American Airlines’ top-tier rewards credit card is getting a significant refresh — and increasing its annual fee.
About the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard:
Today, American and Citi unveiled the new Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard, featuring some updated credits, perks, and other changes.
First, cardholders can now earn up to $500 per calendar year back on eligible American Airlines Vacations purchases. Additionally, the card now offers up to $100 per year back on in-flight purchases or purchases made in Admirals Club locations. The AAdvantage Executive card is also increasing its Lyft credit from $10 per month to $15 per month, for a total of $180 per year. However, these credits only kick in after customers take three eligible rides per calendar month.
The updated card is also increasing one rewards category, as cardholders can now earn 12x AAdvantage miles on eligible AAdvantage Hotel and AAdvantage Cars bookings. Previously, this category was 10x.
Lastly, customers can now earn status and other perks from partner brands. For example, cardholders can enroll to unlock Omni Hotels & Resorts Champion status. Moreover, members can earn a Free Night at Omni after completing a qualifying stay of two or more consecutive nights (booked directly). Elsewhere, cardholders can earn complimentary Avis President’s Club Status when they enroll through August 31st, 2028.
These new credits and benefits join some existing features of the AAdvantage Executive card. The card will continue to earn 4x miles on eligible American Airlines purchases (which can increase to 5x after spending $150,000 in purchases each calendar year), offer a first checked bag for free, and more. Cardholders also earn up to $120 back on prepaid car rentals made via Avis or Budget directly. Perhaps most importantly, Citi / AAdvantage Executive Mastercard customers receive unlimited Admirals Club lounge visits. This includes the primary cardholders as well as up to two guests or immediate family members,
With these updates, the annual fee for the card will be increasing. The new fee of $695 will go into effect for new cardholders starting August 23rd. Currently, the AAdvantage Executive card costs $595 per year.
What They’re Saying:
Announcing these updates, American’s SVP of AAdvantage Scott Long stated, “We’re building on our decades-long partnership with Citi and Mastercard to deliver best-in-class co-branded credit card benefits for our cardmembers. The refreshed Citi / AAdvantage Executive Mastercard raises the bar for premium travel, offering exclusive benefits and experiences that help customers reach status faster and get more out of the AAdvantage program.”
My Thoughts:
Consider this: if you were to purchase an Admirals Club lounge membership as a base AAdvantage member, after August 23rd, that would cost you $1,400. So, even with the increased annual fee of $695, this card could still be a steal for those interested in access to these lounges.
As for the changes, I think there are some decent tweaks here. For one, switching to “up to $100 back” on in-flight purchases is probably better than the previous 25% savings on in-flight purchases perk for most flyers. The increase in the Lyft credit is also nice… although requiring at least three rides per month before you can use it continues to stink.
Ultimately, though, if you fly American enough to where Admirals Club access could make your travels more enjoyable, I think this card could still be worth it overall.
