The sign up bonus for the Citi Executive AAdvantage World MasterCard has just jumped up from 60,000 to 100,000 AAdvantage miles .
You’re supposed to have a 6 digit referral code to apply for the card, but you’ll still be able to apply for and be approved for this card without it. Citi may not honor this deal, so apply at your own risk.
The Offer
- Earn 100,000 bonus sign up AAdvantage miles when you spend $10,000 within three months of account opening
- Earn up to $200 in statement credits within 12 months of account opening
- Annual fee of $450 not waived, but you’ll receive the following benefits:
- Admirals Club® Membership Privileges
- Earn up to 10,000 Elite Qualifying Miles per calendar year after you spend $40,000 within a calendar year
- No foreign purchase fees
- Enhanced Airport Experience
- First Checked Bag Free
- Earn 2 miles for every $1 spent on American Airlines, 1 mile per $1 for all other purchases
The Fine Print
- Bonus 100,000 miles will appear in your account within 8-10 weeks after you meet the minimum spend requirements
- Authorized users are not eligible for Admirals Club Privileges
What We Like About This Card
100,000 AAdvantage Miles
100,000 bonus miles is a lot, you could sell them on the black market for at least $1,200. But what else can you do with them, below are a few of our favorite options.
- Four round trip economy flights (eight one way flights) within continental U.S./Canada: 100,000 miles on a MileSAAver award
- One first class round trip between continental U.S./Canada and Central America and selected countries in South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru or Venezuela): 80,000 miles on a MileSAAver Peak award
- Two round economy flights between continental U.S./Canada and Europe: 80,000 miles on a MileSAAver Off-peak award
- One business class flight between continental U.S./Canada and Europe: 100,000 miles on a MileSAAver Peak award
- One round trip economy flight between continental U.S./Canada and Japan: 75,000 miles on a MileSAAver Peak award
You can view all of the award rates by viewing the AAdvantage award chart here.
Admirals Club® Membership Privileges
- Usually costs $500
- Can bring in guests, eligible guest(s) are as follows:
- Immediate family (spouse, domestic partner and/or children under 18 years of age) or
- Up to a maximum of two travelling guests
- Free access to over 40 Admirals Club lounges worldwide (full list here), 19 US Airways club lounges (full list here) and 30 international oneworld® international lounges if you’re flying with Qantas.
- The amenities of these clubs is dependent on every individual club, but you’ll generally receive the following at bare minimum:
- Free alcoholic drinks (wine, beer and spirits)
- Free non-alcoholic drinks (coffee, tea, water & soft drinks)
- Free light snacks
- Free Wi-FI at all locations
- Free PCs with internet access
- Spa like showers, cyber cafes and children’s rooms (select locations only)
$200 In Statement Credits
Usually these statement credits can only be earned on purchases on American Airlines, but this time this is not mentioned in the fine print (see below). This has lead some people to believe that it applies to all purchases, but I heavily doubt this is the case.
What I Don’t Like About This Card
The $450 Annual Fee
If this card didn’t come with a massive annual fee of $450, or was waived for the first year this deal would be an absolute no brainer. But most of us got into credit card sign up bonuses so we could save money, not spend it.
The $10,000 Required Spend For The 100,000 Miles
Putting $10,000 through a card in three months is definitely possible for my household (especially when we take into account manufactured spend methods) but it’d also mean that I’d probably be only able to hit that sign up bonus and not any others for those three months. When I do an app-o-rama I like to apply for multiple cards at once – having such a high spending requirement makes this almost impossible.
The $40,000 Required Spend For The 10,000 Qualification Miles
If spending $10,000 is bad, then having to spend $40,000 within a calendar year is even worse. I would never put that much spend through this card – especially when it only earns 1 mile per $1 spent when I could be earning 2 miles/points on other cards (e.g Barclays Arrival/Chase Sapphire Preferred). A 1 point/mile difference might not sound like much, but when it’s $40,000 worth of spend it’s a difference of 40,000 miles/points – which is massive.
The Verdict
I personally don’t value lounge access much, I want to spend as little time at an airport as possible. If I was flying more often for personal reasons, this mightn’t be the case. The other issue I have with this card is it isn’t clear what does and doesn’t count towards the $200 statement credit. I can handle paying $250 (0.25¢ a point) for 100,000 miles + lounge access, but I wouldn’t be happy paying $450 (0.45¢ a point). I wouldn’t be putting $40,000 in purchases through this card to earn the qualification miles so that is also worthless for me.
I won’t be applying for this card, at the moment. If the $200 statement credit is made clearer, I might change my mind (and when I do so I’ll let you guys know) but for now this is a pass for me. If you regularly fly American Airlines or value lounge access, then I’d suggest applying for this card.
Apply for this card now | Read our full review of this card | Screenshot of this offer
Hat tip to the points guy