Citi aadvantage executive world elite mastercard credit limit

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If you are already considering an airline club membership, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®* , from our partner Citi, could make a lot of sense. The $450 annual fee is lower than the cost of an annual Admirals Club membership and the card’s other benefits are robust. You could get tremendous value out of the welcome bonus if you spend your miles strategically. However, this is not a card for daily spending unless you really need AAdvantage miles.

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®

Welcome Bonus

80,000 miles + Admirals Club® membership

Regular APR

18.99% - 27.99% variable

Credit Score

Excellent, Good

Pros

• Free checked bag on domestic American Airlines flights for up to 8 companions on the same reservation
• Up to 10 authorized users receive Admirals Club® lounge access when flying on American Airlines

Cons

• High annual fee with no first-year waiver
• Blackout dates apply in some cases
• Lackluster rewards rates
• Requires excellent credit

Highlights

• Earn 80,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $5,500 within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, receive a complimentary Admirals Club® membership (a value of up to $650)
• $450 annual fee
• Earn 4 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases through December 31, 2022, then 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent. Earn 1 mile for all other purchases
• Admirals Club® Membership: Access to nearly 50 lounge locations worldwide for you and your immediate family (or up to 2 traveling guests that accompany you)

Introduction

The Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard is the highest-tier American Airlines partner credit card. The steep annual fee is offset by an impressive set of benefits targeted toward travelers who fly American Airlines often.

The most impressive benefit of the Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard is an Admirals Club membership for the primary cardholder. This membership allows the member and up to two guests (or spouse and all children under 18) access to American Airlines Admirals Club lounges with a same-day boarding pass on American Airlines. The membership has privileges at Oneworld clubs and other clubs worldwide where American Airlines’ passengers have access.

Primary cardholders get their first checked bag free on American Airlines flights within the U.S. They also have priority check-in and boarding access, as well as a 25% discount on food and drink purchases in-flight when you pay with your card.

The card offers the ability to share benefits with up to ten authorized cardholders for no additional fee. The authorized user club benefits are more limited. Authorized users are only allowed to visit Admirals Clubs, not Oneworld or affiliated clubs, while traveling on same-day American Airlines flights. They also do not get a free checked bag perk or priority airport and boarding access.

Compare Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard With Other Cards

At a Glance

• Admirals Club membership for primary cardholder ($650 value)
• Earn 2 American Airlines miles per dollar spent on American Airlines purchases
• Up to 10 free Authorized Users with Admirals Club access when flying American Airlines
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit (once every five years) up to $100
• First bag checked free on domestic flights for the primary cardmember and up to eight travel companions on the same reservation
• Priority boarding (Group 4)
• Priority check-in and security access (where available) including up to eight companions
• 25% discount on inflight food and beverage purchases

Rewards

Earning Rewards

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®* offers a welcome bonus: 80,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $5,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, Admirals Club® membership (a value of up to $650). The card earns 4 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases through December 31, 2022, then earn 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent. Earn 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Redeeming Rewards

AAdvantage miles are used most commonly to fly on American Airlines, but they can be used on any Oneworld airline and with other partners, including Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Qantas and Japan Airlines among others.

Unlike many other airlines, American Airlines publishes its award chart, which you can consult to estimate how many miles you might need for a given itinerary. For example, a MileSAAver award within the contiguous 48 U.S. States and Canada costs 12,500 miles.

In addition to regular, published awards, AAdvantage miles can offer outsized value through Web Specials.

Web Specials are discounted fares between specific city pairs on certain dates in economy class. American has recently released web specials for as low as 5,000 miles to Australia and New Zealand, 10,000 miles to Hawaii and 5,000 U.S. transcontinental. By using web specials AAdvantage miles can go much further than if they were redeemed on peak dates or even for standard saver awards. However, be aware that web special routings are often circuitous or require extended layovers.

Rewards Potential

To determine the rewards potential of the Citi AAdvantage card we have to look at the bonus categories and calculate what an example American household might spend in those areas. Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies in order to determine both baseline income and spending averages across various categories. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households bring in $107,908 annually and we base spending on that number.

Forbes Advisor estimates that our sample family spends $3,040 on airfare, for earnings of 6,080 AAdvantage miles assuming all flights are booked through American Airlines. The $29,032 that can be reasonably charged to a credit card will earn 29,032 AAdvantage miles. This adds up to a total of 35,112 AAdvantage miles per year, in addition to the first-year welcome bonus.

One thing to keep in mind: If you have a stash of transferable points like Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards, you will not be able to transfer to American Airlines. The only transferable point currency that permits transfers to American Airlines and offers reasonable rates is Marriott Bonvoy, which is more limited than options with Delta, United, JetBlue or Southwest. If you value flexibility when it comes to travel, this card may not be the best choice.

Other Card Benefits

• Citi Entertainment: Get special access to purchase tickets to thousands of events annually.
• Dedicated Concierge: Provides access to a staff of experts for help with your foreign and domestic travel, shopping, dining, household and entertainment needs.
• Banking Relationship Annual Credit: Receive a $145 statement credit when you have a qualifying Citigold account.
• $0 Liability on Unauthorized Charges: At Citi, you will not be responsible for a charge that you did not authorize, online or otherwise.
• Digital Wallets: Shop with confidence in millions of places online, within apps, and in stores using Citi Digital Wallet services.
• Contactless Pay: Shop safely with a contactless-chip-enabled card. Just tap your card on the payment reader and go in seconds.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees: You won’t have to pay any additional fees when you use your credit card for purchases made overseas.

Fine Print

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: 18.99% - 27.99% variable
• Purchase Intro APR: N/A
• Balance Transfer Intro APR: N/A

Fees

• Annual Fee: $450
• Balance Transfer Fee: Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
• Cash Advance Fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater
• Foreign Purchase Transaction fee: None

How The Card Stacks Up

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®* vs. Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®

If you occasionally fly American Airlines and are looking at the Citi AAdvantage Executive World Mastercard primarily for the luggage and early boarding benefits, consider the American Airlines Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard. This card carries a lower annual fee but includes a number of perks that are valuable to American Airlines flyers without frequent flyer status.

The card does have an annual fee ($99, waived for first 12 months), but you will earn 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent on American Airlines purchases, and have access to several of the benefits of the AAdvantage Executive World Mastercard:

• Earn 2 AAdvantage Miles per dollar spent at restaurants and gas stations
• Get your first checked bag for free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to four companions traveling on the same reservation
• Preferred boarding (Zone 5)

In addition, the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard offers a welcome bonus: 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $2,500 within the first 3 months of account opening.

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®* vs. Citi Premier® Card

If you are looking for a credit card that earns rewards for travel and you either fly a variety of airlines or do not value benefits like lounge access or checked baggage, take a look at the Citi Premier® Card.

You will trade away benefits specific to American Airlines, such as the AAdmiral’s Club access, checked baggage and priority boarding, but in return, you’ll have a lower annual fee and earn generous rewards as transferable points on your travel-related spending in a variety of categories.

The Citi Premier® Card earns points in Citi’s ThankYou Points program, a transferable points currency that can be redeemed for a variety of rewards, including travel booked through ThankYou.com or mileage transfers to one of Citi’s many airline partners. The card offers the following rewards: 3 ThankYou points per dollar at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels and 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.

The Citi Premier® Card has an annual fee of $95 and currently offers a welcome bonus: 80,000 points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®* vs. The Platinum Card® from American Express

If you travel internationally across a variety of airlines or have an American Express Centurion Lounge at your most frequently traveled airports, the Platinum Card may offer you more useful airport lounge access and a more robust set of other travel-related benefits.

The Platinum Card from American Express is one of the most well-known premium travel cards. The card is carried by road warriors, executives, travel enthusiasts and those who enjoy the old-school cache of pulling out The Platinum Card. But its value is not all in its branding; the benefits for travelers carrying the Platinum Card are much more generous than the Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard. Here are the highlights:

• Up to $200 annual airline incidentals statement credit on an eligible airline you select each year
• Up to $200 in Uber Cash credits when you add your card to your card to your Uber account (for U.S. services)

• Receive a statement credit of up to $85 for TSA PreCheck or up to $100 for Global Entry.

• Delta Sky Club, American Express Global Lounge and Priority Pass lounge access with eligible itineraries (enrollment required)
• Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status and Hilton Honors Gold Status with enrollment
• Car rental loss and damage insurance*

In addition, the Platinum Card offers a suite of purchase protection, shopping and concierge services. The Platinum Card earns 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 per calendar year, 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases. (See rates & fees)

Is The Card For You?

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®* could be for you if you are a frequent American Airlines flyer who is chasing a higher tier of AAdvantage status and wants an Admirals Club membership.

The annual fee is less than the cost of an annual Admirals Club membership. You can also get tremendous value out of the bonus miles if you spend your miles strategically.

However, if you only want a free checked bag on American Airlines, you can get this benefit with a card that has a lower annual fee—the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard. For those wishing to maximize returns on travel spending, there is a myriad of cards offering better rewards earning across a variety of categories. The Citi/AAdvantage Executive card is not a good choice for daily spending unless you really need AAdvantage miles.

To view rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this page.

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