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Citi points now transfer to American AAdvantage. This additioned happened contemporaneously with the introduction of the Citi Strata EliteSM Card (See rates and fees.) which even comes with American Airlines Admirals Club passes.
We knew American AAdvantage as a transfer partner was likely coming once Citi gained exclusivity in issuing AAdvantage cards, but that doesn’t start until next year. I assume they wanted it early to to launch of their new premium Strata card and of course American will take the extra revenue from transfers now, too.
Transfers were on the table the last time Citi negotiated a deal with American, but Citi wouldn’t pay for the package that included transfers and exclusivity (hence the Barclays-issued card). This time they paid up.
This is a huge boost to the value of Citi ThankYou Rewards. But what this also means is that the American AAdvantage cards are actually less attractive for earning American miles!
- If your goal is AA miles, Citi branded cards earn those faster, since the earn rates are better.
- If your goal is AA benefits, get AA cards but still spend on the Citi branded cards
- If your goal is AA status, (loyalty points) that is the only reason to spend on an AA card – but recognize that those don’t come free. You are buying them – with the extra AA miles you gave up not putting the spend on an Citi branded card.
For instance for unbonused spend the new Citi Strata EliteSM Card earns 1.5x while Citi Executive earns 1x. So every loyalty point costs you half an AAdvantage mile.Indeed, a portfolio of Citi cards earns points in accelerator categories far faster than with the American cards and card earn a minimum of 2 points per dollar on otherwise-unbonused spend (by including Double Cash).
Citibank’s points can now be transferred to:
- oneworld: American Airlines AAdvantage, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Malaysia Airlines Enrich, Qantas Frequent Flyer, Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Star Alliance: Avianca LifeMiles, EVA Air Infinity MileageLands, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus, Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
- SkyTeam: Aeromexico Club Premier, Air France KLM Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Non-alliance: Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, JetBlue TrueBlue
- Hotels: Leading Hotels of the World Leaders Club, Accor ALL – Accor Live Limitless, Choice Hotels Choice Privileges, Preferred Hotels I Prefer, Wyndham Hotels Wyndham Rewards
Without Ameircan AAdvantage, the ThankYou points program was a bit of an also-ran. It lacked a strong U.S. airline, including just JetBlue. And while it has a number of hotel programs, it doesn’t have the top tier ones.
Now, though, it’s the only bank rewards currency that transfers to American. No bank has a better oneworld partner. And it’s top tier (remember, Amex’s top U.S. airline is Delta whose points are worth far less than competitors).
But it makes their co-brand American Airlines cards somewhat more niche, since those are really valuable only for their American Airlines travel perks rather than as the primary way to earn AAdvantage miles.
I haven’t flown AA for 7+ years, but this card is a winner. I had to get a new AA membership (got purged years ago) to get the Admirals Club passes). Got the card insta-approved and a temporary card #. The last time I had a Citi card I used the points to transfer to Turkish, which at the time was the only way to get those points.
Not sure I’ll be flying AA though.
AA Cards earn Loyalty Points, and the Citi cards do not. That remains the single biggest value-add of the AA cards. I’m not just earning miles, I’m earning consistently towards elite status.
GLeff, what’s your opinion of the Citi Strata Premier card with an annual fee of $95? For infrequent (but mostly points-based) travelers, the Premier card seems like a great option.
I’ve been dancing between the Citi AAdvantage card and the Barclays card, in a somewhat undisciplined churning approach, which boosted my AA miles. But now the idea of building points that will transfer to AA but still fill my desire to transfer to AF and other European carriers is attracting my attention.
Price, though, is a consideration.
How about this…I will never fly again so long as I have to submit to BS security nonsense. I will drive for three days before I ever step foot on a plane again!
@ rkt10 — Get the SUB. Close at 12 months.
@Ben is correct; keeping AA Exec, for now. That 10K LP bonus at 50K and 90K has made the difference to get to Platinum Pro for the OW Emerald. Besides, who wouldn’t want a calendar-year $120 Avis credit on prepaid rentals…
Same thing with United – no reason to earn UA miles on UA cards when you can earn Chase points and transfer if/when needed. And the EQP bonuses on the UA cards are very weak compared to AA, so even LESS reason to use them.
AA travel portal also gives out LP like candy, so if you can use that enough, it reduces the need for card LP.
1. I don’t find the new Strata Elite at all attractive when compared to the (no longer available) Citi Prestige card, with its 5x points on both airfare (purchased directly or though the Citi Travel Portal) and restaurants, among other things. I’m not a fan of buying airfare and hotels through travel ports, and this is the only way to get large bonuses on spend.
2. When the cost of an Alaska Lounge and American Admiral’s Club memberships increased, it became less expensive to get the Citi American AAdvantage Executive card which includes Admiral’s Club membership as a part of the AF. (As I mostly fly AS, this gets me into their Lounges as well as AA’s.)
3. As I am MVP Gold with AS (and soon to be MVP Gold 75k), most of the benefits the AA Exec card gives me, I also get as a oneworld Sapphire (Emerald) elite and so I don’t put lots of spend — other than AA airline tickets — on the Exec card. Now, however, since AA is a transfer partner, that spend will move to the Prestige card.
/\/\/\/\/\
Finally, IF Citi is planning on converting all existing Prestige cards to the Strata Elite, I’ll simply close that account — downgrading it to a no AF card — and stick it I the sock drawer — and continue to put any AA airfares on the Executive card.
@Ben, not only are the LPs the difference but the full lounge (versus day passes that may not be accepted) is another advantage for the AA card
AA would have been better off insisting on a 2-1 ratio for DC TYP; 3-2 ratio for Premier and 5-4 ratio for Strata elite card holders.
The 1-1 transfer kills benefit of Citi AA cards and will reduce volume on AA cards
The volume of AA miles will however multiply with transfer miles.
Devaluation of AA miles next is guaranteed.
I do not know what Citi was paying for AA miles before, but at 1c cost for Citi (and us) now, AA cannot afford to keep the value of its loyalty program – without it AA is a distant third in the US
The next is Alaska and BofA rewards – I see a tie up and transfers in the future
@Jason — According to TPG, Citi won’t be ‘converting all existing Prestige cards to the Strata Elite’… DoC also recently posted about it on July 27, but, their source was TPG… *facepalm*
The key to solving the LP problem is to shop through the AA portals with the new Citi card.
Not obsolete for me. 7 figure income, no late payments ever 780 score and denied for strata elite, but Citi keeps increasing my credit line on aa exec workout me asking. Currently at 43k. Go figure
@John — Big John! 7 figures, huh? So, we talkin’ closer to $1,000,000 or $9,999,999?
Not sure if Gary planned on posting this, but some of you may find it interesting.
https://reason.com/2025/07/26/qatar-airways-al-safwa-first-class-lounge-doha-qatar/
I dunno. I just ordered spouse and I each a citi AA card this weekend. No annual fee for year one and 3500 spend to get 80k AA miles. Seems like a no brainer to me.
I can always get a thank you points card later.
@Dave — Niccce. Enjoy your new Platinum Select cards! That ‘summer special’ 80K is pretty good.
I am completely bewildered. This post and the comments are just too much information. ls there at simple recommendation? I am EXP for Life, have an old CitiAdvantge Business Card (25 years) and a Barclays (old USAir) card. What should I do? Domestically I mostly fly UA; AA just international since I don’t need miles for status.
@Solucia — Simple? Do nothing. Don’t worry about any cards. Done. Bye.
Wait, you’re an Executive Platinum ‘for Life,’ so like, you flew +5 million miles with AA, yet these days you mostly fly United domestically… and the whole post/comments are ‘too much’ for you. Right…
What kind of a world is this — the AA cards have a problem because they really are only valuable for people who fly AA a lot. Who knows, maybe AA will position this problem as a feature.
This is the correct analysis. Thanks for the post. No idea what Citi and AA are thinking – just eating into existing AA cardholders. Citi would love it if their HNWIs would have cards with them versus competitors based on fee incentive structure – almost looks desperate.
The regular Strata, Strata Premier (to unlock AA) and Doublecash are now quite the trifecta for $95 ($0 if you value the Premier $100 credit on $500 hotel spend). TY point earning machine. Elite is the afterthought in that grouping.
It would be nice if you explained it in English meaning in a way we could understand without all the tech talk. What do I get when I use my Citibank Advantage card and what do I not get if any changes are made.
Not that it matters to everyone,, but wait till you see American Platinum Card it is so thin and flimsy it’s easy to bend it when inserting it in a card reader.. I was used to my nice heavy Delta card and when AA arrived I was extremely unimpressed.
Did not notice the benefit of Admiral passes anywhere in the list of benefits. Can you please reference it and inform how many passes/year?
Thanks!
Strike my last comment, I found it. Sorry about that:
American Airlines Admirals Club® Lounge Access Passes
Every calendar year, receive 4 Admirals Club® Citi Strata Elite℠ Passes for access to nearly 50 Admirals Club® lounges (over $300 in value). Inside each of the nearly 50 lounges, you can enjoy a selection of snacks, complimentary cocktails, personal travel assistance and more.2
If all I care about are AA MILES – not status – wouldn’t I be better off getting a Strata (either Elite OR Premier) and in turn putting all non-bonus spend on a Double Cash? Since TYP from Double Cash can be transferred to the Strata wouldn’t this in effect get us 2x AA per dollar spent?
Gary, your arguments that having Strata Elite just to get AA miles do not make sense for most consumers. You well aware that there is no-annual-fee Citi card that earns 1 AA mile for everyday spending and 2 miles at supermarkets (and 1 loyalty point for all the spending). With Strata Elite you are paying $595 annual fee just to get 0.5 mile extra for dollar spend when not shopping for groceries. Even if I inflate the value of AA mile to $0.02, I would have to put $59,500 in spending on the card just to break even. If you value the mile at more realistic $0.014, then the break-even spending goes to $85,000. Of course, if you squeeze other benefits from Strata Elite that is another story.
Ag Buffe is right to mention the value proposition of the underrated, no-fee MilesUp card (which in fairness, Gary has noted elsewhere).
But the other card worth mentioning in this context is the CitiBusiness AA card, with its ability to effectively double Loyalty Points (LPs) by spending on authorized user cards (at least though 2025).
1 LP for me and 1 for my partner, plus 1 AA mile, is a compelling way to rack up status for both of us if my partner does the same thing. Once we have the status and mileston rewards we want, then it makes sense to shift back to cards like Premier and DoubleCash.
@John – Actually, they are being stingy with your card limits. I have the same stats as you and my personal Citi AA executive card limit is $350k. Citi previously capped it out at 100k and I wrote a request to Citi corporate and they raised it to $350k.