Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard review: Complimentary Admirals Club membership
Editor's Note
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® overview
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees) is best for American Airlines flyers who value lounge access. It provides a full Admirals Club membership, as well as several other benefits that make flying American Airlines more enjoyable, such as a free checked bag, priority check-in, priority airport screening and priority boarding privileges, along with a boost toward elite status. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐
*Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPG's editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
While many credit cards offer airport lounge access, the types of lounges each card gets you into can vary greatly. There's only one cobranded credit card that includes complimentary access to the American Airlines Admirals Club lounges: the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard.
The card has a $595 annual fee, which might seem steep but is still much less expensive than an Admirals Club membership.
This card underwent major (mostly negative) changes, effective July 23, 2023. TPG director of content Nick Ewen wasn't thrilled with them.
Today, we'll review all the refreshed benefits on this American Airlines cobranded card to help you decide whether to carry — or keep — it in your wallet.
Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite welcome offer
The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard is currently offering 70,000 bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first three months of account opening. This bonus is worth a very high $1,239, based on TPG's most recent valuations.
Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite benefits
What sets this card apart from the competition is that it provides complimentary Admirals Club access. The primary cardholder receives a full Admirals Club membership, which allows you and your immediate family or two traveling companions access to the club when you have a same-day boarding pass for American or one of its partners. Your credit card will be tied to your AAdvantage account number, so you don't have to carry it to get club access.
Admirals Club membership ordinarily costs between $750 and $850, depending on your status level with American. That means the annual fee covers the lounge access — and that's without all the other benefits factored in.
You can add up to 10 authorized users. They cost an additional $175 annual fee for the first three authorized users and $175 for each authorized user thereafter. Each authorized user receives Admirals Club access for themselves and up to two traveling companions. Just be aware that authorized users only get Admirals Club access, as opposed to a full Admirals Club membership.
There are three statement credits available:
- Up to $120 back on eligible Avis or Budget car rentals every calendar year
- Up to $120 back on eligible Grubhub purchases (up to a $10 statement credit each monthly billing statement)
- Up to $120 in Lyft credits ($10 Lyft credit each month), but you have to take three eligible rides each month first to receive this credit
Here are some other valuable perks the card offers:
- Enhanced airport experience: You and up to eight travelers on the same reservation will get priority check-in (where available), priority airport screening (where available) and priority boarding privileges. You can even check in at any business-class check-in position (or first-class check-in when business class is not available), regardless of the class of service in which you're traveling.
- First checked bag free on domestic itineraries: On domestic itineraries flown by American or any regional subsidiary, the first checked bag for you and up to eight traveling companions on the same reservation is free. The flight must be marketed, sold and operated by American in order to get the free checked bag.
- 25% off eligible inflight purchases: This essentially means 25% off inflight food and beverages when you pay for them with the card (not including inflight Wi-Fi).
- Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee statement credit: Get an up-to-$100 statement credit when paying the Global Entry fee ($100) with the card or when enrolling in TSA PreCheck ($78). You'll receive the credit once every four years. Because you also receive TSA PreCheck when enrolling for Global Entry, there's no real reason you should ever just enroll in PreCheck.
This card removed travel protections a few years back but has reintroduced trip cancellation and interruption, trip delay, and lost baggage protections as well as car rental insurance coverage as part of the card's refresh.
Finally, are no foreign transaction fees, making this card a good choice when traveling abroad.
Earning miles on the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite
With the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard, you'll earn 4 miles per dollar on eligible American Airlines purchases. Then, if you spend $150,000 on purchases in a calendar year, you'll earn a boosted rate of 5 miles per dollar spent on American purchases for the remainder of the calendar year.
You'll also earn 10 miles per dollar spent on eligible car rentals and hotels booked through American's car rental and hotel booking sites, respectively.
And you'll earn 1 mile per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
Cardholders earn a bonus of 10,000 Loyalty Points after reaching 50,000 Loyalty Points in a status qualification year. They will receive another bonus of 10,000 Loyalty Points after reaching 90,000 Loyalty Points in a status qualification year.
You will receive the bonuses regardless of how you earn the Loyalty Points. For example, you could earn 50,000 Loyalty Points by buying American Airlines tickets and shopping through the AAdvantage portal and get the 10,000 bonus just by holding the card.
Redeeming miles on the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite
The lowest round-trip tickets in the U.S. tend to start at 7,500 miles one-way for flights less than 500 miles long.
Web specials previously offered include domestic cross-country flights for 5,000 miles each way in economy or 15,000 miles each way in first class, flights to Europe from 9,000 miles each way and flights to Brazil from 15,000 miles each way.
Alternatively, you could get a ton of value redeeming your AAdvantage miles for premium-cabin awards on partner airlines, including Cathay Pacific, Etihad and Finnair.
Related: How to redeem miles with the American Airlines AAdvantage program
Senior credit cards editor Matt Moffitt's favorite way of redeeming AAdvantage miles is to book business-class flights on Etihad or Qatar Airways to the Middle East, India and Africa.
Which cards compete with the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite?
American is not a transfer partner of any of the major points programs except Bilt Rewards, so the biggest competitors of this card are mostly other cobranded American Airlines cards, but you can also get tons of value from a more general premium card.
- If you want a lower annual fee: The Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard is a solid mid-level credit card that offers elite-status-like benefits, all for a lower annual fee of $99. For more information, read our full review of the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select.
- If you're not an avid AA flyer: It could make more sense to stick to a premium travel rewards card such as The Platinum Card® from American Express, which allows you to earn up to five points per dollar on airfare (when booked directly with the airline or Amex Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year) and take advantage of myriad airline transfer partners. For more information, read our full review of the Amex Platinum.
For additional options, check out our full list of premium travel cards.
Related: Choosing the best credit card for American Airlines flyers
The information for the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Is the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite worth it?
Since the price of an Admirals Club membership is at least $750 each year, the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard should catch the eye of any frequent American flyer's attention. If you want Admirals Club access and to boost your AA mileage balance with a sign-up bonus (while also easing elite status requirements), this card might be a good fit. However, you might want to look elsewhere if you're looking for a card that will give you a better return on your spending.
Bottom line
With full Admirals Club membership and several other American Airlines benefits, the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite American Airlines is best for flyers who can maximize its lounge access. If that's you, then the card could definitely be a fit.
Official application link: Earn 70,000 miles with the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard after spending $7,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
Additional reporting by Matt Moffitt, Ryan Wilcox and Stella Shon.