Received a targeted Citi AA Amex offer, need some advice.

I received a targeted offer from Citi today, regarding their AA Amex product. I'm assuming that my existing AA card with them triggered this offer. Here's the benefit summary that they included:


Plus, the $95 annual fee is waived as long as your current platinum card account remains open and is linked to your new card.
--Earn 25,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $750 in purchases within the first 4 months of being a cardmember.
--Get the first eligible bag checked free for you and up to 4 travel companions.
--Enjoy Priority Boarding with Group 1 privileges and use the extra time to prepare for your flight.
--Earn a $100 American Airlines Flight Discount each year of cardmembership in which you spend $30,000 or more in purchases and renew your cardmembership.
--Earn 10% of your redeemed AAdvantage® miles back – up to 10,000 AAdvantage® miles each calendar year.
--Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 you spend on eligible American Airlines purchases.
--Plus, earn 1.2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 you spend on other purchases for the first 18 months of cardmembership.7 After this promotional period, you can earn 1 AAdvantage® mile for every $1 you spend on other purchases.
--Receive a 25% savings on American Airlines in-flight food and beverage purchases when you use your card.


Most of these benefits are the same, but the lack of an annual fee, and the nearly two years of 20% mile earn are tempting....especially since I regularly use the AA Dining program to full effect. The up front bonus isn't as big as some cards, but the long term bonus earn potential is hard to resist.

Before I decide though, I'd to hear from you all, as you have much more collective wisdom in this area than I do. So, what do you think? Deal, or No Deal?

I got this offer a while back and jumped on it. 1.2 miles on everything was too hard to pass up.

i don't think it's a good deal. unless i'm mistaken, 1.2 miles per dollar spent means that you'd have to spend $75,000 a year to get 15,000 extra aa miles. Instead, you can get the 40k deals for aa cards.

I agree with this. Unless you really plan to spend on this card, I don't think it is worth it.

Example - let's say you plan on spending $5k or 10k total on this card.

$5k * 1.2 = 6k miles + 25k bonus = 31k total

$10k *1.2 = 12k miles + 25k bonus = 37k total

Both of these are still under the current best offer of 40k sign up bonus.

The offer I got was for an Amex shortly after I got the MasterCard. I'm not eligible for another AA card because of the 18 month waiting period. Why wouldn't someone have taken this given no other choices??

If you had a AA personal card, it's 18 months between new applications under the old rule. The business card could be churned every few months.

As you can see from the Citi AA thread, you really have a lot of ways to mix and match the personal cards to optimize your mileage. The Biz card could be out of cycle.

get the usual 40k offers, hit min spend, and then let it sit in your drawer for a brief period (~3-4 months)...then call the retention dept to cancel. it is very common to get hit with a spend x and get x bonus miles each month retention bonus for 18 months (e.g. for me, its spend $750, get 750 extra...so 2x).

That's right. This offer was for a SECOND personal card that I was offered within a month of getting the first personal AA card. This offer wasn't for a business card.

Why wouldn't you take them up on this offer and then try that with both cards if so inclined? I'm not getting why you'd pass on the second card.

I see what you mean. In truth, I know that the other cards offer a better sign up bonus. At least at this point in time, here's my thought process/rationale:

1. The 1.2 miles per $ feature is good for 18 months. So, I could leverage that until it expires, then cancel the card when it reverts back to 1:1 earn rate.

2. It seems like 18 months is the churn period for AA personal cards, so this should work well from a timing POV too.

3. I use the AA dining program regularly, and get 5 miles per $. So, if I pay with the Amex, I get the dining bonus + 20%

4. This can all be augmented by my SPG Amex, which transfers 1:1 to AA.


So, this is the point where you all get to tell me I'm an idiot. Proceed.

Why don't you just sign up for AMEX SPG and get 1.25 miles per dollar spent?

1. 1.2x is not much. You would have to spend 75k to break even the 15,000 point difference
2. I would not keep a citi aa card 18 months. Cancel it before 12 months end, and apply for business aa in between
3. But AA dining would work with any AA card, not just the one u selected
4. Keep SPG for hotel redemptions
5. It is likely citi will have a "new" AA product after the merge. In the mean times, I'd maximize miles earned in shortest time.

I got a similar offer and plan on using it. My offer expired a while ago but I'm hoping that the usual Citi rule of "if the app loads, you can usually get the offer" will apply. I've kept an AA card since 2008, they are my preferred program. The no fee Amex will link to the 2008 card, and I'll enjoy another mileage boost.

There are kind of two separate questions regarding the offer. 1) Is it worth getting the bonus? I would say yes, unless you think that taking them up on this offer will hinder your ability to get a 40K bonus on a different AA card. 2) Is it worth putting everyday spend on the card? I would say maybe, but I think you could link your SPG Amex to the AA Dining program too, so not much advantage there. If this card is similar to a "linked" Citi card I have, it does not count as a new account (shares the same credit line as your existing AA Visa or MC). I have no idea as to whether acquiring the Amex "partner card" will reset the "18 month" clock.