The 10% American Airlines Mileage Redemption Rebate End Date Might NOT Be May 1 for Everyone

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Here’s some interesting news if you’re affected by the removal of the 10% mileage redemption rebate on certain American Airlines credit cards.

From May 1, 2019, Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® and Barclays AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® cardholders will no longer get 10% of their redeemed American Airlines miles back (up to a total of 10,000 miles per year).  This valuable perk was a compelling reason for folks to get (and keep) these cards. The information for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Now it appears the May 1 cutoff does NOT apply to all cardholders.  Sharp-eyed Million Mile Secrets reader Norman shared an email he received from Barclays, and his deadline for the 10% rebate is 6 months later!

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American Airlines Cardholders Will No Longer Get a 10% Mileage Redemption Rebate as of May 1, 2019.  But for Some Cardholders the End Date May Be Different

American Airlines 10% Redemption Rebate Deadline May Be Different for Some

If you’re a Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select or Barclays AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® cardholder, you’ll want to redeem your American Airlines miles before April 30, 2019, to get in on the 10% American Airlines mileage redemption rebate before it vanishes on May 1, 2019.  

The May 1 cutoff was announced over a week ago by both Citi and Barclays.  But now it appears not all cardholders have the same redemption deadline.

Here’s the email reader Norman received from Barclays, showing a 10% rebate end date of November 1, 2019.

Wait, What? This Email Shows a 10% Redemption Rebate End Date of November 1, 2019

To compare, team member Joseph received a nearly-identical email.  But his shows the widely-publicized end date of May 1, 2019.

MMS Team Member Joseph Got an Identical Email With the Publicized End Date of May 1, 2019

So what’s going on here?

Our best guess (and we’re reaching out to Citi and Barclays for clarification) is that Norman’s 10% rebate deadline is extended to November 1, 2019, because he opened his Barclays AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® card in October 2018.  That gives him a full year to enjoy the 10% redemption rebate, given he’s paid his annual fee for a card that’s supposed to include that benefit.

It’s not clear if the same logic would apply to the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select, especially considering this card’s annual fee is waived for the first 12 months.

Now, we’re in search of more data points.  So if you opened either the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select or Barclays AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® after May 2018, please have a peek at the email you received about card changes and let us know what your 10% AA miles redemption rebate deadline is in the comments.

We’ll update as we find out more or get official word from the banks.  Meanwhile, you can check out our post on how to decide if the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card is worth it for you, especially given the changes to the card.

Hat Tip:   Norman

Jasmin Baron was an editor at Million Mile Secrets. She covers topics on points and miles, credit cards, airlines, hotels, and general travel. Her work has appeared in The Points Guy and Business Insider.

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

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