Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard Review: Full Details
Citi is TPG’s advertising partner. Editor’s Note: This is a recurring post, updated regularly with new information and offers.
Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard Overview
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is a solid mid-level credit card for anyone who wants to earn American Airlines miles and enjoy the same benefits as elite status. While this card won’t get you access to the Admirals Club, American Airlines fans can still get value from the card. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐
*Card rating based on the opinions of the TPG editorial board and not influenced by the card issuer.
Not all airline credit card are created equal. Some have Annual fees are about $100 a yearso you have to make sure the card fits your travel goals and offers maximum miles and travel benefits.
The Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard makes life easier for American Airlines passengers and gives non-AA passengers the opportunity to diversify the miles in their award portfolio — all for an annual fee of just $99 (first 12 months waived). The card has recommendations credit score from 670 or more.
Let’s look at the benefits of this American Airlines credit card and who it is best suited for.
Information about Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Choose pros and cons
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Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select welcome offer
Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select is offering 50,000 American AAdvantage miles after you spend $2,500 in the first three months of account opening. The offer on this card is worth $800, according to TPG October 2024 valuation.
This is the card’s standard welcome offer, so you may have to wait a better one if you can.
You will not be eligible for this bonus if you have received a sign-up bonus from a Citi Platinum Select card in the past 48 months.
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Related: The best uses of American Airlines AAdvantage miles
Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select benefits
The Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select is not a luxury travel card, but it does offer some perks for those who fly on American Airlines.
You’ll have access to free checked baggage on domestic itineraries, a 25% discount on in-flight purchases, and $125 flight discount when you spend $20,000 or more on your card during your membership year and renew your card.
As some of these perks are also provided for Distinguished members of AAdvantage, they may not get much added value from this card. However, those who haven’t earned status can enjoy some elite benefits with this card.
According to status criteria, you will earn 1 Loyalty points However, per qualifying AAdvantage mile is earned Sign-up bonuses are excluded from earning Loyalty Points.
Related: Credit cards can help you achieve elite status
Unfortunately, Citi has taken away a lot of value travel and purchase protection benefits from Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select several years ago. This isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, but it’s something to keep in mind before signing up for this card.
Earn miles with Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select
With Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select, you’ll earn 2 miles per dollar on qualifying American Airlines purchases and at restaurants and gas stations. All other spends earn 1 mile per dollar spent. There is no limit to the number of miles you can earn in a year.
Earning 2 miles per dollar gives you a 3.2% return on spending in bonus categories, based on TPG’s October 2024 valuation. That’s trivial and you can definitely do better with tags like American Express Platinum® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® When you book a flight, you will earn a profit of 10% and 6.15% respectively.
Once you hit the sign-up bonus or welcome offer on a card, you may want to use another card for most purchases.
Related: Best airline credit cards
Redeem miles with Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select
The most valuable AAdvantage miles redemption rewards are for Premium cabin partner reservations. For domestic flights, I would turn to programs like Southwest And JetBlue before using US miles. I’d rather Save AA miles for business or first class ABOVE QatarEtihad, Finnair, Iberia and partner carriers with highly regarded international long-haul services.
You can also fly American Airlines economy class within the 48 contiguous U.S. states and to Canada, starting at 7,500 miles one-way; Business and first class flights start at double the price.
TPG credit card writer Danyal Ahmed redeem miles earned on your Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select card for premium cabins, usually with Qatar Airways, to fly on QSuite to the Middle East.
What cards compete with the Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select?
There are many American Airlines flyers co-branded credit card to choose from:
For more options, see full list of the best premium travel cards.
Information about the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select vs. AAdvantage Aviator Red
Is Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select worth it?
The travel benefits on this card are good, but certainly not at the same level as higher-end cards Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard. That’s to be expected since the Executive card’s annual fee is much higher, but this card may still be the best choice for you if you want to get AA benefits on a budget.
Bottom line
If you need Admirals Club lounge access, This card will not help you. But if you’re a casual American Airlines traveler who wants some elite benefits when flying with the airline, the Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard is one card you should consider adding to your wallet. The best time to apply for a card is when it has the highest welcome bonus to ensure you can get the most out of your AAdvantage miles.
