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The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard® now offers 50,000 bonus American Airlines after spending $5,000 in the first three months.

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Quick Facts

  • Sign Up Bonus: 50,000 American Airlines miles after $5,000 in spending in the first three months
  • Admirals Club Membership: Full access to 90+ affiliated clubs and free guest access for two people each time you go. Plus authorized users get their own lounge access and free guests.
  • Enhanced Airport Experience: Enjoy free checked bag, priority check-in, airport screening, and early boarding when flying American Airlines
  • $100 Statement Credit: Receive one statement credit per account, every five years up to $100, for either the Global Entry or the TSA Pre✓® application fee.
  • Category Bonuses: 2x on American Airlines purchases
  • Value of American Airlines miles: Depends on the redemption, on the new American Airlines award chart, I expect to get 1.6 cents of value per mile
  • Elite Qualifying Miles: Get 10,000 elite qualifying miles each year you spend $40,000 on January to December statements
  • Global Acceptance: Chip technology and no foreign transaction fees
  • Annual Fee: $450

Sign Up Bonus

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard® comes with 50,000 bonus American Airlines miles and Admirals Club lounge membership.

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American Airlines miles are redeemed according to the American Airlines award chart for flights on American Airlines or one of its 22 partners.

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The value you get depends on the redemption, but I would personally value the miles conservatively at 1.6 cents each.

Admirals Club Membership

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard® grants the cardholder Admirals Club membership.That means the primary cardholder can enter not just the 50 American Airlines lounges, but also the 40 partners lounges that are affiliated with the Admirals Club including Alaska Airlines and Qantas lounges no matter what airline he’s flying. The primary cardholder can bring in either his immediate family or any two guests for free on each visit.

Primary cardholders can add authorized users to their account, which grants the authorized user lounge access to the 50 American Airlines lounges (though not the 40 partner lounges) even when the primary cardholder is not present. Authorized users even get guest privileges to bring in either their immediate family or any two guests for free on each visit.

Check out the list of American Airlines lounges here.

American Airlines lounges have greatly improved in the last year. You can now get free soup, fruit, cheese and crackers, crudités, desserts, alcohol, and soft drinks. In Phoenix recently, I made a meal of chicken noodle soup, tomato bisque, cheddar cheese and crackers, celery and hummus, and brownie bites. I saved $10 by not getting Chinese food in the terminal.

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You can also get free wifi and a comfortable chair.

My favorite American Airlines lounge is at Honolulu International Airport. It is shared with Japan Airlines and Air New Zealand Business Class passengers, so its offerings are slightly upgraded. You also can’t beat its garden views.

Here is a review of a typical American Airlines lounge in Miami.

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Free Checked Bag, Priority Boarding

If you have the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard® and your American Airlines frequent flyer number is on your American Airlines reservation, you get:

  • Business Class check in
  • priority security
  • priority boarding (crucial to get your bag in an overhead bin)
  • free checked bag ($25 value)

All these benefits are available for you and up to eight companions on the same reservation.

Global Entry or TSA Precheck Application Credit

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard® account cardmembers are eligible to receive one statement credit per account, every five years up to $100, for either the Global Entry or the TSA Pre✓® application fee. Cardmember must charge the application fee of at least $85 to their card to be eligible for the statement credit

Category Bonuses

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard® offers 2x miles on American Airlines purchases and 1x on everything else.

Frankly the return to spending isn’t that great. The SPG cards would rack up American Airlines miles faster.

Elite Miles

If your January to December statements show $40,000 in cumulative spending in a calendar year, you get 10,000 American Airlines elite qualifying miles. If those bump you up to the next status level, those could be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars in extra benefits.

Fees

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard® has no foreign transaction fees. It also has chip technology for global acceptance, so it’s a great card for overseas travel.

The card has a $450 annual fee. If you plan to use the lounge benefits extensively, that’s reasonable; in fact, it’s cheaper than getting a new membership normally. If not, don’t get the card.

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Bottom Line

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard® offers a big sign up bonus, amazing lounge access, a $100 statement credit, and an enhanced airport experience and free checked bag when flying American Airlines.

For many people, it is well worth the $450 annual fee.