IADCAflyer

Yah, this is a big one. My SO travels semi-frequently and always has travel issues, so the AC access is a big deal for her.

ysolde

I'm not sure this card makes sense if you're only going to use the AC 2/3 times a year. It is a great card to lean into when AA is one of principal airlines you are going to use, and there are ACs at the airports you fly out of. For us, this has made the card a game-changer, since we fly out of PHX, where AA is pretty much the only game in town. Having the AC (and the Aangels) makes all the difference in the world, sometimes.

Athena53

Can you? I know it used to be true and I've done it, but I'm not so sure anymore with the clubs becoming more crowded. I was flying through SEA in late 2021 and tried to buy a day pass at an Alaska Air lounge. They weren't selling any but directed me to another Alaska Air lounge in a different terminal. I took an overcrowded tram there- nope, they weren't selling day passes, either. Yes, I know this discussion is about Admiral's Clubs but I know that in general the airline clubs are getting crowded and they have a pecking order for people being turned away.

My Executive card is "in the mail" as I type this- I hope. They offered me 60,000 miles for a $6,000 spend and I'm planning on taking DS, DDIL and 3 kids to San Diego next year so that will easily make up the $6K. (I had a specific Offer Number I had to input when applying so it was available only to me.) I doubt I'll keep it at renewal- I'm starting to enjoy credit card churn, keeping my Fidelity and Costco Visas over the long term.

One question, though: they're flying from DSM, I'm flying from MCI, we'll connect in PHX or DFW to get to San Diego. So, we won't have the same PNR since we have different itineraries. Will they still get the early boarding and free checked bag perks as long as I book them on my card? I know they won't have AC access unless I'm with them and I doubt I could get all of us in (me, 2 other adults, kids ages 10,7 and 5) in at no extra cost.

JJeffrey

Yea, the clubs can limit access when using a day pass due to crowding, so it's not a sure bet that you can always enter using a day pass.

Keep in mind in order to get the 60k mile sign up bonus the $6k spend needs to happen in the first 3 months, so spending on a trip next year wouldn't count.

And pax on different PNR's won't get the baggage benefit that comes with your card. But as an AC member your immediate family and/or up to 2 guests are allowed, so I doubt you'll have a problem with your kids and 2 adult guests.

F1.Cullen

As they say, your mileage may vary (), but for us, using the Admirals Club 2-4 times a year, plus the checked baggage that comes with it is worth it to us. On top of that, we use the AA Executive card for virtually all daily spend, including larger purchases. We only use a backup card where the MasterCard is not accepted (i.e. Costco).

For us, it just works. It's very easy to use and you know what your'e getting. I'm in charge of the cards in this household, but I'd have to have a VERY compelling reason to get rid of the AA Executive, and thus lounge access, to appease the wife and 'get her approval'. We also live in an American Airlines fortress city (DFW).

Athena53

Thanks- the trip will take place around this time next year but I will definitely be buying tickets within the 3 months after the card arrives- just need to talk with DS and DDIL about timing.

Unfortunate that they won't be able to check bags for free but DDIL is extremely well-organized with packing and they'll be OK with paying to check a bag or two.

MarkOK

Originally, I got the card when I only flew about 4-6 times a year, and 3-4 of those times would be as a family. Under the old system, this wasn't enough miles or segments to get Gold, so we got a lot of value between the free baggage allowances, priority checkin, group 4 boarding, and AC lounge access. It was like flying with status without status. And a lot of the AC value was because my kid was young and the lounge made layovers so much more manageable (kid could get a snack and then play games in the kids room that a lot of ACs have. Dealing with a 4-6 year old in a terminal seating area sucks.

Now that it is easy to get status via shopping, the baggage, check in, and group 4 boarding benefits are meaningless. So, it comes down to how often I make use of the AC, and that calculation is pretty borderline....

VegasGambler

It should always have been about how often you make use of the AC. You can get all the other benefits from a card with a $99 AF that's waived the first year and gives you a $125 flight credit once a year after some amount of minimum spend. You are basically paying $500/year for the AC access.

It's a pretty terrible card overall too, with low earnings and no good travel benefits. It's basically just a discounted AC membership.

CJ99

But that card doesn’t give you Priority AAccess, which you miss when you’re not an elite-level FF. Agree that the other perks are anemic; UA’s Club Card, by comparison, earns 4x miles on UA purchases, 2x on restaurants and other travel, and has trip delay/cancellation and baggage delay insurance.

CJ

VegasGambler

what's priority access? The check in line?

F1.Cullen

Correct.

I do wish it had better benefits for the cost (annual fee), but oh well. It’s a very worn card in our wallets.

NYC Flyer

Small quirk that may be helpful to know...I just (re)acquired this card. Application website said card would arrive in an unmarked envelope. Received email that it was on the way and to call by XX date if card had not arrived. I was out of town for an extended period and did not return until about 3 days after the date had passed. I was slightly concerned they might have killed the card due to lack of activation and I'd have to go through the rigmarole of getting a replacement sent.

In the end, I get a notice that there's a package in my lobby on the day I returned--Citi did not even send the card for almost two weeks, and it arrived in an AAdvantage branded 3/4" thick box via FedEx.

deeruck

Yeah, when mine needed to be replaced due to fraud, it was sent out at a similarly leisurely, non-premium pace. It wasn't two weeks but I've found Amex to be much better at getting a card to me quickly.

IADCAflyer

Thats strange. Whenever I've misplaced my Exec card or it was compromised, a replacement showed up the next day (even on a weekend).

MarkOK

Yeah, the priority boarding and check in were nice perks that I definitively valued and considered when evaluating the cards.

1. The ~$450 Annual fee card gets you Group 4 boarding, the $100 annual fee card gets you Group 5 boarding. If you are group 5, you might as well be group 8.
2. The $450 Annual fee gets you Priority Check-in Access, the $100 fee card doesn't. I am a big fan of going to the Priority check in lane (even when I travel alone), vs being scuttled towards a self-check in machine and having to tag all my own bags and flip through all those screens. And when I was towing around a child and all that crap, it was a god-send at big airports just walking up to a counter than waiting in a long line just to do all the work myself with getting my bags tagged.
3. The $450 annual fee gets priority bag tags. Which when it works, is nice (though, not that big of a deal).

(and $125 after $20,000 in purchases just makes up for the opportunity costs by not using better cash back cards. I can get $400 cash back on $20,000 spend, for example, which is worth more to me than $125 + 20,000 AA miles (which I value at 1-1.5 cents per mile, generally speaking). So the 95$ or whatever annual fee should not be discounted!)

Edit: and keep in mind, this was before the LP system. So spending on a card was pretty much just a value proposition for redeemable miles. Now, if you are spending on the card to get LPs then valuations of things may be different and that 20K spend may occur either way, in which case, you could discount the 95$ annual fee.