Is the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard worth it?

Citi is a TPG promoting associate.

When you fly American Airlines ceaselessly, you could think about getting certainly one of their cobranded playing cards from Citi.

On the prime of the hierarchy is the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees), which presents probably the most AA-specific perks of any bank card. But it surely comes with a hefty $595 annual price.

So, is it well worth the $595 annual price — each in 12 months one and past? Let’s do the maths.

The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard is at the moment providing 100,000 miles after spending $10,000 inside the first three months of account opening. This bonus is price $1,650, primarily based on TPG’s Could 2025 valuations.

This welcome bonus is on par with the highest we have seen on this card, final supplied in July 2024. Given that is simply the third time the cardboard has supplied 100,000 bonus miles, now is a good time so as to add it to your pockets.

This bonus gives a big chunk of the cardboard’s general worth, so incomes it and utilizing the miles properly are important to outweighing the cardboard’s excessive annual price.

Associated: 15 cards currently offering welcome bonuses of 100,000 points or more

Arguably, probably the most precious ongoing good thing about this card is the complimentary Admirals Club membership you will obtain yearly that you just maintain the cardboard. When you have got the Citi / AAdvantage Executive card, all it’s important to do is stroll to the lounge and current a same-day boarding cross for an eligible flight.

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A membership prices $700-$850, relying in your standing stage and if it is a new membership or a renewal. On condition that this card carries a $595 annual price, it does not make sense to purchase an Admirals Membership membership by itself, until you are not eligible for the cardboard.

You may entry practically 50 Admirals Golf equipment and greater than 60 partner lounges worldwide when flying American or certainly one of its Oneworld partners. Notably, this contains Alaska Lounges in hubs like Portland Worldwide Airport (PDX), Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA), Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) and San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO).

You’ll be able to usher in both your speedy members of the family (partner or home associate and youngsters below 18 years of age) or as much as two friends. They usually do not must be on the identical flight as you — simply any American or Oneworld flight with a same-day boarding cross.

Being primarily based in Austin, Texas, I usually fly by way of AA’s largest hub, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). This implies I can entry the lounges on departure in Austin and when connecting by way of Dallas-Fort Price.

I additionally worth accessing choose Qantas Membership and Qantas Worldwide Enterprise Lounges once I fly house to Australia and journey all through the nation.

Associated: The best lounge access credit cards to add to your wallet

The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard presents precious perks when flying American, together with precedence check-in at business-class counters (the place out there) and precedence boarding privileges (the place out there) for you and as much as eight vacationers on the identical reservation.

You additionally get your first checked bag free on home itineraries with American Airways. (Notice that that is just for home flights; I needed to pay $35 final 12 months once I traveled to Mexico, forgetting the restrictions of this perk.)

Moreover, you possibly can get pleasure from a 25% low cost on inflight food and beverage purchases (excludes Wi-Fi) and obtain an up-to-$120 assertion credit score for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck. (I counsel maximizing your credit score by making use of for World Entry, because it contains PreCheck anyway.)

Moreover, the cardboard contains travel protections, comparable to journey cancellation, journey interruption, journey delay, misplaced baggage protections and automobile rental insurance coverage protection.

And there are no foreign transaction fees, making this card an ideal choice for worldwide journey.

Associated: Which airline is now best if you don’t want to pay bag fees?

If chasing AAdvantage elite status is vital to you, the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard will enable you to obtain it. You may earn 1 Loyalty Level for each mile you earn from purchases.

On prime of that, you will obtain a ten,000 Loyalty Factors bonus upon reaching 50,000 Loyalty Factors in a standing qualification 12 months. A further 10,000 Loyalty Factors bonus can be granted when you hit 90,000 Loyalty Factors in the identical 12 months.

Associated: 8 methods that earned American AAdvantage Executive Platinum

The assertion credit on the Citi / AAdvantage Executive card embrace:

• As much as $120 again on eligible pay as you go leases booked immediately on Avis.com or Budget.com each calendar 12 months (this credit was restricted in July 2024)
• As much as $120 again on eligible Grubhub purchases (as much as a $10 assertion credit score on every month’s billing assertion)
• As much as $120 in Lyft credit ($10 Lyft credit score every month), however it’s important to take three eligible rides every month first to obtain this credit score

The Grubhub credit score is the one one I discover simple to maximise. I take advantage of the $10 month-to-month credit score to order pick-up meals once I’m on the highway.

I’ve had points with the automobile rental credit score, so I would not depend on getting worth from it. Final 12 months, a Finances rental in Cabo did not code accurately and Citi would not apply the credit score manually. I lately accomplished one other Finances rental in Eire and whereas I am ready the ten weeks to see if it posts, I am not optimistic given my previous expertise.

I do not worth the Lyft perk as a result of you do not get the $10 credit score till after you have taken three (non-discounted) rides in a month. As an alternative, I take advantage of my Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) to earn 5 factors per greenback spent, plus a $10 month-to-month in-app credit score on Lyft purchases (by way of September 2027).

Associated: Frequent Uber or Lyft user? These are the best credit cards for you

When you’re seeking to supercharge your points-earning throughout a number of packages, we might counsel placing your spending on a card that earns transferable points. Nevertheless, if you wish to maximize your AAdvantage mile stability particularly, the Citi / AAdvantage Executive card will earn you:

• 10 miles per greenback spent on eligible automobile leases and motels booked by way of American’s car rental and hotel booking websites, respectively
• 4 miles per greenback spent on eligible American Airways purchases (jumps to five miles per greenback for the rest of the calendar 12 months as soon as you have spent $150,000 on purchases in a calendar 12 months)
• 1 mile per greenback spent on all different eligible purchases

AAdvantage miles are probably the most precious of any U.S. airline program at 1.65 cents every, in keeping with our Could 2025 valuations. They’re considerably extra precious than United MileagePlus miles (1.35 cents every) and Delta SkyMiles (1.2 cents every).

After choosing up this card after its refresh in mid-2023, I redeemed a part of the welcome bonus I acquired for an opulent flight redemption. I used 70,000 miles plus $174 for a one-way business-class flight in Qatar Airways’ unbelievable Qsuite from Doha to Houston.

Given this flight retails for $3,910 one-way, I obtained a really excessive 5.6 cents-per-mile worth from this redemption, greater than triple TPG’s Could 2025 valuation of AAdvantage miles.

Associated: The best uses of American Airlines AAdvantage miles

Lastly, the Citi / AAdvantage Executive card is a good choice if you’d like your family and friends to get Admirals Membership entry for much less.

You’ll be able to add as much as three approved customers for $175 complete (which works out to be round $58 every) and extra approved customers for $175 every after that.

Every approved consumer receives Admirals Membership entry (with a same-day boarding cross for an eligible flight) for themselves and as much as two touring companions. Nevertheless, approved customers solely get Admirals Membership entry, not a full Admirals Membership membership.

Associated: Everything you need to know about authorized credit card users

But when lounge entry is not vital to you, think about certainly one of Citi’s lower-fee AAdvantage cards as a substitute.

To be taught extra about this card, learn our full review of the Citi / AA Executive World Elite Mastercard.

Apply right here: Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard