American Airlines and Citi Unveil Major Changes to Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®

On July 10, American Airlines and Citi issued a joint press release revealing that some major changes would be made to the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®. For existing cardholders, this news is bittersweet. Earnings rates for AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points are both increasing. However, the card’s annual fee and authorized user fees will also be increasing.

There are a lot of things to consider regarding the changes to the premium American Airlines card. To simplify things a bit, we’re going to look at all of the changes to the AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard, both positive and negative. Let’s also discuss how these changes should affect your credit card strategy.

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® Changes Explained

The joint press release issued by Citi and American Airlines detailed the changes to the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard that went into effect July 23.

Of course, this statement makes it seem as if all of the changes to this card are going to be good for consumers. However, there are some negatives to these upcoming changes as well.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of these changes to the AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard.

Pros

• 4X miles on eligible American Airlines purchases for the first $150,000 in spending per calendar year, then 5X miles on eligible American Airlines purchases once you surpass $150,000 in spending per calendar year
  • The current offer is 2X miles on eligible American Airlines purchases.
• 10X miles on cars and hotels booked through the American Airlines booking portals
  • No similar offer is currently available.
• 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points after reaching 50,000 Loyalty Points in a status qualification year
• An additional 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points after reaching 90,000 Loyalty Points in the same status qualification year
  • This card currently offers 10,000 Loyalty Points after you spend $40,000 during a status qualification year.
• All-new statement credits, including up to $120 on eligible Avis or Budget car rentals, up to $120 on eligible Grubhub purchases and up to $120 in Lyft credits per year
• Improved travel protection features, including trip cancellation and interruption protection, trip delay protection, lost baggage protection and worldwide car rental insurance
• 100,000-mile sign-up bonus for spending $10,000 in the first three months after account opening
  • Current offer is 50,000 miles for spending $5,000 in the first three months.

Cons

• Annual fee is increasing from $450 to $595.
• Annual fee will be $175 for the first three authorized user, and $175 per authorized user after that.
  • The current annual authorized user fee is $0 for the first three authorized users and then $175 for each authorized user after that.

As you can see, the AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard will see a $145 increase in its annual fee. However, you can easily make up for that $145 increase with this card’s new elevated spending bonuses, new statement credits and bonus Loyalty Points.

In addition to the new benefits that will be offered by this card, the following existing benefits will continue to be available:

• Admirals Club airport lounge membership
• TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee reimbursement of up to $100 every four years
• First checked bag free for the primary cardmember and up to eight companions on the same reservation on American Airlines domestic flights
• 25% savings on eligible American Airlines inflight food and beverage purchases when using the card
• Priority boarding, priority check-in and priority screening on American Airlines flights for the primary cardmember and up to eight companions on the same reservation
• Dedicated concierge service

Unfortunately, you’ll no longer be able to add up to three authorized users to your card for free under the new changes. This is a pretty huge change in the negative direction, especially because authorized users are granted complimentary access to Admirals Club lounges.

So, under the past rules, you could add up to three authorized users for free, and all three of them could earn AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points and gain complimentary access to Admirals Club lounges. Under the new rules, you’ll need to pay $175 for the first three and for each authorized user after that.

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® Overview

To make this all easier to understand, here’s a full overview of the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® as it’s expected to look after the changes take effect.

Are These Changes Good or Bad?

For existing Executive World Elite Mastercard cardholders who have added up to three authorized users on their account, these changes may be a bad thing. If that describes you, then you may want to remove those authorized users from your account, or else you’ll begin paying for them.

Existing cardholders will also want to be aware of the increased annual fee. If you’re going to continue to use your AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard as you have been (and not taking advantage of the new benefits), then you’re simply going to be paying $145 more annually without receiving any additional benefit. In this case, you may want to consider trying to downgrade your card to another card in the Citi® / AAdvantage® family with a smaller annual fee.

However, if you’re willing to take full advantage of the new benefits being offered by this card, then you can easily offset the increased annual fee. The miles that you earn on eligible American Airlines purchases are going to double from 2X miles to 4X miles, and the new ability to earn 10X miles on car rentals and hotels through the American Airlines booking portals means that you can rack up AAdvantage miles much quicker when making travel purchases.

The new statement credits available with this card can also help you to quickly offset the increased annual fee. The new Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard offers up to $360 more in annual statement credits (compared to the $145 increase in the annual fee), including up to $120 per year towards Avis and Budget car rentals, up to $10 per month toward Grubhub and up to $10 per month toward Lyft. If you’re able to use these credits to the fullest, then the new changes to this card are probably a good thing for you.

The fact that this card’s sign-up bonus is changing from 50,000 miles to 100,000 miles is a huge incentive for those thinking of signing up for the AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard for the first time. While you will have to spend more within a three-month period to earn this new elevated bonus, the ability to rack up 100,000 AAdvantage miles instantly is a pretty huge advantage.

So, in summary, if getting free Admirals Club lounge access for your friends and family and earning miles and Loyalty Points through authorized usership was a big selling point for you, then these changes might be bad for you. However, if you’re willing to take advantage of the new increased spending bonuses and statement credits, then these changes might be to your benefit.

The Bottom Line

The major changes to the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® may be a good or bad thing for you, depending on whether you’re already an existing cardholder and what features of the card are most important to you.

The annual fee for this card increased from $450 to $595, and new charges for authorized users. This is a big deal if you’re an existing cardholder with authorized users you’ve added to your account for Admirals Club lounge access.

However, these increased fees come alongside a major improvement in benefits. The AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard will offer up to $360 more in annual statement credits and significantly higher spending bonuses. And if you’re able to take full advantage of these improvements, then the changes should be great for your wallet.

Whether you have the AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard already or you’re considering opening one, you should familiarize yourself with the benefits and drawbacks of this card and decide whether it’s going to be a good addition to your credit card strategy.