by Daniel | Last Updated Feb 24th, 2022
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Are you looking for an airline credit card that offers the ability to earn a reasonable amount of points, offers a decent sign-up bonus, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg for the annual fee?
Then both of these American Airlines AAdvantage cards are with considering.
In this article, I’m going to review two credit cards, the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard and the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard.
Basically, what I’ll do is go over the benefits and perks of each card, how many bonus miles you can earn with the sign-up bonus, and then I’ll give my opinion on which card I think is the best value.
Who Are These Cards Good For?
Both of these cards are specifically targeted at Frequent flyers of American Airlines as this is where a majority of the benefits are offered.
They both come with similar perks such as your first checked bag free, preferred boarding on American Airlines flights and they both have no foreign transaction fees, but one card offers quite a lot more value.
Annual Fee
So next up, let’s take a look at what these cards cost on an annual basis and see what differences there are.
Starting with the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard there is an annual fee of $99, but for new cardholders, this fee is waived for the first 12 months, so it’s essentially free for the first year.
Next up with the Mastercard AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard there is the same annual fee of $99 but for this card, the fee is not waived.
So for this section, the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card comes out on top as you can instantly save $99.
APR
Now let’s go over the APR rates for each card and see how they differ, and just keep in mind that the APR for these cards will vary based on what your creditworthiness is.
So starting with the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select card there is a variable APR of between 15.99% and 24.99%.
For cash advances, the APR is 25.24%, and the Penalty APR is 29.99% which comes into effect if you make a late payment or you make a payment that is returned, and this Penalty APR may stay on the account indefinitely.
There will also be a fee of up to $40 for either of these issues.
Then finally, if you make a balance transfer it will cost either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Now with the Mastercard AAdvantage Aviator Red card, you will actually get a 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers that are made within the first 45 days of opening the account.
After this, the APR will be a variable rate between 15.99% and 24.99%.
For cash advances, the APR is the same as the Citi card which is 25.24%.
If you make a late payment of you have a returned payment you will incur a fee of up to $40.
And the balance transfer fee is also $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer depending on which one is greater.
So for this section, the Mastercard AAdvantage Aviator Red card has more options when it comes to the APR, specifically because it has an intro 0% APR for 15 months on balance transfers, which can be really useful if you need the option of transferring your debt to an interest-free account.
And if like to learn more about the best balance transfer credit cards you can read my review here.
Sign-up Bonus
So now let’s take a look at the sign-up bonus that is offered with each of these cards.
So starting with the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card you will get 50,000 America Airlines AAdvantage Miles after you make $2,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of opening the account.
And these Miles are worth approximately 1.2 cents per mile, so the 50,000 bonus miles are worth $600.
Next up with the Mastercard Aadvantage Aviator Red card, you will get 60,000 AAdvantage Miles after you make any purchases and have paid for the annual fee of $99, all within the first 90 days of opening the account.
And seeing as the points are worth the same 1.2 cents per mile, this sign-up bonus is worth $720.
So for this section, the Mastercard Aadvantage Aviator Red card clearly offers more in the way of value from its sign-up bonus.
It’s worth $120 more than the Citi card, and you will only need to pay for the $99 annual fee and then any charge on the card to receive the bonus.
Earning Miles
Next up, let’s look at both cards and see how many miles you can earn when spending with the card and which one offers the most value.
And starting with the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card you will be able to earn 2x miles at restaurants, gas stations, and any American Airlines purchases.
And then any other purchases that are made on the card will receive 1 mile per dollar spent.
Next up, with the Mastercard Aadvantage Aviator Red card, you will earn 2x miles on American Airline purchases.
And then all other purchases will earn 1 mile per dollar spent.
So for this section, the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card offers a wider range of options for earning more points as it also includes 2x points at restaurants and gas stations, which if you spend a fair amount each year at these places can really add up.
Benefits and User Perks
Now let’s go through all of the benefits that come with each card and see if there is much difference.
Starting with the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card you will be able to earn a $125 flight discount on any American Airlines flight after you spend $20,000 or more on the card within a year and also renew the card for the following year.
For you and up to 4 travel companions, you will get your first check bags free of charge on any domestic American Airlines flight.
You will also receive preferred boarding when traveling on an American Airlines flight, and along with this, you will also get 25% off any inflight food or beverages on AA flights.
And then finally there is access to Citi Entertainment which gives you special access to a large variety of different events which includes presale tickets to concerts, sporting events, and dining experiences
Next up, with the Mastercard Aadvantage Aviator Red card, you will have the option of getting quite a lot more value than the Citi Card.
So one of the biggest differences with this card is the fact that you can receive an anniversary companion certificate each year after your spend $20,000 or more within the cardmember year and you keep your account open for at least 45 days after your account anniversary date.
And this can be worth well over $1,000 if you book the right flight.
To make use of this offer, after you have met the spend requirements, you will need to pay $99 (plus taxes and fee)
You will receive up to $25 back in statement credits for inflight WiFi purchases that are made on American Airline flights.
And then you will get the same first bag checked free for you and 4 travel companions, you will also get preferred boarding on AA flights and the same 25% off inflight food and beverage purchases on AA flights.
So for this section, the Mastercard Aadvantage Aviator Red has the potential to offer a fair bit more value than the Citi card due to the ability to earn the anniversary companion certificate after spending $20,000 within a calendar year.
Insurance-related Benefits
Next up, let go over what each card offers in terms of insurance-related coverage.
Starting with the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card there is no listed insurance-related coverage with this card which is somewhat surprising.
Next up with the Mastercard Aadvantage Aviator Red card, you will get Travel Coverage, which includes Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Baggage Delay Insurance, and Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver.
So for this section, the Mastercard Aadvantage Aviator Red card clearly offers a lot more value in terms of Insurance coverage.
Final Thoughts
So what are my thoughts about both of these credit cards?
Personally, I think the Mastercard AAdvantage Aviator Red card is the better card as it offers quite a lot more value.
Initially, both cards look to be quite similarly matched, but when you go into greater detail you can see that the Mastercard AAdvantage Aviator Red card actually has a fair bit more to offer than the Citi card does.
One of the main standouts for me is the anniversary companion certificate that you can earn after spending $20,000 within a calendar year, This alone can easily offset the annual fee and be worth well over $1,000.
You also get more in the way of Insurance coverage, which I think is important, as it can potentially save you a lot of money at the end of the day if something does go wrong and you need the coverage
And then the sign-up bonus is worth $120 more than the Citi card and requires only a fraction of the spend requirement to receive it.
Now if you are looking for an even better airline credit card you should check out my review here where I talk about the best airline credit cards available now.