The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® offers nice travel benefits such as a free first checked bag on American Airlines domestic flights, preferred boarding, and a 25% savings on food and drinks you buy on board.
Spending on your Platinum Select card also helps you get closer to elite status by earning AAdvantage Loyalty Points.
Let’s explore everything the Platinum Select card offers so you can get an idea if this card suits your travel needs.
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- 2x Miles for American Airlines, Gas Stations, and Restaurants purchases.
- Free Checked Bag and Preferred Boarding
- 25% In-Flight Savings on Food and Drinks
- $99 Annual Fee, Waived for First 12 Months
Welcome Bonus
The Citi AAdvantage Platinum currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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Remember that you won’t be eligible for this offer if you’ve earned a sign-up bonus from a Citi Platinum Select card in the past 48 months.
Earning Points
Cardholders of the Citi AAdvantage Platinum will earn miles on the following spending categories:
- 2 miles per dollar on American Airlines purchases.
- 2 miles per dollar at gas stations.
- 2 miles per dollar at restaurants.
- 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.
Annual Fee
The Citi AAdvantage Platinum card has a $99 annual fee, which is waived the first year.
This annual fee can easily be offset by the card benefits such as free checked bags, priority boarding, an in-flight discount, and many others.
Card Benefits
Cardholders of the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card can enjoy a range of travel and purchase benefits that provides great convenience and ease.
Free First Checked Bag
You can get a free first checked bag for you and up to four companions on the same reservation can check your first bag free by just holding this card.
This perk only applies to domestic flights and does not apply to international flights.
This is a great perk if you’re a frequent American flyer, as American typically charges $30 for the first checked bag, which could save you $150 per flight if you maximize this benefit.
Preferred Boarding
You can get Preferred Boarding in Group 5 for you and up to four companions traveling on the same reservation by having this card.
This gives you enough time to access some overhead bin space for your carry-on luggage and enjoy a smoother journey.
Earn Loyalty Points
Spending on this card allows you to earn Loyalty Points toward American Airlines elite status.
For every AAdvantage Mile you earn using this card, you will earn one Loyalty Point, excluding the welcome bonus.
You can also earn Loyalty points by flying on American Airlines and its partners, staying at hotels, dining at restaurants, shopping online, and many other ways.
Here are the Loyalty Points required for each level:
- AAdvantage Gold status requires 40,000 Loyalty Points.
- AAdvantage Platinum status requires 75,000 Loyalty Points.
- AAdvantage Platinum Pro status requires 125,000 Loyalty Points.
- AAdvantage Executive Platinum status requires 200,000 Loyalty Points
25% In-Flight Savings
You can get 25% savings as a statement credit when you use your card to purchase food and beverages on American Airlines-operated flights.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
This card has no foreign transaction fees on purchases outside the U.S., which is helpful if you travel internationally to help you avoid paying a 3% fee on those international purchases.
$125 Discount on American Airlines Flights
You can earn a $125 American Airlines discount when you spend $20,000 in a single year.
90-Day Purchase Protection
Purchase protection can save you a lot of money if you bought an eligible item that is damaged or stolen within 90-days.
For example, if accidentally dropped your new phone or laptop and broke the screen, you could file a claim to get it replaced if it was purchased within the last 90 days.
Extended Warranty
Credit card extended warranty protection adds up to an additional 24 months of coverage for eligible purchases on manufacturer’s warranties of five years or less.
Coverage matches the protection provided by the original warranty so that damage or defect would have to be covered by the original warranty for extended warranty coverage.
The maximum coverage is $10,000 per item and $50,000 per cardholder.
For example, if you bought a TV with a manufacturer’s warranty of three years, then this card would extend the warranty for free to the fifth year.
ShopRunner Membership
Having a World Elite Mastercard entitles you to cool perks like complimentary ShopRunner Membership, which offers free two-day shipping and free return shipping at 100+ online retailers.
Pros and Cons
Here’s a quick overview of this card’s advantages and disadvantages:
Pros
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Free checked bags on domestic flights.
- Preferred boarding.
- Ability to earn Loyalty Points
Cons
- No free checked bags on international flights.
- Other cards earn more points when booking American Airlines flights such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (review).
- No travel protections.
Alternatives to the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select
Now that you know about the pros and cons of this card and its benefits, it’s time to review the alternatives.
Or, if you are like me, who loves to maximize my rewards, here are other cards you should add to your wallet in addition to this card:
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
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- 5x Points on Travel Booked Via Chase
- 3x Points on Dining and Eligible Delivery Services
- 2x Points on All Other Travel Purchases
- 10% Anniversary Points Boost
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $95 Annual Fee
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) is one of the best rewards cards for travelers who want solid earning rates for travel and dining expenses.
For only $95 per year, this card earns 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, 3x points on dining, online groceries, and streaming services, and 2x on all other travel purchases.
Cardholders will also get a 10% anniversary points bonus, a 12-month DoorDash DashPass subscription when activated by December 31, 2024, and a $50 anniversary hotel statement credit.
Plus, it provides extensive travel protections, including trip delay, primary rental car, baggage, and purchase protection plans.
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®
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- Admirals Club Lounge Membership
- Free Checked Bag (for you and 8 travel companions)
- Priority Boarding and Priority Check-In
- Global Entry / TSA Pre-Check Credit
- $595 Annual Fee
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is a good option for frequent American Airlines travelers since it offers an Admirals Club membership, free checked bags, priority boarding, and priority check-in on American Airlines.
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®
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- 2x Miles on American Airlines and at Grocery Stores
- Earns Loyalty Points Towards Elite Status
- 25% In-Flight Savings on Food and Drinks
- No Annual Fee
The American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® is great for people who want to earn American Airlines miles without an annual fee.
The MileUp card doesn’t offer a big welcome mileage bonus, free checked bags, or priority boarding like other American Airlines credit cards.
But MileUp cardmembers earn 2x miles on American Airlines and at grocery stores, and receive a 25% in-flight savings on food and drinks.
Is the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Worth It?
The Citi AAdvantage Platinum offers a solid welcome bonus and valuable travel benefits that can make the card a keeper, especially if you’re a frequent American Airlines flyer.
The card’s low annual fee is waived for the first 12 months, which means you practically get to try the card at no extra cost for a year.
Free checked bags, priority boarding, and a 25% discount on eligible onboard purchases easily offset the $99 annual fee.
Plus, spending on your Platinum Select card counts toward earning AAdvantage status, which is great news if you don’t have elite status yet and you want to achieve higher elite status tiers.
However, the card does have a few drawbacks too. For example, free first checked bags are limited to domestic flights only and not applicable to international flights.
Also, you’ll find other travel rewards credit cards that earn you more points when booking flights and include trip delay insurance.
- bonus_miles_full.
- 2x Miles for American Airlines, Gas Stations, and Restaurants purchases.
- Free Checked Bag and Preferred Boarding
- 25% In-Flight Savings on Food and Drinks
- $99 Annual Fee, Waived for First 12 Months
