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October 27 was the last day to get the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard® with 75,000 bonus American Airlines miles after spending $7,500 in the first three months. Don’t miss out because that’s the biggest bonus of any card right now.
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard® is a great card for many people, but there are major drawbacks to the Citi Executive AAdvantage World MasterCard that you should consider before getting the card.
- What is the full offer on the Citi Executive AAdvantage World MasterCard?
- Can you get the card if you’ve had other Citi American Airlines cards?
- What are the drawbacks?
- What are the best uses of American Airlines miles?
The Offer
- For a limited time, earn 75,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $7,500 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening*
- Admirals Club® membership for you with guest privileges*
- 10,000 Elite Qualifying Miles from American Airlines after $40,000 spent in purchases each calendar year*
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases*
- Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines and US Airways purchases and 1 AAdvantage® mile for every $1 spent on other purchases*
- First checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines and US Airways itineraries for you and up to eight companions traveling with you on the same reservation*
The card also has a $450 annual fee.
I value American Airlines miles at 1.8 cents each, so I value the 75,000 miles at $1,350. Subtract the $450 annual fee and add the value of Admirals Club Membership and Global Entry to figure out the value of the sign up bonus.
Who Can Get the Card?
This card is the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard®. It is different than the Platinum and Gold versions of American Airlines credit cards, which many more people have. If you only have those cards, you can get this card and its bonus as a new customer.
Last year many people got several Executive Cards. They are not eligible for this offer, which includes the fine print: “bonus miles are not available if you have had a Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World EliteTM Card opened or closed in the past 18 months.”
This card is issued by Citi. Citi has a general rule that you can only be approved for one card in a one week period and two cards in a two month period. So if you have gotten other Citi cards recently like the Prestige or Premier, space out your applications, so they are on day 1, day 9, and day 66.
The Drawbacks
The two things that will hold people back from getting this card are the minimum spending requirement and annual fee.
The minimum spending requirement is a huge $7,500 in three months. There are many great ways to meet minimum spending requirements, but make sure you only get this card if you can meet the minimum spending requirement without spending more than you ordinarily would and if meeting the minimum spending requirement will not cause you to go into debt.
The annual fee is $450 per year. The first year you get a $100 statement credit that you can use for your own Global Entry application or someone else’s.
For that price, you get Admirals Club membership. If you normally pay for Admirals Club access, this perk has real value, since a new membership is $500.
Figure out how much value lounge access has to you and mentally deduct that value from the annual fee.
Uses of American Airlines Miles
Currently American Airlines miles are one of the most valuable mileage currencies. Here is a series that explains everything about redeeming American Airlines miles including guides based on where exactly you want to go:
- Part 1 — 5 Ways to Stretch American Airlines Miles on Economy Redemptions
- Part 2 — 6 Ultra-Luxurious First Classes to Book with American Airlines Miles
- Part 3 — Where to Search Award Space for All Partners
- Part 4 — Award Rules and How Many Miles You Need
- Part 5 — Taxes, Fees, and Fuel Surcharges
- Part 6 — Redeeming for Domestic Awards
- Part 7 — Redeeming for Hawaii
- Part 8 — Redeeming for East and Southeast Asia
- Part 9 — Redeeming for Middle East and Indian Subcontinent
- Part 10 — Redeeming for Australia and New Zealand
- Part 11 — Redeeming for South or Central America
- Part 12 — Redeeming for Europe
- Part 13 — Redeeming for Africa
- Part 14 — Redeeming for Fiji, Tahiti, and French Polynesia
The reason American Airlines miles are so valuable is that Delta and United devalued their award charts in 2014. American’s chart has remained untouched for years.
Bottom Line
My take on this card is that for some people it will be one of the best offers of the year. For other folks, this will be an offer they should skip in favor of cards with spending requirements and annual fees that more closely align with their comfort levels.
Will you apply for the card?
Application Link: Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard®
Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel℠ and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
Editorial Disclaimer: The editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuers, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuers.
The comments section below is not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all questions are answered.
I have been waiting to get this card -but tempted to hold out for a 100k miles offer. I’m not in any rush but am slowly collecting AA miles with the eye to redeeming in 2016/2017. Need a lot of miles for my whole family to travel.
And you’ll almost certainly need a lot more for redemptions in 2016 and 2017.
I have been waiting to get this card -but tempted to hold out for a 100k miles offer. I’m not in any rush but am slowly collecting AA miles with the eye to redeeming in 2016/2017. Need a lot of miles for my whole family to travel.
And you’ll almost certainly need a lot more for redemptions in 2016 and 2017.
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Is the $450 fee charged up front or at the end of the first year?
First statement
Is the $450 fee charged up front or at the end of the first year?
Does AA lounge access allow me to have access to Alaska Air Boardroom lounge (in SEA)? I recall that these two airlines recently announced some reciprocity, but I can’t recall the specifics.
http://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInformation/airportAmenities/sea-club.jsp
Yes if flying AA, US, or Alaska
[…] Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard® – annual fee of $450 (this is the card that comes with Admirals Club Membership) […]