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Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® — Full Review [2023]

Name: Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® — Full Review [2023]
Item: Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard®
Rating: 4
Author: Alex Miller

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"Harness the Signature Airline of the U.S."

Status lovers will enjoy the variety of benefits that come with this card. From free bags to reduced-price inflight beverages, AA still flies in style.

Learn More (at Citi's secure site)

Alex Miller

- Updated: May 12, 2023, 12:46pm CDT|

8Comments

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.

Blue skies and fair winds make for a good day to fly! Choosing your airline can be difficult, since factors like location, time, and destination all go into whether or not you can fly somewhere.

An easy choice for many people is American Airlines, because they’re the largest airline in the world. If you’re an American, you’ve probably flown American Airlines at least once.

Frequent fliers tend to enjoy the treatment they can get, from boarding privileges to free bags to lounge access. There’s many reasons to fly with AA, and if so then getting a Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® could be for you.

AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Card — Snapshot

Welcome Bonus & Info (Partner Content)
- Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $2,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent at gas stations and restaurants, and on eligible American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases
- Earn a $125 American Airlines Flight Discount after you spend $20,000 or more in purchases during your card membership year and renew your card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- First checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to four companions traveling with you on the same reservation
- Enjoy preferred boarding on American Airlines flights
Card Categories:
- Credit Card Reviews
- Best Airline Credit Cards
Rewards Center
American Airlines AAdvantage Program
Customer Service Number
1-888-248-4226 (Available 24/7)
Login Link
https://www.citi.com/credit-cards/citi.action

Great Card If

You’re a frequent traveler on American Airlines and their subsidiaries
You already have a bunch of AA miles and status
You’d like to earn enough miles quickly to get a free round-trip
You like to travel in style and will enjoy the host of benefits available to you through the card

Don't Get If

You won’t fly American (or any Oneworld partner) frequently or you’re not a traveler in general
You’re not a big spender in general (see Card Math for more details)

AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Card — Fees

Foreign Transaction Fees
0%
Interest Rates
- 20.99% - 29.99% Variable
Late fees
- Up to $41
Balance Transfers
- 20.99% - 29.99% Variable
- Fee: 3% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
Cash Advance APR
- 29.99% Variable
- Fee: 5% of each cash advance; $10 minimum.

The Ideal Cardholder

Welcome Offer, Earning Categories, and Points

Currently, applying for the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card could earn you the welcome offer bonus listed above in the card summary table.

You also earn AAdvantage miles at a rate of 2x on AA flights and services. While this isn’t the greatest, it is certainly a respectable amount of bonus miles for making flight purchases.

You’ll also earn 2X miles at restaurants and gas stations, and 1x for all other purchases made on the card. The card costs $99 per year, but this fee is waived the first year.

Bottom Line: The AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card earns 2x points on all AA flights and services and 1x points everywhere else. It costs $99 per year, but the fee is waived for the first 12 months.

AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Card: Bags, Boarding, and Discounts

However, what really makes the card great is its fringe benefits. American Airlines likes to operate on the idea of status, and this card gives you just that.

First, you and up to 4 people traveling with you get 1 checked bag free! You all must be listed on the same reservation though, so make sure you book your travel companions’ tickets through your card (which should be easy enough if they’re your family).

Next, once you’re through security and ready to board, you’ll have boarding privileges above the other non-status passengers.

This means you can get on, get your carry-on bags into the compartments before they fill up, and get comfortably situated before the rest of the plane boards.

Third, you get 25% off all inflight food and beverage purchases, as well as headsets if you need one.

That discount is enough to make the prices a bit more reasonable (a $7 drink is now only $5.25), and it allows you to enjoy your trip just a little bit more, save time from eating in the airport, and earn double miles for your purchase.

If you’re going to have a drink and a snack, you may as well do it in style at 30,000 ft in the air!

Bottom Line: Get a free first bag for you and up to 4 traveling companions, priority boarding privileges, and a 25% inflight discount on food and beverages when you have the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card.

AAdvantage Reduced Mileage Awards

Having the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card qualifies you for reduced mileage awards flights. This makes a round-trip 7,500 miles cheaper (or 3,750 if you’re just going one-way).

However, these rewards are only available every other month, and must be booked by phone or by ticket agent at the airport.

Booking these also costs an extra $35 compared to the normal taxes, but when you think of the cost of the trip, you’re still getting a much better value.

More Partners Than You Can Handle

One last thing that AA does to help you earn miles is partner with over 1,000 vendors. When you do business with them, you’ll get more miles in your account!

As you know, AA is a Oneworld alliance partner, which allows you to share miles and status with other alliance members.

But did you know there are actually more airlines outside of Oneworld that are still partners? In addition, there are the hotel partners, car rentals, vacation packages, cruises, and any other bonus offers they have going.

With this option, however, keep in mind that earning AA miles may conflict with earning miles in those partners’ own loyalty programs. So, it’s really good to have an overall strategy to know where your earning priorities lie!

Bottom Line: When you fly American, you also have access to all their Oneworld and other airline alliance partners. Having the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card gives you a head start on earning awards!

AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Card Drawbacks

Are there disadvantages? Sure. One is the annual fee of $99, although that is waived the first year. This isn’t too bad considering it’s the same price you’d pay for the majority of other points cards out there.

This card’s points-earning potential at 2x is a bit low, especially when considering it’s restricted to just airline purchases. Users of the card need to be frequent and heavy travelers in order to get any value out of it.

Also, the fact that some of the benefits have fine print means you’ll need to check before you want to use the card for that purpose.

Finally, as with all the other partnered cards, the AAdvantage miles you earn through purchases do not go towards your elite status, so you’ll have to earn that in other ways.

If you earn Executive Platinum on American Airlines, you’ll get a host of benefits, and it excludes you from having to pay the $35 booking fee when purchasing your reduced MileSAAver rewards.

Bottom Line: Some drawbacks of the card include the $99 annual fee, no 0% APR period, and only earning points on American Airlines flights. Also, your points earned on the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card don’t count for elite status.

Best Way to Maximize AAdvantage Miles

To maximize points using the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card you will need to put most of your spending on your card, but there are also other ways to earn lots of miles:

Tip #1: Purchase all flights directly with the airline, and make inflight purchases with the card as well.

Tip #2: If you book rental cars, use your AA account with Avis, Budget, and any of its other partners to earn 250-1,250 miles per rental. Plus, earn 1x miles if you book it with your card.

Tip #3: Sign up with the AA dining program and dine at designated restaurants using your registered card. Use the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card to rack up even more points. That could end up as 7x miles total when using your Citi AAdvantage card!

Tip #4: Many hotel chains offer partnerships where you can earn AA miles for stays. These include Hilton Honors and more.

With Marriott, you can transfer hotel points to your AA account and earn a 25% bonus when you transfer 60,000 at a time!

Tip #5: If you’re checking bags past the free ones offered, pay with your AAdvantage credit card to earn 2x points for the baggage fee.

Being cognizant of American’s baggage fee rules is important to make sure you’re not spending more than you need.

Tip #6: Earning Elite Status helps you rack up points much more quickly: 25% for Gold, 100% for Platinum (this used to only be 50%), and 100% for Executive Platinum.

If you aren’t even close, there’s a quicker way to do it: an Elite Status Challenge. Check around for current deals, since sometimes it’s not even offered (although FoundersCard has offered it in the past).

The challenge is sometimes free, but other times you’ll have to pay (usually $100-$200) — but you’ll typically end up with Platinum after flying 10,000 miles within a 3-month period.

Once you complete it, you will be on your way to 100% bonus earning for only 10,000 miles, as opposed to the 30,000 normally needed!

Tip #7: You can earn additional miles through other partners (see partner details below), such as through the eShopping Mall or certain wine clubs. If these seem valuable to you, then use them to earn additional miles.

Hot Tip: Check out our article on earning 100k AA miles in 90 days, as well as our post on the best ways to redeem 100K AAdvantage Miles.

Best Way to Redeem AAdvantage Miles

We always encourage you to maximize the value of your redemptions. Be sure to check around for the best deals and do your homework so you can squeeze the best value out of your points!

Tip #1: When redeeming miles on AA, the best value will always be for international trips. At 30,000 miles one-way, you can get to pretty much anywhere in the world.

Tip #2: If you want to use rewards domestically, make sure to take advantage of the reduced mileage offer by calling in to book your ticket. You can get a discount of 7,500 miles on a round-trip by waiting for the specials that come out every other month.

The AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card gets you access to American Airlines and all its partners, which is probably the most extensive list available in any program. Being the largest airline in the world, anyone would be happy to sign up with them to promote their businesses!

American Airlines (and American Eagle)
AA Dining Restaurant Network (over 11,000)
Other Retail Partners: AAdvantage eShopping Mall, Points.com, FTD, Teleflora, 1-800-FLOWERS.com, Vinesse Wine, Audience Rewards, Next Issue

Travel Partners: Airlines, Hotels, Rental Cars, and Cruises

Oneworld Partners: British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LATAM Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas Airways, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian Airlines, S7 Airlines, SriLankan Airlines

Additional Airline Partners: Air Tahiti Nui, Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air, Cape Air, EL AL, Etihad Airways, Fiji Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Jet Airways, Seaborne Airlines, WestJet (more info on airline partners)

Hotel Partners: Hilton Portfolio, Marriott Hotels, InterContinental Hotels, Choice Hotels, Wyndham Hotel Group, Best Western, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Fiesta Americana Hotels and Resorts, Hotel JAL City, Hyatt, Langham Hospitality Group, La Quinta Inns & Suites, Melia Hotels International, Millennium Hotels and Resorts, New Otani Hotels, Nikko Hotels International, Park Inn, Park Plaza, PointsHound, Preferred Hotel Group, Quorvus Collection, Radisson, Radisson Blu, Raffles Hotels & Resorts, Rocketmiles, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Swissotel Hotels & Resorts, WORLDHOTELS (more info on hotel partners)

Rental Car Partners: Avis, Budget, Alamo, National, Dollar, Hertz, Thrifty, Carmel, Europcar, Sixt, GroundLink, SuperShuttle (more info on car partners)

AA Vacations: Total trip packages

Cruise Lines: Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways, Azamara Club Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Cunard, Oceania Cruises, Paul Gauguin Cruises, Ponant, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Seabourn, SeaDream Yacht Club, Silversea Cruises, Uniworld River Cruises, Viking Ocean Cruises, Viking River Cruises, Windstar Cruises (more info on cruises)

Frequently asked questions

Is the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card worth it? What are the Citi Platinum benefits?

There are definitely advantages to this card (no pun intended!). The card offers decent earning of points for purchases, but it also offers you some good fringe benefits.

Without being an elite status member, you get a free checked bag for yourself and up to 4 others, as well as boarding privileges on flights.

You also save 25% on inflight food and beverage purchases, which helps save a little time when traveling if you don't want to eat at the airport.

On top of that, you get access to reduced mileage rewards, which enable you to spend even less when you DO redeem.

You'll also get card benefits such as Apple Pay, extended warranty, Citi Price Rewind, and damage/theft purchase protection, plus insurances for travel, accidents, lost baggage, and trip cancellation.

Not bad for a card that costs $99 per year!

Are there other Citi / AAdvantage credit cards?

Yes, there is also a CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard®, Citi® / AAdvantage® Gold World Elite™ Mastercard®, and Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®.

The Executive version of the card comes with an Admirals Club membership.

What is the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card login?

The login is the same place you would log in to any other Citi accounts. There, you can access your purchases and calculate your points earned.

To access your AAdvantage benefits and current miles balance, you must log in to your AAdvantage account.

What are AAdvantage reduced mileage awards?

This is a special benefit available to AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card members. Every other month, you will be eligible for a reduced fare flight.

These specials will cost 3,750 AAdvantage miles less each way, or save you 7,500 round-trip. To book them, however, you must either call in or purchase it from the ticket agent at the airport.

What is the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card foreign transaction fee?

No; there is no foreign transaction fee on this card.

What is the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card travel insurance?

With the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card, you get access to a variety of travel insurances.

The first is travel and emergency assistance. This is a 24/7 hotline to be used if you need help with travel arrangements, medical and legal referrals, or other issues in case of emergency while on travel.

Next is worldwide travel accident insurance. This covers you for up to $500,000 in case of a severe accident by a carrier. This can cover medical bills and other related costs.

Third is lost baggage insurance. If your bags are ever lost, you get coverage for up to $3,000 per person each trip.

You'll get trip cancellation and interruption protection as well. If you have to cancel for any reason outside of your control, you can get up to $1,500 back per person for purchases that are non-refundable.

Does the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card have a 0% APR offer?

No. At this time there is no 0% APR offer for this card.

When do points expire on the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card?

As long as you have activity on your account every 18 months, your miles will not expire. This can be spending money on your card (and thus earning miles) or redeeming miles.

When do AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card miles post to your account?

According to their card agreement, miles can take 8-10 weeks to post into your account.

What is the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card annual fee?

The fee is waived the first year, then comes in at $99 per year after.

When does AAdvantage elite status expire?

Your elite status is good from the moment you earn it through the end of that year, then the next full year PLUS through February of the year after. For instance, status earned in March 2019 is good through the rest of 2019, all of 2020, and January-February of 2021.

How do I get priority check-in on American Airlines?

The only way to earn priority check-in is to earn elite status or hold the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®.

About Alex Miller

Alex has been traveling for over 25 years and from a young age was lucky enough to set out on numerous family trips all over the world, which gave him the travel bug. Alex has since earned tens of millions of travel points and miles, mainly through maximizing every opportunity to earn the most points possible on each dollar spent.

Tim May 25, 2021
I think some of the bullet points are out of date. I was told by CITI that they no longer offer rental car insurance.
- Jarrod West May 26, 2021
  Hi Tim,
  Thanks for pointing that out – I’ve updated the post.
Roberto Donati July 28, 2021
My research suggests the AAdvantage Executive World Elite MC also has Priority Check-In not listed here. Could you double check? Thanks.
- Jarrod West July 29, 2021
  Hi Roberto,
  You are correct, that card also offers priority check-in.
Rob August 3, 2022
If somebody is already Gold status on American (and will continue to be Gold status for forseeable future), does the Citi AAdvantage card provide any meaningful incremental benefits beyond getting extra miles for every dollar spent on American Airline purchases?
It did not appear to offer much beyond benefits I was already getting….
Thanks.
- Jarrod West August 3, 2022
  Hi Rob,
  Not really I’m afraid, aside from helping you earn Loyalty Points faster.
RM January 3, 2023
I have about 24000 loyalty points and 32000 miles on aa. what’s the fastest way to get the 6k loyalty points without flying internationally?
- Jarrod West January 4, 2023
  Hi RM,
  The fastest way likely would be spending on a co-brand AA card, and/or using the AA shopping portal and Simply Miles offers.

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