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Think You Don’t Qualify for a Citi American Airlines Bonus Because of Application Rules? You May Be Surprised!

  • Jasmin Baron

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    Citi is an MMS advertising partner.

    I’ve learned from experience never to dismiss a deal or better sign-up bonus, even if my instinct tells me I won’t qualify.

    Last year, there were improved offers on the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® and CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard®.  At the time, I already had the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card, so quickly assumed I wouldn’t be eligible for the CitiBusiness Platinum Select because of Citi’s strict application policies.

    But then I recalled the CitiBusiness Platinum Select has its own rules.  So I applied and was approved for the card, even though I had a personal Citi American Airlines card opened less than a year prior.  And I earned a nice chunk of American Airlines miles, too.

    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.

    At Least American Airlines Didn’t Charge Me Extra When My Bag Was 1 Pound Over Weight

    I’ll remind you of the differences in rules for the Citi American Airlines personal and small business cards.  And how you might still qualify for a new bonus if you’ve already got a card open, or recently closed one.

    Citi American Airlines Personal and Business Card Rules

    Apply Here:   Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard®

    Our Review of the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card

    Apply Here:   CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard®

    Our Review of the CitiBusiness Aadvantage Platinum Select Card

    Citi tightened its card application rules a couple of years ago.  Now, Citi will NOT let you earn the sign-up bonus from more than one personal card of the same “brand” within 24 months.

    For example, if you’ve opened or closed the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard® in the past 24 months, you would NOT be eligible for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® sign-up bonus.  Or vice versa.

    The terms on the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card say:

    American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles are not available if you have had any Citi® / AAdvantage® card (other than a MileUp℠ or CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® card) opened or closed in the past 24 months.

    So if you’ve opened or closed a personal Citi AAdvantage card in the past 24 months (except the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card), you’re not eligible for the bonus on personal cards.  But you’re still eligible if you’ve opened or closed the CitiBusiness Platinum Select card in the same timeframe.

    And the opposite is also true if you’re thinking of opening the CitiBusiness Platinum Select card.  You won’t qualify if you’ve opened or closed a CitiBusiness AAdvantage card in the past 24 months.  From the terms:

    This card is not available if the business already has a CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard® account. Bonus miles and any additional special offer not available if you have had any CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® account opened or closed in the past 24 months.

    The terms for the CitiBusiness Platinum Select don’t exclude folks who have opened or closed a personal Citi AAdvantage card in the past 24 months.  That’s how I was able to get approved for the CitiBusiness Platinum Select even though I already had the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select open!

    The CitiBusiness AAdvantage Welcome Bonus Sure Helped a Lot in Getting Us 4 Business Class Tickets on Japan Airlines

    To put it simply:

    Keep in mind, to be approved for the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select card, you’ll need a for-profit business.  But you don’t have to be a multi-million dollar corporation!  I’m eligible because, like many on the Million Mile Secrets team, I do some reselling on the side.  Here are ways you might qualify without even realizing it.

    The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard comes with 50,000 American Airlines miles after meeting tiered minimum spending requirements:  40,000 miles after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening, and another 10,000 miles after making a total of $6,000 in purchases in the first 12 months of account opening.

    And the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard comes with 70,000 American Airlines miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 4 months of account opening.

    Both cards have a $99 annual fee, but it’s waived the first 12 months.

    It’s a great time to consider either card.  Unfortunately, I’m out of the running this time around, but you might be eligible!

    Bottom Line

    Citi’s application rules, which say you can’t earn the sign-up bonus from more than one personal card of the same “brand” within 24 months, make exceptions for business cards.

    You can get approved for a personal Citi AAdvantage card, like the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard, even if you’ve opened or closed the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard (or the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp card) in the past 24 months.

    And similarly, you’re eligible for the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard even if you’ve opened or closed a personal Citi AAdvantage card in same timeframe.  That’s how I earned the bonus on the business version last year, even though I already had the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard.

    It’s a good time to consider applying for either card, because the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard bonus is 50,000 American Airlines miles after meeting tiered minimum spending requirements:  40,000 miles after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening, and another 10,000 miles after making a total of $6,000 in purchases in the first 12 months of account opening.

    And the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard comes with 70,000 bonus American Airlines miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 4 months of account opening.

    Have you been able to earn both bonuses?  Let me know in the comments!

    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! :)