Citi AAdvantage MileUp Credit Card Review

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Full review

Citi AA MileUp American Airlines Credit Card

No annual fee!

  • Welcome bonus: 15,000 AA miles (spend $500 in 3 months)
  • Rewards: 2X on tickets booked through the AA website; 2X at grocery stores; 1X on all other purchases
  • Redemption: Best value for redeeming flights between China and the U.S. or between the U.S. and Europe; business class redemptions can offer solid value.
  • Annual fee: $0
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Highlights

  • 25% off inflight purchases: Get 25% off snacks and beverages purchased on AA flights

Citi Card Benefits

  • Price Rewind: If the price of something drops, you may be able to ask Citi to reimburse the difference
  • Free FICO credit score: Provided by Equifax, with score history displayed in chart form
  • Private Pass: They once offered free movie tickets, though I personally missed that deal
  • Retention offers can be fairly generous: When the annual fee comes due, threatening to close the card may lead to some promotions

Drawbacks

  • The welcome bonus is average, and the bonus earning rates are also fairly ordinary

About AA Miles

AA is the largest airline in the world. It has ten hubs, so if you live in one of those hub cities, flying AA can be very convenient. Award availability can also be better, especially for nonstop award tickets. AA has kept its own and its partners’ basic award charts, so there are still some relatively good redemptions to be found.

My Take

This is Citi’s recently launched no-annual-fee version of the American Airlines (AA) co-branded credit card. The welcome bonus is 10,000+$50, which is not very impressive for an airline co-branded card, but for a no-annual-fee card, the package is worth about $160 (10,000 AA) + $50, which is pretty decent. On top of that, the card earns 2x on AA purchases and grocery store spending, which is roughly equivalent to a 3.2% return. If you can make good use of AA miles, this card is better for grocery purchases than many other no-annual-fee cash back cards.

One thing to note is that this card is not in the same family as the AA Platinum or AA Executive cards, so applying for it does not affect those cards and vice versa. In particular, it is not subject to the same 24-month open/close restriction within that card family.

Now Delta, UA, and AA all have their own no-annual-fee co-branded credit cards, likely targeting people who put a lot of everyday spending on cards and also want airline miles. For points-and-miles enthusiasts, these no-annual-fee cards are also good downgrade options.

Application

  • The welcome bonus will be deposited into your AA frequent flyer account. If you already have an AA frequent flyer number before applying, be sure to enter it on the application. If not, it is best to register for an account on the AA website first and get a frequent flyer number. If you do not provide one, one will be assigned automatically, but you will need to call Citi to find out what the number is.
  • If you have received the welcome bonus on this card within the past 48 months, you are not eligible to receive it again this time
  • Citi application status link or call: 877-343-4118
  • 8/65/95 rule: You can apply for only one personal card every 8 days, only two personal cards every 65 days, and only one business card every 95 days. This refers to application submission limits, regardless of whether you were approved or not.
  • 24/48-month welcome bonus rule: If you have received a welcome bonus on a ThankYou Points card within the past 24 months, you will not be eligible to receive the bonus again. For AA products, the restriction is 48 months, but both rules apply only to the same card; there is no restriction across different card families.
  • You can call the reconsideration line (800-763-9795) to speed up the credit card approval process or ask a representative to review a denied credit card application again.
  • Having a Citi Checking/Gold relationship may help with your application.
  • More about applying for Citi credit cards

Application Link