Update: American will fly nonstop from JFK and Miami to Tel Aviv this year.
Best of all, you can refund all AA award tickets for free anytime before departure!
Originally posted on 7/6/20:
Table of Contents
Signup bonus:
- The CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum World Mastercard is offering 65,000 AA miles for opening the card and spending $4,000 in 4 months.
- The Citi AAdvantage Platinum World Elite Consumer Mastercard is offering 50,000 AA miles for opening the card and spending $2,500 in 3 months.
- The Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Consumer Mastercard is offering 50,000 AA miles for opening the card and spending $5,000 in 3 months.
- The Citi AAdvantage MileUp Consumer Mastercard is offering 10,000 AA miles and a $50 statement credit for opening the card and spending $500 in 3 months.
Annual fee:
- CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum World Mastercard: $0 for the first year, then $99
- Citi AAdvantage Platinum World Elite Consumer Mastercard: $0 for the first year, then $99
- Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Consumer Mastercard: $450
- Citi AAdvantage MileUp Consumer Mastercard: No annual fee
Signup bonus rules and product changes:
- You can receive the bonus on each of these 4 cards if you haven’t received a bonus for the same card in the past 48 months.
- Citi allows applications for 1 card every 8 days and 2 cards every 2 months. Business cards are limited to once every 3 months. Add a few extra days in between applications to be safe.
- Citi is very generous with product changes. For example you can change any of the consumer cards into most other Citi cards, including Citi Double Cash and Citi Rewards+.
- You can downgrade the premium American cards into the no annual fee MileUp card and you’ll then earn 2 miles per dollar on grocery purchases with no cap.
Card earnings:
Earn 1 mile per dollar everywhere, or:
- CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum World Mastercard: 2 miles per dollar on car rentals, gas, telecom, internet, cable, satellite service providers, and AA purchases.
- Citi AAdvantage Platinum World Elite Consumer Mastercard: 2 miles per dollar on gas, dining, and AA purchases.
- Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Consumer Mastercard: 2 miles per dollar on AA purchases.
- Citi AAdvantage MileUp Consumer Mastercard: 2 miles per dollar on groceries and AA purchases.
Card benefits:
- The Platinum cards come with the first check bag for the cardholder and 4 companions for free on domestic flights, even on basic economy fares. The Executive card includes the free bag for up to 8 companions. You don’t need to pay for the flight with this card, you just need to make sure that your AA mileage number is in your reservation. That means you can get a free bag even when using partner award miles from airlines like BA or Alaska to book your AA flight.
- The Platinum cards come with group 5 priority boarding, even on basic economy fares. The Executive card includes priority checkin/security, and group 4 priority boarding
- All cards include 25% off AA in-flight food and beverages via statement credit rebate
- The business card comes with 25% off AA in-flight WiFi via statement credit rebate
- The business card comes with Mastercard Easy Savings by registering here. You’ll get a cash rebate on top of miles with select merchants such as 5% cash back at Avis, Budget, Firestone, Upside Travel, and 1% cash back at select gas stations (Enter zip code to search)
- The Platinum and Executive cards include 7,500 miles off flights to or from dozens of rotating cities.
- The Platinum and Executive cards have no foreign transaction fees.
- The Executive card includes a Admirals Club membership and you can bring in your immediate family or 2 guests with you. You can add up to 10 additional users for free and they can also bring in their immediate family or 2 guests with then.
- The Executive card includes Global Entry/Pre-Check credit.
- The Executive card includes 10K EQMs annually for spending $40K
- The business Platinum card includes an annual $99 companion certificate if you spend $30K/year
- The consumer Platinum card includes a $125 AA flight discount if you spend $20K/year
Comparison Chart:
| CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum World Mastercard | Citi AAdvantage Platinum World Elite Consumer Mastercard | Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Consumer Mastercard | Citi AAdvantage MileUp Consumer Mastercard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signup Bonus | 65K miles for spending $4K in 4 months | 50K miles for spending $2.5K in 3 months | 80K miles for spending $5.5K in 3 months | 10K miles+$50 statement credit for spending $500 in 3 months |
| Annual fee | $0 for the first year, then $99 | $0 for the first year, then $99 | $450 | $0 |
| Miles per dollar on car rentals | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Miles per dollar on gas | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Miles per dollar on dining | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Miles per dollar on telecom, internet, cable, and satellite service providers | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Miles per dollar on groceries | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Loyalty points per dollar spent | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Miles per dollar on AA purchases | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Free first domestic checked bag | Valid for cardholder and 4 companions | Valid for cardholder and 4 companions | Valid for cardholder and 8 companions | No |
| Priority boarding | Group 5 | Group 5 | Group 4 | No |
| Priority check-in and security | No | No | Yes | No |
| 25% off AA in-flight WiFi | Yes | No | No | No |
| 25% off AA in-flight food and beverages | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Foreign Transaction Fee | 0% | 0% | 0% | 3% |
| Admirals Club Membership | No | No | Yes, allows primary and secondary cardholders to bring entire immediate family or 2 guests into clubs | No |
| Annual $125 AA flight discount companion certificate if you spend $20K/year | No | Yes | No | No |
| Annual $99 companion certificate if you spend $30K/year | Yes | No | No | No |
| Annual 10,000 Loyalty Points if you spend $40K/year | No | No | Yes | No |
| Mastercard Easy Savings | Yes | No | No | No |
| Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit | No | No | Yes | No |
Using AA Miles:
While Delta and United have killed their award charts and increased miles needed for flights, American has retained published award charts for both AA and partner award flights.
When Delta and United eliminated their close-in award booking fees, they increased the miles needed for flights. American also removed their close-in booking fees, but they haven’t yet increased the miles needed for close-in flights.
You can transfer AMEX points into Delta miles and Chase points into United miles, making their own credit cards typically a poor value.
However no bank points transfer to American, making their own credit cards the best way to earn them.
Currently American has a 2 prong approach to mileage redemption that makes them far more versatile than other miles!
You can book tickets using AA award chart pricing here.
They also have dynamic web special pricing for coach, business, and first class awards.
You can book web special awards here.
I’ve posted web special awards such as just 5,000 miles for flights between the US and Australia/New Zealand and 20K miles to Israel. I used 10,000 miles to book a web special to Nassau earlier this year, when paid tickets were a small fortune, while United wanted 17,500 miles, and Delta wanted some 50,000 miles.
American also has a very useful award map here to help find cheap awards. Just use my tips here to help find 5K coach awards and 15K lie-flat first class awards.
American still has valuable partner awards on airlines like Alaska, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, and Air Tahiti Nui. Some partner flight must be booked over the phone while others have much better award availability by calling AA in Australia or New Zealand.
For example I used 105K American miles to fly in an apartment on Etihad Shower Class from the Maldives to Cleveland via Abu Dhabi and JFK. That’s now 115K as AA killed the award redemption rebate for cardholders earlier last year.
American now considers Morocco to be part of Europe, making for some great bargains there.
Which partner airlines do you book with AA miles?
Business card info:
If you want to apply for the business card, you may already have a business that needs a card to keep track of expenses. For example if your name is Joe Smith and you sell items online, or if you have any other side business and want a credit card to better keep track of business expenditures you can open a business credit card for “Joe Smith” as the business. You don’t need to file any messy government paperwork to be allowed to do that. Just be sure to select “Sole Proprietorship” as the business type and just use your social security number in the Tax Identification Number field.
If you have business paperwork you can apply under your business name. Otherwise, it’s critical to just write your own name as the business name if you are just applying for your own small business as a Sole Proprietorship that doesn’t have any business paperwork. You can then send in bills in your own name for verification.
If you’re like me and you run more than one business, you can signup for multiple of the same card for each business to manage each businesses expenses separately.
Another benefit of the card not reporting on your personal credit report is that when you spend money on personal cards your credit score will be hurt even if you pay your bill on time. A whopping 30% of your credit score is based on credit utilization. You can pay off your card bill before your statement is generated to avoid that, but that takes effort and laying out money well before you have to. Additionally it’s good to have the statement close with a couple dollars to show the card is active and being paid every month. On an business cards from banks like AMEX, Chase, and Citi it’s just not reported, so you can wait until the money is due without it having a negative effect on your score. That also means if you close the card, it won’t have an effect on your credit score.
Will you signup for any of the Citi AA cards?
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87 Comments On "[Now With INCREDIBLE Business Class Bargains To Israel And Free Award Redeposits!] Earn Up To 65K Miles On 4 Citi AAdvantage Mastercards!"
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Can I get signup bonuses on 2 business cards — 1 as sole prop and 1 under business name?
Thanks for the chart. Are there still web specials for 5k? Heard they now start at 10k
When they say that you haven’t gotten a bonus from the same card in 48 months, is that the exact same card? Suppose I have a MilesUp and I want to get one of the Platinum cards. It’s been less than 48 months. Can I still get the bonus?
Yes. Yes.
Thanks Dan.
I thought you were against AA miles. Is this just a “due diligence” post?
Against? What does that mean?
I have lots of AA miles and use them.
General consensus around here was that they are very limited in available uses. Or so I thought…
As other airlines have devalued and killed their award charts, these became more valuable.
Plus they now have more partners.
Does the transfer of miles from another program like Marriott to AAdvantage count towards MMLES ?
dan should we avoid getting miles being that american may go bankrupt?
The US will not allow any of the big 4 US carriers (AA, Delta, Southwest, and United) to go out of business, so I’m not worried at all.
AA, Delta, and United have all gone through chapter 11 bankruptcy and miles have always survived as that is their most (and sometimes only) profitable part of the airline.
Dan, If I have a AA mastercard under my mileage account, is it OK to open another card under my wife’s name that has my mileage account link to her card? In other words, can I get into trouble for having two family members have two card with one AA mileage account linked to both cards?
I would not recommend trying that or any other “shtick” with AA.
How do I know if I have had a particular card in the last 4 years. If I remember correctly Citi has issued me a card and in very small print somewhere on a mailing wrote that I won’t receive the bonus . Of course I only noticed the small print after completing the spend .
Try calling Citi?
Can I sign up for all 4? https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/airlines/aa/american-airlines-shocking-formal-dot-response-dont-mess-aadvantage/
4 would be OK per the rules, 45 is a no-no 😀
Are you sure that the bonus does not apply to the lifetime million miles? Is that confirmed?
Yes
Anyone know if can apply and get SUB for 2 CitiBusiness cards (1 as sole prop and 1 with business name)?
Dan,
Being that I reached already to 2 Million Mile Status, is there any way I can link my wife’s AAdvantage account to my credit card (I have very high credit limits) so she can reach Million Mile Status before December?
No.
i have a joint business with my wife and applied for both myself and my wife under a ein . They gave me the bonus but refused to give it to my wife (We received a letter after opening the card and completing the required spending) as the business has already received a bonus in the last 48 months. Is that correct that only one bonus per business even though it is 2 separate cards for 2 separate people?
I would love to apply for this card, however I had a old aa account a couple of years ago and cant find the login info, I set up a new account now, should I be worried that aa will shut this new account?
Call AA and ask for the number?
Thank you I called them and they found 3 accounts on my name and merged them (the merge will finalize at midnight), do you think I can apply now or is there still a risk of them closing my account?
You can apply now.
Thank you!
I have the mile up consumer card does that mean I won’t be able to downgrade?
What about the American Barclay’s aviator card do you get millionaire miles for that?
Yes
Are they still offering another 3 months for the spending to get the sign up bonus?
It’s funny how this currency went from being almost a write off that I planned to burn what I had and stop collecting to one that I now highly value in such a short time. Amazing what a little added value and thinking out of the box can do!
I even upgraded my Aviator Red to Silver since surely (as a no-status) the 2 companion tickets after $20K, $50 wifi credit, luggage, and $25 per flight day food/bev. credit will more than pay for the card.
TLV?? AA going to TLV – I will get card. anything scheduled? how many miles?
how about LON-TLV?
https://www.dansdeals.com/airfare-deals/israel-flights/american-will-fly-nonstop-jfk-tel-aviv/
What are thresholds? If my balance is 331,089 does that mean i have to spend $6,689.11 by 12/31 to get anything out of this?
You get 1:1
when you wrote about using aa to morroco is there a way to work out a 3 day stopover on one award ticket ? your sample itinerary only showed a few hour stopover in cmn before heading out to fez or maarrekesh
If I buy miles does it count towards the MIllion miles
If I’ve a CitiCard linked to my advantage # can I open a additional card without canceling the first. In other words can I’ve two cards linked to one account?
can you tell us what a system wide upgrade is? is it a free upgrade to business or first econ even on a basic economy ticket? even on a international route with multiple legs etc. can you give them to people as gifts?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
With all of the “new cancellation rules, etc” could I cancel an award booking and get my miles back and then will they refund me for upgrading my seats from economy to MCE?
“If you’re like me and you run more than one business, you can signup for multiple of the same card for each business to manage each businesses expenses separately.” Can I get the bonus miles even if I have received them in the last 48 months for a new business?
Thanks Dan, great post! Do AA points ever expire? Also, do I need to keep at least 1 card active so the points don’t expire? Or not even that? Thanks.
They expire after 18 months of inactivity.
No need to keep a card open.
The 55k miles promotion i think is dead. I have looked at several dates and nada.
Are you searching round-trip?
Yes I am . I found dates earlier on but now they are all up.
I’m still seeing plenty of award space.
Try searching one-way and then switch to round-trip to find space.
How can I book this with Chase points?
@dan,
With now more easier then almost ever to earn hotel elite status.
Can you make a post of once let’s say you earned Hyatt Globalist status what other benefits you can receive outside Hyatt (for example elite status with AA) the same for Platnium with Marriott…..
Thanking you in advance
rookie question: if I want to book these great prices for a summer trip, can I open one of these CCs to help now? Or I have to make the spend and get the miles first. Odds are small that prices would still be around in a few months. So I should just buy with a regular travel card.
You need to spend to get the miles.
But with a lot of new Tel Aviv capacity, I’d expect more deals to be available throughout the year.
How long after spending will I get the points?
A day after the billing statement closes.
Thanks
I applied for the citibusiness & I was approved.
Make sure you get your referral fee.
Thanks for your great posts.
Would you say that AA /AAdvantage now has the edge over UA/ mileage plus?
How about using avios for aa tickets tlv NYC?
Not yet available.
I applied for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum World Elite Consumer ,and got approved now I’m thinking maybe I had this card already about 3 years ago, what di i do?
When did you get the bonus on it?
Dan
Do the cards get free bags on international flights on basic economy..ie Israel?
Think if I join two reservations, I can get this to work?
Citi business cards count towards 5/24?
Do they approve as easily as chase and amex for business?
1. There is no basic economy on AA to Israel.
2. Not following.
3. No.
4. Yes.
Does this mean I should also rack up miles with jet blue to utilize the joint for tickets to israel? And will they work 1:1 with AA?
No, AA is blocking space from partners.
if i got a sub 2 years ago on the business card but i have a separate business with a seperate irs tax number can i now get a second sign up bonus
AA closed my account a few years ago, never was able to log in again, anyway how to get a new AA account so I can apply for the CC?
Thank you. So if I won’t be able to use JetBlue points for AA to Israel, what’s the benefit of AA joining Jet Blue? Is it just that the joining allowed for the travel to Israel directly on AA? And the only way to travel to Israel using AA, at this point, is using actual AA points?
I have no recollection when of when I opened the consumer card as it probably did a product change . How can I figure that out?
Would i get the sign up bonus again for the same card if I apply for a different business then I applied 2 years ago ?
If I book an award trip for 3 passengers can I cancel just one of the passengers or do I have to cancel all three? One kid is not sure if they are coming and I’m wondering if I need to book 3 separate award redemptions to be able to cancel one passenger individually.
You can cancel just one.
Would that be the case for a cash reservation too ?
Yes
Only option I see online (Mobile) is cancel all passengers. I guess you need to call in?
Yes.
Thanks!
If I own two companies and apply for the business card, can I connect both with the same aa# and get the promotion points from both?
The 2 cards every 2 months rule means that if i never had an Citi card i can apply for 2 at the same time?
If yes how likely to be approved?
if i applied for a card but didnt receive the bonus – can i apply for a 2nd of the same card without waiting 48 months ?
Yes.
Thought Citi had the 48 month product family rule? Is this no longer the case so if i got a bonus on the biz card I could now get the bonus on the Plat within 48 months?
@Dan, Thanks for this post. I was waiting for this to finally materialize.
I was wondering if there is anyway of getting on to the good books of AAdvantage after they threw me off because of selling points.
So there are zero 55K seats available on the AA flight from JFK-TLV between now and July 2021. There are are fewer than 10 days where a single J seat is available on that route between now and July 2021 for less than 100K miles. So that 65K bonus effectively doesn’t even get you one J seat one way from JFK-TLV! A bit of a bait and switch on AAs part, but yours as well if you keep this up without a disclaimer that there aren’t actually any seats at anywhere near the award levels you list even if they technically do exist on an award chart somewhere.