Tag Archives for citibank.
American Airlines engaged in mass shutdowns of AAdvantage accounts four years ago over customers who used invitations to apply for Citibank credit cards which didn’t say circumvented rules limiting how often one could get a bonus. People lost millions of miles. And there’s a new lawsuit against American Airlines over taking these miles away.
Answering this question starts with looking at the transfer partners each program has (they’re all different), which partners provide the most value, and also how flexible each currency is when you want to use your points directly against a paid ticket or hotel night rather than redeeming for a free flight or free hotel award night.
You no longer need to spend any money on this card to earn its Loyalty Point bonuses, and the potential to earn these bonuses has doubled. What’s more, it appears that new cardmembers receive the bonuses right away if they’ve already hit the 50,000 and 90,000 Loyalty Point thresholds this year.
The update to the premium Citi AAdvantage Executive product which goes into effect July 23 seems like a step backwards for consumers. But it’s a step backwards for Citibank, also.
Earlier I wrote about upcoming changes to the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card, the premium co-brand card that comes with American Airlines Admirals Club membership. There’s going to be a big new card bonus offer, and changes to American Airlines clubs as well.
Back in the fall I wrote that Citi would be ending the benefit of no annual fee authorized users with Admirals Club access, and likely raising the annual fee on the card itself as well. The ability for a single $450 annual fee to generate 11 cards (primary plus up to 10 authorized user cards) each with the ability to enter Admirals Clubs and also bring up to two guests was simply too good a deal.
Back in the fall I wrote that Citi would be ending the benefit of no annual fee authorized users with Admirals Club access, and likely raising the annual fee on the card itself as well. The ability for a single $450 annual fee to generate 11 cards (primary plus up to 10 authorized user cards) each with the ability to enter Admirals Clubs and also bring up to two guests was simply too good a deal.
Customers buying a ticket from American Airlines, who have a Citibank AAdvantage credit card, are now being given the option to take out a loan to cover the cost of their travel. And since travel has gotten so expensive, the loan amount can be up to $999,999.99.
The premium American Airlines credit card, the Citi Executive AAdvantage card, is a bit of a throwback. The card has been largely unchanged since it launched in summer 2011. So it doesn’t have many of the benefits of other airline premium cards. However, it is by far the cheapest way to gain club access with American Airlines, since the price of membership has risen while this card’s annual fee has not. The card is overdue for a refresh.
There are several rebates and bonus offers available right now for Uber and Uber Eats, that you can stack for lower costs, points, and to earn American Airlines elite status all at the same time if you sign up for the offers and use the right credit cards. In fact there’s a triple-dipping opportunity.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
