New Citi American Airlines Card: Companion Pass, Lounge Access, $350 Fee

With Citi emerging as the sole issuer of American Airlines credit cards, the bank is expanding its collection of cards for loyal American flyers.

New holders of the Citi / AAdvantage Globe™ Mastercard® are eligible for the following welcome bonus: For a limited time, earn 90,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $5,000 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening.

• 3 miles per $1 on eligible American Airlines purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants, including takeout and delivery.

• 2 miles per $1 on taxis, ridesharing services and public transit. 

• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.

Each mile you earn also gets you one Loyalty Point, which can help you obtain status with the airline. The lowest status tier, AAdvantage Gold, requires a minimum of 40,000 Loyalty Points.

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe Mastercard® also offers a Flight Streak bonus, where you can earn 5,000 Loyalty Points when you fly on four qualifying American Airlines flights. You can earn up to 15,000 Loyalty Points in a status qualification year through Flight Streak bonuses.

• Airport lounge access: Get four Admiral’s Club Globe passes per year. Each pass is valid for 24 hours. The primary cardholder must be present when a guest uses a pass.

• Companion certificate: Each year after renewing your card, get a companion certificate for one round-trip qualifying domestic flight in the main cabin. You can redeem this certificate for $99 plus taxes and fees.

• Credit toward in-flight purchases: Get up to $100 in statement credits each year for in-flight food, beverage and Wi-Fi purchases on qualifying American flights.

• Free checked bags: You and up to eight travel companions on the same reservation can get one free checked bag each.

• Preferred boarding: You and up to eight travel companions on the same reservation can board in Group 5.

• TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit: Get a statement credit of up to $120 every four years to cover the application fee.

• Splurge credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits per year on your choice of two of these options: eligible AAdvantage Hotels bookings, 1stDibs, Future Personal Training and Live Nation.  

• Turo credit: Earn up to $30 in statement credits for each eligible trip on Turo, a car-sharing marketplace. You can earn up to $240 in total statement credits per year. 

• Access to experiences: Through Citi Entertainment and Mastercard Priceless, you’ll get access to ticket presales and exclusive experiences. 

• Mastercard World Legend benefits: This includes perks such as concierge services and a complimentary year of membership to Soho Friends, a travel and lifestyle program by the members’ club Soho House. 

• Shopping and travel protections: Get coverage for rental cars, trip cancellation or interruption, and lost or damaged luggage. You’ll also get extended warranties on eligible purchases. Terms apply.

As is the case with all airline cards, the Citi / AAdvantage Globe™ Mastercard® makes more sense when you’re a frequent American Airlines traveler. If you aren’t loyal to any one airline, a general travel rewards credit card might be a better fit.

But if you fly on American often, it comes down to offsetting the $350 annual fee by using the card’s benefits. For example, if you and a companion take three round-trip flights in a year and you each check a bag, you’ll get $420 in value. But the lower-fee Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® also offers free checked bags, so you’d also want to consider whether or not you’d use other perks, such as lounge passes and the card’s various statement credits.