A Guide to Citi AAdvantage Card Benefits

If you’re looking for a travel credit card that will get you free flights and discounts, you’ll want to consider the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card.

The best credit cards offer high-value rewards and relevant perks, and that’s what you get with an American Airlines credit card. In fact, thanks to the Citi AAdvantage card benefits, you’ll get that and more. Loyal flyers with the airline will see the most benefits, but even if you fly American Airlines only casually, it pays to have a Citi AAdvantage card.

The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card is for people with good credit who like to travel. It charges a $95 annual fee, but if you fly American Airlines a few times per year, you’ll likely be able to recoup that. The AAdvantage MileUp℠ card has no annual fee, though it offers more modest rewards. With a $450 annual fee, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® card comes with VIP perks. Read on to see if the Citi AAdvantage card benefits are right for you.

Citi AAdvantage Card Benefits

If you want to accumulate American Airlines miles quickly, the Citi AAdvantage card is the way to go. You’ll earn miles on all purchases thanks to the Citi AAdvantage card benefits. On top of that, you’ll get double miles on certain purchases and a very generous sign-up bonus.

Sign-up bonus

There are plenty of cards with a sign-up bonus, but the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card has one of the best. You’ll get 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles if you spend $2,500 in the first three months. However, you won’t be eligible for these bonus miles if you’ve received a sign-up bonus from this card within the last 48 months.

Of all the Citi AAdvantage card benefits, the welcome bonus is one of the best. It’s a generous bonus, and the minimum spend requirement should be relatively easy to achieve. If you’re wondering how many points you need to get a free flight on American Airlines, it’s not a lot. This sign-up bonus can get you two roundtrip flights within the contiguous 48 U.S. states. That’s also almost enough for one round-trip flight to Europe.

American Airlines offers award bookings in two classes: MileSAAver awards and AAnytime awards. An AAnytime award can cost twice as much as a MileSAAver award for the same flight. That’s why flexibility is key to finding MileSAAver award availability. Make sure to search for award availability in calendar mode to find the lowest prices each month and truly take advantage of Citi AAdvantage card benefits.

Rewards

Of all the Citi AAdvantage card benefits, the rewards on spending are likely the benefit you’ll make use of most often. You’ll earn American Airlines miles every time you purchase something with your Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card. A few spending categories will earn you bonus miles so you can stack rewards even faster. Here’s how you’ll earn:

• 2 miles per $1 on American Airlines purchases
• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants
• 2 miles per $1 at gas stations
• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.

Other credit cards earn bigger on travel, dining, or gas stations. However, if your goal is to stack American Airlines miles, these Citi AAdvantage card benefits are helpful. You’ll get double miles on American Airlines flights and American Airlines in-flight purchases. However, rental cars and hotel reservations purchased through American Airlines don’t actually count as eligible American Airlines purchases. Buying elite status from American Airlines also won’t qualify for double miles either. Fortunately, the double miles on common everyday purchases like gas and dining will have you earning free flights in no time.

Also, you can get a $125 American Airlines flight discount if you spend $20,000 during your card membership year. You will have to renew your card and pay the annual fee for the following year. This flight discount comes in the form of a certificate that expires one year after it’s issued.

American Airlines Flight benefits

Citi AAdvantage card benefits don’t only help you earn miles. They also save you money on American Airlines flights. Frequent flyers will enjoy one free checked bag, preferred boarding, and inflight discounts.

First checked bag free

With the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card, you and up to four travel companions will get one free checked bag on domestic flights. Your companions must be on your reservation. If you don’t have elite status and tend to check a bag, this is one of the best Citi AAdvantage card benefits. It’s enough to completely offset the card’s annual fee after one to two round-trip flights.

American Airlines charges $30 for your first checked bag. So this benefit will save you $60 on a round-trip flight if you’re traveling solo. If you’re traveling with companions, the savings will grow up to $300. Unfortunately, this card doesn’t get you any checked bag benefits on international flights.

Preferred boarding

Another Citi AAdvantage card benefit is preferred boarding. That means you and up to four companions traveling on your same reservation will be given the designation of boarding Group 5 on your flight ticket. In Group 5, you’re called to board directly after Priority boarding but before regular economy boarding, meaning better access to overhead bin space.

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Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, you also get American Airlines purchase benefits. Every time you make an eligible purchase on an American Airlines flight with your Citi AAdvantage card, you’ll get a 25{d54a1665abf9e9c0a672e4d38f9dfbddcef0b06673b320158dd31c640423e2e5} discount. This includes food and beverage purchases but not wireless internet. The benefit only applies to domestic flights and shows up as a statement credit. If you fly often and tend to buy drinks, meals, or both on your flights, this benefit can save you a decent amount of money.

If you want to stack rewards even faster, other Citi cards pair well with the Citi AAdvantage card. For example, the Citi ThankYou Rewards program earns points you can redeem for travel. Cards like the Citi Rewards+® Card and Citi Prestige® Card also earn these ThankYou points. The best part is you can also transfer ThankYou points to a long list of airline partners.

It’s hard to deny the value of an American Airlines credit card. If you enjoy flying with this airline and want to earn some premium perks, check out the Citi AAdvantage card benefits and all it has to offer.