I'm really confused at the advice in this thread. The Citi AA cards have a great sign-up bonus. That's not in dispute. But what does that have to do with four years of 5-figure spending on college tuition?

After the initial spend, the AA cards give 1 mile per $.

There are still potential options for greater ongoing earnings:

• Southwest Visa gives about 1.8% toward domestic airfare planned in advance
• Virgin America Visa gives 2.15% toward Monday-Thursday or Satuday travel
• Fidelity Visa pays 1.5% up to $15k and then 2%, or 2% on everything if deposited in an IRA
• Orchard Bank has a 2% rewards card with an annual fee ($39-$59?)

Not knowing anything else about the OP's situation, I would assume redeeming AA miles for 2 cents value is unlikely. And a college student is more likely to need a domestic award redemption to get home than premium international travel.

So why not get both AA cards for the signup, then pick one of the higher return cards listed above for ongoing spend?

EDIT: Looks like only the AMEX version of the Fidelity card is straight 2% back? Regardless, the rest of the observations stand.