Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard Review

This is a good card for those who can fly with American Airlines at least a few times each year to use the card’s benefits to recoup the annual fee cost. If you dine out or fill up at the pump often, this card will reward those more routine expenses, too. 

You don’t need to be a big spender to get value from this card, but you do need to fly with American Airlines and its partner airlines to earn double miles, so make sure your primary airport supports that before applying.

If you want the flexibility to fly with any airline and still earn rewards, this card isn’t for you. Open a non-airline branded travel card instead. Those seeking luxury travel perks and travel insurance benefits should also look elsewhere, as this card doesn’t offer airport lounge access and Citi will soon nix several travel benefits offered by this card. 

• Most valuable miles: When you redeem miles you’ve earned on this card for free flights, those miles have the best value of any airline credit cards, according to The Balance's research. We found they typically are worth 2.95 cents each, which far exceeds what you can get from other airline-branded cards. You may also find award flights that make your AAdvantage miles even more valuable.
• Generous sign-up bonus: You only have to spend $834 each month after opening this card to earn the 50,000 AAdvantage bonus miles, which may be enough to book two free round-trip flights in the U.S or even indulge in one round-trip first-class ticket.
• Free checked bag: American Airlines normally charges $30 for your first checked bag each way, so you can recoup the cost of this card’s annual fee within two round trips. If you travel with family members often, this benefit could really save you some cash. Since you and up to four travel companions on the same reservation can use it, this perk is valued at up to $300 per round trip flight.
• Double miles on gas and restaurant purchases: This is great, because few airline cards award extra miles for non-travel purchases. It’s a solid daily use card for infrequent travelers who have a long commute to work (or a gas-guzzling car) and/or dine out often. If your lifestyle fits that bill, you’ll earn double miles often.

• Few additional benefits: This isn’t a premium travel card, so we expect fewer benefits as a result. However, unlike some comparable airline-branded cards, this card doesn’t offer any form of airport lounge access. Plus, Citi has dropped many of its purchase protection and travel insurance benefits for its cards, which will make this card’s benefits even lighter. More on this below.

Spend $2,500 within three months of opening your account to receive 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles. It’s a great deal, as you can spend less than $1,000 each month to meet the spending requirement and, based on our calculations, this bonus is worth up to $1,475 if the miles are used to book flights. That makes it one of the most valuable airline credit card sign-up bonuses on the market right now. 

With the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard, you’ll earn 2 miles per $1 spent on American Airlines, restaurant, and gas station purchases. Outside of those categories, you’ll earn 1 mile per $1 spent. Double miles on airline brand purchases is a solid earning rate and typical for branded travel cards. 

You can also earn miles on flights on 24 partner airlines, which include Hawaiian Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas, as long as you buy the flight through American Airlines. Earning rates will vary among partner airlines. Watch the AAdvantage portal for ways to earn extra miles on vacation, dining, and online shopping purchases, too. 

This card offers unlimited earning potential, and AAdvantage miles don’t expire as long as you earn or redeem miles at least once every 18 months. 

Our valuation research found that AAdvantage miles are best used for flights booked directly with American Airlines or partner airlines via the AAdvantage portal or American Airlines app. In addition to flights, you can also upgrade tickets using miles. 

American Airlines makes it relatively easy to understand your options because it posts miles redemption charts, award flight rules, and peak travel dates online.

These are some of the other items you can redeem miles for:

• Rental cars and hotel stays
• Vacation packages 
• Gift cards

AAdvantage Miles can’t be redeemed for cash, statement credits, checks, or direct deposit. 

Spend $2,500 in three months to earn the valuable sign-up bonus. To ensure you’re earning extra miles on an ongoing basis, use this card for all restaurant, gas, and travel booked through American Airlines. Also, take advantage of the free checked bag benefit on at least two round-trip flights per year to make up for the annual fee. 

When it comes to redeeming miles, only use them to book flights through American Airlines to ensure you’re getting the most out of these high-value airline rewards. MileSAAver flights will stretch your miles the furthest, so snatch those flights up when you can. 

Besides the free checked bag, the card gives you these other benefits, which our editors deem superior to typical travel rewards card benefits:

• $125 American Airlines flight credit: Spend $20,000 or more on purchases in a year to earn this offer. The credit will be good for a full year. 
• Preferred boarding: Board flights after Priority boarding and before economy passengers. This benefit applies to you and up to four travel companions on the same reservation, and gives you a better chance of getting space in the overhead bin for your carry-ons. 

The only other perk you get with the card is a 25% discount on in-flight purchases.

Citibank ranks No. 6 for customer satisfaction among 11 major card-issuing banks, according to J.D. Power’s 2019 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study. It scored 799 points out of 1,000, falling below the industry average of 806.

That said, one nice customer benefit is that Citi provides a free FICO credit score, which you can access online and in the app. 

Citi’s Fraud Early Warning system will notify you of suspicious account activity. For additional protection, Citi can generate a virtual, temporary card number to use instead of your real one while shopping online. 

If your card is lost or stolen, use the mobile app to instantly lock it to prevent fraud. This feature conveniently allows recurring transactions to proceed uninterrupted until the matter is resolved. If your identity is compromised, Citi Identity Theft Solutions can help you deal with compromised accounts and file police reports.

This card charges an annual fee, which is really the only fee you need to watch for. Fortunately, that cost is easily recouped thanks to the free checked bag benefit and hefty bonus offer. Other than that, international travelers will like that they can use this card outside the U.S. without being charged foreign transaction fees.