It’s here. One of the most attractive offers I’ve ever seen (for a big spender).
Link: Citi Executive AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard
Offers like this don’t come around everyday. Granted, paying a MASSIVE annual fee isn’t the highest thing on my priority list right now, but the AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard looks sexy! Here are some of the big stats:
- Annual Fee: $450 (Ouch) This is NOT waived the first year.
- Statement credit is $200 (Basically this offsets the $450 down to $250)
- Spending requirement is $10,000 within 3 months. Not for the small spender out there.
- Bonus Miles: 100,000 (Wow, this is unreal)
Wait: There is more:
- Admirals Club Lounge Access (Normally $500 a year) This includes US Airways airport lounges.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Free checked bag
If you’re not drooling yet, I’m not sure what really excites you.
What is the Admirals Club?
This is the sweet airport lounge that has a quiet area. It feels more quiet than a library, and provides for a wonderful place to relax for your ridiculously long layovers. A rare few of them offer showers, which can be nice after a long day of travel.
They vary when it comes to amenities. Sometimes they’ll even offer snacks and enough for a cheap guy like me to have a meal. Late last year I spent a couple hours napping in a US Airways lounge. Upon waking from my slumber I snarfed down a bagel with creme cheese, yogurt, and some oatmeal. All of which were healthier than the alternatives. They offer free soft drinks and even a few hard drinks depending on the location.
Somehow they justify charging $500 for an annual pass to the lounge, which is ridiculous. Unless I spent a ton of time flying that wouldn’t be justified. With this card you’re allowed access for free as long as the card is active.
What will 100,000 AAdvantage Miles get you?
This is one of the largest bonuses ever awarded as a sign on bonus for a credit card. With AAdvantage miles being one of the most generous when it comes to award availability, it makes the Citi Executive card stand out of the crowd. Here are a few samples for coach travel:
- 4 Roundtrip SAAver awards within the continental USA
- 5.7 Roundtrip Reduced Mileage Award Roundtrip tickets within the continental USA
- 2.5 Roundtrip SAAver trips to Europe (off peak)
- 3.33 Roundtrip SAAver awards to Central America (off peak)
- 3.33 Roundtrip SAAver awards to Northern South America (off peak)
Check out their Award Chart to see other options on where to go. Seeing how far the 100k AAdvantage miles will take you has to make you consider an offer like this. Look at it this way: Would you pay $250 for over 5 roundtrip flights within the USA? How about taking that dream vacation to Italy?
Booking An American Airlines AAdvantage Award
Brad did a post the other day showing you how to how to book an AAdvantage Award on American Airlines to Europe without paying enormous surcharges.
Summary about the Citi Executive Card
I’ll be honest about this. This card is not for everyone. You can get 50k miles from the regular version that has no annual fee the first year. You can find that card on our Best Travel Credit Cards page.
If you can slay this spending requirement and you could put the miles to good use, then you ought to consider getting the card. I’ve never seen an offer for this card with such a large bonus.
This isn’t our link, so we can’t promise the’ll honor the deal, but it sounds like many other people have been qualifying for the offer. If you decide to make the plunge, let us know how it turned out.
