Our take: The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® offers a healthy 50,000-mile welcome bonus (worth up to $900 when redeemed for travel), no annual fee for the first year ($99 thereafter) 2X miles in several everyday spending categories and a free first checked bag perk for you and up to four others.
As a result, it’s strongly worth considering if you travel on American Airlines more than a handful of times a year, especially if you pay to check a bag.
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
Intro bonus
Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
| Annual fee | $0 intro for the first year, then ($99 thereafter) |
| Regular APR | 21.24%–29.99% variable |
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® Overview
Card type: Airline, Travel rewards
If Goldilocks flew American Airlines more than six times a year, she’d probably choose the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® card as a travel companion.
For her, the low-calorie American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card would be way too cold, offering far fewer benefits in exchange for no annual fee. By contrast, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® would be way too hot, offering tasty benefits but a steep $595 annual fee.
But the AAdvantage Platinum was just right, offering a scrumptious 50,000-mile welcome bonus, 2X rewards on gas and dining and AA purchases and free checked bags for up to five passengers on the same itinerary. She’d also get 25% off in-flight food and drink, so she could have warm porridge in the air instead of breaking into the homes of hard-working bears.
Anyways, here’s a more detailed breakdown of the American Airlines’ “just right” travel rewards card.
Who is the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® good for?
The Citi AAdvantage Platinum card is best for someone who flies on American Airlines more than five-ish times a year – especially if they check a bag. That’s because the card offers a free first checked bag (normally that would cost you $30) for up to five people on your itinerary, meaning on a single round trip could save you $60.
Even if you don’t check a bag, the card’s 50,000-mile welcome bonus could be worth up to $900 worth in flight value when redeemed on AA or partner airlines.
Who shouldn’t get the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®?
If you don’t fly AA frequently enough to justify a $99 annual fee, you might prefer its no-annual- fee sibling the AAdvantage MileUp card or a more general-purpose travel rewards card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
On the flip side, if you fly AA several times a month, you might actually get more value from the $595 AAdvantage Executive card, which includes Admirals Club membership, priority check-in/boarding/screening and a staggering 10X miles on rental cars and hotels booked through AA.com.
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®: How to earn rewards
Here’s a full breakdown of what you’ll earn by using the AAdvantage Platinum card:
- 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent with American Airlines.
- 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent at restaurants and gas stations.
- 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.
You’ll also have a 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. That, combined with the $0 intro for the first year, then ($99 thereafter), make this a highly compelling card from a rewards and bonus perspective.
Now, you might see the card peak at 2X miles per dollar and think that’s a little disappointing considering some cards reach 3X or even 5X per dollar spent. But consider that an American Airlines mile can be worth up to 1.8 cents when redeemed for travel, so in a way, an optimist would look at it as getting 3.6X per dollar spent on gas, restaurants and AA purchases.
How to redeem Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® rewards
American Airlines offers eight ways to redeem your hard-earned miles:
- Flights on AA, AA partner airlines or Oneworld alliance airlines
- Upgrades
- Main Cabin seat reservations
- Admirals Club membership fees
- Cars, hotels and other vacation bookings made through AA
- Five Star and Five Star Select service at the airport which includes car service, lounge access and other forms of pampering. Must already have a first or business class ticket.
- Mastercard Priceless Experiences
- Mile donations to partner charities
But chances are, you’re going to be swapping most of your miles for flights and upgrades. If so, you should know that various estimates pin the value of a single American Airlines mile at around 1.5 to 1.8 cents, meaning your 50,000-mile welcome bonus could be worth up to $900 when applied to flights and upgrades.
And it’s worth reiterating that every dollar you spend on restaurants, gas and AA purchases translates to 2 miles potentially worth up to 3.6 cents, which is an excellent rate that should put you in first class in no time.
For a list of all 46 Oneworld and partner airlines that accept AA miles, check the official AA partner page here.
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® rates and fees
The AAdvantage Platinum Card’s rates and fees are pretty standard for a travel rewards card. There’s no intro APR, and there are no foreign transaction fees – all very typical for a rewards card.
Waiving the $99 fee for the first year is definitely a nice bonus that not all travel cards offer.
- Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then ($99 thereafter)
- Foreign transaction fee: None
- Purchase APR: 21.24%–29.99% variable, based on your creditworthiness
Additional benefits
The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Card is one of those rare cases where the perks might be as valuable as the points. The card’s additional benefits include:
- First checked bag free for you and up to four companions on the same itinerary, and since AA charges a $30 checked bag fee on most flights, this perk alone could be worth $300 per round trip if you travel with a five-person cabal.
- 1 Loyalty Point per mile earned, meaning you could earn AAdvantage Gold® / oneworld® Ruby status at 40,000 points much faster than you could without the card.
- Preferred boarding on American Airlines flights, meaning you’ll board in Group 5 (out of a total of 9) alongside folks in Main Cabin Extra and AAdvantage Members with 15,000 points.
- $125 American Airlines flight discount after $20,000 in purchases within a year and after the card is renewed (and renew your card for $99).
- 25% savings on in-flight food and beverage purchases when you use your card on American Airlines flights.
Putting aside the nice-to-haves, the star of the show here is the free checked bags. American Airlines charges $30 per bag per direction on most flights, meaning it would take just two solo round trip flights to save $120 and cover the card’s $99 annual fee.
If you travel with family, the AAdvantage Platinum card could pay for itself five times over in a single trip.
Credit cards similar to Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
As compelling as it is, the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Card still has to compete for wallet space with other top-ranked travel rewards cards – and its own little sibling. Here’s how it stacks up to the others:
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card vs. Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a popular traveler’s go-to rewards card because it earns 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® and a 1.25X multiplier for points redeemed there, too.
That means the card’s 60,000-point welcome bonus could be worth an eye-popping $750 when redeemed for travel, every dollar spent on travel could be worth up to 2.5 cents, and every dollar spent on dining, streaming and online grocery purchases could be worth up to 3.75 cents. The Sapphire Preferred also offers trip cancellation/interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, bag delay reimbursement and primary auto rental collision damage coverage to make travel a little safer and cheaper—none of which the AAdvantage Platinum can match.
But the AAdvantage Platinum still offers far better AA-specific benefits and rewards (notably free checked bags) and its welcome bonus is more valuable, too. So if you’re loyal to American Airlines and you don’t mind forfeiting or outsourcing travel insurance, the AA card is still the better option.
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card vs. Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
If you’re debating whether you’ll fly enough to justify the AAdvantage Platinum’s $99 annual fee (after the first year, at least) you might consider its little sibling, the AAdvantage MileUp instead.
The AAdvantage MileUp offers a 15,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening, 2X AAdvantage® miles at grocery stores (including grocery delivery services), 2X AAdvantage® miles on eligible American Airlines purchases and 1X AAdvantage® mile on other purchases. Just like the AAdvantage Platinum you’ll generate 1 loyalty point per $1 spent on eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases, but you’ll lose the free checked bags.
Still, with no annual fee attached it’s a great option for someone who flies AA occasionally but not enough to justify an ongoing $99 annual fee.
Is the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® right for you?
If you fly American Airlines more than five or six times a year, the AAdvantage Platinum card could save you money, especially if you pay to check a bag even once. Sure, it charges a $99 annual fee after year one and it doesn’t include trip insurance – but its generous welcome bonus and rapid mile accumulation from everyday spending are more than enough to compensate.
Frequently asked questions
What credit score do you need for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®?
Citi doesn’t publish required FICO Scores, but most rewards require a good or better score, which generally starts at 670 r higher. If you need help boosting your numbers, we can help with that, too.
What is the credit limit on the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®?
Credit limits can vary based on numerous factors including the bank, card, your FICO Score and stated income. There is no preset credit limit for this card.
Should I get the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® or the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card?
The AAdvantage Platinum offers better overall rewards and benefits if you travel American Airlines somewhat frequently. But if you’re split between multiple airlines, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is better for general travel use.
Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying.
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