Our Verdict
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®*, from our partner, Citi, is an easy choice for anyone who wants to earn miles in the AAdvantage program and score basic perks, like preferred boarding and free checked bags on domestic flights without paying an exorbitant annual fee. It comes with a solid welcome bonus too: Earn 50,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
Pros
- Free checked bag for you and up to four companions on domestic American Airlines flights
- Preferred boarding privileges
- No foreign transaction fees
- No limit on mileage earnings
Cons
- Lackluster ongoing rewards
- First checked bag free perk not applicable for international flights
- Doesn’t have other perks like lounge access or travel protections
Highlights
- Earn 50,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening
- Earn 2 miles per dollar spent at gas stations, restaurants, and qualifying American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1 mile per every dollar spent on all other eligible purchases
- Earn a $125 American Airlines flight discount after spending $20,000 or more in qualifying purchases during your card membership year and renew your card
- First checked bag is free for you and up to four companions on domestic American Airlines flights when traveling on the same reservation
- Preferred boarding privileges on American Airlines flights
Introduction
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®* is Citi’s midtier premium credit card offered in partnership with American Airlines. The card offers 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, restaurants and gas stations and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases. It carries an annual fee of $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99.
You’ll also get some frequent flyer perks with this card, including a free checked bag for you and up to four companions on your domestic itinerary when you fly American. Since a checked bag would normally set you back $40 for U.S. domestic flights, that’s a potential savings of $200 one way or $400 round trip when you fly with four companions. Additionally, you’ll get a 25% in-flight discount on food and beverage purchases made with the airline, as well as preferred boarding.
Finally, you’ll get a $125 flight discount after you spend $20,000 on your card within your card membership year. If you plan to spend this amount on your Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select card, this annual flight discount alone could justify the card’s annual fee.
Unlike many travel cards at the same price point, the card does not carry any travel insurance protections like trip cancellation and interruption insurance, lost baggage insurance or car rental collision damage waiver insurance.
Featured Partner Offers
Quick Facts
- 50,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening
- Earn 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, restaurants and gas stations and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases
- None foreign transaction fees
- Annual fee is $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® Rewards
Earning Rewards
Using an AAdvantage credit card is one of the ways to earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles without boarding a plane. The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®* earns 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, restaurants and gas stations and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.
In addition to miles earned by using the card, the card offers a welcome bonus of 50,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
Redeeming Rewards
AAdvantage miles are used most commonly to fly on American Airlines, but they can be used on any Oneworld airline and with American’s other partners. Oneworld airlines include global airlines like British Airways, Iberia, Qantas and Japan Airlines, but also includes Alaska Airlines, which might be of particular interest to West Coast-based travelers.
Unlike other airlines, American Airlines publishes its starting values award chart, which you can consult to estimate how many miles you might need for a given itinerary.
Rewards Potential
Using data from various government agencies, Forbes Advisor has developed estimates for how much a family in the 70th percentile of income spends annually in various categories. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households brings in $118,438 annually and has $39,337 in annual expenses that can be charged to credit cards. These figures are used to estimate the potential rewards from this credit card.
|
Category
|
Earnings Rate
|
Estimated Annual Spend
|
Estimated Annual Earnings
|
|
Restaurants
|
2X
|
$4,622
|
9,244
|
|
Gas Stations
|
2X
|
$2,990
|
5,980
|
|
Airfare
|
2X
|
$770
|
1,540
|
|
All Other Purchases
|
1X
|
$30,955
|
30,955
|
|
Total: 47,719 AAdvantage miles
|
|||
Other Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard Credit Card Benefits
- First checked bag free. This benefit is good for you and up to four guests on your itinerary, although it’s only applicable to domestic itineraries marketed or operated by American Airlines.
- Preferred boarding. This benefit is good for you and up to four companions on your itinerary and for all American Airlines flights.
- Flight discount. You’ll qualify for a $125 discount on American Airlines flights each cardmember year when you spend $20,000 on your credit card and renew your card.
- Savings on in-flight purchases. You’ll save 25% on in-flight purchases of food or beverages when you use your credit card to pay.
- World Elite Mastercard benefits. As a World Elite Mastercard, you’ll get perks that include access to a World Elite concierge, complimentary ShopRunner membership and Priceless Experiences®.
Fine Print
Interest Rates
- Regular APR: 21.24% - 29.99% (Variable)
- Purchase intro APR: N/A
- Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
Fees
- Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99
- Balance transfer fee: $5 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater
- Foreign purchase transaction fee: None
How the Citi®/AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card Stacks Up
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®* vs. American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®*
If you don’t need the checked baggage or priority boarding benefits offered by the Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select but still want a card that earns AAdvantage miles on everyday purchases, consider the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®*. This card earns AAdvantage miles with a $0 annual fee.
Like the Platinum Select card, the MileUp card awards 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases but trades the Platinum Select’s gas station and restaurant bonus categories for 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent at grocery stores. Depending on your spending patterns, you might find that this award structure earns you more AAdvantage bonus miles.
The AAdvantage MileUp Mastercard currently offers a welcome bonus: Earn 15,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after making $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®* vs. Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®*
If you’re a frequent American Airlines traveler who can benefit from lounge access, consider the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®*. The card comes with a credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
The Executive World Elite Mastercard earns 10 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent on eligible hotels and car rentals booked through aa.com, 4 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases. It also grants a free checked bag to up to eight travel companions flying on the same U.S. domestic itinerary.
If you would otherwise pay for an Admirals Club membership, this card’s $595 annual fee is significantly less than the rates charged by American Airlines for membership, which starts at $750 annually.
This card also comes with a welcome bonus: Earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $7,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®* vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
If you travel regularly you might find more value in a card that earns generous rewards on your travel spending, offers travel protections like trip cancellation and interruption insurance, and allows you to book travel with points and transfer points to global airlines. If that sounds enticing, check out the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
For a $95 annual fee, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases.
When it comes to booking travel, you can access awards on Oneworld members through point transfers to British Airways or Iberia. However your redemption options don’t stop there. Holding Chase Ultimate Rewards opens up opportunities for transfers to various SkyTeam and Star Alliance partners, plus airlines like Southwest and Aer Lingus. Additionally, rewards can be redeemed for travel at a 25% points bonus through Chase Travel℠.
The Sapphire Preferred also comes with travel protections and insurance, including primary auto damage collision coverage and trip cancellation and interruption services and a generous welcome bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Find the Best Airline Credit Cards of 2024
Is the Citi®/AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card for You?
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®* is worth considering if you fly American Airlines frequently and prefer to check bags on U.S. domestic flights, but have not earned AAdvantage frequent flyer status. But if you value lounge access, travel protections or flexibility with rewards, look elsewhere.
Methodology
Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors including:
- Annual fees
- Welcome bonus offers
- Ongoing earning rates
- Value of individual points or miles
- Included travel or merchant credits
- Additional cardholder benefits
Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors come together to provide a star rating for each individual card.
To learn more about our rating and review methodology and editorial process, check out our guide on how Forbes Advisor rates credit cards.
*The information for the following card(s) has been collected independently by Forbes Advisor: Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®, American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®, Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
