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- Citi / AAdvantage Executive Card Bonus
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- Bonus Value
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The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is a great option for loyal American Airlines travelers seeking Admirals Club access and other luxury perks. It offers a generous 50,000 miles bonus when you spend $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. That’s worth up to $700 in airfare with our valuation. Compare with other card bonuses here.
If Admirals Club airport lounge access isn’t important to you, get a different card. Aside from Admirals Club access, this card’s other features won’t make up for the premium $450 annual fee.
Based in the Dallas – Fort Worth area, American Airlines (AA) is the world’s largest airline.
Other Citi cards that earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles to consider:
- American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp℠ Mastercard®
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
- CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®
*The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is issued by Citibank. Citi also offers great sign-up bonuses for their Checking/Savings accounts.
| Bonus available | Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you make at least $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. |
| Bonus value* | $700 |
| Travel credit | No travel credit. But, up to $100 statement credit every 5 years towards Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® application fees. |
| Ongoing rewards/benefits | 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases and 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases. First checked bag free and priority check-in, airport screening and boarding for you and up to eight travel companions. 25% discount on inflight food and beverages. |
| Foreign transaction fees? | No |
| Airport lounge access | Nearly 50 Admirals Club lounges worldwide. |
| Annual Fee | $450 |
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by MoneysMyLife and not the card issuer. Read our card review for more details.
View our latest valuations here.
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PROS
- Bonus miles
- Admirals Club access
- Free checked bag
- Option to redeem with partner airlines
- No foreign transaction fees
CONS
- High annual fee
- Excellent credit needed to qualify
- Low ongoing rewards rate
CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE®
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® card is offering 50,000 bonus points (worth up to $1,000 in travel per our valuations). You’ll need to spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening to qualify for the bonus. These 50k points are redeemable for $750 toward travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
This is a premium travel card with a premium annual fee of $550. But, you’ll receive premium benefits such as a $300 Annual Travel Credit, access to 1,000+ airport lounges with Priority Pass Select, 3X points on travel and dining, and 50% more in travel redemption through Chase Ultimate Rewards. You will also earn 3X on grocery store purchases up to $1,000 per month from now through April 30, 2021. For all other purchases, it’s 1 point per dollar spent.
Other nice features include an application fee credit (up to $100) for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®, and complimentary Lyft Pink and complimentary DashPass subscription from DoorDash. Also, with Pay Yourself BackSM, your points are worth 50% more for existing purchases in select, rotating categories.
You’ll earn Ultimate Rewards points with this card, which can be pooled together with certain other Chase cards. Examples include the Chase Freedom®, Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and all the Chase Ink Business cards. Read more on this here.
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® 50,000 Bonus Miles
Take advantage of the card offer: 50,000 sign-up bonus miles. You can redeem that for up to $700 in airfare (explained in next section). This is a decent bonus offer compared to other cards with similar annual fees.
To earn it, you’ll need to make $5,000 or more in purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account.
Here are some ideas on meeting the spending requirement:
What Are AAdvantage Miles Worth?
Like many other airline-branded credit cards, the value of your miles depends on how you use them. On average, I value each AAdvantage mile at around $0.014. Using this figure, 50k miles would be worth around $700. When you fly, airline choice and destination all play a part in your miles’ value.
AAdvantage miles can be used towards gift cards, magazines, seat upgrades, car rentals and hotel stays. But the best value for your miles is to use them towards flights.
You can redeem your miles with one of their many partners (often the best value). If you love finding the best value, this process can be worthwhile. But if fiddling with numbers sounds like a chore, you’re better off with a general travel rewards credit card (suggestions below).
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian Airlines
- S7 Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air
- Cape Air
- China Southern Airlines
- Etihad Airways
- Fiji Airways
- GOL Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Interjet
- Seaborne Virgin Islands
Bottom Line
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is a rewarding option if you frequently fly with American Airlines or partner airlines and demand Admirals Club membership.
That said, there are a few limitations to keep in mind:
- Annual fee. This card costs $450 a year. For all that you get, it’s a fair price. But you’ll want to make sure it works for you.
- Low ongoing rewards rate. You’ll only get bonus miles for American Airlines purchases. In comparison, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® also offers double miles at gas stations and restaurants.
If premium luxury perks aren’t as important to you, many other travel cards offer great rewards for a much lower annual fee.
What’s The Competition?
Below are some of the top competitors to the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® you should consider.
CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED® CARD
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card® currently has an offer for 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Redeeming the 60,000 bonus points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, which is praised by users, will get you $750 in value towards travel. The 60K bonus points are worth $750 because you get 25% more value whenever you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Even better, strategize with Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer partners to potentially get even more value. Each point can be worth up to 2 cents apiece (60k points = ~$1,200). Read more on this here.
Pool the Ultimate Rewards points earned from this card with Chase’s other Ultimate Rewards cards for a great strategy. Other Ultimate Rewards cards include the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the Ink Business cards.
Ongoing rewards with this card include earning 2 points per $1 on Dining at restaurants (including eligible delivery and takeout) and Travel. It’s 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
You’ll now also earn 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2022 (3X points in addition to the 2X points you already earn on travel).
There are no foreign transaction fees and the annual fee is $95 for this card.
CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE®
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® card is offering 50,000 bonus points (worth up to $1,000 in travel per our valuations). You’ll need to spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening to qualify for the bonus. These 50k points are redeemable for $750 toward travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
This is a premium travel card with a premium annual fee of $550. But, you’ll receive premium benefits such as a $300 Annual Travel Credit, access to 1,000+ airport lounges with Priority Pass Select, 3X points on travel and dining, and 50% more in travel redemption through Chase Ultimate Rewards. You will also earn 3X on grocery store purchases up to $1,000 per month from now through April 30, 2021. For all other purchases, it’s 1 point per dollar spent.
Other nice features include an application fee credit (up to $100) for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®, and complimentary Lyft Pink and complimentary DashPass subscription from DoorDash. Also, with Pay Yourself BackSM, your points are worth 50% more for existing purchases in select, rotating categories.
You’ll earn Ultimate Rewards points with this card, which can be pooled together with certain other Chase cards. Examples include the Chase Freedom®, Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and all the Chase Ink Business cards. Read more on this here.
THE PLATINUM CARD® FROM AMERICAN EXPRESS
The Platinum Card® from American Express has a special offer for 75,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $5,000 in purchases within your first 6 months.
Membership Rewards® points are some of the most valuable in the market. Redeeming these points by booking travel through American Express or by redeeming for gift cards will give you a standard 1 cent per point value. The 75k bonus points are worth $750 going this route.
You can potentially get more value by transferring your points to Membership Rewards travel partners. Using this strategy can get you up to an average value of 2 cents per point. Get around $1,200 in value with 60,000 points this way. Read more on this here.
With this card, earn 10X Membership Rewards Points for eligible purchases up to $15,000 combined at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Supermarkets, during your first 6 months.
5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel. Starting January 1, 2021, earn 5X points on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
The biggest drawback to this card is the $550 annual fee, which puts it in the premium class of credit cards. The card has a market because it offers premium travel benefits, such as 5X points for flights (up to $500,000 on these purchases) and eligible hotels, access to 1,300+ airport lounges, $200 in Uber credits yearly, and a $200 airline fee credit annually.
For frequent travelers, the added benefits make sense in terms of value and added luxury.
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