Citi AAdvantage Card Showdown: $350 Globe Card Vs. $595 Executive Card

American AAdvantage has several co-branded credit cards issued by Citi. The two most premium cards in the portfolio are the $350 annual the Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® and $595 annual fee Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®.

I know some people may be deciding which of the two cards makes the most sense, since most people don’t want to have two cards from the same airline with such high annual fees. So, let me share my take on how to go about deciding which of the two cards is a better fit for you.

Basics of the Citi AAdvantage Globe & Executive cards

The Citi AAdvantage Globe Card has a $350 annual fee, and there are several reasons to consider picking up the card. In addition to a big welcome bonus of 90,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $5,000 within the first four months, the card offers:

• A first checked bag free on domestic American Airlines itineraries, plus preferred boarding, for the primary cardmember and up to eight companions on the same reservation
• Up to 15,000 bonus Loyalty Points per year, thanks to the Flight Streak bonus — earn 5,000 bonus Loyalty Points for every four American segments flown, up to three times per elite year
• Four Admirals Club passes per year, each valid for lounge access for a period of up to 24 hours
• A $99 American companion certificate on the account anniversary every year, valid for an economy booking in the lower 48
• Up to $100 back annually on American inflight purchases, so this can be used toward food and drink purchases, as well as inflight Wi-Fi spending
• Up to $100 annually in “Splurge Credits,” which can be used for AAdvantage Hotels bookings, Future Personal Training, and Live Nation; registration is required and and exclusions apply
• Up to $240 back annually on Turo spending, as you can get $30 back per Turo rental, up to eight times per year
• A Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit of up to $120 every four years, as reimbursement for the application fee
• A solid rewards structure, with 6x miles on AAdvantage Hotels bookings, 3x miles on American purchases, 2x miles on restaurants, and 2x miles on select transportation purchases

Read my full review of the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card.

The Citi AAdvantage Executive Card has a $595 annual fee, and there are many reasons to consider picking up the card. In addition to a huge welcome bonus of 100,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $10,000 within the first three months, the card offers:

• A full Admirals Club membership, plus the ability to add up to three authorized users for a total of $175, and then they receive Admirals Club access on eligible itineraries as well
• A first checked bag free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for the primary cardmember and up to eight companions on the same reservation
• Priority check-in, priority security, and early boarding, when flying American Airlines
• Up to 20,000 bonus Loyalty Points per year, unrelated to spending on the card — if you earn 50,000 Loyalty Points with AAdvantage you’ll receive 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points, and if you earn 90,000 Loyalty Points you’ll receive another 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points
• Up to $120 back on eligible prepaid Avis or Budget rentals every calendar year, which can even be used toward a single rental
• Up to $120 back on eligible Grubhub purchases every year, in the form of up to a $10 statement credit with each billing statement
• Up to $120 in Lyft credits every year, in the form of up to a $10 credit each month after making three eligible rides
• A Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit of up to $120 every four years, as reimbursement for the application fee
• Travel protection, including for trip cancellation and interruption, trip delay, lost baggage, and worldwide rental cars
• 10x miles on eligible rental cars booked through AAdvantage Cars and eligible hotels booked through AAdvantage Hotels

Read my full review of the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card.

Which Citi AAdvantage card makes the most sense for you?

If you are interested in the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card and/or Citi AAdvantage Executive Card, what’s the best way to think about which card makes the most sense? Obviously there’s no one size fits all answer, but let me explain how I’d approach this, in general.

First, keep in mind that eligibility for the two cards (including the welcome bonuses) is considered independently. Given that both cards have great welcome bonuses, there’s something to be said for applying for both cards, and giving them a try. After all, at a minimum, the first year value is massive.

In the long term, I almost view the value propositions of the two cards fully independently. Even though they’re both premium cards, there’s surprisingly little overlap in the benefits.

As I see it, the $595 annual fee Citi AAdvantage Executive Card is worth it primarily if you value one of two benefits (or ideally, both):

• An Admirals Club membership, since this card is basically the lowest fee way to get a full membership, and the icing on the cake is if you value being able to get three more people Admirals Club access for a total of $175 per year
• 20,000 bonus Loyalty Points just for earning 90,000 Loyalty Points, completely independent of how much was spent on the card; so if those bonus Loyalty Points get you value and help you unlock a higher elite tier or reward, there’s a lot of upside there

There are of course other perks, but I’d say they’re more benefits that can help with justifying the annual fee, rather than core perks of the card.

Meanwhile with the $350 annual fee Citi AAdvantage Globe Card, justifying the annual fee very much comes down to making the math work on all the individual perks. If you’re a frequent American flyer, I think one core perk is being able to earn 15,000 bonus Loyalty Points for flying 12 eligible segments per year.

Beyond that, though, the perks like the $99 companion certificate, the $100 in credits toward inflight purchases, the $100 in “Splurge Credits,” etc., all very much help with lowering the annual fee. Whether you come out ahead with those perks depends very much on your spending patterns.

For example, right now I have both of these cards — I’ve had the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card for a long time, while I couldn’t turn down the great bonus on the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card, and wanted to give the card a try. I’m definitely not canceling the Executive Card, since I value the Admirals Club membership and 20,000 bonus Loyalty Points.

So to me, the question comes down to whether I can justify the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card, and that’s still something I’m waiting to see. I got the card a few months ago, so before my second annual fee is due, I’m curious how much value I can get from all of the credits and other benefits.

But this is also why I think for any American frequent flyer, the decision of which card to hold onto should almost be considered independently. For some people, there could be merit to holding onto both cards, to earn up to 35,000 bonus Loyalty Points per year.

Bottom line

The $350 annual fee Citi AAdvantage Globe Card and $595 Citi AAdvantage Executive Card are American’s two most premium co-branded credit cards. Both cards have great welcome bonuses, so are worth applying for, given that they’re not mutually exclusive.

As I see it, the two cards serve very different purposes. If you value an Admirals Club membership because you’re a frequent American flyer, then the Executive Card is without a doubt the way to go. Meanwhile the Globe Card is more about making the math work on all the individual perks, given how many little credits and benefits the card offers.

If you are on the AAdvantage status “hamster wheel,” then there could be merit to keeping both cards long term, in order to earn up to 35,000 bonus Loyalty Points per year, unrelated to spending.

What’s your take on the value of American’s two most premium cards?