Batman's brother

I work for a consulting firm and the boss just said i have a new client in Dallas (DFW) and will be expected to fly in 6-8 times a year. And there is a twist...

I live in NY region and am a long-term United customer with a Chase credit card that gets me Points, access to the United Lounge and free luggage. I am UA Platinum Status member with close to a half-million miles in points that I’ve accumulated over the years. I will continue to optimize my United flying and using their branded card. Don't think I’ve flown an airline other than United in the last 10 years.

The twist is my client is a major vendor to American Airlines headquartered in Dallas. They have made it very clear it would raise eyebrows if I didn't fly AA into DFW, as they are paying for the business class flights.

Given the above and an estimated $10-$15K spend a year, is there a low fee AA Credit Card that makes sense for me? Something that might get me into the lounge and perhaps a free bag? I see a few posts that people recommend AMEX Platinum card but the fees aren’t worth it for me.

redtop43

I don't have an AA card, but I'm pretty sure that...
1) The basic Citi or Barclay's AA card will cost $95 a year, get you 2x or 3x (I'm not sure) points on AA purchases and a free bag.
2) The Citi Executive card will get you Admiral's Club admission, but it's around $450 a year.

There is no low-fee card that will get you lounge access.

_kurt

Get the Citi AA Platinum Select using one of the offers where the annual fee is waived for the first year. It won’t get you lounge access but at least you will have a free bag.

When the fee posts next year, downgrade to the Citi card that has no annual fee.

The Barclay cards are fine too but no lounge access there either.

njvandy

You shouldn't need to worry about baggage fees if you (or your client) are paying for F.

It all comes down to how much you value lounge access. If it was me, the $450 Citi Executive card would be a no brainer. 6-8 trips per year (presumably round trip) means 12-16 flights where you could access the AC and 12-16 flights where you could have a major delay/cancellation and could benefit greatly from the much faster rebooking assistance available in the club.

Also, if you have any family members or trusted friends who fly AA, you can add them as authorized users for no additional cost and they get AC access too. You can add up to 10 people for free.

Edited to add: the sign up bonus you will earn on the card will more than make up for the annual fee assuming you don't keep it past one year.

zkzkz

If lounge access is a top priority then 5 return flights in A or F on three-cabin aircraft would be enough to earn Oneworld Sapphire with BA. It would take 8x return trips in business (including "first" on two-cabin aircraft).

That would get you lounge access for free on any Oneworld itinerary. Not necessarily recommending that as there are reasons it's usually best to stick with the program of the airline you're flying but there are advantages the other way too.

There is a Chase BA card but I don't think offhand it would have any advantages for you. The signup bonus is pretty substantial if you start collecting Avios and want a boost though.

ER-One

I'm going to throw a curveball here and suggest the Capital One Venture X.
As a DFW-based flyer, i have loved the capital one lounge and it is, IMO, the best lounge in DFW (save for MAYBE AA flagship (ex-FFD, obv)).

You sound like you are fee-conscious, and therefore this will be a better net fee for you than the Citi Exec.
HOWEVER, I completely agree it is great to have useful IRROPS help in the ACs, so maybe do what i do and get both cards

guv1976

To qualify for oneworld Sapphire status with BA, one must fly a minimum of four BA-coded or IB-coded segments. Where would they come from?
​​​​​​
And AA flights between NYC and DFW are typically flown in two-cabin aircraft.

guv1976

As already noted, you'll get free checked baggage when flying AA on a premium-cabin fare. If your intention is to fly UA for your non-DFW business trips, the issue of checked-baggage fees would only come up if you were to redeem AA miles for Economy Class travel within North America, and perhaps a few other routes. Economy Class award travel to Europe, Asia, and most or all of South America includes at least one free checked bag.

As for lounge access, there is no cheap way of getting Admirals Club access. And there are no Priority Pass lounges at EWR, LGA, or the AA terminal at JFK. (There is a participating Priority Pass restaurant in the AA JFK terminal -- Bobby Van's Steakhouse -- but AA only offers two daily JFK-DFW nonstops. At LGA, Priority Pass only offers Minute Suites Express and Be Relax Spa; no conventional lounges.) If you were to obtain the Capital One Venture X card, you would have Priority Pass benefits, as well as access to the previously-mentioned Cap One lounge at DFW.

JFKEWR

The only CC that gives you lounge access is the Citi Executive. But if you don't use AA frequently, it is hard to justify the somewhat steep $450 annual fee.

roadtriper

6-8 Round trips a year on AA, and you are use to Lounge access flying UA. I would think the $450 AA Citi Exec card would be a no brainer? DFW has more than it's fair share of weather issues, you may be spending more time there than planned! RT

VegasGambler

As pointed out, the Venture X has a better lounge, is cheaper, and has actual benefits beyond lounge access.

ORD_DC9

This is not the best use of AA miles but one could get the Barclays Aviator Red card, make a purchase, pay the $99 annual fee, and get the 60,000 mile sign up bonus. Just need to scrounge up an additional 5,000 miles in spend, all together which can be used for a new individual club membership.

The $10-15K of annual spend on AA should be able to maintain the cycle of buying membership with miles, if so desired.

Again, not the best use of miles but an option if there are no other use for them.

jcatman

Imaginative idea. Welcome to Flyertalk, ORD_DC9.

EncFlyer

The CitiBusiness Platinum Select card comes with a Priority Pass membership that gives you 10 free Priority Pass visits each year. 65,000 mile bonus after 4k in spend in the first 90 days and the $99 annual fee is waived for the first year. You get 2x miles on American Airlines spend and 2x miles at gas stations and rental car agencies.

redtop43

Let me also point out that the OP will make Gold fairly quickly if he's flying paid J.

Note that the base miles you get from a CC will carry loyalty points, which will advance your status, and higher status gets more RDM's. Of course there are plenty of people who would say that AA miles are worth slightly less than a bucket of warm spit, but I beg to disagree. (Last night I booked a domestic one-way that was $429 cash for 8500 points, and even if I had taken the less expensive connection I was considering for $290, it's still 3.4 cents per mile.)

I would probably not worry too much about a credit card, although if there's a fee-free card that gets you both loyalty points and 2x on AA purchases, it's probably worth using for your AA flights.

If lounge access is sufficiently important you'll probably have to pony up the $450 for the Citi Executive card.

I don't think there's a Centurion lounge in EWR, and if you're a United flyer I'm guessing that's your "home" airport, however if it's not and lounge access is important, you might still consider Amex Platinum. It has a LOT of features including (I'm referring to the Biz Platinum because that's the one I have):
a) $400 annual credit with Dell
b) Free Clear membership
c) $200 airline fee credit
d) Discounts on tickets on your preferred airline (if you're willing to deal with the agony of dealing with totally incompetent agents if you have to change a flight)
e) 35% rebate if you pay for a flight with points.
f) 5x points on flights

Yes it's $695 a year but if I had a choice between $450 for Admirals Club access and $695 for Amex Biz Platinum it would be a no-brainer for Amex.