Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^® Review [2025]: Luxury Perks at a Luxury Price

Card basics

Who should get the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard?

This card has an annual fee of $595, so it takes a specific traveler to justify its cost. But if you travel a number of times each year with American Airlines or its airline partners, you could offset the cost with ease.

With the miles you earn from this card, you can choose to book flights with oneworld Alliance partners such as British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Qantas, Qatar Airways, and more. American Airlines also has non-alliance partners you could use your AAdvantage miles with, such as Air Tahiti Nui, Hawaiian Airlines, and Etihad Airways.

If you only fly once or twice per year or aren't expecting to fly with American Airlines or its partners, you might want to consider other credit cards with a smaller annual fee.

Who should skip it?

While this card does offer some valuable perks, it also has an annual fee of $595. It might be difficult to offset this cost if you aren't a frequent American Airlines flyer or cannot take advantage of all the perks this card offers.

Cardmembers earn 10X miles on hotels booked through aadvantagehotels.com and eligible car rentals booked through aa.com/cars, 4X miles on eligible American Airlines purchases (after spending $150,000 per calendar year this increases to 5X for the remainder of the calendar year), and 1X miles for every $1 spent on other purchases. While this offers elevated rewards rates for specific hotel, car rental, and airline purchases, other cards may offer higher earnings rates for more common purchases.

Some cards offer a 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first several months of account opening. But the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard isn't a 0% APR credit card, so it doesn't offer this benefit.

Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard benefits

Outstanding welcome offer

The AAdvantage Executive World Elite card currently offers a strong welcome offer: Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first 3 months of account opening..

Depending on your itinerary, that's enough miles to book a few roundtrip flights in main cabin. You'll just have to pay for taxes and fees. For example, this flight from Los Angeles to Miami wouldn't even eat up half of your welcome offer miles:

American Airlines Admirals Club membership

The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard provides complimentary Admirals Club membership and access to partner lounges for the primary cardholder. Authorized users can only access American Admirals Club lounge locations, not partner lounges.

At a value of up to $850, the card's Admirals Club membership benefit alone outweighs the annual fee and then some. So if you're often traveling through airports that have Admirals Clubs or partner lounges with any frequency and value the peace and quiet lounges can provide, this perk could make the card a no-brainer.

Progress toward elite status

The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard offers one Loyalty Point for each eligible mile earned from purchases. You can use Loyalty Points to earn American Airlines AAdvantage elite status.

In addition to Loyalty Points earned from spending, you can earn 10,000 Loyalty Points after reaching 50,000 Loyalty Points in a status qualification year and another 10,000 Loyalty Points after reaching 90,000 Loyalty Points in the same year.

TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry statement credit

You can earn up to $120 statement credit every four years when you use this credit card to pay for the TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry application fee. These programs allow you access to expedited security at many U.S. airports.

Free checked bag

With the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard, you can save on checked bag fees by getting the first checked bag free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to eight travel companions on the same reservation.

Travel protections and insurance

This credit card provides you with trip cancellation and interruption protection, trip delay protection, lost baggage protection, and car rental insurance coverage.

Statement credits

The card comes with a few statement credits that are relatively easy to earn, provided you use Lyft, Grubhub, or rent cars with Avis and Budget with any regularity.

If you use your AAdvantage Executive World Elite card to pay for rides with Lyft, you can earn a $10 Lyft credit after taking three eligible rides every month, for a total of up to $120 in Lyft credit each year.

Similarly, you can earn a statement credit of up to $10 per billing statement on eligible Grubhub purchases when you use your card as the payment method on the app, for a total of up to $120 for every 12 billing statements.

You could also get up to $120 in car rental statement credits on eligible Avis and Budget car rental purchases every calendar year.

25% savings on in-flight purchases

When you use your Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard, you will save 25% on in-flight food and beverage purchases.

Additional airport perks

Cardmembers get perks like priority check-in, priority boarding, and priority airport screening on eligible flights operated by American Airlines. These perks also apply to up to eight other travelers on the same reservation.

Concierge service

This card comes with a dedicated concierge service, which can help you with your travel, shopping, and dining needs.

Earning & redeeming American Airlines miles

Potential earnings in year one

Here's a look at how your miles can add up with the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard. To calculate these earnings, we used a mile valuation of 1 cent.

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $1,735

Year two earnings: $734

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which takes a look at points earned via spending, the sign-up bonus, and the annual fee.

The value above only accounts for earnings from general travel spending and doesn't reflect the bonus miles you'd earn from American Airlines purchases.

Best ways to earn

The best way to earn American Airlines miles with the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard is to simply use the card as your preferred method of spending, both for your travel with American and on your regular purchases. The more you spend, the more you'll earn.

You can also enroll in the AAdvantage Dining Program to multiply your miles earnings. Enrolling in the dining program takes three easy steps:

1. Sign up for the program (it's free)
2. Link your Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard to your dining program profile
3. Dine at restaurants within the program

After that, all it takes is a swipe of your Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard to earn extra miles through the AAdvantage Dining Program. These miles will be stacked on top of the miles you earn with the credit card itself. And while not all restaurants participate in the AAdvantage Dining Program, their list of places to eat can be a great start if you're searching for a new place in town and want to earn miles at the same time.

Maximizing your redemptions

As for redeeming, you have several options. Here's what you can use your American Airlines AAdvantage program miles on:

• American Airlines flights or flights with airline partners
• Flight upgrades on American Airlines, British Airways, and Iberia
• Booking rental cars
• Booking hotels

While you can also redeem your miles for gift cards and hotel stays, these options won't generally get you the best value. American Airlines miles are typically best redeemed for flights. Whether you are looking to earn miles for a luxury first-class ticket or want to stretch the value of your miles by booking in economy, redeeming your miles for airfare could get you a great value for your dollars spent.

Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard transfer partners

American Airlines is part of the oneworld Alliance, which means Executive World Elite cardholders can redeem their American Airlines AAdvantage program miles with over a dozen airlines in the alliance.

Additionally, American Airlines also has several non-alliance partners with whom you can redeem your miles.

FAQs

Other cards to consider

The annual fee of the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard can be tough to stomach. If it doesn't seem like the best credit card for you, here are two other options.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

With the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, you can earn miles that can be used with several American Airlines partners, including Qantas and British Airways. To add to the earnings, you will have the chance to enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.

You will also have up to a $120 statement credit to use toward Global Entry or TSA Precheck, no foreign transaction fees, auto rental collision damage waiver, travel accident insurance, and extended warranty.

Read our Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card review.

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is a great card if you want to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points, one of the most valuable and flexible travel rewards currencies available. You can use your points to book flights with American and other popular carriers through the Chase portal or transfer them to several airline and hotel partners.

This card offers a generous welcome bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

The annual fee is $95, but as a cardmember, you get valuable perks such as car rental insurance, baggage delay insurance, trip cancellation and interruption coverage, and extended warranty protection.

Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred review.

Great for Flexible Travel Rewards

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

4.9

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

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Rates and fees

Current Offer

Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Annual Fee

$95

Rewards Rate

5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Generous welcome offer valued at up to $1,125 when redeemed via Chase Travel℠
• High rewards on dining and bookings via Chase Travel
• Up to 1.5x more value when redeeming points for travel through Chase Travel
• Up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel
• Receive valuable travel protections like trip delay reimbursement and primary rental car insurance

Drawbacks

• Has a $95 annual fee
• Doesn’t offer airport lounge access or premium travel perks like Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
• Doesn't offer bonus points on gas or in-person groceries purchases

Card Details

• Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
• Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
• 10% anniversary points boost - each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
• Member FDIC

Bottom line

The Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^® can be a great choice for avid American Airlines travelers who value premium perks and are willing to pay its annual fee of $595. With benefits like Admirals Club membership, a generous sign-up bonus, and TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry statement credit, this card offers a wealth of travel benefits.

You also get a free checked bag benefit and the ability to boost your Loyalty Points with qualifying activity. However, this card may not be suitable for occasional flyers or those who prefer more flexible rewards. For more options, explore our lists of the best credit cards for American Airlines or the best travel credit cards.

Admirals Club Membership and More

Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^®

4.8

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^®

Compare Credit Cards

Current Offer

Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.

Annual Fee

$595

Rewards Rate

10X miles on hotels booked through aadvantagehotels.com and eligible car rentals booked through aa.com/cars, 4X miles on eligible American Airlines purchases (after spending $150,000 per calendar year this increases to 5X for the remainder of the calendar year), and 1X miles for every $1 spent on other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Earns loyalty points toward American Airlines elite status
• First checked bag free
• Admirals Club membership and priority check-in

Drawbacks

• Has high annual fee
• Low earnings rate on non-airline spending

Card Details

• Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.
• 10X miles on hotels booked through aadvantagehotels.com and eligible car rentals booked through aa.com/cars, 4X miles on eligible American Airlines purchases (after spending $150,000 per calendar year this increases to 5X for the remainder of the calendar year), and 1X miles for every $1 spent on other purchases