by Daniel | Last Updated Aug 7th, 2024
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links, at no cost to you.
If you’re considering getting one of the American Airlines AAdvantage Credit Cards, or already have one and are looking to upgrade your current card, then this article is for you.
Basically what I’m going to do is talk you through how all 4 of these credit card differ in terms of benefits and perks, and then at the end of this article, I’ll give you my opinion on which card is the best option for you.
Who Are These Cards Good For?
Well generally speaking, all four of these credit cards are specifically designed for anybody that flys with American Airlines on a regular basis.
And this is because a majority of the benefits that are on offer with each card are directly related to American Airlines.
Then depending on how much you travel each year and what benefits appeal to you will determine which card will be the best fit for your situation.
As you will see in the next section of the article there is quite a broad range of benefits and perks available from each card.
With the entry level American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Mastercard offering a relatively small sign up bonus and a couple of benefits all the way uptown the most premium card the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard offering quite a large signup bonus and a wide range of different benefits and perks.
Things To Know
Now before I get in to the finer details about each card, It’s worth noting that when you earn AAdvantage miles with any of these cards, you will be able to use these miles with approximately 20 different airlines partners.
But just note that these bookings can only be made directly through the American Airlines website aa.com
So you wont be able to actually transfer the miles over to a partner airlines account.
American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Mastercard
So let’s start by looking at the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Mastercard.
And this is the entry level card offered by American Airlines, so it is the most cost effective as it has no annual fee.
This card is good for anyone that is relatively new to credit cards and is looking to start to take advantage from flying with American Airlines.
Although I must say, unlike all of the other American AAdvantage credit cards, the card is the only one that doesn’t provide you with your first checked bag free.
And even if you only travel on one return trip a year with a checked bag, American Airlines will actually charge you between $35-$40 to check your first bag for each trip, which means you will be paying an additional $70 to $80 for one round trip per person.
Obviously this can add up quite quickly if travel more than a couple of times each year with checked luggage.
So its worth taking this into account if you are considering any of these cards.
Sign-up bonus
So at the time of making this video, it is possible to earn 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles after you spend just $500 on the card over the first 3 months of opening the account.
This works out to be just over $41 a week over 3 months, which shouldn’t be too hard to achieve.
Now AAdvantage Miles are worth around 1.7 cents per mile, which means the 15,000 mile signup bonus is worth about $255.
Benefits
Now in terms of benefits, the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Mastercard doesn’t offer much at all, and this is generally the case with entry level cards that have no annual fee.
And the one and only benefit available with this card is the ability to receive a 25% saving on food and beverages purchase that are made on American Airline flights.
So as you can see, the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Mastercard doesn’t really provide you with much value at all, at least when it comes to additional benefits
But again, it is the entry level card so it is somewhat expected.
Earning Miles
Now when it comes to earning miles, the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Mastercard provides a few categories to earning miles from.
Essentially, there are 2 categories that provide 2x miles earning, which are:
- Grocery store purchases
- American Airlines purchases
Then everything else will earn you 1 mile per dollar spent.
So whilst the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Mastercard doesn’t offer a very high level of miles earnings potential, at least there are a few options to choose from.
Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard
Now the second on the list is the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard, and considering this card is not very expensive on an annual basis, it actually offers a fair bit more value than the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Mastercard.
Basically, the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard is free for the first year of card ownership, then each year thereafter will cost you $99.
So this card is a good choice if you travel with American Airlines on a somewhat regular basis and want to get more benefits and perks than what the entry level American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Mastercard offers.
Sign-up bonus
Now the signup bonus that is currently available with the United Explorer Card is substantially more than what the United Gateway card is offering.
At the time of making this video, it is possible to earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantagebonus miles if you are able to spend $2,500 on the card within the first 3 months of opening the account.
Now whilst this is 5x the spend requirement that the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Mastercard requires to receive its signup bonus, it is worth quite a lot more.
Seeing that AAdvantage Miles are worth around 1.7 cents per mile, the 50,000 mile sign up bonus is worth about $850.
That around $595 more value then the sign up bonus of the MileUp card.
So if you can manage to spend around $208 a week on the card over the first 3 months of card ownership, you will definitely benefit from the increased signup bonus.
Benefits
Now like I mentioned earlier, this card offers quite a few more benefits than the entry level MileUp card, so let’s take a look at what they are.
The first benefit, that I think is really quite valuable if you travel frequently is the ability to get your first checked bag free of charge for you and up to 4 travel companions that are traveling on the same reservation.
Based on each checked bag costing up to $40, this can potentially save you up to $160 per flight compared to the entry level MileUp card.
You will have the ability to receive a $125 American Airlines Flight Discount if you manage to spend at least $20,000 on the card within a calendar year.
There is then Preferred boarding on American Airline flights which is always a nice option to have.
Essentially this allows you to board the plane before general boarding, which then allows you the freedom to actually stow your overhead bags before space runs out.
You will receive the same 25% saving on food and beverages purchase that are made on American Airline flights as you get with the MileUp card.
Earning Miles
Now when it comes to earning miles, the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard offers a similar miles earning potential to MileUp card, the main difference is that the earning categories are slightly different.
So make sure to consider where you spend a majority of your money, as this will effect how much value you receive from the card through your everyday spending.
So just with the Platinum Select there are 3 categories that provides 2x miles earning, which are:
- Dining out at restaurants
- Gas station Purchases
- And purchases made with American Airlines
Everything else will earn you 1 mile per dollar spent.
So in terms of value, this card offers a wider range of categories to earn miles from.
Citi / AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard
So the third card on this list is the Citi / AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard.
And it is somewhat similar to the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard.
It has the same annual fee of $99 per year, and it also offers the first year of card ownership free of charge.
Sign-up bonus
Now At the time of making this video, it is possible to earn 65,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles as long as you spend at least $4,000 within the first 4 months of opening the account.
And with AAdvantage Miles are worth around 1.7 cents per mile, the 65,000 bonus miles are worth $1,105.
Benefits
So the Citi / AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard comes with a few additional benefits compare to the Citi Platinum Select card.
The additional benefits that are currently on offer are as follows:
There is the ability to earn an American Airlines domestic round trip Companion Certificate (main-cabin fare) after spending $30,000 on the card within a calendar year.
Just note that this will have an additional fee of $99 for ticketing, and you will also be charge taxes and fees of up to $43.20.
You will receive you first checked bag free of charge for you and up to 4 travel companions that are on the same reservation.
There is also Preferred Boarding for you and 4 travel companions that are booked on the same reservation.
You can save 25% on select inflight purchases on American Airline flights.
As this is a Business credit card you will have access to AAdvantage Business membership benefits which includes specific travel management tools, essential reporting capabilities, duty of care, traveler activity, expense management and more.
And finally, it is possible to earn one Loyalty Point for every $1 spent on any business card purchases, and this includes you the primary primary card holder and employee cards.
Earning Miles
So when it comes to earning miles, the Citi / AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard offers a few different categories to earn 2x miles from, there are:
- American Airlines purchases
- Gas station and car rental purchases
- Telecommunications merchants and cable and satellite providers
Everything else will earn you 1 mile per dollar spent.
So obviously, this card is directed towards business owners, and to be fair it does offer some pretty good benefits and the ability to earn reasonable amount of miles through everyday spending.
Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard
So the last card on this list and the most exclusive card is the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard.
And not surprisingly it is the most expensive card with an annual fee of $595, which is a fair amount of money.
But to fair, it does come with some pretty valuable benefits.
Sign-up Bonus
So at the time of making this video it is possible to earn 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $7,000 on the card within the first nth son opening the account.
And with AAdvantage Miles being worth around 1.7 cents per mile, the 70,000 mile sign up bonus is worth about $1,190.
Benefits
So the most valuable benefit on offer with this card is a Complimentary Admirals Club membership that is worth $850.
This basically gives you access to 50 Admirals Club lounges and more than 60 partner lounges worldwide.
And you can bring along 2 guest free of charge.
When flying on a domestic American Airlines flight you will get your first checked bag free of charge for you and up to 8 travel companions that are flying on the same reservation.
And with an each checked bag usually costing around $40 each, this can potentially save you up to $320 per trip.
You will receive a $100 credit that can be used for either TSA PreCheck or Global entry.
There is then a 25% discount on inflight food and beverage purchase that are made on American Airline flights when using the card.
When traveling you will receive Enhanced Airport Experience which provides you with priority check-in, screening, and boarding when flying with American Airlines.
There is a $120 Lyft credit that is provided to you in $10 monthly allotments, but you must first make 3 eligible rides each month before you receive the $10 credit.
There is also a $120 credit that can be used through Gubhub, and this is also provided in $10 allotments each month.
It is then possible to earn 20,000 additional Loyalty points.
So once you reach 50,000 Loyalty Points in a status year on your account you will receive a bonus 10,000 points.
and then when you reach 90,000 Loyalty Points you will receive an additional 10,000 points.
Just note that it must be in the same status qualification year.
And finally there is a Dedicated Concierge that can help you travel booking, shopping, dining, household, and entertainment needs.
So as you can see, the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard has by far the most valuable benefits on offer out of all 4 cards.
Even with the high annual fee of $595 each year, these benefits easily make up for it, assume you take advantage of them.
Final Thoughts
Ok so that covers pretty much everything you need to know about all 4 of these credit cards from Citi and American Airlines.
And as you can see the more expensive cards do offer more benefits than the cheaper cards, the question you should ask yourself is what benefits do you want and will you actually use them.
To some degree, the annual fee you are paying for any of these cards is essentially helping to pay up front for the benefits you are receiving.
In my opinion, one of the most important things with all of these cards is its miles earning ability, as this will provide you with a ton of value over time.
Now obviously the ability to get your first checked bag for free is also worth considering.
If you do fly more than a few times each year with American Airlines and tend to check in at least one bag, this one benefit will save you a ton of money over time.
So If I had to choose just one card I would have to go with the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard, and this is mainly because I travel quite a lot each year, which means I would be able to make good use of all of the benefits the card has to offer.
And seeing that I always check at least one bag when I travel, having my first checked bag free of charge would really benefit me.
Now If I didn’t travel as much I currently do, I would be more than happy with the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard.
First of all because it has a reasonably good miles earning potential it would allow me to earn a decent amount of value from my everyday spending.
It is also substantially cheaper to maintain the card each year as its annual fee is free for the first year of card ownership and then just $99 each year there after.
And just incase you didn’t know, there are actually 4 American Airlines credit cards on offer from Barclays which are also known as the AAdvantage Aviator credit cards.
And whilst they are somewhat similar to what Citi is offer with the AAdvantage credit cards, there are a few differences.
Now if you want to see my choice of the 3 best airline credit cards available today check out my article here.