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.