Originally Posted by Corelli

Just successfully got the 30k AA miles, along with an 24k AA miles by doing the initial funding with my barclays card.

SOME NOTES:

Open the account online!! Do not waste time going to the bank and doing it in person. 1. it will take about 10 times longer, 2. the bank rep will try to get you to open other accounts you don't need, 3. you might get hit with a hard pull (as I was, but then had removed after a few phone calls), and most importantly 4. you CAN NOT fund the account with your barclays card if open the account in person.

You can only fund the account with a credit card once, and only if the account is opened online. This wasn't really clear from what I had researched online, and even what I was told by multiple citi CSRs upon calling up.

They way I learned these lessons: I opened one account for myself in the branch. Big mistake. And I then opened another account for my wife online. Took 10 minutes and allowed for the additional 24k miles. With the account I opened in the branch, I wasn't able to do the initial funding with a credit card and thus lost out on an additional, additional, 24k. But overall, 30k miles for the cost of a money order and some time on the phone, and a headache or two, is more or less still a good deal.

I secured messaged them once the accounts were set up and conditions met in order to ensure that the conditions were met and when the miles would post. I then saved the conversation for my records. And sure enough, a day after the date mentioned, the miles posted.

So, in short, sign up online, and if you have a barclays card use it!

Oh, and also, I was never hit with any fees for the 3 and half months or so the account was opened.

Good luck!