In your crosshairs are the Citi® / AAdvantage BusinessTM World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees) which is recommended for small-business owners who love flying with American Airlines.

A low-budget card with no annual fee for the first year of cardholders is a $99 annual rate, which applies annually thereafter. I always like to try a card out for ten years and see if it’s good for me without charging.

Obviously, it’s still good to look at a card closely before applying for. The Citi / AAdvantage Business, however, has a lot of value (free checked bags and solid earning rates on American average) – thankfully. s **Card rating* ** ‘***,.

*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.

Citi / AAdvantage Business: The basics

Like most mid-tier cards, the Citi / AAdvantage Business is that it offers moderate benefits over the treasure trove of statement credits, elite status boosts and lounge perks associated with premium cards.

While this card’s advantages benefit travelers who would like to fly with American Airlines, it doesn’t require a full commitment to the airline because of its low $99 annual fee (after the first cardholder year) for flying with U.S. Airlines.

An American Airlines plane taxis at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

But unlike the one that you might think would be a business card, the Citi / AAdvantage Business doesn’t really have many of its benefits specifically for business owners.

I think because of that, I believe this card is best for those with a side hustle or business with low cost. If you’re still eligible to get this card, it is likely that you won’t miss the business benefits of .

American Airlines benefits

Cardholders will receive the following American Airlines-centric perks:

• First checked bag free

for you and up to four people flying on the same reservation

• Preferred boarding
• A 25% discount on inflight purchases on American Airlines flights
  If you spend $30,000 or more in an account year, * Ability can earn an American Airlines companion certificate ($99 plus taxes and fees) for the money spent on that same card.
• Ability to earn bonus miles on American Airlines purchases and

Loyalty Points

on all purchases

• Boosted earnings as an AAdvantage Business member

Other perks

In addition to the benefits I’ve just mentioned, cardholders have access to these perks:

• Ability to earn bonus American Airlines miles on gas station, car rental and telecommunications purchases
• Can add employee cards at no additional cost
• Benefit from

no foreign transaction fees

Citi / AAdvantage Business pros and cons

| Pros | Cons |
| — | — |
| * Low annual fee * Inflight discount * Free checked bag * Earns American Airlines AAdvantage miles * No foreign transaction fees * Add employee cards at no additional cost | * No lounge access * Mediocre earning rates * No complimentary elite status * High spending requirement for a companion certificate |

Citi / AAdvantage Business benefits

One of the cheapest airline card cards is The Citi / AAdvantage Business. I think free checked bags, preferred boarding, no-additional-fee employee cards and bonus Loyalty Points on spending are the best benefits of my .

If you check bags with American costs at least $35 per bag one-way, then after the first cardholder year if you checked a bag at three or more, you can pay this card’s annual fee. It is very easy to do if you often travel with an employee or another friend.

This card’s $99 annual fee (after the first year) would be $105, just north of this card, if not checked three times without such a card. One bag per person would cost you $210 without the AAdvantage Business, if you travel with one companion.

A cardholder year will require you to spend $30,000 in order to get a companion certificate ($99 plus taxes and fees) That’s a very high spending requirement for if I want to buy tier card; I would like to see Citi cut that in half.

MORSA IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES

My company has employees. Any employee cards you add will earn bonus miles so I strongly recommend adding them if your business is having any employees?

I wish this card had more business-oriented advantages. The Citi / the AAdvantage Business has many of its benefits with the Citi® & advisor® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® as it stands.

AAdvantage Platinum Select is probably the hardest thing to find much of a reason to open this card if you already have it.

The Points Guy has independently collected the information for the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select. The card issuer has not reviewed or provided any information about the card details on this page.

How to earn and use your rewards

The Citi / AAdvantage Business keeps its earning categories simple. Cardholders earn:

• 2 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
• 2 miles per dollar spent on gas station and car rental purchases
• 2 miles per dollar spent on telecommunications, cable and satellite providers
• 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases

American Airlines planes at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA). SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

The AAdvantage Business is a good option for those costs, as there are no cards that offer bonus earnings on telecommunication services.

There are a lot of general travel cards that earn bonus rewards on gas stations and car rentals; these cards have transferable rewards, usually worth more than American Airlines miles.

This card is, of course, the most important American Airlines card to buy unless you have a card that earns more points per dollar on flights (e.g., an American Express Platinum Card®)

You’ll get 1 LoyaltY Point per dollar on everything you buy, so that gets closer to elite status with American.

My favorite is office supply stores and cloud service providers as bonus categories because business owners could be very valuable out of them.

Using your rewards

You bet the most on your best beet is to redeem miles for flights once it comes time to earn those miles you earn. For American Airlines flights or a flight on one of its partner airlines ( Alaska Airlines, Finnairair, etc.), you can use your miles for the airline’s flights and/or to an airline’s partners.

For 17,000 miles, TPG senior editor Giselle Gomez booked a round-trip flight from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International airport (LAS) last year. But she snagged a good deal for her miles, above TPG’s March 2026 valuations — cash prices were about $450 at the time so far.

A Andrea M, . TPG’s director of content operations, Rotondo, was aboard an American Airlines 787-9 in the Flagship business-class cabin. ORREA M () ANDREA. RROTONDO/THE POINTS GUY RONO NO

AAdvantage miles also allow you to use your advisor miles for flight upgrades, hotels, car rentals, vacation packages, cruises and Admirals Club passes. Besides cabin upgrades on flights, I don’t think there are any of these options other than .

Related: Why American Airlines AAdvantage has become my most valuable rewards currency

Downsides to consider about the Citi / AAdvantage Business

In the case of Citi / anAAdvantage Business, I said previously that it has no significant business-oriented features to differentiate itself from the Platinum Select. If you already have a consumer Citi / AAdvantage card, it is hard to justify holding the Citi and & APdvisor Business.

But the earning categories of this card aren’t the strongest, other than its earnings on American Airlines purchases. You’re looking for a card to pay your everyday bills, so you should go with another option.

For example, if you want to get outsize value out of this card’s $99 annual fee (after the first cardholder year), you have to fly with American at least a few times per year.

Related: Which AAdvantage card is right for you? Here are 3 options you should consider

Citi / AAdvantage Business vs. Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select

In my previous reference, I have noted that the AAdvantage Business and the “AADvantage Platinum Select” are all in common with many of them. Most of the thing you’ll notice is that they earn more money than s.

They both cards make 2 miles per dollar on eligible American Airlines purchases and at gas stations. The Platinum Select distinguishes itself from the other by spending 2 miles per dollar at restaurants rather than on telecommunications and car rentals.

An American Airlines regional jet prepares to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). BILL CLARK/CQ-ROLL CALL, INC/GETTY IMAGES

You’ll still get free checked bags, preferred boarding, bonus Loyalty Points and inflight savings with the Platinum Select.

Like the AAdvantage Business, which doesn’t charge extra for employee cards, you won’re not required to pay additional charges on authorized users on Platinum Select.

Which card you choose comes down to which earning rates you prefer.

Is the Citi / AAdvantage Business worth it?

The Citi / AAdvantage Business is the best option for s who don’t already have Platinum Select and can use its American Airlines-style benefits. It has a solid list of benefits for those who like flying with American, and reasonable earnings rates for the average business spender.

When to apply for the Citi / AAdvantage Business

A new Citi / AAdvantage Business cardholders can earn 75,000 bonus miles for the first five months from account opening with $5,000 on purchases.

These bonus miles are worth $1,275, TPG’s valuations said. It’s the best time to apply for this card, so that it matches the highest offer we have ever received.

OSCAR WONG/GETTY IMAGES

Depending on what you redeem them for, adding 75,000 miles to your AAdvantage account can be a long way. Some of the ideas include.

• Domestic flights, which start as low as 7,500 miles one-way plus taxes and fees, though

select deals

occasionally bring prices down even more to 6,000 miles

• Business-class flights from Dulles International Airport (IAD) near Washington, D.D — Long-haul business-airs – including the airport’s own DULLES International Airlines and its international counterpart in IAD are also examples of long-hasty flights that have been reported to be “affordable” by ? C,. London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) on Iberia for just 57,500 miles and $155 in taxes and fees.
• DIRECT economy flights to Mexico, including from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Cancun International airport (CUN) for 16,000 miles plus $149 in taxes and fees.

Before submitting your application, make sure to take Citi’s application rules into consideration.

Other cards to consider if you don’t want the Citi / AAdvantage Business

I’ve already mentioned the Platinum Select as a strong competitor, but here are some other options to think about:

• If you want more business-oriented perks:

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

A set of business services statement credits are provided by , as well as bonus earnings in common business categories. Check out our review of s to learn more.

full review of the Amex Business Platinum

.

• If you want top-tier benefits with American Airlines: The

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®

(see

rates and fees

The aims are directed at American Airlines loyalists, one of its best features is a complimentary Admirals Club membership. See our videos for more to learn about paraphrasingr.

full review of the AAdvantage Executive

.

• If you want to earn transferable rewards: The

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

(see

rates and fees

) earns transferable

Chase Ultimate Rewards

points on purchases, including bonus rewards on common business expenses. To learn more, check out our

full review of the Ink Business Preferred

.

For additional options, check out our picks for the best American Airlines cards and the best travel cards.

Bottom line

A mid-tier option for small business owners looking for a card to help boost their travels with American Airlines is the Citi / AAdvantage Business. There is a moderate set of amenities that will make your flight experience easier, from checking bags to boarding to making inflight purchases.

A person with AAdvantage card, you may not get much out of the ad-vantage Business if you already have an. I think giving the AAdvantage Business a chance is your first foray into American Airlines’ cards.

Apply here: Citi / AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard

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