Why should I take the $450 per year AA credit card?
Apr 18, 2016, 9:53 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: EWR
Programs: Mucci, AA EXP, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 587
Why should I take the $450 per year AA credit card?
I know that some here are very involved with mile churning credit cards. I don't have an interest in doing that. I am interested in why anyone else would be interested in the repeated offers that I get for a $450 annual fee for a high interest rate credit card. Aadmirals club membership? Not worth it. If I am so inclined (which I am ordinarily not, unless its a 2 hour + layover), that's a $50 fee. Checked bags? (included with status). Is there any other reason to bite on these repeated offers????
Apr 19, 2016, 1:05 am
#3
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London, England
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, National Exec, AA EXP Emeritus
Posts: 9,765
Thread's title has been updated to more accurately reflect its contents.
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Apr 19, 2016, 1:14 am
#4
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: FNT, but DTW if I can't help it
Programs: AAdvantage Former EXP/Current PLT / Total Rewards - Diamond / Hilton HHonors - Gold
Posts: 757
9 visits to the admiral's club (4ish round trips) = annual fee covered versus buying AC day passes.
Earning miles for money spent (2x on AA purchases)
No foreign transaction fees
I mean, I could just start copy-pasting card benefits, but I think you probably actually know what they are already. Your post infers that you don't want the card. So don't get the card if you don't want it. For me it's my everyday use card, and I earn a lot of miles with it. Between my signup bonus and using it to pay for furnishing a new house, I earned enough miles to take 3 family members to Europe this year.
YMMV I guess. It's not for everyone, despite the fact that they shove the ads down everyone's throats.
Earning miles for money spent (2x on AA purchases)
No foreign transaction fees
I mean, I could just start copy-pasting card benefits, but I think you probably actually know what they are already. Your post infers that you don't want the card. So don't get the card if you don't want it. For me it's my everyday use card, and I earn a lot of miles with it. Between my signup bonus and using it to pay for furnishing a new house, I earned enough miles to take 3 family members to Europe this year.
YMMV I guess. It's not for everyone, despite the fact that they shove the ads down everyone's throats.
Apr 19, 2016, 4:22 am
#6
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: AA EXP; 1W Emerald; HHonors Diamond; Marriott Gold; UA dirt
Posts: 7,848
I have the card and find the AC membership pays for itself (between a place to hide from the masses to the soups to the ability of the AC agents to get stuff done). Not to mention that when I got the card, they were offering a 100,000 mile signup bonus.
Apr 19, 2016, 4:35 am
#7
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: YYF/YLW
Programs: AA, DL, AS, VA, WS Silver
Posts: 5,956
If you're worried about the interest rate, absolutely, this credit card is not for you. In fact, no credit card is for you. Unless you pay the balance in full every month (and thus pay no interest), credit cards are never a good idea. And if you are for whatever reason paying interest on a credit card, a low interest rate should trump all ancillary benefit considerations because the interest rates and thus the difference between interest rates in different cards are so high.
Apr 19, 2016, 5:26 am
#9
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriot Am, MU Pt
Posts: 3,092
For all intents and purposes you are getting a credit card that earns you AA miles and a separate Admirals Club membership rolled into one annual fee, so like the regular member you can bring two guests or immediate family.
Apr 19, 2016, 5:29 am
#10
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 5,270
) friends and family members effectively has their own AC membership (with a couple minor exceptions) at no additional cost.
Apr 19, 2016, 5:52 am
#11
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: DTW
Programs: AA Exec Plt , Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 592
I have it because my wife and I do a lot of international travel and the card comes with no currency exchange fees on foreign purchases. It essentially pays for itself after two trips, at most. That coupled with the added benefit of Admirals Club access (membership which costs close to the card fee of $450 anyways) when we travel domestically, both together, and now individually, makes it worth it for us. We pay our balances in full each month so the higher interest rate doesn't matter.
Apr 19, 2016, 5:58 am
#12
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: LAX
Programs: AAdvantage EXPLAT, Hilton Diamond, SPG/Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum, Citi Exec MC, Amex Plat
Posts: 1,443
Really, it's a $355 premium over the $95 annual fee of the regular card I've had for over 7 years. Let's see, AC membership for me, AC access for my authorized users, global entry fee reimbursed, priority access as a non-elite, no foreign FX fees, etc
Interest rate doesn't concern me, I pay my balance in full each month. I only carry balances on 0% cards, paying them off before the intro period ends.
I fly every month, sometimes AA, sometimes UA out of LAX, I can get to the AC just as easily regardless of which airline I fly out of my main airports of LAX, BOS, ORD, DFW, and AUS.
Interest rate doesn't concern me, I pay my balance in full each month. I only carry balances on 0% cards, paying them off before the intro period ends.
I fly every month, sometimes AA, sometimes UA out of LAX, I can get to the AC just as easily regardless of which airline I fly out of my main airports of LAX, BOS, ORD, DFW, and AUS.
Apr 19, 2016, 6:28 am
#13
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Travel Safety/Security & Texas, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: AUS / GRK
Programs: AA, HHonors, Hertz
Posts: 13,508
I've never had a club membership, and have never been WOW'd at any domestic club on any airline. If I happen to be flying overseas and get access (through my status), I'll go. But I certainly don't see club access as worth the extra fee.
Apr 19, 2016, 7:23 am
#15
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: PWM
Programs: AA EXP, DL Platinum, and assorted hotel loyalty schemes.
Posts: 281
I don't have the card for a variety of reasons and it doesn't concern me if others do or don't. What does concern me is the incessant on-board pitches the flight attendants make for the card. I swear that they turn up the PA volume when making the pitch to a captive audience. (I realize it's a different card that the FAs pitch, but my point is the same).