The CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is tailored for business owners who are also frequent flyers with American Airlines. This card offers a suite of travel benefits and rewards designed to enhance the travel experience while providing value back to your business. Let’s delve into the specifics of this card, exploring its pricing, benefits, and terms to help you determine if it’s the right travel companion for your business needs.
Pricing and Fees: Understanding the Costs
Like any credit card, understanding the pricing structure of the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is crucial. Here’s a breakdown of the key costs associated with this card:
- Purchase APR: The standard variable Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for purchases ranges from 20.24% to 29.24%, based on your creditworthiness. This means the interest rate you’ll pay on balances carried over from month to month will depend on your credit profile.
- Cash Advance APR: A higher APR of 29.49% applies to cash advances. It’s generally advisable to avoid cash advances due to this high interest rate and associated fees.
- Penalty APR: A steep penalty APR of up to 29.99% can be applied if you make a late payment or have a payment returned. Maintaining timely payments is essential to avoid this costly penalty.
- Annual Fee: The card carries an annual fee of $99. However, a significant benefit is that this fee is waived for the first 12 months, allowing you to experience the card’s benefits without immediate cost.
- Minimum Interest Charge: A minimum interest charge of $0.50 applies.
- Foreign Transaction Fee: A notable advantage for international business travelers is the absence of a foreign transaction fee. This can lead to significant savings when making purchases abroad.
- Cash Advance Fee: For cash advances, there’s a fee of either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater. This further emphasizes the high cost of cash advances.
It’s important to consider these pricing terms in relation to your spending and payment habits to fully understand the potential costs associated with using this card.
Offer Availability and Bonus Miles: Maximizing Your Rewards
The CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® often comes with attractive bonus mile offers to incentivize new cardholders. However, there are some eligibility rules to be aware of:
- Bonus Restriction: You are not eligible for American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles if you have received a new account bonus for a CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® account within the past 48 months. This is a standard restriction across many credit card offers aimed at preventing bonus churning.
- Geographic Limitation: The card offer is exclusively available to individuals residing in the United States and its territories, specifically excluding Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Earning bonus miles is a key aspect of this card’s value proposition. It’s crucial to understand what qualifies as a purchase for mile accrual and what does not:
- Eligible Purchases: American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles are earned on purchases made by both the primary cardmember and employee cardmembers, provided these purchases post to your account during any promotional period.
- Ineligible Transactions: Certain transactions do not qualify for mile accrual. These include balance transfers, cash advances, checks that access your credit card account, returned items, unauthorized charges, interest and account fees, traveler’s checks, foreign currency purchases, money orders, wire transfers, lottery tickets, and gaming chips. These exclusions are typical for most rewards credit cards.
- Bonus Posting Timeline: American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles typically appear in your AAdvantage® account 8-10 weeks after you meet the purchase requirements. It’s important to factor in this processing time when anticipating your rewards.
Travel Benefits: Enhancing Your American Airlines Experience
The CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® shines when it comes to travel benefits, particularly for those loyal to American Airlines. These benefits are designed to make your travel smoother and more cost-effective:
First Checked Bag Free
Alt text: A close-up image showcasing the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select credit card, emphasizing its World Elite Mastercard branding and design elements.
This is a significant perk for frequent flyers. Cardholders and up to four companions on the same reservation are entitled to their first checked bag free when traveling on domestic itineraries marketed and operated by American Airlines, or on American Eagle flights.
- Eligibility Requirements: To utilize this benefit, your CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® account must be open for at least 7 days before air travel, and your American Airlines AAdvantage® number must be included in the reservation at least 7 days prior to travel.
- Coverage: This benefit applies to domestic flights marketed by American Airlines and operated by American Airlines or American Eagle. It does not extend to codeshare flights operated by other airlines.
- Limitations: The free checked bag benefit does not apply to overweight or oversized bags and cannot be combined with AAdvantage® elite program benefits or First/Business class benefits.
Double Miles on American Airlines Purchases
Cardholders earn double AAdvantage® miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases. This accelerates mile accumulation for regular American Airlines flyers.
- Eligible Purchases: Qualifying purchases include items billed by American Airlines as the merchant of record and booked through American Airlines channels such as aa.com, American Airlines reservations, Admirals Club®, American Airlines Vacations℠, Google Flights, and American Airlines airport and city ticket counters.
- Exclusions: Car rentals, hotel reservations, elite status boosts or renewals, and AA Cargo℠ products and services do not qualify for double miles.
Double Miles on Select Business Categories
Beyond American Airlines purchases, the card also offers double miles in several everyday business spending categories:
- Qualifying Categories: Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent at telecommunications merchants, car rental merchants, cable and satellite providers, and gas stations. These categories are broadly defined to include a range of business-relevant expenses.
- Merchant Category Codes (MCCs): It’s important to note that merchant classifications are based on Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) assigned by Visa/Mastercard. Citi does not control these codes, and sometimes a merchant may be categorized differently than expected, potentially affecting mile accrual. Purchases made through mobile/wireless technology may also not earn additional miles depending on processing setups.
Preferred Boarding
Enjoy a smoother boarding process with preferred boarding privileges.
- Benefit Details: CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® cardholders and up to four companions on the same reservation are eligible for preferred boarding (Group 5) after Priority boarding but before general economy boarding.
- Eligibility Requirements: Similar to the free checked bag benefit, your account must be open and your AAdvantage® number linked to the reservation at least 7 days prior to travel. This benefit applies to flights marketed and operated by American Airlines or American Eagle.
25% Savings on Inflight Purchases
Make your inflight experience more comfortable with savings on food, beverages, and Wi-Fi.
- Inflight Food and Beverage: Receive a 25% savings on inflight purchases of food and beverages on American Airlines operated flights when using your CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® card.
- Inflight Wi-Fi: Get a 25% savings on inflight Wi-Fi service from American Airlines’ Wi-Fi providers like Gogo, Viasat, or Panasonic, and on American Airlines’ Wi-Fi Subscription Plans.
- Statement Credit: Savings on inflight purchases appear as a statement credit 8-10 weeks after the transaction posts to your account.
American Airlines Companion Certificate
For cardholders with significant spending, there’s an opportunity to earn a valuable Companion Certificate.
- Earning the Certificate: Earn a $99 domestic economy fare American Airlines Companion Certificate after spending $30,000 or more in purchases within your credit cardmembership year.
- Redemption Details: The certificate allows you to book a companion ticket for $99 plus taxes and fees (ranging from $21.60 to $43.20) when you purchase a qualifying round-trip domestic Main Cabin fare ticket.
- Restrictions: The certificate is valid for domestic travel within the 48 contiguous United States, and also to/from Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands. Travel must be booked and completed by the expiration date on the certificate. It is not valid on codeshare flights or oneworld® carrier flights.
Authorized Users and Fraud Protection
The CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® allows for adding employees as authorized users, simplifying business expense management.
- Authorized User Benefits: Miles earned by authorized users accrue to the primary cardholder’s AAdvantage® account. Authorized users can access account information, but the primary cardholder is responsible for all charges.
- Fraud Monitoring: Citi actively monitors for fraud, misuse, abuse, or suspicious activity. They reserve the right to take action, including declining applications, stopping mile accrual, or closing accounts in cases of suspected fraudulent activity.
Important Disclosures
It’s essential to be aware of key disclosures related to the card account and the AAdvantage® program.
- AAdvantage® Membership Requirement: The card account is contingent on maintaining an active AAdvantage® program membership. Citi reserves the right to cancel your card if your AAdvantage® membership is terminated.
- AAdvantage® Program Changes: American Airlines retains the right to modify or terminate the AAdvantage® program at any time with six months’ notice. Such changes could impact the value of accumulated miles.
Is the CitiBusiness® AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Card Right for You?
The CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is a compelling option for business owners who frequently fly with American Airlines. The benefits, particularly the free checked bag, double miles on American Airlines and select business purchases, preferred boarding, and inflight savings, can offer significant value for loyal American Airlines customers.
However, the $99 annual fee (after the first year) and variable APR should be carefully considered. If your business spends heavily on American Airlines and in the bonus categories and you can take full advantage of the travel perks, the benefits can outweigh the costs. For businesses that do not frequently use American Airlines or cannot maximize the travel benefits, other business travel cards might offer more relevant rewards or lower fees.
Ultimately, evaluating your business travel patterns and spending habits is key to determining if the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is the optimal travel card to enhance your business journeys.
