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Founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, Alex is a leader in the industry and has earned and redeemed millions of points and miles. He frequently discusses the award travel industry with CNBC, Fox Business...
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The rating for this card has been determined by our own industryexperts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as ratesand 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.
A low annual fee, a free checked bag, and tons of perks and discounts make this card valuable for business owners who travel.
U.P. Rating
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industryexperts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as ratesand 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 the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®, you get a card that gives you perks like boarding privileges, free checked bags, and discounts on inflight purchases, while also earning more miles for your next award redemption.
Card Snapshot
Welcome Bonus & Info
Designed for businesses
Earn 65,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening.
First checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries to reduce travel costs and boost your bottom line.
25% savings on American Airlines inflight Wi-Fi when you use your card
Enjoy preferred boarding on American Airlines flights
Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, and on purchases at telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and at gas stations
Earn 1 AAdvantage® mile per $1 spent on other purchases
Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases
Your business expenses are aligned with the bonus categories
Don’t Get If
You travel primarily by car for business
You don’t have the option to fly American Airlines at your local airport
Earning Categories and Points
You’ll earn 2 miles for every dollar you spend on American Airlines purchasesandselect business categories, which include telecommunications services, car rentals, and purchases at gas stations!
Earn 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases. The annual fee is $99 per year, waived in year 1.
Bottom Line: The CitiBusiness Platinum Select card earns2x miles for AA flights and purchases at telecommunication merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants, and at gas stations. Earn 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.
CitiBusiness Platinum Select Card Benefits
Boarding and Baggage Benefits
Nobody likes paying extra to check their bags. With the CitiBusiness Platinum Select card, check your first bag free when traveling on domestic flights.
Up to 4 people can share this benefit if they are traveling with you under the same reservation.
Plus, get complimentary Group 5 boarding on American Airlines domestic flights.
In addition, there are no foreign transaction fees on card purchases, saving you money when you fly internationally.
Bottom Line: First checked bag free, Group 5 boarding, and zero transaction fees add great value to the CitiBusiness Platinum Select card.
More Card Benefits and Discounts
The card really is jam-packed with benefits and discounts.
First, the $99 annual fee is waived for the first year. That gives you 12 months to enjoy everything that comes with the card without having to pay for any of it!
Next, save 25% on inflight Wi-Fi. This discount can add up quickly when you fly often for business.
Reduced mileage awards provide another fantastic discount. Redeem round-trip flights with reduced mileage awards for 7,500 fewer miles and save your points for other awards.
Finally, earn an American Airlines Companion Certificate after spending $30,000 or more in purchases each card membership year.
Bottom Line: The CitiBusiness Platinum Select cardcomes with tons of perks like no annual fee the first year, 25% off inflight Wi-Fi, reduced mileage awards, and more.
Big Business Benefits
As a business owner, you’ll enjoy the features that come with the card.
Rack up the points faster than ever by requesting employee cards at no additional cost. That means you’ll get the miles for everyone’s purchases. You can set the credit line and cash advance limits on each employee card.
You’ll also get 24/7 access to a dedicated small business customer service team (866-458-4216) and a personal business assistant to help with travel, hotel, and dining arrangements (800-301-5584).
Another business benefit is online account summaries, which make it easier to track your quarterly and annual expenses.
Bottom Line: Business owners will find the CitiBusiness Platinum Select cardhas useful features such as free employee cards, dedicated customer service, and online account summaries.
Here are some options for redeeming points earned on the CitiBusiness Platinum Select card:
Tip #1: International flights provide the best value for your American Airlines miles. The table below shows some of the many redemptions available for main cabin and business class seats for domestic and international travel.
See the American Airlines AAdvantage site for a complete list.
Destination
Main Cabin
Business
48 contiguous U.S. states
12,500
25,000
Canada and Alaska
15,000
30,000
Hawaii
22,500
40,000
Central America / Mexico / Caribbean
17,500
27,500
Europe
22,500
30,000
Tip #2: Save 7,500 miles when booking round-trip domestic travel using the MileSAAver rate. You must call to book your ticket, and the discount is good on specified round-trip routes every other month.
Tip #3: Redeem miles to upgrade to a higher cabin on American Airlines and American Eagle flights. Upgrades start at 5,000 miles for full-fare economy upgrades.
Tip #4: Redeem miles or combine miles and cash for hotel stays and car rentals. You need at least 1,000 miles for each reservation, and there are no blackout dates.
While you can’t change car rentals and hotel stays once they are purchased, you can buy them for family members and friends by entering their information during the redemption process.
Go to the American Airline AAdvantage site to search for available hotels, car rentals, and vacations.
Tip #1: Purchase all American Airlines flights and services with the card to earn 2x miles. Remember, you also get a 25% discount for inflight Wi-Fi.
Tip #2: Earn elite status with the AAdvantage loyalty program to bank points rapidly with a bonus: Gold (40%), Platinum (60%), and Executive Platinum (120%).
The benefits of Gold status definitely outweigh the cost. In addition to getting a 40% bonus on miles, you’ll also get free upgrades, priority check-in, complimentary same-day standby, and a discounted Admirals Club membership.
Tip #3: Enroll your card with car rental agencies to multiply points quickly. First, earn 2x points because car rentals are in the 2x bonus mile category.
Plus, earn up to 500 points per rental depending on the agency. Avis and Budget are preferred partners, which means you will earn the most miles with each rental. Platinum and Gold status AAdvantage members earn 1,000 points per rental!
Get 1 AAdvantage mile per $2 spent. Agree to receive emails from the program and get 3 miles per $1 spent. Make 12 qualified dining transactions in a calendar year and get 5 miles per $1 spent!
That’s a lot of miles for dining you would probably be doing anyway!
Plus, you aren’t limited to enrolling American Airlines AAdvantage credit cards in the program. As long as your credit cards are not enrolled in another miles-earning dining program, you can add up to 5 of any of your credit cards to the program.
Tip #5: Stay at hotels to earn AAdvantage miles. Check out all hotel partners on AA’s website, or look at the table below to help you decide which hotel you might stay at next to earn bonus AAdvantage miles:
Hotel
Miles/Stay
Hotel
Miles/Stay
AAdvantage Hotels
Varies
Marriott
Up to 2 miles/$1
Hyatt
500 miles/stay
RocketMiles
Varies
IHG
Up to 2 miles/$1
Tip #6: Earn miles for flights on American Airlines, Oneworld partner airlines, and non-alliance partner airlines.
Tip #7: Earn up to 2,200 miles per ticket to various performance art shows with Audience Rewards. Enroll with your AAdvantage account number and find tickets to Broadway shows, operas, cabarets, and more in participating cities.
Tip #8: AAdvantage offers you the chance to earn miles by shopping through its eShopping Mall at stores like Kohl’s, Sears, and BestBuy. You can even search for coupon codes, sales, and deals for free shipping.
Alternatives to the CitiBusiness Platinum Select Card
The biggest drawback to the card is that its value is directly tied to American Airlines. If you and your employees don’t fly American Airlines on a regular basis, the card won’t be useful.
If you want to earn points for your business expenses but have the freedom to redeem them with a wide variety of travel and business partners, the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is an option.
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industryexperts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as ratesand 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 Ink Business Preferred card is hard to beat, with a huge welcome bonus offer and 3x points per $1 on the first $150,000 in so many business categories.
The Ink Business Preferred card is hard to beat, with a huge welcome bonus offer and 3x points per $1 on the first $150,000 in so many business categories.
Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash-back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
100,000 points
$2,000
$95
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)
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a powerhouse for earning lots of points from your business purchases, especially for business owners that spend regularly on ads.
Plus the card offers flexible redemption options, including access to Chase airline and hotel transfer partners where you can achieve outsized value.
Business owners will also love the protections the card provides like excellent cell phone insurance, rental car insurance, purchase protection, and more.
Pros
3x Ultimate Rewards points per $1 on up to $150,000 in combined purchases on internet, cable and phone services, shipping expenses, travel, and ads purchased with search engines or social media sites
Cell phone protection
Purchase protection
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
Rental car insurance
Extended warranty coverage
Cons
No elite travel benefits like airport lounge access
Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
With the Ink Business Preferred card, earn 3x points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year.
Points earned with the Ink Business Preferred card can be used with the Chase transfer partners like United MileagePlus, British Airways Executive Club, and Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, as well as many online retailers.
Bottom Line: Businesses that don’t fly American Airlines will not find value from the CitiBusiness Platinum Select card.
The information regarding the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
Frequently Asked Questions
The card offers many benefits for business owners and frequent travelers.
Get your first checked bag free on American Airlines flights, complimentary Group 1 boarding, and 25% off inflight Wi-Fi.
Plus, the $99 annual fee is waived for your first 12 months.
Business benefits include free employee cards, 24/7 access to a dedicated small business customer service team, and a personal business assistant. In addition, you’ll receive online account summaries of your quarterly and annual expenses.
No. There are no foreign transaction fees with this card.
Earn bonus miles after spending the required amount in the allotted time, per the current sign-up bonus (see card snapshot in this article).
Then earn 2x miles on American Airlines flights and services, telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants, and gas stations. Earn 1x miles on all other purchases.
No. You cannot transfer American Airlines AAdvantage miles to partner airlines. However, you can redeem miles for award flights with partner airlines, car rentals, hotel stays, and more.
American Airlines AAdvantage miles are typically valued at an average of 1.7 cents per point. This means you could be awarded a $100 flight ticket for the equivalent of about 5,800 American Airlines miles.
You can obtain a free flight in the contiguous U.S. for as few as 7,500 AAdvantage miles.
Your American Airlines AAdvantage miles will not expire unless there is no activity on your account for 24 months. Earn or redeem miles to prevent expiration.
Apply for the card through one of our links or directly through Citi’s website. Both should result in the same card.
If you happen to have a targeted offer better than ours, whether online or in the mail, by all means take it!
Founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, Alex is a leader in the industry and has earned and redeemed millions of points and miles. He frequently discusses the award travel industry with CNBC, Fox Business, The New York Times, and more.
Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.
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