FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - New Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® Visa Signature® Card Benefits
Old Apr 4, 2012 | 8:56 am
  #85  
Ritz
15 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,905
Originally Posted by AmericanAirlines
We are happy to share that our Citi ExecutiveSM / AAdvantage® cardholders will enjoy the same 25% savings on in-flight purchases as of April 2, 2012; however other new benefits are not available on the Citi ExecutiveSM / AAdvantage® card. The Citi ExecutiveSM / AAdvantage® card carries many benefits such as the Admirals Club membership, the ability to earn Elite Qualifying Miles each calendar year, PriorityAAccess, and no foreign transaction fees that are not available on any other Citi® / AAdvantage® card today. Benefits were added to these specific cards as a result of extensive research and customer feedback and each of the Citi® / AAdvantage® credit cards is designed for the unique needs of different types of travelers.
While I certainly appreciate you enlightening us as to some of the clarifications with regard to the benefits, I am still amazed that an $95/year card carries these 2 benefits:

Originally Posted by longhorn11

$100 American Airlines Flight Discount

Earn a $100 American Airlines Flight Discount when you spend $30,000 or more in purchases on your
Citi® / AAdvantage® credit card during your cardmembership year (each 12 month period prior to your anniversary date) and your account remains open for at least 45 days after your anniversary. The Flight Discount expires one year from date of issue. The Flight Discount is redeemable toward the initial electronic ticket purchase of air travel wholly on flights operated by American Airlines, American Eagle or the AmericanConnection® carrier for itineraries sold and originating in the U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. The Flight Discount is also redeemable for air travel on any oneworld® partner or American Airlines codeshare flight. The Flight Discount is redeemable online at www.aa.com. The Flight Discount is redeemable only toward the purchase of the base air fare and directly associated taxes, fees and charges that are collected as part of the fare calculation for travel on American Airlines, American Eagle or the AmericanConnection® carrier. The Flight Discount may not be used for flight products and/or services that are sold separately or non-flight products and/or services sold by American Airlines. If the ticket price is greater than the value of the Flight Discount, the difference must be paid only with a credit, debit or charge card, or with American Airlines Gift Cards. If travel booked with the Flight Discount is cancelled or changed by the cardmember, the Flight Discount will be forfeited and the cardmember will be responsible for any applicable fare difference and the applicable change fee. The Flight Discount will not be replaced for any reason. The Flight Discount is non-refundable, may not be sold and has no cash redemption value. If the $30,000 purchase requirement was met during your cardmembership year and your account remains open for at least 45 days after your anniversary, please allow 8-12 weeks for the Flight Discount delivery.

Earn 10% Back on Your Redeemed American Airlines AAdvantage® Miles

For benefit to apply, your Citi® / AAdvantage® account must be open and active at the time of redemption. The American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles you earn through this benefit will be based on 10% of the total AAdvantage® miles you redeem each month during the calendar year. The maximum number of AAdvantage® bonus miles you can earn annually from this benefit is 10,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles per calendar year, regardless of how many AAdvantage® miles you redeem in that calendar year. This benefit only applies to AAdvantage® miles redeemed from the primary cardmember’s AAdvantage® account. Discover all the ways to redeem AAdvantage® miles at www.aa.com/redeem. Please allow 6-8 weeks after your redemption for the American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles to post to the primary cardmember’s AAdvantage® account.

...that our $450/year card does not. I have a hard time believeing that AA's extensive research split target demographics in such a way that somehow analysis yielded that those who are paying $450/year for the Citi Executive card wouldn't make use of the above 2 benefits - which now seem to be the 2 benefits that paying an extra $365/year doesn't get us.

I, and many of my FT (and Citi Executive cardholder) brethren that I talk to privately feel very disappointed that our loyalty to AA and our $450 annual fee don't rate for a 10% mileage redemption rebate and a single $100 mileage credit (upon $30,000 spend, which many of us hit) along with those that only have to pay $95 yearly for this new card. Considering our Citi Executive cards are not even a year old themselves, and with all the fanfare AA launched it with, one would think conventional wisdom might apply here and have these 2 rather nominal (but not insignificant) benefits available to satiate your MOST loyal - and PAYING - cardholders.

I would hope you might take this request seriously, as there are many of us who's $450 annual fee is right around the corner and every overture AA can make toward offsetting the cost of that card might make the difference between many of us keeping the card - or cancelling it and obtaining this new much-cheaper card and saving $355 yearly, duplicating some benefits, and actually gaining these 2 new benefits in the process.

Last edited by Ritz; Apr 4, 2012 at 9:21 am Reason: Updated yearly fee data point - with thx to rrgg
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