In the event you fly American Airways continuously, you might contemplate getting considered one of their cobranded playing cards from Citi.
On the high of the hierarchy is the Citi® / AAdvantage® Government World Elite Mastercard® (see charges and charges), which presents essentially the most AA-specific perks of any bank card. However it comes with a hefty $595 annual price.
So, is it price it — each within the first 12 months and from the second onward? Let’s do the maths.
Associated: How one can determine if a bank card’s annual price is price paying
Welcome bonus
The Citi / AAdvantage Government World Elite Mastercard is presently providing 70,000 bonus miles after spending $7,000 inside the first three months of account opening. This bonus is price $1,155, based mostly on TPG’s March 2025 valuations.
This welcome supply is the normal welcome supply we have seen on this card.
Lounge entry
Arguably, essentially the most invaluable ongoing advantage of this card is the complimentary Admirals Membership membership you get — once you current a same-day boarding cross for an eligible flight — yearly that you just maintain the cardboard.
A yearly membership prices $750-$850, relying in your standing stage. On condition that this card carries a $595 annual price, it doesn’t make sense to purchase an Admirals Membership membership by itself (until you are not eligible for this card.)
You will entry practically 50 Admirals Golf equipment and greater than 60 accomplice lounges worldwide when flying American or considered one of its Oneworld companions. Notably, this consists of Alaska Lounges in hubs like Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Every day E-newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Every day e-newsletter
Be part of over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s specialists
You may herald both your quick members of the family (partner or home accomplice and kids beneath 18 years of age) or as much as two company. And so they do not should be on the identical flight as you — simply any American or Oneworld flight with a same-day boarding cross.
Dwelling in Austin, Texas, I usually fly by AA’s largest hub, Dallas Fort Price Worldwide Airport (DFW). This implies I can entry the lounges on departure in Austin and when connecting by Dallas Fort Price.
I additionally worth accessing choose Qantas Membership and Qantas Worldwide Enterprise Lounges once I fly dwelling to Australia and journey all through the nation.
Journey advantages
The cardboard presents invaluable perks when flying American, together with precedence check-in at business-class counters (the place out there) and precedence boarding privileges (the place out there) for you and as much as eight vacationers on the identical reservation.
You additionally get your first checked bag free on home itineraries with American Airways. (Word that that is just for home flights; I needed to pay $35 just lately once I traveled to Mexico, forgetting the restrictions of this perk.)
Moreover, you possibly can get pleasure from a 25% low cost on inflight meals and beverage purchases (excludes Wi-Fi) and obtain an up-to $120 assertion credit score for International Entry/TSA PreCheck. (I recommend maximizing your credit score by making use of for International Entry, because it consists of PreCheck anyway.)
Moreover, the cardboard consists of journey protections, reminiscent of journey cancellation, journey interruption, journey delay, misplaced baggage protections, and automotive rental insurance coverage protection.
And there are no overseas transaction charges, making this card an incredible possibility for worldwide journey.
Elite standing
If chasing AAdvantage elite standing is essential to you, this card will assist you to obtain it. You will earn 1 Loyalty Level for each mile you earn from purchases.
On high of that, you will obtain a ten,000 Loyalty Factors bonus upon reaching 50,000 Loyalty Factors in a standing qualification 12 months. An extra 10,000 Loyalty Factors bonus shall be granted when you hit 90,000 Loyalty Factors in the identical 12 months.
Assertion credit
Citi’s assertion credit embrace:
- As much as $120 again on eligible pay as you go leases booked instantly on Avis.com or Funds.com each calendar 12 months (this credit score was restricted in July 2024)
- As much as $120 again on eligible Grubhub purchases (as much as a $10 assertion credit score on every month’s billing assertion)
- As much as $120 in Lyft credit ($10 Lyft credit score every month), however you need to take three eligible rides every month first to obtain this credit score
The Grubhub credit score is the one one I’ve used up to now 12 months. I discover it simple to max out the $10 month-to-month credit score by ordering pick-up meals once I’m on the highway.
On condition that I are inclined to lease from Europcar, Nationwide Automotive Rental or Hertz, I do not maximize the automotive rental credit score, however it will be simple to make use of on one rental annually if Avis or Funds provided an excellent worth for an itinerary.
I do not worth the Lyft perk as a result of you aren’t getting the $10 credit score till after you’ve got taken three (non-discounted) rides in a month. As an alternative, I exploit my Chase Sapphire Reserve® to earn 10 factors per greenback spent on Lyft purchases (by March 2025).
Associated: Frequent Uber or Lyft person? These are the perfect bank cards for you
Incomes and redeeming miles
In the event you’re trying to supercharge your points-earning throughout a number of applications, we might recommend placing your spending on a card that earns transferable factors. Nonetheless, if you wish to maximize your AAdvantage mile stability particularly, this card will earn you:
- 10 miles per greenback spent on eligible automotive leases and motels booked by American’s automotive rental and resort reserving websites, respectively
- 4 miles per greenback spent on eligible American Airways purchases (jumps to five miles per greenback for the rest of the calendar 12 months as soon as you’ve got spent $150,000 on all purchases in a calendar 12 months)
- 1 mile per greenback spent on all different eligible purchases
AAdvantage miles are essentially the most invaluable of any U.S. airline program, in keeping with our March 2025 valuations. They’re considerably extra invaluable (at 1.65 cents every) than United Miles (1.35 cents every) and Delta SkyMiles (1.2 cents every).
After choosing up this card after its refresh in mid-2023, I redeemed a part of the welcome bonus I acquired for an expensive flight redemption. I used 70,000 miles plus $174 for a one-way business-class flight in Qatar Airways’ implausible Qsuite from Doha to Houston.
Given this flight retails for $3,910 one-way, I acquired a really excessive 5.6 cents per-mile worth from this redemption, greater than triple TPG’s March 2025 valuation of AAdvantage miles.
Associated: The very best makes use of of American Airways AAdvantage miles
Approved customers
Lastly, this card is a superb possibility in order for you your family and friends to get Admirals Membership entry for affordable.
You may add as much as three approved customers for $175 whole (figuring out to be round $58 every) and extra approved customers for $175 every after that.
Every approved person receives Admirals Membership entry (with a same-day boarding cross for an eligible flight) for themselves and as much as two touring companions. Nonetheless, approved customers solely get Admirals Membership entry, not a full Admirals Membership membership.
Backside line
Briefly, in the event you fly American Airways continuously, this card is a superb alternative. Moreover, this card is a no brainer in order for you Admirals Membership entry and do not have AA or Oneworld elite standing.
Maximizing assertion credit can cut back the efficient value of the annual price. It is an incredible deal so as to add as much as three approved customers for a complete of $175. This card may even assist you to attain AAdvantage standing by incomes Loyalty Factors on on a regular basis spending and once you attain sure spending thresholds.
Nonetheless, in the event you would not get worth out of lounge entry, I might recommend considered one of Citi / AA’s extra reasonably priced bank cards.
To be taught extra about this card, learn our full overview of the Citi / AA Government World Elite Mastercard.
Apply right here: Citi / AAdvantage Government World Elite Mastercard
