Citi has announced that it will become the sole issuer of the American Airline cards in 2026. Currently both Citi & Barclays issue American Airline cards. This is because Barclays used to issue the US Airways card and American Airlines acquired US Airways in 2013, the cobranded cards were renewed in 2016.  Barclays is allowed to advertise inflight/in airports and Citi has the rest of the acquisition channels.
The new deal with Citi as the sole issuer will begin in January 2026 and also includes American Airlines becoming a transfer partner of Citi ThankYou points. In addition it seems as if Citi has purchased the back book from Barclays meaning existing Barclays cardholders will be converted to the Citi American Airlines cards starting in 2026. The new deal is for ten years until 2036.
I just downgraded my card to no annual fee ones in Barclays , should i get one for me and user 2?
What will happen to legacy Barclay’s holders who have the 10k bonus each year?
Very very sad that this probably means the Aviator Business card isn’t coming back. Citi’s 48 month rule is a big bummer to trying to replenish AA miles.
Good riddance to Barclays. I’ve done the credit card points game for over a decade and had fine experiences with Chase, Amex, Citi, but my first time with a Barclays card they mishandled a fraud case, tanked my credit, and a year later I’m still fighting to have it resolved. I know plenty of folks have had Barclays work for them, but even working with a company helping me restore my identity and credit, they think Barclays is one of the worst banks they’ve seen for cardholders.
They didn’t freeze my account when I reported the card stolen, so the thieves continues their shopping spree for two weeks.Whomever stole my card was able to change my pin without my phone # or SSN (which should definitely never be able to happen, but they could never explain why). Barlays continually mailed me replacements at the apartment where I had mail theft, after requesting a signed/expedited delivery to my work, claiming that wasn’t possible. They began mailing me blanks checks as a promotion to open a line of credit/get a cash advance on my already-compromised account, to my already-compromised mailbox. They never communicated anything about my account or the fraud. It took dozens of calls (probably 30 hours on the phone), working with an identify theft insurance specialist, and several trips to the police station over 11 months to finally find out why they had denied my fraud claim–it had just been a clerical error on their end. Still fighting them to restore my credit from their error–now it’s around 600 when it had been 850. Please be warned!
Hi Bianca, I had fraudulent charges on a Barclay card a few years ago. Barclay automatically froze the card and sent me an email and text to call them immediately. I called Barcly and they closed the card, and then sent out a new card. How much were the fraudulent charges? Surprised that Barclay did not immediately close the card, big clerical mistake.
TO ANSWER ALL OF THE QUESTIONS ABOUT A TRANSFER PARTNERSHIP
The informational release stated that there would be a partnership between ThankYou Points and AAdvantage. Not Citibank and AA, but rather the two rewards programs. While the release did not express what that partnership will be, it does suggest to a hobbyist that there will be a transfer partnership. That’s all we know. They said more information will be released at the end of 2025. Stay tuned.
Barclay is my longest held credit card (like for 20 years), and I already have the Citi AA card. Is there any indication what may happen in this case? Wondering if the transition will impact my credit history.
No impact. Even if the account number changes, the original account opening date from Barclay will carry over. Citi did this when it took over the Amex Costco cards.
If I have a Barclays AA card, could I apply for a citi one even after the merger?
AA redemptions are getting more expensive around peak travel times. Still a useful currency, but one has to look at other airlines like United, Delta, etc… especially around high demand holidays, etc…
I product downgraded the Citi card last year and opened Barclays card, but I guess I’m going back to Citi. The Citi card was the first time that I did any bank/credit card bonus back in 2012, when I didn’t even know this was a thing.
Where is this info coming from? I don’t see it in any Citi press release that TY points will transfer to AA
Edit: reread the press release about the exclusive partnership and yeah, TY points aren’t even mentioned
See comment above.
Grabbed an Aviator Red last night as soon as I read this news!