Originally Posted by
sxpsxpsxp
$199 fee vs. $90 fee for Citi Plat or $595 fee for Citi Exec
3x miles for AA purchases vs. 2x with Citi Platinum or 4x with Citi Exec
15k LPs, 5k at $20k/$40k/$50k vs. 10k at $50k and 20k at $90k 50k LPs and another 10k at 90k LPs with Citi Exec only
$25/day in onboard food vs. nothing with Citi (admittedly I've never once used this benefit)
$50/year in Wi-Fi credits vs. nothing with Citi
Companion cert vs. $125 flight credit with Citi Plat or nothing with Citi Exec (I would actually prefer the flight credit! - have never been able to use the companion cert)
Pre/GE credit vs. nothing with Citi Plat, only Citi Exec
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I don't disagree with your overall point about the Silver Aviator card, however the bolded comparison above is not exactly right. With the Silver card you earn the stated LP bonuses for
spend on the Silver card. With the Citi Exec, you earn the stated LP bonuses
based on overall LP accrual, no matter the source. Whether one or the other is better for you will depend on your own spending and LP-earning habits. For me the Citi Exec method is more useful for acquiring elite status; I wind up getting a 20k LP bonus without having to put any spend on the Exec card at all, let alone $50k. (This is why some people have both Silver and Exec card in their wallets -- LP accrual on the former earns LP bonuses on the latter.).