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CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard — Full Review [2023]

Name: CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard — Full Review [2023]
Item: CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard
Rating: 3.5
Author: Alex Miller

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"More travel perks for your business!"

A low annual fee, a free checked bag, and tons of perks and discounts make this card valuable for business owners who travel.

Learn More (at Citi's secure site)

Alex Miller

- Updated: March 28, 2023, 10:37am CDT

The information regarding the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

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.

Pros

2x miles per $1 spent on American Airlines purchases
2x miles per $1 spent on cable and satellite providers, at gas stations, on car rentals, and on select telecommunications merchants
1x mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
Free checked bag for you and up to 4 traveling companions
Priority boarding
25% off inflight purchases including food, beverages, and Wi-Fi
Companion Certificate for domestic travel after you spend $30,000 or more in purchases in a cardmember year
No foreign transaction fees

Cons

$99 annual fee
Does not earn transferable rewards

CitiBusiness Platinum Select Card — Snapshot

Welcome Bonus & Info (Partner Content)
- 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
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
Card Categories:
Rewards Center
American Airlines AAdvantage Frequent Flyer Program
Customer Service Number
888-248-4226
Login Link
https://online.citi.com/
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Great Card If

You and your employees fly often for business
You prefer traveling on American Airlines
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

CitiBusiness Platinum Select Card — Fees

Foreign Transaction Fees
None
Interest Rates
- 20.74% - 29.74% Variable
Late fees
- Up to $41
Balance Transfers
- 20.74% - 29.74% Variable
Cash Advance APR
- 29.99% Variable
- Fee: 5% of each cash advance; $10 minimum

The Ideal Cardholder

Employees at restaurant reviewing receipts — Business owners have enough to worry about already. Find some solace knowing you’ll have some rewards flights waiting for you by using the CitiBusiness Platinum Select card! Image Credit: baranq via Shutterstock

Earning Categories and Points

You’ll earn 2 miles for every dollar you spend on American Airlines purchases and select 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 earns 2x 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.

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, no more waiting to board the plane! Get complimentary Group 1 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 1 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 card comes 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 card has useful features such as free employee cards, dedicated customer service, and online account summaries.

Best Way To Maximize AAdvantage Miles

The fastest way to accumulate miles with the CitiBusiness Platinum Select card is by charging everything to the card in the 2x bonus categories.

These are telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and gas stations.

The following list includes even more ways to earn tons of American Airlines miles with the card.

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.

There are even more benefits for Platinum status!

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!

Tip #4: Earn points at restaurants by registering your card with the AAdvantage Miles Dining Program.

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
American Airlines Hotels	Up to 10,000/night	Marriott	Up to 2 miles/$1
Hyatt	500 miles/stay	RocketMiles	Up to 10,000/night
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.

Bonus Tip: Check out ways to earn 100,000 AA miles in just 90 days!

2 women with shopping bags — The AAdvantage eShopping Mall is a great place to earn bonus AAdvantage miles when you are using the CitiBusiness Platinum Select card. Image Credit: EpicStockMedia via Shutterstock

Best Way To Redeem AAdvantage Miles

When you are ready to redeem your American Airlines AAdvantage miles, try to get the highest value possible.

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.

For even more tips, check out our guide on the best ways to use 100,000 AAdvantage miles.

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.

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 travel 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.

Featured Image Credit: Citi

Frequently asked questions

Is the CitiBusiness Platinum Select card worth it?

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.

Does the CitiBusiness Platinum Select card have any foreign transaction fees?

No. There are no foreign transaction fees with this card.

How do you earn miles with the CitiBusiness Platinum Select 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.

Can American Airlines AAdvantage miles be transferred?

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.

What are American Airlines AAdvantage miles worth?

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.

How many American Airlines miles are required for a free flight?

You can obtain a free flight in the contiguous U.S. for as few as 7,500 AAdvantage miles.

When do American Airlines AAdvantage miles expire?

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.

How do I apply for the CitiBusiness Platinum Select card?

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!

Are there other credit cards I can use to collect AAdvantage miles?

Yes, you can transfer points from Bilt Rewards or Marriott Bonvoy.

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.

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