Contents
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.
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 5X points on air travel, 10x points spent on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after earning your $300 annual travel credit, access to 1,300+ airport lounges with Priority Pass Select, 3X points on all other travel and dining, and 50% more in travel redemption through Chase Ultimate Rewards. 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. See the AAdvantage partner airlines here.
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.
| OFFER LINK | OFFER | OUR REVIEW |
| Chase Business Complete Banking℠ | $300 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Checking® | $225 Cash | Review |
| Bank Of America Advantage Banking | $100 Bonus Offer | Review |
| TD Bank Beyond Checking | $300 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank | $500 Cash | Review |
| HSBC Premier Checking | $450 Cash | Review |
| Axos Business Checking | $100 Cash | Review |
| Aspiration Checking | $150/$200 Cash | Review |
| Ally Invest | Up To $3,000 | Review |
| Betterment | Up To 1 Year Free | Review |
| BlockFi | Up To $250 BTC | Review |
| Voyager (code BH5F1A) | $25 In BTC | Review |
| TradeStation | $100 Bonus | Review |
| Motley Fool | Stock Advisor Discount | Review |
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Disclaimer: These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. It is not the bank advertiser's or any other entity's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.