Link: Apply now for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (review) is American Airlines’ most premium credit card. Not only does the card have a solid welcome bonus, but it offers valuable ongoing perks.
If you don’t yet have the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card, in this post I wanted to take a look at why you might want to apply. Here are nine reasons you should consider picking up this $595 annual fee, in no particular order…
In this post:
Welcome Bonus of 70K AAdvantage miles
The Citi AAdvantage Executive Card is offering a welcome bonus of 70,000 AAdvantage miles after spending $7,000 within the first three months. While that’s a hefty spending requirement, it’s also a very good bonus.
I value American AAdvantage miles at ~1.5 cents each, so to me, those miles are worth about $1,050. That’s a nice bonus, especially for a card that also offers a lot of value in the long run. There are lots of great uses of American AAdvantage miles.
An Admirals Club membership
The single biggest perk of the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card is that the card offers an Admirals Club membership for the primary cardmember. This card is arguably the best way to get Admirals Club access, as the card’s annual fee is less than the Admirals Club membership cost, even if you have elite status.
If you fly American with any frequency, having Admirals Club access is worth it for having somewhere comfortable to sit with complimentary drinks and snacks, and for access to the Admirals Club agents during irregular operations.
Admirals Club access for authorized users
Authorized users on the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card can also receive Admirals Club access. You can add up to three authorized users for a total of $175 (so potentially under $60 each), and then you’ll pay $175 for each authorized user beyond that.
The sweet spot is really adding three authorized users, as you’re looking at paying under $60 each for them to get Admirals Club access annually. They can access Admirals Club whenever flying a oneworld airline same day, and can bring two guests or immediate family.
Up to 20K Loyalty Points just for being a cardmember
If you’re going for elite status with American AAdvantage, the reason you may want to get the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card is because it offers up to 20,000 Loyalty Points per year, without even spending a dime on the card.
The card offers 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points when you earn 50,000 Loyalty Points in a status qualification year, and another 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points when you earn 90,000 Loyalty Points in a status qualification year. It doesn’t matter how those Loyalty Points are earned, so it could be from spending on the card, or from flying.
The ability to earn Loyalty Points with spending
As is the case with virtually all of American’s co-branded credit cards, the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card offers one Loyalty Point per dollar spent. Loyalty Points is the system by which you can qualify for elite status nowadays, so spending on the card can help you achieve that.
For example, AAdvantage Executive Platinum status requires 200,000 Loyalty Points per year, so spending $180,000 on this card would earn you that (since you earn 20,000 bonus Loyalty Points). I’m not suggesting you should qualify for status that way, but you could.
4-5x AAdvantage miles on American Airlines spending
If you’re a frequent American Airlines flyer, the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card offers (by far) the best return of any American Airlines card when it comes to spending on American.
The card offers 4x AAdvantage miles on eligible American Airlines purchases. On top of that, if you spend $150,000 on the card in a calendar year, you earn 5x AAdvantage miles on all American Airlines purchases for the rest of the calendar year.
Priority services with American Airlines
If you’re a less frequent flyer with American Airlines and don’t have elite status, you’ll appreciate the perks offered by the card, which include the following:
- A first checked bag free on domestic American itineraries for the cardmember and up to eight companions on the same reservation
- Priority airport check-in
- Priority airport security screening
- Preferred boarding
The value of that can add up. However, I do think this card is most valuable for those who have AAdvantage elite status.
Up to $120 annual credit with Avis & Budget
To help offset the annual fee, the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card offers up to $120 back on eligible Avis or Budget rentals every calendar year. All you have to do is charge an eligible purchase to your card, and you’ll receive a statement credit up to the $120 limit. You can use this for one rental or multiple rentals, it’s totally up to you.
Up to $120 back annually with Grubhub
The Citi AAdvantage Executive Card offers up to $120 back on eligible Grubhub purchases every calendar year. This comes in the form of up to $10 in statement credits with Grubhub each billing cycle. Just charge at least that much to your card from Grubhub each billing cycle, and you’ll receive the credit.
While I wouldn’t say it’s as useful as the Avis or Budget credit (given that it can be used in one go), there’s still potentially quite a bit of value to be had if you use the food delivery service regularly.
Bottom line
The Citi AAdvantage Executive Card is American’s most premium credit card. While it has a steep annual fee, many American flyers will find it worthwhile. The card offers an Admirals Club membership, the ability to get reasonably priced Admirals Club access for authorized users, up to 20,000 bonus Loyalty Points per year just for being a cardmember, and more.
What’s your take on the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card?
Does anyone know if you still are eligible for the first 10K Loyalty points if you already have earned 50K Loyalty points before you sign up for this card?
@ Manit -- Yep, you are!
"One-Day Pass holders and Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive Card authorized users do not have access to partner lounges."
So the cardholder only gets domestic lounge access?
@ Christian -- The primary cardmember gets a full Admirals Club membership, which comes with some partner lounge access. Meanwhile authorized users only get access to Admirals Club and not partner lounges.
10x on hotels via portal plus portal points.
The ability to bring your entire immediate family into an Admirals Club is a huge benefit that more than justifies the fee for this card if you fly with a family on AA once or more a year. Plus, the Admirals Clubs are, generally, not overcrowded.
With Amex you are stuck with either paying $50 a kid to get into a SkyClub or $30 a kid to get into a Centurion Lounge. If you are...
The ability to bring your entire immediate family into an Admirals Club is a huge benefit that more than justifies the fee for this card if you fly with a family on AA once or more a year. Plus, the Admirals Clubs are, generally, not overcrowded.
With Amex you are stuck with either paying $50 a kid to get into a SkyClub or $30 a kid to get into a Centurion Lounge. If you are near a CSR Club, can get a family of 3 in there (or up to 6 if spouse is an authorized user), if you can survive the waitlist.
Meanwhile, my kids actually like the Admirals Club at JFK. Is the food great? Doesn’t have to be when the kids are happy with plain bagels and cream cheese. There’s fruit and cereal. There’s chips and guacamole. And there’s a kids room with a TV in many of them. Took them into the Greenwich Lounge at JFK last time I flew AA and they wanted to leave to go to the Admirals Club, which we did! I guess they didn’t care as much about a 9am glass of brand name champagne. The Admirals Club staff when checking us in said we should go to Greenwich, I said that we already did and the kids wanted to come here!
The card clearly makes sense for those wanting an Admirals Club membership, which is the sole reason I keep it. That being said, Citi customer service falls far below Chase or Amex for their premium products, and as a result I put zero spend (aside from an Avis rental) on this card. A friend who works for Citi’s LatAm division in Miami is fond of saying, “Citi is the best bank in the world hands...
The card clearly makes sense for those wanting an Admirals Club membership, which is the sole reason I keep it. That being said, Citi customer service falls far below Chase or Amex for their premium products, and as a result I put zero spend (aside from an Avis rental) on this card. A friend who works for Citi’s LatAm division in Miami is fond of saying, “Citi is the best bank in the world hands down for sovereign nations and F500 companies, but for anyone else, we don’t really care about your business.”
Citi = Shiti