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If you fly American Airlines frequently and like to relax in the Admirals Club® lounge before your flights, there's really only one card worth considering: the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®.
This card offers a complimentary Admirals Club membership for the primary cardholder, plus additional cost-effective memberships for authorized users.
You’ll also get perks like a free checked bag, priority boarding, in-flight discounts, and bonus Loyalty Points on your spending. However, whether the AA Executive Card makes sense for you comes down to how much you value Admirals Club access each year, since the annual fee is on the higher side.
- 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
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AA Executive Card Pros
- Admirals Club membership is included for both the primary cardholder and authorized users.
- Earn 10X miles per dollar on eligible AAdvantage Hotels and eligible rental cars booked through AAdvantage Cars, and 4X miles per dollar on eligible American Airlines purchases.
- Free checked bag for the primary cardholder and up to eight companions on the same reservation for American Airlines flights.
AA Executive Card Cons
- The card carries a high annual fee of $595.
- Steep spending requirement to earn the welcome bonus.
- Must pay to add authorized users to the account.
- Outside of AAdvantage Hotels, rental cars, and American Airlines purchases, the bonus earning rates are weak.
AA Executive Card Welcome Bonus
The AA Executive Card currently offers 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.
And it goes without saying that there are plenty of great ways to redeem AAdvantage miles. The program has numerous sweet spots for domestic travel on American Airlines and for award flights on partner airlines across all cabins.
For context, AwardWallet users redeem AA miles for an average of 2.56¢ each, making this welcome bonus worth around $1,800 in award travel when booked through American Airlines.
AA Executive Card Benefits
The AA Executive Card has one major headline benefit: Admirals Club access. But beyond that, it also offers a variety of perks to enhance your travels with American Airlines and help you reach AAdvantage elite status faster. Here’s an overview.
Complimentary Admirals Club membership
The standout feature of the AA Executive Card is its complimentary Admirals Club membership, which provides lounge access for the primary cardholder along with immediate family members under 18 or up to two guests.
If you were to purchase an Admirals Club membership outright, you’d pay up to $850 for an individual membership depending on your AAdvantage elite status. Since the AA Executive Card has an annual fee of $595, this represents meaningful savings.
It gets even better if you add authorized users. Each authorized user receives the same complimentary Admirals Club access with guest privileges. Considering a new Admirals Club household membership costs up to $1,650, adding authorized users for $175 for the first three authorized users, then $175 each each is an unbeatable deal.
Keep in mind that a same-day boarding pass on American Airlines or a partner airline is required for entry into Admirals Club lounges.
Related: How to Access American Airlines Admirals Clubs
Free checked bags
You’ll get your first checked bag free for yourself and up to eight companions on the same domestic itinerary. With standard bag fees of $40 per person each way (or $35 if prepaid online), a family of four could save at least $140 each way, or $280 on a round-trip flight.
Enhanced airport and boarding experience
You’ll also enjoy priority boarding, priority check-in, and priority security screening (where available) on American Airlines flights. These perks help you move through the airport faster, with less waiting and less stress, and get you on the plane early with plenty of overhead bin space for your bags.
This benefit applies to you as the cardholder and up to eight companions traveling on the same reservation.
Earn 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points
If you’re chasing elite status with American Airlines, you can earn a 10,000 Loyalty Point bonus toward next year’s status after reaching 50,000 Loyalty Points in a qualification year, which runs from March 1 through February 28.
You’ll earn another 10,000 Loyalty Point bonus once you hit 90,000 Loyalty Points within the same period. The first bonus counts toward the second, and both typically post soon after you meet each threshold.
If you have a high spending capacity, it’s even possible to earn elite status solely through spending on the AA Executive Card or another AAdvantage credit card, though this approach isn’t ideal for everyone.
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 each year, unlocked as $1 in credit for every $1 spent.
- Up to $120 back on eligible Grubhub purchases annually, available as up to $10 in credits per billing cycle.
- Up to $120 in Lyft credits each year, unlocked as a $10 credit each month after completing three eligible rides.
TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
Receive a statement credit of up to $120 every four years to cover the cost of your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee.
In-flight discount
Get 25% off inflight food and beverage purchases when you pay with your card.
Purchase and travel protections
Citi’s travel and purchase protection benefits aren’t as strong as those offered by some other issuers, as most of its cards include only basic coverage. Much of what the AA Executive Card provides comes from its Mastercard World Elite designation.
For context, Citi eliminated many of its top-tier purchase and travel protections in 2019. Still, though, this card includes trip cancellation and interruption protection, trip delay coverage, lost baggage protection, and worldwide rental car insurance.
In addition, this card imposes no foreign transaction fees.
AA Executive Card Earning Rates
The AA Executive Card offers a few lucrative earning categories, but they're really only useful when you book through AAdvantage Hotels, AAdvantage Cars, or make purchases directly with American Airlines.
- 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
Outside of those bonus categories, the earning rates don't make this an everyday spending card. For that reason, it’s best to pair this card with another product to round out your AAdvantage mile-earning strategy.
Redeeming Miles With the AA Executive Card
There are plenty of ways to redeem the AAdvantage miles you earn with the AA Executive Card. The best value typically comes from booking award flights, though you can also use your miles for flight upgrades, merchandise, and other things.
We’re especially big fans of redeeming miles for award flights, since the AAdvantage program offers several excellent sweet spots. A few of our favorite examples include:
- U.S. domestic flights on American Airlines from as low as 7,500 miles (or less). It’s not uncommon to see routes like Wilmington, NC (ILM) to Jackson Hole, WY (JAC) for just 6,000 miles.
- Business class flights to Europe from 57,500 miles one way. You can often find itineraries operated by AA or partner airlines like British Airways from the U.S. to destinations like Spain, Portugal, or the U.K. at this rate.
- Japan Airlines business class to Japan for 60,000 miles. No matter where you start in North America, you’ll pay 60,000 miles to fly one way to Japan in JAL business class (when award space is available). This is one of the best deals in the world of award travel.
Related: All the Ways to Earn American Airlines Miles and Loyalty Points Through Flying, Shopping, and More
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
The AA Executive Card is best suited for travelers who can take full advantage of its headline Admirals Club access benefit. If you’re not sure that’s you, here are a few alternative cards worth considering:
- 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 don't need unlimited Admirals Club access but want top-tier AA perks, consider the Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard®. In exchange for a $350 annual fee, you'll receive four annual Admirals Club® Globe™ Passes, an up to $100 Annual Splurge Credit℠, an annual companion certificate, and an elite status Flight Streak boost. See our full Citi AAdvantage Globe Card review to learn more.
- If you want a premium card that offers point transfers to AA but that's not co-branded, consider the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees), which carries a $595 annual fee. This card offers elite benefits, such as a $300 annual hotel savings benefit, an up to $200 annual Splurge Credit℠, 4 Admirals Club® Citi Strata Elite℠ Card Passes each year, and more. Plus, Citi ThankYou® Points transfer to AA at a 1:1 ratio. See our full Citi Strata Elite review to learn more.
- 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
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
Final Thoughts
With a generous welcome offer of 70,000 bonus miles for new cardmembers, the AA Executive Card deserves a spot on the radar of any American Airlines loyalist. Alongside the lucrative bonus, the card delivers unlimited Admirals Club access and a variety of perks that make flying with American a more comfortable and rewarding 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: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
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