by Daniel | Last Updated Feb 15th, 2022
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Do you like to travel a lot and earn bonus miles for doing so?
Then one of the following credit cards may well be suited to you.
In this article, I’m going to review three different American Airlines Citi Credit Cards.
The AAdvantage MileUp Card.
The AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card
And finally, the AAdvantage Executive World Elite card.
Basically, I’ll go over what the cards cost on an annual basis, their benefits, and user perks, and then I’ll decide which card offers the most value.
Who Are These Cards Good For?
All three of the Citi AAdvantage Credits Cards are clearly targeted to people who like to travel, specifically with American Airlines, as this is where a lot of the benefits and miles earning options are available.
The entry-level MileUp card is good for anybody who is new to credit cards or who doesn’t want to pay an annual fee.
The Platinum Card is still affordable enough for new credit card users, but you will have to spend at least $2,500 in the first 3 months to receive its bonus miles.
Then finally, the Executive card is for more seasoned credit card holders, who spend quite a bit each year on their credit cards.
And this can help to cover the cost of the high annual fee.
Annual Fee
So next up, let’s take a look at what these cards cost on an annual basis.
And starting with the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card there is no annual fee.
Next up, the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card is free for the first year of card ownership, and each year after this will incur a $99 fee.
And finally, with the AAdvantage Executive World Elite card, there is an annual fee of $450.
APR
So the APR for these cards are all the same, and all vary based on what your creditworthiness is.
Starting with the Purchase Rate, it is between 15.99% and 24.99%.
The Balance Transfer Rate is exactly the same.
And finally, the Balance transfer Fee is either $5 or 5% of each transfer depending on whichever is greater.
Sign-up Bonus
So now let’s take a look at what sign-up bonus you receive with each card, and just take note that America Airlines AAdvantage Miles are worth approximately 1.2 cents per mile.
Starting with the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp card you will earn 10,000 America Airlines AAdvantage Bonus Miles and a $50 statement credit after you have spent $500 on the card within the first 3 months of card ownership.
And the 10,000 Bonus miles are worth approximately $120, so with the $50 statement credit, this puts its sign-up value at $170.
Next up, with the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card, you will earn 50,000 America Airlines AAdvantage Bonus Miles after you have spent $2,500 on the card within the first 3 months of opening the account.
So the 50,000 Bonus miles are worth approximately $600.
Then finally, with the AAdvantage Executive World Elite card, you will earn 50,000 America Airlines AAdvantage Bonus Miles after you have spent $5,000 within 3 months of opening the account.
And these 50,000 Bonus miles are also worth approximately $600.
So when it comes to the sign-up bonus, the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card offers the most value as it earns the same 50,000 bonus miles as the Executive World Elite card, but only requires half the spend amount to receive it.
Earning Miles
Next up, let’s go through all of the cards and see how many miles you can earn and which card offers the most value.
And just note that there is no limit on how many AAdvantage miles you can earn.
Starting with the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp card you will earn 2 AAdvantage miles for every $1 spent at grocery stores, which includes grocery delivery services.
Next up you will also earn 2 miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases.
And finally, you will earn 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.
Next up, with the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card, you will earn 2 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, dining, restaurants, and gas stations.
Then all other purchases will receive 1 mile per dollar spent.
And finally, with the AAdvantage Executive World Elite card, you will earn 2 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases.
and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.
So when it comes to earning miles, the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card offers the most ability to earn miles.
Benefits and User Perks
Next up, let’s go through all of the benefits that come with each card.
And starting with the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card you don’t get much.
Basically, you will receive 25% off inflight food and beverage purchases that are made with your card on American Airline flights.
And just a side note, with this card there is a 3% foreign transaction fee for each purchase you make overseas.
Next up, with the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card, you get a bit more value.
First of all, you will get your first checked bag free on domestic American Airlines flights for you and up to 4 companions that are traveling with you on the same flight.
Next up, you will get preferred boarding on American Airlines flights, which can be nice to be able to get your bags in overhead storage before everybody else boards.
You get access to Citi Entertainment which gives you special access to a large range of different events that include concerts, sporting events, and dining experiences. You will have the ability to earn a flight discount of $125 on American Airlines if you spend more than $20,000 in any given year of card membership, And for this to be valid you must renew your card for the following year.
There are no foreign transaction fees.
And finally, you will also get 25% off inflight food and beverages when using your card on any American Airlines flight.
Now with the AAdvantage Executive World Elite card, you will get Admirals Club Membership which gives you and 2 guests access to almost 50 airport lounges worldwide. You will also get a $100 statement credit that can be used for either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
Another nice benefit that is available with this card is a $145 statement credit each year if you qualify for a Citigold account and remain a cardmember.
There is an enhanced airport experience that gives you priority check-in, airport screening, and priority boarding privileges for you and up to 8 travel companions that are flying on the same flight as you.
You will have access to a dedicated concierge that can help you with a whole range of different tasks such as booking travel, dining reservations, and entertainment needs.
Also, you will get your first checked bag free on domestic American Airlines flights for up to 8 travel companions, which is 4 more than what the Platinum card offers.
There is the same 25% savings on food and beverages on all American Airlines flights.
You will have access to Citi Entertainment which gives you special access to literally thousands of different events, which also includes presale tickets to sporting events, concerts, and dining experiences.
And similar to the Platinum card there are no foreign transaction fees.
So for this section, the Executive World Elite card clearly offers the most benefits and user perks, although you will have to pay for it with the higher annual fee.
Insurance-related Benefits
Next up, let go over what coverage each card offers.
And for this section both the MileUp Card and the Executive card offer the same benefits, which are:
Citi Quick Lock and this gives you the ability to block any new charges that are made to your card whilst allowing any recurring charges to continue without any disruption.
Account Alerts, this is a customizable option that you can set up to receive alerts to your phone or email, and this can be anything from payment reminders, statement availability, or whether you have gone over your credit limit.
And finally, you will have access to 24/7 customer service.
Interestingly enough the Platinum card doesn’t offer as many options as these cards which is a little unusual, as far as I can see it only comes with access to 24/7 customer service.
So for this section, both the MileUp Card and the Executive card offer the same benefits and therefore offer more value than the Platinum card when it comes to insurance benefits
Final Thoughts
So what are my thoughts about these three different credit cards?
They all offer a reasonable signup bonus and the ability to earn miles when using the card in certain categories.
The main thing that is worth noting is the amount of value you get with each card will depend on how much you actually feel comfortable spending.
If you don’t have a lot of money available to spend, then the MileUp Card is a great card to choose from as it has no annual fee but still offers a sign-up bonus that is worth approximately $170.
Alternatively, if money is not a concern and you travel a lot, then the Executive card will make the most sense as it offers a $100 credit for TSA PreCheck and Global Entry, a $145 credit if you have a Citigold account and finally you will have access to Admirals Club, which is a nice benefit to have if you tend to travel a lot.
For me, however, I think that the Platinum card is the best value.
It is free for the first year of card ownership and then only $99 per year, which is a lot cheaper than the Executive card.
Its sign-up bonus is the same value as the Executive card but only requires half the spend amount to receive it.
And finally, it has the potential to earn more miles than the Executive card as it has a wider range of eligible earning options.