Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®
- Best for: Business owners whose company flies American and checks bags
- What Sets It Apart: Free first checked bag for you and as many as four companions on one reservation; double miles on telecom, cable and satellite, car rentals, and gas
- Cost: $99 annual fee, waived the first year; 19.74% to 28.74% variable interest rate; no foreign transaction fee
- Features: 65,000 bonus miles after $4,000 in purchases in 4 months; 2 miles per $1 on American, gas, car rentals, telecom, and cable and satellite; 1 mile per $1 elsewhere; Group 5 boarding; Companion Certificate after $30,000 in purchases a year and a renewal; free employee cards
- Pros: Two travelers checking bags on a domestic round trip save $180 at American’s $45 online fee; every cardholder earns Loyalty Points; miles move to registered travelers without program minimums
- Cons: Employees get bag and boarding perks only on the primary cardholder’s reservation; 1 mile per $1 outside bonus categories; no lounge access
Open the Citi / AAdvantage Business card if your company flies American and checks bags, since a free first checked bag for you and as many as four companions on one reservation is its biggest payoff. If your team rarely flies American, choose a flat-rate cash-back business card instead.
The Citi / AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard, formerly the CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select, is Citi’s American Airlines card for business owners. Unlike Citi’s personal Platinum Select card, it earns double miles at telecom, cable and satellite providers, and car rental companies instead of restaurants.
Key Features
- $99 annual fee after a free first year, a 19.74% to 28.74% variable interest rate on balances you carry, and no foreign transaction fee
- 65,000 bonus miles after $4,000 in purchases in the first 4 months
- 2 miles per $1 on American Airlines purchases, gas, car rentals, telecom, and cable and satellite service; 1 mile per $1 on everything else
- No fee for the first checked bag on domestic American flights, plus early boarding in Group 5, for you and as many as four companions on your reservation
- Open to sole proprietors, who can apply with a Social Security number, so a side business qualifies
Pros
- At American’s $45 online fee for a first checked bag, you and one colleague checking bags on a domestic round trip save $180, $81 more than the annual fee
- Free employee cards, and every cardholder earns 1 Loyalty Point per dollar toward AAdvantage elite status
- A Companion Certificate, earned after $30,000 in yearly purchases and a renewal, that adds a companion to your paid round trip within the 48 contiguous states for $99 plus taxes and fees
- Miles can move from the company’s AAdvantage Business account to registered travelers without the program’s usual minimums of five travelers and $5,000 in flights a year
Cons
- Employees get the free bag and Group 5 boarding only when they’re on the primary cardholder’s reservation
- Only 1 mile per $1 outside the bonus categories, worth about 1.4 cents by travel site Frequent Miler’s estimate, less than the 2 cents per dollar a flat 2% cash-back card pays
- No airport lounge access
Get it if most of your company’s flights are on American and your trips usually include a checked bag. If the company rarely flies American, a flat 2% cash-back business card is the better pick.
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