Citi / AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard review: Best for American loyalists

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

Citi is a TPG advertising partner. 

Citi / AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard overview

If you’re looking for an American Airlines cobranded credit card for your business, the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees) is one of the few options available. The card has a $0 introductory annual fee (then $99) and doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. That said, it isn’t one of the strongest business cards on the market. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐

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

Business owners loyal to American Airlines should consider the cobranded Citi AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard. Along with its $99 annual fee ($0 introductory annual fee for the first year), it also has perks that make for a better passenger experience when flying on American.

Note that the card has a recommended credit score of 740 or higher. Now, let’s examine why your business should consider this card if you and your employees travel regularly on American Airlines.

Citi AAdvantage Business pros and cons

Citi AAdvantage Business welcome offer

Currently, the welcome bonus on the Citi AAdvantage Business allows new cardmembers to earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first five months of account opening.

TPG’s April 2025 valuations peg AAdvantage miles at 1.65 cents each, making this welcome bonus worth $1,238.

There have been offers for up to 80,000 bonus miles in the past, so this is not the highest welcome offer we’ve seen on this card. However, it’s higher than the card’s standard offer, so it’s worth considering if it’s been on your radar.

Employee spending will count toward your welcome bonus, so that’s a great incentive to add some employee cards to your account.

Related: The best ways to use American Airlines miles

Citi AAdvantage Business benefits

The Citi AAdvantage Business card comes with several benefits that will be useful to American Airlines business travelers, including:

• First checked bag free: You and up to four travel companions on the same reservation will get a free checked bag on domestic flights. This is worth up to $80 per person on a round-trip flight, so you can quickly cover the card’s annual fee with this perk alone.
• Companion certificate: Your business can earn a certificate for one round-trip domestic (48 contiguous states unless you’re from Alaska or Hawaii) main-cabin itinerary after you spend at least $30,000 on the card during your membership year. Note that redeeming the certificate costs $99, plus taxes and fees. You must book the flight on American Airlines or one of its regional partners.
• Inflight savings: Cardholders will receive a 25% discount on inflight Wi-Fi, food and drinks when paying with their card.

Earning miles on the Citi AAdvantage Business

With the Citi AAdvantage Business card, you’ll earn 2 miles per dollar spent on the following categories:

• Eligible American Airlines purchases
• Telecommunications merchants
• Cable and satellite providers
• Car rental merchants
• Gas stations

You’ll also earn 1 mile per dollar on everything else.

Although this card offers bonus miles per dollar spent in several popular business categories, purchases such as hotels, shipping and office supplies aren’t included and earn only 1 mile per dollar spent.

You can give employees their own cards, allowing you to earn miles on their spending in addition to your own. Miles earned by the primary cardholder and any authorized user’s card will be deposited into an AAdvantage Business account and can be transferred to the AAdvantage account of the primary account holder or another employee.

The AAdvantage program also allows cardholders of any AA-cobranded card to earn Loyalty Points to help them achieve elite status with American Airlines.

For every dollar spent on purchases on either the primary card or an authorized user’s card, you earn 1 Loyalty Point. However, note that Loyalty Points earned by an authorized user will be posted to the AAdvantage account of the authorized user, not that of the primary cardholder.

Redeeming miles on the Citi AAdvantage Business

American Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world based on passengers carried. An airline this large provides many redemption opportunities, especially when you factor in its Oneworld partners.

The AAdvantage program has several sweet spot awards that can help you get the most out of your miles via premium redemptions. Some of the most valuable partners you can redeem AA miles for are Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, JAL, Cathay Pacific and Qantas.

As a Citi AAdvantage Business cardholder, credit cards writer Danyal Ahmed used his miles to book a one-way ticket in Qatar’s Qsuite product on his way to Tanzania for 75,000 AAdvantage miles.

Related: Your ultimate guide to American Airlines AAdvantage

Which cards compete with the Citi AAdvantage Business?

For businesses that travel frequently, the main competitors to the Citi AAdvantage Business are business credit cards that earn transferable rewards.

• If you prefer American Express: The American Express® Business Gold Card, with its $375 annual fee (see rates and fees), is significantly more expensive than the Citi AAdvantage Business but offers higher earnings in key business categories (subject to a spending cap), more redemption options, a slew of statement credits and better business travel and purchase protections. For more information, check out our full review of the Amex Business Gold.
• If you prefer Chase: The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees) has a $95 annual fee and allows cardholders to earn bonus points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. You can transfer your points to any of Chase’s 14 transfer partners for even more value. For more information, check out our full review of the Ink Business Preferred.
• If you prefer Capital One: The Capital One Venture X Business card earns bonus miles on select travel booked through Capital One Travel and unlimited 2 miles per dollar spent on all other purchases. Cardholders also get a $300 annual credit for Capital One Travel and 10,000 bonus miles each year. For more information, check out our full review of the Venture X Business.

For additional options, check out our full list of the best business credit cards.

Related: How to choose the best credit card for your business expenses

Is the Citi AAdvantage Business worth it?

If you fly American Airlines and check a bag frequently, you can easily justify the card’s $99 annual fee (after the first year). However, if you aren’t committed to American Airlines, you’ll likely get more value from a different airline cobranded card or business rewards travel card.

Bottom line

If you’re a frequent American Airlines flyer, you’ll enjoy the Citi AAdvantage Business’s benefits and the opportunity to earn elite status through credit card spending. However, its earning rates are far from impressive, and it’s devoid of the travel protections that come automatically with many other travel cards.

If you’re looking for an everyday spending card for your business, there are better options than the Citi AAdvantage Business card. On the other hand, if you’re an American Airlines loyalist looking for a mid-tier card, the AAdvantage Business may be the right fit for you.

Apply here: Citi AAdvantage Business

For rates and fees of Amex Business Gold Card, click here.