Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® Review

Do you fly often? Do you live near an American Airlines hub like Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Charlotte (CLT), Miami (MIA), or Philadelphia (PHI)?

If so, and you don’t have any weird aversions to flying with American Airlines, then you should definitely check out the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®.

Here’s what you need to know about how it works.

What Is the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®?

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is a popular travel rewards credit card with a $99 annual fee (waived the first year), a straightforward rewards program that favors regular American Airlines flyers, and a nice lineup of value-added benefits that appeal to convenience-seeking travelers. Despite the annual fee, it is definitely worth a closer look for anyone who flies often and lives near an American Airlines hub.

This card is comparable to some other airline-branded rewards credit cards, including the United MileagePlus Explorer Card and the Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express, among many others. It’s also comparable to general travel rewards cards that offer benefits for airline travelers, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve Card.

By the way: If you own a business, consider applying for the very similar CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard. With many of the same benefits, it’s an ideal alternative for business owners and employees who take frequent work trips.

What Sets the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard Apart?

The Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard is not the absolute best airline credit card on the market, but it does have some useful features and perks worth writing home about: 

• Good Mix of 2x Miles Categories. This card earns 2x miles on American Airlines purchases, as expected, but also on gas station and restaurant purchases. These are two broad non-airfare categories that most would-be cardholders use, expanding the appeal.
• Very Good Sign-up Bonus. This card’s sign-up bonus is enough to land you a round-trip economy fare within the continental United States (and potentially outside it). It doesn’t require a great deal of early spend either.
• $125 Discount on American Airlines Airfare With Qualifying Annual Spend. Spend at least $20,000 in a cardmembership year (between your cardmember anniversary) and you’ll earn a $125 discount toward paid American Airlines airfare. That probably won’t be enough to land you a free round-trip flight, but it’ll take out the sting for sure.
• Solid American Airlines Perks. This card has a solid if not earth-shattering lineup of perks for frequent American Airlines flyers, such as priority boarding, first checked bag free for up to four traveling companions, and discounts on eligible in-flight purchases.

Key Features of the Citi /AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard

Let’s examine the most important features of the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard. The sign-up bonus makes headlines here, but don’t sleep on the rewards program or other value-adds.

Sign-up Bonus

Earning AAdvantage Miles

The Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard earns an unlimited 2 AAdvantage miles per $1 spent on:

• Eligible American Airlines purchases, including airfare and incidentals
• Gas station purchases
• Restaurant purchases

All other eligible purchases earn 1 mile per $1 spent.

Redeeming AAdvantage Miles

You can redeem your accumulated AAdvantage miles for airfare purchases and upgrades with American Airlines and its oneworld carrier partners, including British Airways and Cathay Pacific.

Redemption Minimums (MileSAAver)

Redemption minimums start as low as 7,500 AAdvantage miles for American Airlines one-way flights less than 500 actual miles in the contiguous U.S. and Canada, and 12,500 AAdvantage miles for one-way American Airlines flights longer than 500 actual miles in the contiguous U.S. and Canada. However, these lower-priced “MileSAAver” flights have blackout dates and seat restrictions, so they’re not ideal for flexible travel.

AAnytime Redemptions

To avoid blackout dates, you need to choose higher-priced AAnytime redemptions. These require 20,000 AAdvantage miles for all contiguous U.S. and Canada one-ways, regardless of flight length. When redeemed for airfare in North America, AAdvantage miles are reliably worth between $0.01 and $0.015 apiece, and sometimes more, depending on the routes and dates for which they’re redeemed.

Redeeming With American Airlines Partners

Miles redeemed for international travel, especially with oneworld partners such as LAN Airlines and Cathay Pacific, can have much higher redemption values – upwards of $0.03 per mile, in some cases. However, partner redemptions, particularly on long international flights, usually require more AAdvantage miles overall.

Mile Expiration and Other Limitations

Note that miles expire on a rolling basis after 18 months of account inactivity (defined as no earnings or redemptions).

All redemption values and terms are subject to change at American Airlines’ sole discretion.

Airfare Discount for Heavy Spenders ($20,000/Cardmembership Year)

When you spend at least $20,000 in eligible purchases during your cardmembership year and renew your card, you receive a $125 American Airlines flight discount. This discount is good against eligible American Airlines airfare.

Additional American Airlines Benefits

Beyond the rewards program, this card features some solid benefits for American Airlines travelers. These include:

• A 25% discount on in-flight purchases
• Priority (Group 1) boarding on American Airlines flights
• A free first checked bag for you and up to four companions traveling on the same reservation (a potential savings of up to $250 per trip).

Important Fees

This card has a $99 annual fee after the first year. There is no foreign transaction fee.

Credit Required

This card requires good to excellent credit. Even a minor credit ding or two could affect your application.

Advantages of the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard

This card has some nice benefits, including a strong sign-up bonus, a nice flight discount for heavy spenders, and solid benefits for regular American Airlines flyers.

• Strong Sign-up Bonus. The Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard’s 50,000-mile sign-up bonus is enough to cover the cost of a round-trip flight in the continental U.S.
• Nice Flight Discount for Heavy Spenders. If you can swing $20,000 in qualifying spending with this card each year, you’ll earn a $125 discount on eligible American Airlines flights after you renew your card. That’s a nice addition to the hefty pile of miles you’re sure to accumulate with that kind of spending – and it’s just enough to offset the annual fee.
• Can Redeem With Numerous Partner Airlines. You can redeem your accumulated miles with more than a dozen American Airlines partners in the oneworld alliance. These partners include many overseas carriers that fly to exciting, exotic destinations. Partner redemptions often offer better per-mile value, though they may require more miles overall. Still, this is a big advantage relative to airline cards not tied to global alliances, such as the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Card.
• Solid Airline Benefits. Beyond the flight discount, this card comes with a nice lineup of in-flight and in-airport benefits, including priority boarding, in-flight discounts, and free first checked bags. The free checked bag benefit alone is worth up to $250 per round-trip when used by four eligible traveling companions, and priority boarding can save valuable time.
• No Foreign Transaction Fee. This card does not charge a foreign transaction fee. If you regularly travel overseas, this benefit can lead to significant savings. Many competing rewards cards charge foreign transaction fees up to 3%.

Disadvantages of the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard

The drawbacks of the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select card include its annual fee, its modest earn rate on American Airlines purchases, and its lack of airport lounge benefits (among other downsides).

• Has an Annual Fee. The Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard has a $99 annual fee after the first year. If you don’t spend heavily enough or travel frequently enough to offset that expense, consider a no-annual-fee alternative such as the Discover it Miles Card.
• Some Competing Cards Earn Miles Faster. This card earns 2 AAdvantage miles per $1 spent with American Airlines and on eligible gas station and restaurant purchases. That’s lower than some direct competitors.
• Miles Expire After Periods of Inactivity. If your account lapses into inactivity for 18 months, your AAdvantage miles expire. While it’s not that hard to earn miles by making purchases (or, if you’re a frequent traveler, redeeming for airfare) at least once every year and a half, it’s still annoying to have to keep this in mind. Miles earned with cards like Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier and Chase Sapphire Preferred never expire.
• No Airport Lounge Benefits. This card doesn’t offer any discounts on airport lounge access. That’s a drawback relative to competing cards such as the United Explorer Card, which offers two complimentary lounge passes per year.
• No Hotel Benefits. Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard’s travel benefits are limited to the airport and airplane. If you want benefits that you can use on hotel stays around the world, look to competing hotel credit cards or general-purpose travel rewards cards.
• Mile Values Vary at Redemption. This card’s point values vary widely at redemption, with short- and medium-haul flights longer than 500 miles offering poorer values than coast-to-coast and international flights. This calls for some tricky math at booking time: Does it make more sense to use accumulated points to redeem for a flight that offers mediocre value, or to use the Citi / AAdvantage card to rack up more points in the expectation that a better deal awaits at the next redemption opportunity? By contrast, general-purpose travel rewards points and miles generally have fixed dollar values, so you always know how many points you need to redeem for a given flight. Keep in mind, however, that if you are willing and able to redeem for longer, more expensive flights, you may realize a better value than cards with fixed rate rewards.

Final Word

It’s never a good idea to apply for a credit card on a whim. Even so, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® isn’t the sort of card you’d want to obtain in haste. Despite its myriad benefits, this card simply isn’t a good fit for people who don’t regularly fly American Airlines.

It also isn’t particularly useful for travelers who don’t live or work close to American Airlines hubs, such as Dallas and Miami. While the oneworld partnership greatly expands the award travel horizon for Citi / AAdvantage cardholders, there are simply too many other airline credit cards out there that offer more flexibility for those who need it.