The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® card is great for those who fly on American Airlines, even infrequently. The benefits offered can really help you save time and money! On top of earning 75,000 American Airlines miles after meeting the minimum spending requirements, you also get perks such as free checked bags, 25% back on in-flight purchases and priority boarding.

Who is this card for?

Quite simply, if you fly American Airlines at least once a year, then you should consider owning this card. With just one round-trip flight for you and three family members, you’ll have saved $240!

Besides saving money, owning this card will also make your life easier. With priority boarding, you will board earlier than those without an American Airlines branded credit card and that will help you secure overhead bin space for your carry on.

You can apply for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Card here.

Card Features

Bonus Offer

You’ll earn 75,000 miles after you spend $3,500 on purchases in the first four months.

Annual Fee

The card comes with a $99 annual fee, but it’s waived for the first year.

Earning Rates

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Card earns:

• 2 miles per $1 spent on purchases from American Airlines
• 2 miles per $1 spent at restaurants and gas stations
• 1 mile per $1 on all other spending

The earning rates are nothing special, but they are in line with other similarly priced airline cards. If you’re looking to build up your American AAdvantage® miles balance, this is a decent way to do it.

Redeeming Miles

American Airlines makes it very easy to redeem miles on their website. Plus, you can use them to book travel on OneWorld partners, like British Airways, Air Berlin, Iberia, Japan Airlines and more.

The sign-up bonus of 75,000 miles is enough for a Main Cabin round-trip ticket to Hawaii, which costs 45,000 miles at the MileSAAVer rate. You could also travel one-way to Europe for 30,000 miles, Asia for 35,000 miles or the South Pacific for 40,000 miles.

Card Benefits

This Card has some nice benefits and those that fly American Airlines even once a year will get good value.

Free First Checked Bag

Cardholders will get the first checked bag for you and up to four traveling companions on the same reservation for free. The value here depends on how many people are traveling, but at $30 per checked bag, a family of four can save up to $240 per roundtrip! And because this benefit is linked to your AAdvantage® account, you can still pay for tickets using any credit card you want.

Priority Boarding

As a Cardholder, you and up to four traveling companions on the same reservation will receive boarding Group 5 access for your flights. American Airlines has 9 boarding groups now, so this puts you right in the middle. In my experience, this will give you more than enough access to overhead bin space that could be difficult to come by if you board in the later groups.

25% back on In-flight Purchases

When you use your card to pay for food and beverages onboard American-operated flights, you’ll get 25% back as a statement credit. This doesn’t include Wi-Fi.

$125 American Airlines Flight Discount

You can earn a $125 American Airlines flight discount after spending $20,000 or more on purchases during your cardmembership year and renew your card.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

For those who travel internationally, this card does not charge foreign transaction fees.

Purchase Protection

This benefit covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account per calendar year. You’ll sleep easy knowing your new, big purchases are covered.

Extended Warranty Protection

With this benefit, you can extend the time period of the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by an additional two years. In the event of a covered failure from the manufacturer’s warranty, Citi’s extended warranty coverage will either repair the item, replace the item or reimburse you up to the amount charged on your credit card or $10,000 — whichever is less.

Who should look for another card?

If you don’t live near an American Airlines hub or typically fly other airlines, then this card doesn’t make sense to own. I would encourage owning at least one airline card, however, so that you can take advantage of perks for your preferred airline. The free checked bag perk on these airline cards pays for the annual fee after just one round-trip flight. 

If you don’t have a preferred airline, stick with a credit card that earns flexible points like American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Points in those ecosystems are transferable to various airline partners and gives you virtually unlimited options.

Some good transferable points cards to consider with similar annual fees are:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Citi Premier® Card
• American Express® Gold Card
• Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card

Bottom Line

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® card comes with 75,000 bonus miles once you complete the minimum spending requirements. That’s enough to travel round-trip in coach within the continental United States or one-way to Europe, Asia or South America.

This card comes with many perks and a few are quite unique for a card at this price point. You’ll save money with free checked bags and 25% back on in-flight purchases, and time with priority boarding.

While the card’s everyday spending rate aren’t the best, if you fly American Airlines at least a little bit, you can find great value.

Apply here for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Card.