air360

alright - debated on where to ask this but decided upon the actual AA section since it relates specifically to AA.

I currently have the Citi AA Exec and my annual fee is coming up next month. I have enjoyed the card but honestly I am not using the benefits (lounge, etc) enough to justify the 450 fee.

We live in a small town that is serviced by only AA less than 7 min away with the next airline being over an hour away...so we tend to fly AA the most.

With that being said...do yall have opinions on what is the best card in which to earn AA miles?

I have the SPG which i know gives a bonus when you transfer 20k+ miles to AA...which seemed like not a bad option.

I also looked at the citi prestige which is offset in its fee with the 200 credit...so that is nice....but we fly via miles more than actual purchased tickets...so even with the 1.6 per point im not sold on it.

I am thinking I might downgrade the Citi AA Exec to the Citi Double since it is a pretty good card and it would keep the credit line open.

But in general....do yall have another card without a super high fee that you would recommend for AA that would be better than the SPG for getting AA miles?

Thank you for the insights!

KDCAflyer

As far as I know, there are no cards out there that earn more than one mile/point per dollar (on purchases other than AA airfare) that can be transferred to AA.

The SPG card is your best bet. The 5K bonus is really nice, and sometimes AA does promos where they will tack on another 20% to Starpoints being transferred in (as they are doing right now).

I would also recommend downgrading to the AA Platinum Select card, instead of the Double Cash. It does carry an annual fee ($95), but it also gives you priority boarding, free checked bags, a 10% rebate on award travel, and 2 miles for every dollar spent on AA/US.

air360

Thanks for the insight and recommendation! I appreciate it!

aamilesslave

I'd say only if you can justify paying the annual fee on two cards. I can really just justify one fee for my spend (plus I think the Citi Double cash is a great card, which has no annual fee). That said, I often hold cards for the waived initial first year to capitalize on sign-up bonuses...but more and more cards are not waiving the first year annual fee these days, especially those with high sign-up bonuses.

2Tall4Y

If you are flying short to mid-haul domestic in economy the Chase Sapphire Preferred card might be a good fit for you, as you can transfer the UR points to the BA Avios program and book AA flights this way as AA and BA are OW partners. You can pair this with the Chase Freedom for enhanced earning. The credit card forum under Chase would be a good place to learn more.

AMEX MR also transfer to Avios, but the ratio will soon go from 1:1 to 1:0.8.

ijgordon

Avois is good for booking short-haul flights, as the award chart is distance-based, but I think it's pretty bad for long-haul premium class (vs. AAdvantage), partly because of the surcharges.

mikelat

Have the Exec card annual fee coming up soon and looking for a decent replacement. Only thing my wife and I have really liked about the Exec card is the Admiral's Club membership. Even with that, honestly we've mostly used it for AS Boardroom access on our flights out of SEA. When I fly on my own it's typically INTL itineraries so I get AAdmiral's club due to my EXP status.

Looking to maximize sign up bonus as well.

Any other card options to get AAdmirals club? Or any good options for AS Boardroom/Priority Pass (incl cardholder & guest)?

aafreq

Just rec'd my new Citi 'Platinum' Advanttsge Card...would you Believe....it still has a Intnl Transfer Fee !?!?!? Therefore I will not use it when overseas....what a waste and @ 17.99% a proverbial 'Rip'...
Disappointing......

bunmango

Check out the Citi Prestige card - it gives you AC access w/ the caveat that you're traveling on AA/US itinerary that day, so it's different than a normal AC membership. It also comes w/ PriorityPass as well, so it sounds like what you're looking for.

wideman

I've got the Citi Platinum AA credit card that offers Group 1 boarding. I have award tickets on an AA flight using British Airways Avios. I paid the taxes/fees using a different credit card, but I have associated the AA PNR with my AAdvantage number.

Will I still get the priority boarding?

lobo411

Interesting...I called Citi (I have a Prestige and AA Plat card) to report that I'd be traveling abroad, and they already had all the details from AA. Makes it easy!

Centurion

I actually find this disturbing:

knit-in

Limited time offer, available on AA.com

50,000 points after a $3000 spend. $95 Fee waived for first year.