The first big credit card sign up bonus of 2014 has hit the street folks! Citibank just announced a whopping 100,000 mile sign up bonus for the Citi Executive American Airlines AAdvantage Card. Caution: The 100,000 mile bonus requires a ridiculous $10,000 of spending in the first 3 months after applying.
Follow this link to apply for the card.
Benefits of The Citi Executive American Airlines Card
- Admirals Club access (Free access to the American Airlines Club lounges)
- $200 Statement Credit on purchases in the first 12 months
- Earn up to 10,000 AA elite qualifying miles per year
- No foreign transaction fees
- First checked bag free
- Priority boarding and airport access
- Earn 1 mile per dollar spent
- Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on American Airlines purchases
- Get 25% off AA on-board in-flight purchases
Admirals Club Benefit
Obviously the most valuable benefit of the Citi Executive AA card is that it comes with free American Admirals Club access, which is worth $500 in and of itself. This offer comes at an ideal time since Amex recently removed Admirals Club access from their Platinum Card benefits (this does not start until March 22, 2014).
$200 Statement Credit
Aside from Admirals Club access, this card also comes with a $200 statement credit, which appears to be valid on any purchase. That means that you are only paying $250 for Admirals Club access for an entire year!
10,000 Elite Qualifying AAdvantage Miles
A nice hidden benefit of this card that would appeal to AA Elite members is the fact that you can earn 10,000 elite qualifying miles per calendar year. In order to earn the bonus, you must spend a hefty $40,000 on the card, which is not a trivial amount of spend.
Mileage Earning
You also earn 1 AAdvantage mile per dollar spent, and 2 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases. Also, there is no earnings limit on the number of miles you can earn per year.
25% Discount on American Airlines On-Board In-Flight Purchases
A nice added benefit of this card (although it applies to the other Citi AA Cards) is that you can get a 25% discount on all in-flight purchases. I hold the Citi AA Premier Visa and as long as you pay for your on-board purchases using the card, the discount usually arrives reliably as a statement credit within 4-6 weeks of your purchase.
More details about the card benefits can be found here.
Am I Going to Apply For The Citi Executive AAdvantage Mastercard?
I am extremely tempted by the Citi Executive AA Card. 100,000 bonus miles is a huge windfall, and one we have not seen in a while. Thinking back, the Chase British Airways 100,000 mile bonus was the last time we’ve seen a sign up bonus this high. That said, I am reluctant to pull the trigger because I’m not sure if I can meet the $10,000 spending requirement in the first 3 months of holding the card. Of course there are strategies like Vanilla Reload and Kiva Loans that can be used to help meet the requirement, but it would still be quite a challenge.
Bottom Line
For those who can meet the minimum spending requirement, the Citi Executive AA Card 100,000 mile bonus is an absolute no-brainer. The sign up bonus, Admirals Club access for a year, and all the other benefits while only paying $250 is an incredible bargain.