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Citi® / AAdvantage® Gold World Elite Mastercard®
U.P. Rating
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
Earn 1x AAdvantage miles for all your spending on this card, plus inflight discounts on food and beverages.
U.P. Rating
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
The information for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Gold World Elite Mastercard® has been collected independently by Upgraded Points. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
No matter what you’re doing, you like things to be as uncomplicated as possible. When you travel, you fly American Airlines. After all, American Airlines flies to 350 destinations in 50 countries.
And when you pay, you use the Citi® / AAdvantage® Gold Mastercard®. With it, you earn miles on all of your purchases at one flat rate.
Redeeming miles is just as easy. There aren’t even any blackout dates on award travel.
That’s simply the way you roll.
Update: At this time, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Gold World Elite Mastercard® is no longer available for new applicants.
Card Details
Card Snapshot
Welcome Bonus & Info
1 AAdvantage® mile for every $1 spent on purchases.
Save 5,000 miles when redeeming for reduced mileage awards.
Receive a 25% savings on eligible in-flight food and beverage purchases when you use your card.
No blackout dates on award travel on American Airlines and American Eagle®carriers.
Save up to 5,000 AAdvantage® miles Use Reduced Mileage Awards and travel for fewer miles.
Our seasoned and experienced team brings years of expertise in the credit card and travel sectors. Committed to integrity, we offer data-driven guides to help you find the card(s) that best fit your requirements. See details on our intensive editorial policies and card rating methodologies.
Content by Leading Industry Experts
Routine Updates and Fact-Checks
First-Hand Credit Card Experience
Shared Across 200+ Top Outlets
Methodical “U.P. Rating
The U.P. Rating System
The ratings for these cards have been determined
by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards
as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect
our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
” System
1088+ Expert Credit Card Guides
Great Card If
Your preferred airline is American Airlines.
You are a frequent flyer.
You want to earn sign-up bonus miles.
Don’t Get If
You want to rack up miles quickly.
You don’t fly often.
You like to fly with more than one airline.
Welcome Bonus, Miles, and Categories
The welcome bonus for the AAdvantage Gold card is seen above in the card summary table.
That’s enough for a domestic round-trip flight on American Airlines and American Eagle carriers!
Then earn 1 mile for every $1 you spend on purchases you make with the card.
Bottom Line: The AAdvantage Gold cardearns 1x AA miles for all purchases on the card.
Other Benefits of the AAdvantage Gold Card
The card does not have as many extras as the other Citi / AAdvantage cards, but you do get a few.
Save 25% on eligible in-flight food and beverages when you charge them to the card.
In addition, enjoy a savings of up to 5,000 miles when you redeem miles for reduced mileage awards.
Plus, the annual fee is a low $50.
The card has an EMV chip to make transactions secure even overseas, but there is a foreign transaction fee of 3%.
Bottom Line: You get 25% off on in-flight food and beverage and can save up to 5,000 miles when you redeem reduced mileage awards with the AAdvantage Gold card. However, there is a 3% foreign transaction fee.
AAdvantage Elite Status
With the AAdvantage Gold card, you earn award miles based on the number of dollars you spend on all purchases: 1x miles per dollar.
But you can also earn points based on your elite status with the AAdvantage loyalty program.
There are three elite tiers: Gold, Platinum, and Executive Platinum. To achieve status, you need to reach a certain number of “Elite Qualifying Miles” (EQM), which accrue based on the miles flown and your American Airlines airfare.
Note that EQMs are different than actual award miles earned for purchases. You actually earn 5 award miles per dollar for signing up, and as you reach the required number of EQMs and earn status, your bonus will be added on top of these 5 miles.
Gold status requires 25,000 EQMs. With Gold status, you get 40% bonus miles plus priority check-in, security, and boarding.
You also get 1 free checked bag, complimentary same-day standby, and a discount on an Admirals Club membership.
Platinum status requires 50,000 EQMs. Some of the perks that come with Platinum status include 60% bonus miles, priority baggage delivery, and a second free checked bag (find out more about American’s baggage policies).
You will need 100,000 EQMs to become an Executive Platinum member. That’s a lot of miles, but you receive 120% bonus miles in return! You also get automatic upgrades for domestic travel, 4 system-wide upgrades, and more.
Accumulate 1 million miles on American Airlines and you receive lifetime Gold status. Earn lifetime Platinum status by earning 2 million miles.
Bottom Line: Whileyou only earn 1x award miles with the AAdvantage Gold card, if you fly enough miles to reach elite status, you will earn additional bonus miles.
Drawbacks to the Card
The main drawback to the card is that it takes a long time to accumulate miles at the 1x rate. Even if you put all of your monthly spending on the card, it may take a while to rack up the miles.
Unfortunately, the card does not come with the extra benefits of other Citi / AAdvantage cards, although it has a low $50 annual fee and allows you to redeem miles for reduced mileage awards.
Bottom Line: The AAdvantage Gold cardearns miles at a slower pace than the other Citi / AAdvantage cards, which earn 2x miles for flights on American Airlines. The card is only $50 per year, however, compared to the others which are $95 and $450.
Best Way To Redeem AAdvantage Miles
We want you to get a ton of value from the points you earn with your AAdvantage Gold card, so we created this list to help you redeem them.
Tip #1: Save 5,000 miles on select round-trip domestic travel every other month with reduced mileage awards. It’s a great way to make your miles last. Book your award through the reservations line (800-822-8880), ticket office, or with any airport agent.
You will have to pay taxes on the award ($5.60 one-way for U.S. travel.)
Tip #2: Combine miles and cash to get car rentals and hotel stays with no blackout dates. You will need at least 1,000 miles to make a reservation. Find available car rentals, hotels, and vacations at the AAdvantage website.
Tip #3: International travel provides the best value for your miles. Because you can’t transfer your miles directly to partner airlines, you’ll need to call AAdvantage (800-433-7300) to book your flights.
A $35 booking fee will apply, but the representative may waive it for you if you ask.
The following table shows some of the redemptions available for seats in the main cabin and business class for both domestic and international travel. Find a complete list here.
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Destination
Main Cabin Seat
Business Seat
Contiguous 48 states
12,500
25,000
Canada & Alaska
15,000
30,000
Hawaii
22,500
40,000
Central America Mexico Caribbean
17,500
27,500
Europe
22,500
30,000
Tip #4:American Airlines AAdvantage offers a 500-mile upgrade program so you can upgrade from published fares in the main cabin on American Airlines marketed flights.
Redeem 40,000 miles for 8 upgrades to a higher cabin on American Airlines and American Eagle full-fare economy flights. It comes out to 5,000 miles per upgrade.
If you would rather save your miles, you can buy 500-mile upgrades for $40 online at aa.com, at the airport, or by phone at 800-882-8880.
Just a reminder, travelers with Executive Platinum status automatically receive free upgrades on all flights. Platinum and Gold members receive complimentary upgrades on flights of 500 miles or less.
In addition, with Platinum and Gold status you get 4 500-mile upgrades for every 12,500 EQMs earned during your membership year.
Tip #5: Redeem miles for magazines or Points.com gift cards. Choose gift cards from stores like Home Depot, Target, Sears, and many more.
Tip #6:Donate your miles to one of American Airlines’ partner organizations: Miles for Kids in Need, Miles for All Who Serve, or Miles of Hope. There is a minimum donation of 1,000 miles and donations are not tax-deductible.
Tip #1: As we mentioned earlier in the review, elite status in the AAdvantage loyalty program will help you earn bonus miles based on your tier: Gold (40%), Platinum (60%), or Executive Platinum (120%).
Tip #2: Enroll your AAdvantage membership in your BankDirect account or open a new one for the opportunity to earn a ton of bonus miles.
Get 1,000 miles just for opening a new Mileage Checking or Mileage Money account. Then have a payroll direct deposit hit your account for 10,000 miles!
Plus, you and a friend can each earn 1,000 AAdvantage miles when they open a BankDirect account based on your referral.
Tip #3: Shop the eShopping Mall and earn miles on your purchases with the card. There are over 850 top online retailers participating in the eShopping program including Dell, QVC, and Sears.
A similar program is the AAdvantage Dining program, which automatically earns miles for every restaurant you dine at that participates in the program.
Tip #4: Stay the night at popular hotels participating in the AAdvantage loyalty program and earn big miles! The table below lists the miles you can earn with partner hotels.
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Partner Hotel
Miles Earned
La Quinta Inns & Suites, Best Western, Park Inn, Choice Hotels, Radisson, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson
250 miles/stay
Melia Hotels International, Millennium Hotels and Resorts
Up to 500 miles/stay
Quorvus Collection, Raffles Hotels & Resorts, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, New Otani Hotels, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Nikko Hotels International, Swissotel Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt, Park Plaza, Preferred Hotel Group
500 miles/stay
Fiesta Americana Hotels and Resorts
Up to 1,000 miles
WORLDHOTELS
Up to 2,000 miles
PointsHound
Up to 6,000 miles
Hilton Portfolio Hotels
1 mile/$1
Marriott Hotels, InterContinental Hotels
Up to 2 miles/$1
Wyndham Hotel Group
2 miles/$1 or 500 miles
Tip #5: Use your card to rent a car with partner agencies and earn even more miles.
Earn up to 500 points per rental depending on the agency. Budget and Avis offer the most miles per rental because they are preferred partners.
If you have Platinum or Gold elite status, you’ll earn 1,000 per rental!
Here are some of the other offers:
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Rental Agency
Miles Earned
Europcar, Alamo, National, Thrifty, Dollar
50 miles/day
SuperShuttle
50 miles/each way
ExecuCar
150 miles/each way
GroundLink
200 miles/ride
Budget, Sixt, Avis
500 miles/rental
Hertz
1 mile/$1
Carmel
Up to 200 miles; 2 miles/$1
Tip #6: Fly American Airlines, Oneworld partner airlines, and non-alliance partner airlines to earn AAdvantage Miles.
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
With priority boarding privileges, no foreign transaction fees and more, MileagePlus members will definitely enjoy their partnered card.
With priority boarding privileges, no foreign transaction fees and more, MileagePlus members will definitely enjoy their partnered card.
Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
60,000 miles
$720
$95
21.49% - 28.49% Variable
Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.
Good to Excellent (670-850)
Why We Like This Card
You travel United all the time, but you have heard that there could be ways to make your travel experiences even better, including priority boarding, free bags, and more miles.
You should consider the United℠ Explorer Card, because this card does all that and more!
Pros & Cons
Pros
2x miles per $1 on United purchases, dining purchases (including delivery services), and hotel stays
1x mile per $1 on all other purchases
First checked bag free for you and up to 1 traveling companion
Cons
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 annual fee
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.
2x miles on United® purchases, dining, and hotel stays
Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club℠ with 2 one-time passes each year for your anniversary
Free first checked bag - a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks when you pay with your Explorer Card
You earn 1-2 miles/$1 with this card, and you can redeem them for travel on United or transfer miles directly to several hotel loyalty programs. The annual fee is $95 and is also waived for the first year.
The information for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Gold Mastercard® has been collected independently by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Citi®/AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
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