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If you fly American Airlines on a regular basis and you like to hit the Admirals Club® lounge pre-flight, there is only one credit card you need on your application list. The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® provides a complimentary Admirals Club® Lounge membership for the primary cardholder, plus additional memberships for authorized users.
Cardholders also receive valuable perks like free checked bags, priority boarding, in-flight discounts, and bonus Loyalty Points on spending. However, the decision to get the AA Executive Card will hinge on whether you want Admirals Club access and how much value this provides year after year, as the card's annual fee isn't cheap.
- Complimentary Admirals Club® membership for the primary cardholder
- Admirals Club® membership for authorized user accounts
- First checked bag free on domestic AA flights for you and up to 8 companions
- Priority check-in, TSA screening lines, and boarding
- 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points after you spend $40,000 in purchases within the year
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Earn 10X miles for every $1 spent on eligible hotels booked at aa.com/hotels and eligible rental cars booked through aa.com/cars
- Earn 4X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases (increased to 5X miles through the end of the calendar year after you pass $150,000 in purchases annually)
- Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases
Page Contents
AA Executive Card Pros
- Admirals Club membership included for primary cardholder and authorized users
- Free checked bag for up to nine people on AA flights.
- Points bonus on spending.
AA Executive Card Cons
- High annual fee of $595.
- High spend requirement for the welcome bonus
- Must pay to add authorized users to the account.
AA Executive Card Welcome Bonus
For a limited time, earn 100,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $10,000 within the first 3 months of account opening. If you value AA miles on the conservative side at around 1.5¢ per mile, the welcome offer on the AA Executive Card is worth roughly $1,050.
Related: The Best Credit Card Offers Available Right Now
AA Executive Card Benefits
Complimentary Admirals Club membership
The standout feature of the AA Executive Card is the complimentary Admirals Club membership, which provides lounge access to the primary cardholder plus immediate family members or two additional guests. If you were to purchase an Admirals Club membership, you would pay up to $850 for an individual membership, depending on your level of elite status with American Airlines. The annual fee on the AA Executive Card is $595 — presenting considerable savings.
And it gets better the more authorized user accounts you add. Each authorized user you add to your card qualifies for the same complimentary Admirals Club access with guests. A household membership for Admirals Club will set you back a cool $1,600 without elite status, but you can add authorized users at $175 for the first three authorized users, then $175 each.
Note that a same-day boarding pass on American or partner airlines will be required for entry into Admirals Clubs.
Related: How To Access American Airlines Admirals Clubs
Free checked bags
Another perk that can add significant value is free checked bags. You receive the first checked bag free for yourself and up to eight people on the same domestic itinerary. At a standard cost of $30 a bag, you save $120 each way or $240 roundtrip if you fly a family of two adults and two kids.
Enhanced airport and boarding experience
Receive priority boarding, priority check-in, and priority security screening (where available) on American Airlines flights. These perks will get you through the airport faster, with less waiting and less hassle, and on the plane with plenty of room in the overhead bins for your bags. Again, this includes you as the cardholder and up to eight companions traveling on the same itinerary.
Earn 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points
If you are on the hunt for elite status with American, you can score a 10,000 Loyalty Point bonus towards next year's elite status when you earn 50,000 Loyalty Points in a status qualification year — defined as March 1st to February 28th.
Furthermore, earn another 10,000 Loyalty Point bonus after reaching 90,000 Loyalty Points in the same status qualification year.
If you have a high spending capacity, it's possible to earn elite status exclusively through spending on the AA Executive Card or another AAdvantage® credit card. But this approach isn't ideal for everyone.
Purchase and travel protections
Citi's travel and purchase protection benefits are not as strong as the ones provided by other issuers, with most cards only providing superficial protection perks.
Citi dropped many of its most valuable purchase and travel benefits in 2019. However, the AA Executive Card offers trip cancellation and interruption protection, trip delay protection, lost baggage protection, and worldwide rental car insurance.
Spending credits
You can earn the following statement credits to help offset the card's annual fee:
- Up to $120 back on eligible Avis or Budget car rentals every calendar year (available as $1 in credit for each $1 spent)
- Up to $120 back on eligible GrubHub purchases annually (available as up to $10 per month)
- Up to $120 in Lyft credits annually (available as a $10 Lyft credit each month after taking 3 eligible rides)
TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
Receive a statement credit for up to $100 every four years when you charge the enrollment fee for TSA Precheck ($78) or Global Entry ($100) to your card.
Related: Expedited Security Screening Programs: How To Get Them for Free
In-flight discount
Receive a 25% discount on inflight food and beverage purchases when using your card.
AA Executive Card Earning Rates
This is traditionally an area where the AA Executive Card has struggled to provide value, even following recent updates that increased the return on spending with American Airlines or for hotels and car rentals through aa.com.
- Earn 10X miles for every $1 spent on eligible hotels booked at aa.com/hotels and eligible rental cars booked through aa.com/cars
- Earn 4X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases (increased to 5X miles through the end of the calendar year after you pass $150,000 in purchases annually)
- Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases
Redeeming Miles With the AA Executive Card
The AAdvantage program offers a region-based award chart, meaning there are some great ways to redeem your American Airlines miles. Domestic flights within the contiguous U.S. start at just 7,500 miles. This means that the 70,000-mile welcome offer could earn you four round-trip flights!
Flights to Europe start at just 25,000 miles each way, and American discounts round-trip award tickets, so this single welcome offer can potentially earn enough miles for a round-trip trip ticket to Europe, plus a one-way ticket to begin another vacation.
Another great use of your American miles is to book partner airline flights with one of the 20+ airlines you can book with AA miles.
AA Executive Card Application Restrictions
Multiple rules can impact your eligibility for cards or welcome bonuses from Citi. The first applies to all Citi-issued rewards cards and is known as the 8/65 rule:
- You need to wait at least eight days from the last time you applied for any other credit card issued by Citi.
- You are allowed no more than two applications within a 65-day period.
Specific to the AA Executive Card, you'll see this rule on the application page:
“American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles are not available if you have received a new account bonus for a Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive account in the past 48 months.”
The policy doesn't consider if you've opened or closed another AA card besides the AA Executive Card, solely focusing on whether you have received a bonus for this card in the previous 48 months. If you currently hold another Citi-issued AA card, that won't affect your eligibility.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Cards That Compete With the AA Executive Card
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent at restaurants
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent at gas stations
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
- If you're looking for an American Airlines card with a lower annual fee, consider the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®. This card offers 60,000 bonus American Airlines miles after spending $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. and has a low annual fee of $99, waived for first 12 months. You'll still earn AA miles and Loyalty Points on purchases and get free checked bags on flights, but you won't get an Admirals Club membership. See our full AA Platinum Select review to learn more.
- If you're looking for a premium card with flexible points, look into The Platinum Card® from American Express. This fan-favorite card earns flexible Amex Membership Rewards, which can be used with 21 hotel and airline partners. While you won't get free checked bags or lounge access with American Airlines, the card offers up to $200 in airline incidental fees each year, valid for lounge visits and checked bags (among other expenses) with an airline you select in advance. Learn more in our full Amex Platinum review. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
$200 hotel credit offered with The Platinum Card® from American Express applies to prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings made via American Express Travel®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- If you're looking for a card with lounge access and miles that are easy to use, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card might be it. Not only does the Capital One Venture X have the lowest annual fee of all the premium cards on the market, but it includes access to over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide, earns miles that you can use with 19 airline and hotel partners, and lets you use your miles at 1¢ apiece to offset any recent travel purchases on your card. Our Capital One Venture X review has more information.
Final Thoughts
With a solid offer of 70,000 bonus miles available for new cardmembers, the AA Executive Card should be on the radar of any American Airlines fan. In addition to the stellar sign-up bonus, you'll get lounge access benefits and plenty of other perks to make flying with American a more luxurious experience.
- Complimentary Admirals Club® membership for the primary cardholder
- Admirals Club® membership for authorized user accounts
- First checked bag free on domestic AA flights for you and up to 8 companions
- Priority check-in, TSA screening lines, and boarding
- 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points after you spend $40,000 in purchases within the year
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Earn 10X miles for every $1 spent on eligible hotels booked at aa.com/hotels and eligible rental cars booked through aa.com/cars
- Earn 4X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases (increased to 5X miles through the end of the calendar year after you pass $150,000 in purchases annually)
- Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees)
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