massive welcome bonus, to the ability to earn up to 40,000 bonus Loyalty Points per year with no spending requirement.
We recently saw a refresh of this card, plus an overhaul of Admirals Club membership fees, and the message from American is clear — if you value Admirals Club access, you should get the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card, rather than outright buying a membership.
In this post, I’d like to go over everything you need to know about the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card’s lounge access perks, which is probably the most valuable benefit of the card for many.
Link: Learn more about the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard®
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Citi AAdvantage Executive Card Admirals Club basics
If you’re an American Airlines frequent flyer, then having the $695 annual fee Citi AAdvantage Executive Card is probably worth it. Airport lounge access is a valuable perk for any frequent flyer, whether you’re looking for help in the event of irregular operations, want to grab a drink or snack, or just want a quiet(ish) place to get some work done with Wi-Fi.
What makes the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card so valuable is that it not only offers an Admirals Club membership for the primary cardmember, but also offers Admirals Club access for authorized users (though at a cost). Ordinarily, American charges $1,200-1,400 per year for an Admirals Club membership with guesting privileges, so this represents huge savings, not even factoring in the authorized user perks.
Let’s break down the details of these perks, starting with the Admirals Club membership for the primary cardmember, and then we’ll talk about the Admirals Club access for authorized users.
Admirals Club membership for primary cardmember
The primary cardmember on the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card receives a full Admirals Club membership:
- You can access Admirals Clubs worldwide when flying American Airlines or a oneworld partner airline the same day (you can even use the lounge on arrival)
- You’re allowed to bring immediate family (spouse, domestic partner and/or children under 18) or up to two guests
- Admirals Club members also receive access to Alaska Lounges, as well as access to dozens of other partner lounges, including lounges of Japan Airlines and Qantas (you can find the full lounge directory here)
- The Admirals Club membership will be tied to your American AAdvantage number, so there should be no need to show your credit card; rather, you just need to make sure your AAdvantage number is linked to your ticket (if it’s not linked, just give them your AAdvantage number — you don’t actually have to credit your flight to AAdvantage to get access)
Since American ordinarily charges $1,200+ per year for an Admirals Club membership with guesting privileges, you’re saving $505+ per year by paying the card’s annual fee, and that doesn’t even factor in all of the other perks (including the ability to earn AAdvantage elite status through credit card spending, given American’s Loyalty Points system for status qualification).
Admirals Club access for authorized users
The Citi AAdvantage Executive Card allows the primary cardmember to add authorized users, and they each receive Admirals Club access as well. How much does it cost to add authorized users?
- You can add up to three authorized users for a total of $175 (so potentially under $60 each)
- Each authorized user after that costs $175
I think the sweet spot here is adding three authorized users, as that’s like getting someone Admirals Club access for under $60 annually — that’s quite a deal!
Here are the restrictions regarding that lounge access:
- You can access Admirals Clubs worldwide when flying American Airlines or a oneworld partner airline the same day (you can even use the lounge on arrival)
- You’re allowed to bring immediate family (spouse, domestic partner, and/or children under 18) or up to two guests
- Authorized users only get access to Admirals Clubs, and not to Alaska Lounges or other partner airline lounges
- Since authorized users get Admirals Club access rather than an Admirals Club membership, they’ll have to show their eligible credit card when entering clubs; there’s no way to have this linked to your American AAdvantage account
Crunching numbers on Admirals Club credit card perk
The Citi AAdvantage Executive Card has a $695 annual fee, which is $505-705 less than you’d otherwise pay for an Admirals Club membership. So how do I mentally account for the cost of the card, not even factoring in the other perks of the card? There are two ways to view it:
- Frankly, I fly American enough that I’d pay $695 per year for an Admirals Club membership, so getting a huge discount on it by picking up a credit card is the obvious choice
- I then have the opportunity to add three authorized users for a total of $175; getting three friends and family members lounge access for under $60 each per year is a fantastic deal
Citi AAdvantage Executive Card Admirals Club FAQs
While the above covers the basics of the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card Admirals Club access benefits, I want to answer some of the questions that may arise regarding this perk (and if there are any I missed, please let me know, and I’ll answer them too).
How soon after being approved is your Admirals Club membership activated?
Many people may be considering applying for the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card shortly before taking a trip. How soon after being approved for the card does your Admirals Club membership kick in?
Since the primary cardmember gets a full Admirals Club membership, it’s linked to their AAdvantage account. Many may be surprised to learn that this membership could very well kick in before you even receive your credit card in the mail, and you don’t even need your card to enter a lounge.
Fortunately, there’s an easy way to tell if your Admirals Club membership has been activated. To figure it out, pretend that you’re signing up for an Admirals Club membership. Go to this page, enter your AAdvantage number, last name, and password.
If your account has already been updated to reflect the Admirals Club membership, you’ll see that the next page shows “1-Year Citi AADV Exec CC Membership.”
If it hasn’t been updated, you’ll see that it gives you the option of choosing what kind of membership you want to purchase.
Note that this only works for the primary cardmember. Since the authorized users don’t get a full Admirals Club membership, they wouldn’t show up as being eligible online. Authorized users need to present the physical Citi AAdvantage Executive Card, since there’s no membership linked to their AAdvantage account.
How do you add authorized users to the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card?
Adding authorized users to the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card is super easy, and can be done directly on Citi’s website. Follow this link to access the part of the Citi website where you add authorized users, and then log into your account.
On the next page, you’ll be able to manage authorized users, including adding and removing them.
You’ll just need their name to add them, and you have the choice of whether or not you want to give them permission to access your online account.
Does Citi let you set a lower spending limit for authorized users?
Any authorized user on the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card will have full access to your credit line, so be sure you trust them. There’s no way (at least not that I know of) to set a lower limit on an authorized user’s account, and any charges they incur will be your responsibility.
Is there an age limit for Citi AAdvantage Executive Card authorized users?
While Citi has no formal age limit on how old authorized users need to be, you need to be 18 to access Admirals Clubs through the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card. This ultimately comes down to whether or not the agent at the entrance asks for your ID (which they very well may).
What happens if you’re already an Admirals Club member?
In the event that you have an existing Admirals Club membership that you paid for, and you get approved for the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card, what happens? Assuming you have 60 or more days remaining on your current membership, you’ll receive a pro-rated refund, based on the number of days remaining in your membership.
This will happen automatically to your original form of payment, though it can take up to 12 weeks.
What happens if you cancel your Citi AAdvantage Executive Card?
If you cancel the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card, all Admirals Club benefits will immediately be terminated. This means the primary cardmember will lose their Admirals Club membership, and authorized users will lose Admirals Club access.
Do any other credit cards offer Admirals Club access?
The Citi AAdvantage Executive Card is the only credit card that offers a full Admirals Club membership. However, if you fly American less frequently, there are a couple of other cards that offer Admirals Club passes.
Specifically, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® (learn more) offers four Admirals Club passes per calendar year, each of which is valid for 24 hours, for one adult, plus accompanying children. The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (learn more) has a very similar benefit as well. So if you only fly American once in a while, that should do the trick for lounge access, though if you fly the airline more frequently, then a full membership will be valuable.
Is there a better credit card for airport lounge access?
The Citi AAdvantage Executive Card is without a doubt the best card for accessing American Admirals Clubs, so it’s a card that’s worthwhile for American frequent flyers. However, there are other cards that offer access to a larger selection of airport lounges, assuming you’re not determined to access American lounges.
Just to present a few other options:
- The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (learn more) offers a Priority Pass™ membership and access to Capital One Lounges and access to Capital One Landings
- The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (learn more) offers a Priority Pass™ membership, access to Chase Sapphire Lounges, and access to select Air Canada Lounges
- The American Express Platinum Card® (learn more) offers the most comprehensive lounge access program of any card, between a Priority Pass™ membership (Enrollment required), access to Amex Centurion Lounges, access to the Delta Sky Club when flying Delta same day, and more
Bottom line
The Citi AAdvantage Executive Card is the best credit card for accessing American Airlines Admirals Clubs. The card not only offers an Admirals Club membership for the primary cardmember, but also offers Admirals Club access for authorized users, which you can add at a reasonable cost.
Having this card is by far the best value for getting an Admirals Club membership, if that’s something that’s important to you. With direct Admirals Club membership fees having recently been hiked, American’s message is clear — if you want an Admirals Club membership, get the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card.
Hopefully the above answers any questions people may have had about how this benefit works. If there’s anything I didn’t cover, let me know!
If you have the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card, what has your experience been with its value?
This year, I have flown or will fly (based on current reservations) on 55 individual segments. Of those, 42 are or will be on Alaska (76.4%), 6 on American (10.9%), 3 on ITA (5.5%, and 2 each (3.6% each) on BA and AeroMéxico. With those numbers -- and for me (YMMV) -- the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card is a no brainer. Not only is the AF considerably less than the *old* Admirals Club annual membership,...
This year, I have flown or will fly (based on current reservations) on 55 individual segments. Of those, 42 are or will be on Alaska (76.4%), 6 on American (10.9%), 3 on ITA (5.5%, and 2 each (3.6% each) on BA and AeroMéxico. With those numbers -- and for me (YMMV) -- the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card is a no brainer. Not only is the AF considerably less than the *old* Admirals Club annual membership, but it's FAR LESS than the new fee. It's also less than an Alaska Lounge+ membership. For this alone, I carry the card.
Other than that, I put minimal spend on the card. Even though I get 4x on American Airlines tickets, the Citi Prestige card gives me 5x and is a better deal.
Question- if my husband adds me as an authorized user and I’m flying with my child (without my husband); can I get my child in with me? Or would they just let me in but restrict/reject my child (we had this happen in London where they admitted my husband + 1 to the “sister” lounge, but the other two pax were not allowed.
Thank you for your answer-
@ Kate -- Yep, if you're an authorized user you can bring in two guests or immediate family (if it's more than two), even if you're not traveling with the primary cardmember. :-)
Positioning this as a 'deal' seems disingenuous. The cost per visit ... you'd have to eat a lot of drinks and snacks to think face value is worth it.
Perhaps a more authentic summary would say AA substantially hiked rates but only moderately improved the offering, and only did so at a limited number of locations. While reasons were offered, it is because they can use their oligopoly-like power to incentivize you to sign up...
Positioning this as a 'deal' seems disingenuous. The cost per visit ... you'd have to eat a lot of drinks and snacks to think face value is worth it.
Perhaps a more authentic summary would say AA substantially hiked rates but only moderately improved the offering, and only did so at a limited number of locations. While reasons were offered, it is because they can use their oligopoly-like power to incentivize you to sign up for their credit card. Despite this, it has some appear and you might want to do it anyway.
Admirals Club membership is the main reason I have this card, but the rest of the bonuses are tremendous. I made Exec Platinum for next year about a month ago through a combination of flying and spending, which is one thing I don't have to sweat in February. Then again, I live in an AA hub, so your mileage may vary.
At the Alaska Lounge SFO and the Aspire Lounge at SAN (which is slowly transitioning to an AS Lounge, I don't know if my 2 samples are related), I have always had to present my credit card. This would be with an AA boarding pass that has my AAdvantage number attached.
To go a little deeper....
I used to use miles for my annual Admiral's Club fee. Back then, if anyone asked for a...
At the Alaska Lounge SFO and the Aspire Lounge at SAN (which is slowly transitioning to an AS Lounge, I don't know if my 2 samples are related), I have always had to present my credit card. This would be with an AA boarding pass that has my AAdvantage number attached.
To go a little deeper....
I used to use miles for my annual Admiral's Club fee. Back then, if anyone asked for a "card", I'd go into the AA app and get the digital Admiral's card. Somewhere along the way, the Admirals card was pulled from the app. I wonder if changing from "paid" membership to a cc membership did that.
I 1st noticed the digital card gone at Aspire SAN when the agent asked for my "card". I could not find the digital one. She eventually said, "oh here it is, it says 'platinum' on you boarding pass, so welcome in". That word 'platinum' was as in Exec Plat, so didn't grant access, but I didn't argue since I knew I had legit access.
Then at AS SFO, the agent also asked my "card". I started playing in the app while telling her that AA no longer displays the digital card. She confirmed my membership was via credit card. When I replied "yes", she said it's the credit card she needed. I handed it to her face up. She turned it over and immediately handed it back saying "welcome in". No swipe (she had already scanned the bp) or nothing. I guess having "Adimiral's Club" printen on the back of the card confirms that I'm the primary card holder ???
TL;DR I always make sure I have my credit card when traveling. When lounge agents ask for the "card". if your membership is via cc, it's the cc they want, not a lounge card.
Where did you read/hear that the Aspire Lounge at SAN will turn into an AS lounge? That would be great news.
It’s been unfortunately a mess with Alaska the past few years.
Of course when it started, if you didn’t have a card and since there was no in-app thing, they just called AA to verify. Easy for the traveller but also a hassle for AA and AS.
A bit later, Alaska lounge reps not only were OK with the “Primary Executive Cardholder” designation in the app, but some lounges were able to just look up...
It’s been unfortunately a mess with Alaska the past few years.
Of course when it started, if you didn’t have a card and since there was no in-app thing, they just called AA to verify. Easy for the traveller but also a hassle for AA and AS.
A bit later, Alaska lounge reps not only were OK with the “Primary Executive Cardholder” designation in the app, but some lounges were able to just look up your Admiral card access by your FF# on the ticket and let you in.
Now the past few years it has severely regressed to “Just the physical card ONLY” as i’m assuming there were too many shenanigans with people screenshotting the primary cardholder designation.
No idea why they did get rid of integrating their system so the AA# binded to the Admirals Club access could easily be looked up.
The authorized user deal is not what it once was, but it's still pretty great.