Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select benefits and perks
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Whether you travel on American Airlines a lot or not, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® could be a great addition to your wallet because of its benefits and perks. It’s currently offering a sign-up bonus of 50,000 American Airlines miles after spending $2,500 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. The $99 annual fee is waived the first 12 months.
I opened this card not long ago because of the great welcome bonus, but there are lots other benefits and perks that come with the Citi American Airlines Platinum Select that you come to expect from the best airline credit cards. Let’s go over them.
Benefits and perks
Remember, Citi restricts you to earning the bonus from each card card every 48 months. If you’ve earned this bonus within 48 months, don’t apply. You can still qualify for the other bonuses from the best American Airlines credit cards, such as the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® and the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®.
The information for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum and CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum 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.
No annual fee for the first year
The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select has a $99 annual fee, but the great news is that it is waived for the first 12 months. That means you can earn the bonus and try out the card for ~11 months or so. There’s no extra expense or risk in trying the card out.
Earn bonus points for purchases
The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select now offers even more ways to earn miles. You’ll earn:
- 2 American Airlines miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- 2 American Airlines miles per dollar spent at gas stations and restaurants
- 1 American Airlines miles per dollar spent on other purchases
The ability to earn bonus miles on common expenses like gas stations and restaurants makes it easy to boost your miles balance with everyday spending.
Free checked bags
No one likes paying for checked bags, but with this card in your wallet, you don’t have to. On domestic American Airlines itineraries, your first checked bag costs $0 — this benefit applies to you and up to four companions on the same reservation. This can be a huge money saver when traveling with family; that’s up to a $150 savings each way for a family of five!
Even if you and your partner only fly American Airlines once a year, you could save $120 on baggage charges for two people on a round-trip flight. That more than offsets the card’s annual fee.
American Airlines $125 flight discount
This benefit rewards you with a $125 American Airlines flight discount, for flights originating in the U.S., after you spend $20,000 on purchases during your card membership year and renew your card.
The spending requirement works out to about ~$1,667 in spending per month, which is very achievable for many. Whether or not it’s worth putting $20,000 spending per year on this card to earn a $125 discount is up to you. If you’re a big spender or really just want one credit card, then maybe it is. Personally, I would rather spread that spend out over a few of the best credit cards for travel to earn more sign-up bonuses. But you should do what you are comfortable with.
Preferred boarding
With so many people utilizing overhead bins to try to avoid checking bags, preferred boarding is more important than ever. This perk allows you and up to four companions on the same reservation to board in Group 5, which is before the general economy boarding. You will have plenty of overhead bin space and will be comfortably in your seat before the masses board.
25% off inflight food and beverage purchases
When you use your Citi American Airlines Platinum Select card to make eligible in-flight purchases (on American Airlines flights) you’ll get a 25% discount. This discount applies to in-flight food & beverage purchases, but not to Wi-Fi.
If you want a discount on your American Airlines Wi-Fi purchase you’ll need to use the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®.
Access to reduced mileage awards
The Citi American Airlines Platinum Select card is one of several American Airlines cards that grant you access to Reduced Mileage Awards.
This ongoing promotion is a list of 150+ airports that you can book discounted American Airlines saver award flights to or from.
To learn move about these deals, read our guide to American Airlines Reduced Mileage Awards, which is updated regularly as the list of eligible airports changes.
No foreign transaction fees
Some credit cards charge 3% every time you use your card overseas or to make purchases in a foreign currency. When you’re on vacation or booking travel that extra expense can add up quickly.
Thankfully, this card doesn’t have any foreign transaction fees — so it’s okay to bring it along on your next European adventure.
Bottom line
The Citi American Airlines Platinum Select card comes with a $99 annual fee, waived the first year. Considering it comes with 50,000 miles after meeting minimum spending requirements, it’s an absolute steal. But to keep it year after year, you’ll need to ensure that you’ll receive more than $99 in value from the card’s ongoing benefits. If you’ll use even a fraction of the above perks annually, this card is a keeper.
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