The CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard® is often labeled as one of the higher tier business/travel credit cards on the market.
The CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard® was specifically designed for members that use American as a carrier. It also offers a free checked bag and preferred boarding for up to four travelers on the same reservation.
We’re breaking down the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard®, let’s get started with the overview.
CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard® Overview
Credit Card Type: Business/Travel Credit Card
Annual Fee: $99 a year, waived for the first 12 months
Sign-Up Bonus/Offer: Yes – new cardmembers to earn 65,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first four months of account opening. TPG’s valuations peg AAdvantage miles at 1.4 cents each, making the welcome offer have a value of $910.
Recommended Credit Score: 690 or higher
Foreign Transaction Fee: None
Balance Transfer Fee: N/A
Rewards
- Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases.
- Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent on purchases at telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and at gas stations.
- Earn 1 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on other purchases.
Interest APR: Variable: Depending on creditworthiness.
Redemption Options: That large network gives you plenty of chances to redeem your AAdvantage miles for flights. You can get better value for your miles by redeeming them for off-peak or MileSAAver awards, along with the airline’s Economy Web Specials and reduced-mileage awards.
You can also use your miles to buy an Admirals Club airport lounge membership, with costs ranging from 65,000 miles a year for an AAdvantage member with no elite status, to as low as 55,000 miles for an Executive Platinum membership. Either way, you’re only getting 1 cent per mile when you redeem this way, you’ll do better redeeming your miles for travel. That’s just a fact.
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CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard® Benefits
There are several benefits that I want to mention for the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard®.
In-Flight Discounts: You’ll get a 25% discount on Wi-Fi, food, and beverages when using the card.
Free Bag Check: This perk, valued at $60 per round-trip flight, is good on domestic flights for you and up to four travel companions on the same reservation. Using it for two passengers on a single round-trip flight more than covers the card’s $99 annual fee after the first year.
Priority Access: You and four travel companions on the same reservation can board American Airlines flights preferred boarding, which comes after elite passengers but before the bulk of economy boarding.
Companion Certificate: Your business can earn a certificate for domestic main-cabin travel after spending at least $30,000 on the card during your membership year and each time the card is renewed (account must remain open at least 45 days after your anniversary date). Note that redeeming the certificate has a $99 fee, plus between $21.60 to $43.20 in taxes and fees.
The Annual Fee: The annual fee is lower than most travel credit cards. The annual fee is $99 but you do get this fee waived for the first year. That gives you a full 12 months to earn hard before you have to start giving the fee back.
Rack Up The Points: You can earn a lot of points by requesting employee cards at no additional cost. That means you’ll get the miles for everyone’s purchases. If needed, you can set the credit line and cash advance limits on each employee card. That way, everyone has a limit if that is a concern.
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CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard® Downfalls
Tied To American Airlines: The biggest drawback for the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard® is the awards that are tied up with American. If you want to benefit from using this card, you have to use American Airlines. If you want the ability to use who you want and still bring in the points, you need to use another card.
Booking Restrictions: Another big drawback I want to mention is the booking restrictions. Even when you have enough AAdvantage miles to book a flight, you might not find Off-Peak or MileSAAver award availability for the date of your choosing. I feel this is disappointing.
When there is availability, it might not be the most convenient routing. For flights to Europe, you might only find availability on a partner airline that adds huge carrier surcharges (fees charged on top of the base fare), such as British Airways. If you are not flexible, redeeming your AAdvantage awards can be tough, to say the least. I’m just not a big fan of this.
How To Earn Points
With the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard®, businesses will earn 2 miles per dollar spent on American purchases, along with telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rentals and gas stations. Your business will earn 1 mile per dollar spent on everything else with no limits.
How Does It Compare To Other Business Cards
The CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard® has some great rewards, the reward scheme is solid. Still, there could be better options out there for you. How does it stack up against the top business credit cards?
The Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card is a great cashback credit card for business owners.
The Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card gives 5% cashback on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year at office supply stores and cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable services. Users also get 2% back on the first $25k spent each year at gas stations and restaurants.
The Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business maintains a steady 2% rewards rate on all purchases, among other perks. If you’re looking for a business credit card, I’d recommend exploring these options if you feel the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard® is not for you.
CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard® In Closing
In order to get the most out of the CitiBusiness/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard, you have to be an American Airlines frequent flyer. Even if you are, you’ll have to earn elite AA status the old-fashioned way, by flying on American and its airline partners. For a card that targets business travelers, I would think travel and purchase protections would come with it as we see on many other travel cards, such as the Ink Business Preferred and Amex Business Gold.
If you’re looking for an everyday card to spend on your business, you do have better options than the CitiBusiness AAdvantage card. If you fly American Airlines regularly, you can utilize the free bag checks and priority boarding.
As usual, it all depends on your specific scenario and needs.
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