American Airlines and Citi have unveiled a refreshed Platinum Select card — including an increased annual fee.
About the Updated Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard:
The Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard is getting an update.
First, the card will now earn 3x AAdvantage miles on eligible AAdvantage Hotels bookings made on aadvantagehotels.com as well as on eligible AAdvantage Cars bookings made on aadvantagecars.com. These new categories come as the card continues to earn 2x miles on eligible American Airlines purchases.
Some other new spending categories include 2x on select streaming services and 2x on Rides and Rails purchases. Additionally, the previous 2x at gas stations category will expand to include EV charging stations. Meanwhile, cardholders can continue to earn 2x at restaurants and 1x on all other purchases. Plus, cardholders earn 1 Loyalty Point for every eligible AAdvantage mile earned from purchases.
In terms of other perks and benefits, cardholders can earn up to $100 in statement credits annually on inflight purchases. This replaces the previous 25% discount on inflight purchases perk. Cardholders can now also take advantage of a complimentary Walmart+ membership and a 50% discount on an annual FOX One subscription.
Next, the card will now include a credit for up to $120 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees. This credit is valid every four years. Lastly, the previous $125 American Airlines Flight Discount that cardholders could earn after spending at least $20,000 in purchases during a cardmember year (and renewing the card) has increased to $150.
With these enhancements, the annual fee of the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard will increase from $99 to $150. However, this fee will continue to be waived for the first year for new cardholders.
For existing cardholders, these new benefits will become available on January 24th, 2026.
What They’re Saying:
Commenting on the updated card, American Airlines’ SVP of AAdvantage Scott Long said, “We’re continuing to evolve the Citi/AAdvantage portfolio to better reflect how our members live, spend and travel today. These new benefits are designed to deliver greater value in ways that matter most to our members, with rewards and experiences that fit seamlessly into their everyday lives and travel journeys.”
My Thoughts:
Typically, when these “enhancements” roll out, they are a mixed bag of pros and cons. In this case, the only downside I see is the increased annual fee — which is still waived for the first year. In other words, I think this is a decent refresh of the card. In particular, those currently paying out of pocket for Walmart+ and who fly American could cover a good portion of their annual fee with that perk alone.
So, if you’re an American Airlines flyer who’s not quite ready for one of the richer AAdvantage cards, I think this updated Platinum Select card could prove to be a good option.
