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Open a Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard is the perfect card for those who want to travel in style and want to experience the Admiral Club. Additonally, you can earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
However, if access to the Admiral Club isn’t what you need, then consider a different card. Find out what benefits this travel card has to offer by reading more below.
Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard Features
 The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard® offers 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, earn 10,000 AAdvantage® Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) after you spend $40,000 in purchases within the year. You'll earn 2X AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases and 1X AAdvantage® mile for every $1 spent on other purchases. This card comes with $450 annual fee, however, there are no foreign transaction fees. You can also save when traveling - first checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to 8 companions traveling with you on the same reservation. On top of that, you'll get an Admirals Club® membership for you and access for up to two guests or immediate family members traveling with you. |
| Bonus Available | Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you make at least $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. |
| Bonus Value* | $700 |
| Travel Credit | No travel credit. But, up to $100 statement credit every 5 years towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees. |
| Ongoing Rewards/Benefits |
2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases and 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases. |
| Foreign Transaction Fees | No |
| Airport Lounge Access | 50 Admirals Club lounges & nearly 60 partner lounges worldwide. |
| Annual Fee | $450 |
Recommended Free Credit Score (Get Free Score) 720 – 850 (Excellent)
PROS
- Bonus miles
- Admirals Club access
- Free checked bag
- VIP airport treatment
- Elite Qualifying Miles
- Option to redeem with partner airlines
- No foreign transaction fees
CONS
- Has an annual fee
- Excellent credit needed to qualify
- Low ongoing rewards rate
- Complicated rewards program
Editor’s Alternate Pick
 The Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. You'll earn 3X points on travel immediately after earning your $300 travel credit. 3X points on dining at restaurants & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. When redeeming your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 50% more value. This card does carry a $550 annual fee and there are no foreign transaction fees. However, you're able to earn a $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year & up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®. |
Citi / AAdvantage Executive Card 50,000 Bonus Miles
Get the Citi / AAdvantage Executive Card offer: 50,000 sign-up bonus miles. You can redeem that for up to $700 in airfare. This is a decent bonus offer compared to other cards with similar annual fees.
To earn it, you’ll need to make $5,000 or more in purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account.
Here are some ideas on meeting the spending requirement:
• Plastiq - Using Plastiq allows you to pay for your personal expenses such as rent, tuition, mortgage, auto lease etc. Although they charge a 2.5% processing fee for using your credit card, this will contribute to the card bonus that you will receive. There is also a referral program that allows you to earn "Free-Free Dollars" that goes towards processing fees as well. • Funding Checking Accounts - When it comes to funding a checking account, opening your initial deposit with a credit card is the usual way to go about it. However, if you want to have more opportunities, you should open a checking account that offers a sign-up bonus. This allows you to work towards bonuses from not one but two different sources instead. Banks like Chase, Huntington Bank, TD Bank and BBVA offers credit card funding, and for your opening deposit, you can often fund anywhere from $50-$1000 with a credit card, depending on what bank offers it. • Gift Card Purchases With Using a Credit Card - Another way to acquire the bonus is using your credit card to purchase gift cards. Buying a a gift card or an individual merchant card typically do not require a purchase fee and are used towards leisure, so gift cards are ideal. However, gift cards such as a Visa or American Express do incur purchase fees because they can be spent anywhere, but gift cards that are specifically for a certain online shopping site such as Amazon or eBay don't. As for a Citi Credit Card, you should call customer service and ask them to lower your Cash Advance limit to $0 before making any purchases because Citi tends to read gift card purchases as a Cash Advance. Ideally, you should do this with any card just to be safe. Lastly, there is such thing as a discounted gift card which can be purchased on Raise or eBay. If you use a credit card often for everyday purchases, it can build your credit score that will contribute towards paying for things such as bills and taxes. |
What Are AAdvantage Miles Worth?
Similar to other airline-branded credit cards, the value of your miles depends on how you use them. We value each AAdvantage mile at around $0.014. With this information, the 10k miles would be worth around $140.
You can redeem your miles towards American Airlines, American Eagle and Oneworld flights. Or with one of their many partners (see below for the list). When you fly, airline choice and destination all play a part in your miles’ worth.
AAdvantage miles can also be used towards seat upgrades, car rentals and hotel stays. However, the best value for your miles is to use them for flights.
If you love finding the best value, this process can be worthwhile. But if fiddling with numbers sounds like a chore, you’re better off with a general travel rewards credit card.
Citi / AAdvantage Executive Card Top Features
Admirals Club is a collection of airport lounges. It consists of 50 American Airlines lounges and nearly 60 partner lounges around the world. As a cardholder, you’ll have access to any of the Admirals Club lounges. Your immediate family or up to two traveling companions may join you.
You can add up to 10 authorized users (who get their own cards) at no extra cost. Authorized users also have access to Admirals Club without the primary cardholder present – up to 2 of their guests have access as well.
A one-day Admirals Club pass costs $59 for non-cardholders. So, accessing a lounge eight times within a year will cover the card’s annual fee.
A one-year Admirals Club membership costs $650 (base AAdvantage membership status), so the $450 card cost is a steal.
How much have you spent on checked bags on your recent trips? At $30 a pop, that can add up.
When you fly American Airlines within the United States, your first checked bag (and the first bag of up to 8 people in your party) are free.
If you’re flying with 8 other people, you’ll be saving $540 round-trip. That’s a very generous perk for an airline-branded credit card.
- Priority check-in
- Priority airport screening (where available)
- Boarding privileges
Getting through the airport and on the plane will be much less hectic.
Get up to $100 in statement credit every five years. Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck, so go that route.
Going for elite status? If you’re willing to charge a lot to the card, you’ll earn 10,000 AAdvantage Elite Qualifying Miles. What’s a lot? At least $40,000 in purchases within one year.
When you gain elite status, you’ll get mileage bonuses, upgrades, additional airport benefits and more.
AAdvantage Partner Airlines
| Air Tahiti Nui | Alaska Airlines | British Airways |
| Cape Air | Cathay Pacific | Etihad Airways |
| Fiji Airways | Finnair | Gulf Air |
| Hawaiian Airlines | Iberia | Interjet |
| Japan Airlines | Jet Airways | LATAM Airlines |
| Malaysia Airlines | Qantas | Qatar Airways |
| Royal Jordanian Airlines | S7 Airlines | Seaborne Airlines |
| SriLankan Airlines | WestJet |
Make sure your miles don’t expire. Earn or redeem with American Airlines or an AAdvantage partner at least once every 18 months.
Make purchases abroad without worrying about foreign transaction fees.
Author’s Verdict
If you are always on the go and traveling for business, then the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard‘s hefty annual fee might not be a huge factor for you, especially when considering the great benefits that come with it. Let’s start by identifying some features that make this card shine!
To start off, you will get 2 AAdvantage miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases. And with a AAnytime Level 1 award starting at only 20,000 miles, racking up your miles shouldn’t be too hard or take too long. Also these miles can be redeemed for free flights, upgrades, hotels, car rentals, etc.
Another great highlight is the membership to the Admirals Club. This membership alone is between $450-$550 a person, so this alone will make up for your annual fee. It gives you access to 50 Admirals Club lounges and almost 40 partner lounges at airports around the world. And when you travel and access these lounges, 2 guests or immediate family (including spouse, domestic partner, or children under 18) may accompany you. If you’re already a an Admirals Club member, you might even be eligible for a prorated refund of your membership fee too.
Additionally, this travel card offers you VIP airport experiences where available, including priority check-in, priority airport screening, and priority boarding. This benefit applies to you and up to 8 companions listed on your reservation.
However, even though this card has high value, if you live in a city that does not have decent American Airlines or partner routes, you probably will not get your money’s worth from this card.
Provide feedback in the comment section below by telling us your thoughts and experience with this card. Make sure to also visit BankDealGuy to explore more credit card bonuses.
What’s The Competition?
Below are some of the top competitors to the Citi / AAdvantage Executive credit card you should consider.
 The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®! You'll earn 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide; 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. And when you redeem your points for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 25% more value! |
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. You'll earn 3X points on travel immediately after earning your $300 travel credit. 3X points on dining at restaurants & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. When redeeming your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 50% more value. This card does carry a $550 annual fee and there are no foreign transaction fees. However, you're able to earn a $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year & up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®. |
 The The Platinum Card® from American Express offers 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases in your first 3 months. This card comes with an annual fee of $550, but you cardholders can enjoy Uber VIP status and free rides in the U.S. up to $15 each month, plus a bonus $20 in December. That can be up to $200 in annual Uber savings. Furthermore, you'll receive $200 Airline Fee Credit, up to $200 per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one qualifying airline. Plus, up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue on your Platinum Card® & receive complimentary benefits with an average total value of $550 with Fine Hotels & Resorts. In addition, you can earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel & on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com. |
• Chase Bank Bonuses. Chase usually offers the most sign-up bonuses out of all the big banks. Read up and enjoy several promotions for their Checking, Savings and Business accounts. • HSBC Bank Bonuses. HSBC has some big value offers available for their Checking accounts. Some require hefty deposits to qualify. They also have an online Savings account offering a very competitive rate. • Huntington Bank Bonuses. Huntington has Consumer Checking and Business Checking accounts available throughout the year. • Discover Bank Bonuses. As an online bank, Discover offers high and competitive rates on their Savings, CD, and Money Market accounts. Enjoy excellent customer service nationwide. • TD Bank Bonuses. TD Bank consistently offers great Checking account bonuses all year long. Savings account offers are less frequently available. |
| PROMOTIONAL LINK | OFFER | REVIEW |
| HSBC Premier Checking Member FDIC | $475 Cash | Review |
| HSBC Premier Checking Member FDIC | Up To $700 | Review |
| HSBC Advance Checking Member FDIC | $225 Cash | Review |
| HSBC Advance Checking Member FDIC | Up To $270 | Review |
| Chase Premier Plus CheckingSM | $300 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Checking® | $200 Cash | Review |
| Huntington 25 Checking | $500 Cash | Review |
| Huntington 5 Checking | $200 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Asterisk-Free Checking® | $150 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Unlimited Plus Business Checking | $750 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Unlimited Business Checking | $400 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Business Checking 100 | $200 Cash | Review |
| TD Bank Beyond CheckingSM | $300 Cash | Review |
| TD Bank Convenience CheckingSM | $150 Cash | Review |
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