Citi aadvantage platinum select authorized user benefits

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The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®, from our partner, Citi, is a good choice for anyone who wants to earn miles in the AAdvantage program and score some 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: 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $2,500 within the first 3 months of account opening.

Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®

Welcome Bonus

50,000 miles

Annual Fee

$99, waived for first 12 months

Regular APR

18.99% - 27.99% (Variable)

Credit Score

Excellent, Good

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 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $2,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
• Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent at gas stations and restaurants, and on eligible American Airlines purchases
• Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases
• Earn a $125 American Airlines Flight Discount after you spend $20,000 or more in purchases during your card membership year and renew your card
• No Foreign Transaction Fees
• First checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to four companions traveling with you on the same reservation
• Enjoy preferred boarding on American Airlines flights

Introduction

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is Citi’s mid-tier 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. The card carries an annual fee of $99, waived for first 12 months.

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 $30 for U.S. domestic flights, that’s a potential savings of $150 one-way or $300 round-trip when you fly with four companions. You’ll also 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 a cardmembership year and renew your card. If you plan to spend this amount on your Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select card, this annual flight discount more than helps justify the card’s annual fee.

Unlike many premium credit 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.

At a Glance

• 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $2,500 within 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
• 0% foreign transaction fees
• Annual fee is $99, waived for first 12 months

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® Rewards

Earning Rewards

Using an AAdvantage credit card is one of the few ways to earn 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 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $2,500 within 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 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, American also frequently offers Web Special awards for reduced rates. Web Specials are discounted fares between specific city pairs on certain dates in economy class. American frequently offers web specials for 5,000 AAdvantage miles within the continental U.S. and has occasionally published fares for as low as 10,000 miles to Hawaii. 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

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. We base our assumptions on a sole proprietor in this income range. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households brings in $107,908 annually and has $32,072 in expenses that can be charged to credit cards. These figures are used to estimate the potential rewards from this credit card.

Our example family spends a total of $9,880 annually on restaurants, gas stations, and on airfare, categories in which the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® earns 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar and would earn 19,760 AAdvantage miles from bonus spending. In addition, they spend an additional $22,192 on other purchases that could reasonably be charged to a credit card, which would earn 22,192 AAdvantage miles.

This means that the card would earn a total of 42,672 AAdvantage milesper year in addition to the welcome bonus.

Other Card Benefits

Here’s a rundown of all the major perks you’ll receive with the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®:

• 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.
• 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, lowest hotel rate guarantees and complimentary ShopRunner membership

The 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: $99, waived for first 12 months
• Balance Transfer Fee: Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
• Cash Advance: 5% of each cash advance; $10 minimum
• Foreign Purchase Transaction Fee: 0%

How The 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, consider the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Mastercard®*, the credit card that 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: 10,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles and receive a $50 statement credit 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 are a frequent American Airlines traveler who can benefit from lounge access, you should consider the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®*. The card comes with a credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

Like the AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard, the Executive World Elite Mastercard will earn 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. 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 $450 annual fee is significantly less than the rates charged by American Airlines for membership, which range from $650 for general members to $500 for Executive Platinum members renewing an existing membership.

This card also comes with 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).

Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® vs Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

If you are a frequent traveler, 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 both 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 Ultimate Rewards®, 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 all other purchases.

When it comes to booking travel, you can access awards on Oneworld through point transfers to British Airways or Iberia. However your redemption options don’t stop there. Holding 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 the Chase travel portal.

The Chase 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: 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Compare Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select with Other Cards

Is The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® 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.

American Airlines flyers who would otherwise get priority boarding and a free checked bag through their AAdvantage Gold or higher frequent flyer status might want to consider the no-annual-fee American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Mastercard®* for its similar earnings or the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®* if they value lounge access. For travel protections and additional flexibility in using the points you earn while traveling, take a look at the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

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