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- There's a new elevated welcome bonus offer on one of our favorite American Airlines credit cards.
- For a limited time, the
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® - Product Name Only is offeringCiti® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® - Intro Bonus . - The card comes with money-saving perks like a free checked bag on domestic American Airlines itineraries, preferred boarding on AA, and inflight discounts.
- Read Insider's guide to the best airline credit cards.
If you fly on American, you could save money, earn bonus miles, and travel more comfortably by opening one of the best credit cards for American Airlines. Our top pick for earning AA miles is the
That matches the highest-ever offer we saw on the card last year, so if you've been considering applying for this card, now's the time to do it. Beyond a sky-high bonus, the card comes with valuable perks including a free first checked bag on domestic AA itineraries, preferred boarding, 25% back on American inflight purchases, and the chance to earn a flight discount for meeting an annual spending threshold.
With an annual fee of
We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.
Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select: Earn 75,000 miles
The
- 2x miles at eligible restaurants and gas stations
- 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases
This is a great card to get if you fly American Airlines and check bags, even occasionally. American normally charges $30 for the first checked bag, but on domestic AA itineraries, you and up to four companions on the same reservation can get the first checked bag free. Fly once or twice a year and you can easily offset the card's annual fee (and then some) if you take advantage of this benefit.
Another handy perk is preferred boarding (Group 5) which allows you and up to four companions on the same reservation to board American Airlines flights sooner — at the same time as folks who've paid for Main Cabin Extra seats, and before the rest of economy class.
Cardholders also get a 25% discount on American Airlines inflight purchases (including food and alcohol), a $125 American Airlines flight discount certificate after spending at least $20,000 in an account anniversary year, and World Elite Mastercard benefits.
What can you do with 75,000 American Airlines miles?
The welcome bonus of
American just eliminated its "saver" and "anytime" award charts for flights on its own airplanes, making it harder to estimate exactly how many miles you need for a flight. The new AA award chart lists prices "starting at" a certain amount, although it's quite possible you'll pay fewer (or more) miles, depending on if your route and date fall under American's "Web Special" awards.
That said, American Airlines miles aren't just good for flights on AA, and its partner award chart is intact for now. American is part of the Oneworld alliance and partners with other carriers, so you can redeem American Airlines miles for flights on over 20 airlines, including Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Japan Airlines.
With 75,000 AA miles, you could book a lot of travel if saver-level awards are available. For instance, you could book:
- Three round-trip economy flights on a partner like Alaska Airlines within the continental US (25,000 miles each)
- A round-trip flight in economy class to Europe on a partner like British Airways or Iberia (60,000 miles)
- A round-trip economy flight to Asia region 1 or 2 (70,000 or 75,000 miles) on partners like Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines
Stocking up on American Airlines miles now, while the bonus on the
For a closer look at the card, check out our in-depth Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card review.