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The Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® is a credit card designed for American Airlines flyers who can take advantage of perks such as free checked bags and preferred boarding on American Airlines flights.
While this card comes with an annual fee, it's cheaper than many other airline-branded cards. It is missing some of the perks more generous business travel credit cards offer, such as access to airline lounges, but it's a great choice for business owners who want a card that offers a good mix of affordability and benefits.
Double miles on American Airlines purchases
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Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®
Current Offer
Earn 75,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 5 months of account opening
Annual Fee
$99 (waived first year)
Rewards Rate
Earn 2X miles per dollar on all eligible American Airlines purchases and on purchases at telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and at gas stations; plus 1X miles on other purchases
Who should get the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®?
If you're a business owner who routinely travels on American Airlines, it may be time to sign up for the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®. This card is ideal for the price-conscious business owner who doesn't want to pay a high annual fee for a credit card but still wants ample travel perks any time you take an American Airlines flight.
You do, however, have to be OK with those perks coming only on one airline — although you can earn American Airlines miles when you fly with American partner airlines, too. If you don't often fly American, a general-purpose travel card may be a better bet for you.
You'll also need good or excellent credit to qualify for this card, and should make sure you can justify the affordable annual fee of $99 (waived first year). Because the card comes with a free checked bag for you and up to four travel companions, which saves you money on American Airlines baggage fees, the annual fee could be worth paying if you take just a few trips a year with checked luggage.
Card basics
| Card type | Business |
| Credit card issuer | Citi |
| Credit card network | Mastercard |
| Annual fee | $99 (waived first year) |
| Intro bonus | Earn 75,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 5 months of account opening |
| Reward rate | Earn 2X miles per dollar on all eligible American Airlines purchases and on purchases at telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and at gas stations; plus 1X miles on other purchases |
| Recommended credit score | Excellent |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® benefits and perks
- Generous welcome offer: Earn 75,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 5 months of account opening of account opening. With domestic round-trip award flights starting at just 7,500 miles, that bonus could add up to significant travel savings for cardholders.
- Companion certificate: Earn an American Airlines Companion Certificate for domestic travel after spending $30,000 or more in purchases each cardmember year. Redeeming the certificate costs $99 plus any taxes and fees.
- Bonus rewards in many categories: You can earn miles on almost every purchase you charge to the card. Earn 2X miles per dollar on all eligible American Airlines purchases and on purchases at telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and at gas stations; plus 1X miles on other purchases.
- Free checked bags: You and up to four people traveling with you can get your first checked bag for free on American Airlines flights. Since checked bags could cost up to $30 for your first bag on a domestic flight and $60 each on transatlantic flights, this benefit alone may make the annual fee worth paying.
- Preferred boarding: Cardmembers get to board early, right after ConciergeKey members; active duty military members; Executive Platinum or oneworld members; and Platinum Pro or Platinum members. You'll be in Boarding Group 5, which puts you ahead of most main cabin members and those flying basic economy.
- In-flight savings: Save 25% on inflight food purchases or beverage purchases and in-flight Wi-Fi if you use your card to shop on any American Airlines flight. The 25% savings appears as a statement credit.
- Waived annual fee and no foreign transaction fees: There's an annual fee of $99 (waived first year) and no foreign transaction fees when using your card abroad.
Drawbacks to the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®
- Annual fee: The fee is relatively modest at $99 (waived first year), but it still needs to be paid after the first year.
- Doesn't include lounge access: While some travel credit cards include airport lounge access, this one does not.
Earning & redeeming AAdvantage miles
Best ways to earn
The Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® offers ample opportunities to earn bonus miles — so the best way to maximize your earnings is to shop within the categories that get you double miles. You get 2X miles for each $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases and on purchases at telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and at gas stations.
For all other purchases, you'll also earn 1X mile per $1 spent.
Maximizing your redemptions
Using your miles to travel with American or to make purchases with American can provide the most bang for your buck. And by shopping for reduced mileage MileSAAver awards flights or economy web specials, you can make your rewards points stretch even further. You do have to give up a little flexibility — you can't change your flights without paying a fee, for example — but you'll be able to use far fewer miles to book trips.
You can also redeem American miles with oneworld partners, such as British Airways, Japan Airlines, and Qantas. Oneworld is a member alliance of 13 airlines across the globe. These airlines fly out of 1,000 airports, providing the chance to get to almost any destination worldwide with your American Airlines miles.
FAQs
What is the best AAdvantage credit card?
The best AAdvantage credit card will depend upon your specific situation. If you don't travel very often, you may be better off with a card simlilar to the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card because it comes with a $0 annual fee. But it also offers far fewer bonus categories where you can earn double miles and you get no free checked bags.
If you are a business owner, the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® could be the right choice because it offers some perks especially valuable to companies, such as bonus miles for spending on telecommunications purchases.
But if you're a very frequent traveler or a big spender, you may be better off with the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®. This card costs $595 annually but you get free checked bags for you and up to eight companions, you'll board before AAdvantage PlatinumSelect members will, and you get an Admirals Club membership with your card that's valued at up to $850.
How much is 60,000 American Airline miles worth?
The value of your American Airlines miles will depend on how you redeem them. In general, however, miles are estimated to be worth roughly 1.4 cents each. That would make 60,000 miles worth around $840.
Can I upgrade my Citi AAdvantage card?
Provided you meet qualifying requirements based on credit and income, you can upgrade your Citi AAdvantage card. If you received an invitation code from Citi to upgrade, you can even fill out a simple form online to request an upgrade. Otherwise, you can call your card's customer service phone number to find out about your upgrade options.
Are airline credit cards worth it?
Airline credit cards may be worth it if you frequently travel on the airline providing the card. You'll want to make sure the benefits you get — such as free checked bags and discounts on in-flight purchases — are perks you'll actually use.
If you tend to travel on lots of different airlines, however, signing up for an airline card likely isn't worth it because the benefits are usually airline-specific and you get the best value by redeeming your miles with the specific airline that offers the card.
Many of the best travel credit cards that don't tie you into using one airline and that offer broader benefits, such as access to Priority Pass airport lounges, may be a better value.
Other cards to consider
Not sure if the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® is the right card for your company? There are plenty of other business cards to consider — and one of these two may be a better fit.
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offers the chance to earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, which is a more generous reward but comes with a higher spending requirement.
You get a 25% bonus when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠, so you can travel on any airline or use points to book hotels or other travel purchases. You also earn 3X points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year; and 1X points per $1 on all other purchases.