Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard review: Complimentary Admirals Club membership

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

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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 complimentary Admirals Club membership, as well as several other benefits that make flying American Airlines more enjoyable. 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, and that’s the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard.

The card’s annual fee is $595, which might seem steep but is still much less expensive than an Admirals Club membership (costing from $700).

To be approved for the card, a credit score of 670 or higher is recommended.

Let’s review all the benefits of this American Airlines cobranded card to help you decide whether to carry — or keep — it in your wallet.

Citi /  AAdvantage Executive World Elite pros and cons

Citi /  AAdvantage Executive World Elite welcome offer

For a limited time, new Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard cardholders can earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 within the first three months of account opening. This bonus is worth $1,650, based on TPG’s May 2025 valuations.

This offer matches the highest we’ve seen in the card’s history and has appeared two other times before (the past two summers). The bonus makes it an excellent time to apply for the card if you’ve been considering it.

Note that you aren’t eligible to earn the bonus on this card if you have received a welcome bonus from this card (or another Citi card that you’ve converted to this product) in the past 48 months.

Related: 15 cards currently offering welcome bonuses of 100,000 points or more

Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite benefits

What sets the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard apart from the competition is that it provides complimentary Admirals Club access.

The primary cardholder receives a full Admirals Club membership, which allows them and their immediate family or two guests access to the club when they have a same-day boarding pass for American or one of its partner airlines. This credit card is tied to a cardholder’s AAdvantage account number, so there’s no need to carry the physical card to get club access.

A Admirals Club membership ordinarily costs $700-$850, depending on your status level with American and if it’s a new membership or a renewal. That means the annual fee covers the lounge access, even before factoring in the card’s other benefits.

An additional $175 annual fee is charged for the first three authorized users and $175 for each authorized user thereafter. Authorized users receive 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 prepaid Avis or Budget car rentals every calendar year (this credit was restricted in July 2024)
• Up to $120 back on eligible Grubhub purchases every 12 billing statements (up to a $10 statement credit on each monthly billing statement)
• Up to $120 in Lyft credits annually ($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), 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 which class you’re traveling in.
• First checked bag free on domestic itineraries: On domestic itineraries flown by American Airlines 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 to qualify for the free checked bag.
• Inflight discount: 25% off inflight food and beverages when you pay with your card (excludes inflight Wi-Fi)
• Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee statement credit: Get an up-to-$120 statement credit when paying your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee with this card. 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 also offers the following insurance for:

• Car rentals
• Lost baggage
• Trip cancellation
• Trip delay
• Trip interruption

Finally, there are no foreign transaction fees, making this card a good choice when traveling abroad.

Related: Everything you need to know about foreign transaction fees

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.

Finally, 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 receive another bonus of 10,000 Loyalty Points after reaching 90,000 Loyalty Points in the same 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 points just by holding the card.

Related: 8 methods that earned American AAdvantage Executive Platinum

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 South America from 15,000 miles each way.

Alternatively, you could get a ton of value by redeeming your AAdvantage miles for premium-cabin awards on partner airlines, including Cathay Pacific, Etihad and Qatar Airways.

TPG contributing editor Matt Moffitt and credit cards writer Danyal Ahmed‘s favorite way of redeeming AAdvantage miles is to book business-class flights on Etihad or Qatar Airways to the Middle East and beyond to Asia and Africa.

The miles you can earn with this card could help you make the vacation of your dreams come true if you know how to redeem them for high value.

Related: Best uses of American Airlines AAdvantage miles

Which cards compete with the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite?

American is not a transfer partner of any of the major points programs (with the exception of Marriott Bonvoy). So, the biggest competitors to this card are mostly other cobranded American Airlines cards. That said, 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® (see rates and fees) is a solid mid-level credit card that offers elitelike benefits for a lower annual fee of $99, which is waived for the first 12 months. To learn more, read our full review of the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select.
• If you’re not a loyal American Airlines flyer: It could make more sense to stick to a premium travel rewards card such as The Platinum Card® from American Express. You’ll earn 5 points per dollar on flights (when booked directly with the airline or American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) and take advantage of myriad airline transfer partners. To learn more, read our full review of the Amex Platinum.
• If you’re a business owner: The Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees) is an entry-level cobranded business card that offers premium travel benefits and bonus-earning potential in business categories. The low annual fee of $99 is waived for the first 12 months, and the main cardholder earns Loyalty Points from their purchases. To learn more, read our full review of the Citi / AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard.

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

Related: Choosing the best credit card for American Airlines flyers

Bottom line

Since a Admirals Club membership starts at $700 each year, the $595-per-year Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard should catch the eye of any frequent American Airlines flyer.

If you want Admirals Club access and to boost your AAdvantage mileage balance with a welcome bonus (while also easing elite status requirements), this card provides ongoing value.

However, you might want to look elsewhere if you’re looking for a card that will give you a better return on your spending.

Apply here: Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard