Old Sep 24, 2014, 4:20 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: DenverBrian
The thread was split on September 24, 2014. To review the original thread, click HERE.
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For questions NOT related to the application process - such as experiences using benefits - refer to the AA forum thread on this card: AA Citibank Executive / AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard (Master Thread)

Recommended Application Procedure:
Clear cache and cookies prior to applying or use an incognito or private browsing session to apply. Opening multiple different apps in different windows or tabs or failing to clear cookies/cache has resulted in people receiving a lesser offer for some Citi cards. We do not know, and Citi has not indicated, how long these offers will last. Citi has left other offers alive for over a year beyond the 'apply by' date in the past. These links could be here all year or gone tomorrow. If the application loads, it is good, based on past Citi applications that survived past the landing page expiration, regardless of any posted or advertised 'apply by' date.

MOST CURRENT LINKS:



CURRENT PUBLIC OFFER: 50k

"American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles are not available if you have had a Citi Executive / AAdvantage World EliteTM MasterCard opened or closed in the past 18 months"

Link A50

Link B50

Link C50

Link D50

Link E50

Link F50

Link G50

PREVIOUS OFFERS


Previous 75k links (NOT WORKING 11/18)


Link A75, Link B75, Link C75, Link D75, Link E75, Link F75, Link G75, Link H75, Link I75, Link J75, Link K75


Landing Page
Application Page (Both pages include the 18 month language).

http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...-executive.jsp

Option 1: Zombie Link with no Landing Page, Several FTers have been using this link with Success. Application Link 50k with 5k spending

Option 2: [note: may be dead or dying as of 3/16/15- check most recent posts in thread] Current Zombie link Application Link 50K for 5K spending, no statement credit.

Option 3: This Link was obtained off of aa.com at one point Bonus is unknown Application Link.

Option 4: Citi Website Offer; Application has the following warning
"American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles are not available if you have had a Citi Executive / AAdvantage World EliteTM MasterCard opened or closed in the past 18 months" There are indeed several reports of people who have already had an EXEC card not receiving any signup bonus miles. And no reports of anyone who has had an EXEC before actually getting any signup bonus at all. Do NOT use this link if you have ever had an EXEC card.
Landing page for New 50K for $5K spending, no statement credit and Application Link
The following are identical to Option 4, but the landing pages were working at the time they were entered into this wiki. All landing pages and application pages have the same content but (slightly) different URLs:
Option 4a: Landing page and Application page
Option 4b: Landing page and Application page
Option 4c: Landing page and Application page

Option 5: Does not have the 18-month language of Option 4, and the application form has the older format (like Option 2 and unlike Option 4).
Landing page for 50K for $5K spending, no statement credit and Application Link


Option 6: Artificially generated links; all lead to old-format application pages just like Options 1/2/5, without the "18 months" language found in Option 4 application pages. No landing page ever existed.
There are reports in the thread that applications using 6a/6d were approved but the UPS letter did not mention a bonus, and Citi telephone agents said there would be no bonus. Other reports say that the bonus was stated in the letter.
6a: Application page
6b: Application page
6c: Application page

6d: Application page

Option 7:The following link is very similar to Options 1/2/5 and has been found to work without an 18-month restriction. Since it does not originate from a landing page, there is no web page showing the bonus offer. However, the UPS letter confirms a 50K-mile bonus after $5K spend, and many people have reported that the bonuses have appeared in their AAdvantage accounts. Application Link Link to application page began dying on 6/1/2015. Now completely dead.



EXPEDITED SHIPPING
While reconsideration/application reps do not seem to be aware of this, these cards are expedited and usually arrive 1-2 days after approval.The CSR will not take a request to expedite the card.

Who is eligible for this card? Anyone as long as you can be approved for the minimum $5K credit line, subject to the standard Citi rules of 1 Citi app or card of any kind per 8 days and 2 Citi cards or apps of any kind per 65 days. It is always advisable to wait 65 days from any type of Citi denial before applying for another Citi card. Many have reported getting approved for this card in spite of having several open AA cards over the past year as well as having previously had this card.

Not sure about the 8 and 65 day rules? If your most recent application for any Citi card is less than click here - 8 days ago, you need to wait. Also, if your previous (second-to-last) Citi application is less than click here - 65 days ago, you need to wait. These are not rules published or known by Citi CSRs but rather based on thousands of Citi card applications and datapoints across several threads.

Credit inquiry history
Some have reported more approval success with no more than 5 or 6 Experian inquiries within the last 6 months. And Citi credit reviewers have told some applicants that too many inquiries is a problem, even with an excellent credit score. Multiple inquiries from other banks seem to be especially problematic, because Citi can't see their current balances as easily. Other applicants have been approved with more inquiries, especially with a long term Citi tenure and a favorable income to debt ratio.

This card can be churned. Recent datapoints concerning multiple Executive cards include posts 917, 1059 and starting at 1365. For in-depth datapoints and advice on churning Citi cards, read and study the extensive wiki posts in the HH thread and the AA Plat/gold thread. Click the plus on the right hand side of the wiki if you do not see the wiki text. Datapoints for bonus points posting on multiple cards include post 2579.


Getting around the $450 annual fee: Many people have been able to meet the spending requirement before the first statement posts and then cancel and have the fee refunded after the miles post. Details and datapoints include starting at post 74. T&C state that the card must be cancelled within 30 days of the fee posting to get it refunded; in practice you have 37 days. Potential problems with this plans include a very short (1 week or less) first "month" as well as delays in miles posting which have been reported by several FTers.

Once you cancel the card (within the 37 day window of AF posting) the refund will post on the account between 1-3 business days. Leave a $450 balance and it will be zeroed out.

Retention Bonus Offers: User have been offered the following retention bonus offers when calling to cancel the card:

- 5,000 points + $100 credit with $1,500 spend per month for 3 months 5333
- 2 additional club member passes 6862
- 1,000 bonus miles each month for 16 month, min $1k spend/month 6862
- [3/15] 15,000 bonus miles for spending $5k
- $450 Credit for spending $5k for next three statements

Already a member? If you already purchased an AC membership (for example, using the credit from Amex Plat) and apply and are approved for this card, AA will refund you the pro-rated AF from any time left on your membership.

When do miles post? Usually two days after your statement closing date. In some cases your statement will show the correct miles earned but will show 0 miles reported to AA. In this case see this thread.


Helpful points from post #3794 and others, especially for those new to Citi:
1) Citi CSRs are clueless, so disregard everything they say that seems to contradict anything you have read on F/T. And take everything else with a big grain of salt. I was told 3 times VERY CLEARLY "You will not got your annual fee refunded" while I was cancelling, but I did get it.

2a) With Citi, if you are approved for a card, and meet the minimum spend requirement, you will get the bonus listed for the offer you applied for. Every time ! Unlike Chase or AMEX, who will send you a card, wait for you to pay the fee and spend, and then say "sorry, you don't qualify for a bonus". If Citi doesn't intend to give you the bonus, they will just deny your app. They won't even do a pull, they will just instantly deny your app. If they send you the card, and you meet the spend on time, you will get the bonus. My attorney insists I add "that could change tomorrow", but from the Big Bang thru today, that has always been true.Recently, Citi has been approving Exec cards but not giving the bonus, e.g. when there has been less than 18 months from the previous application. Therefore, (a) use an application link that does not list the 18-month wait requirement; (b) check the letter you get via UPS to see if it explicitly promises the bonus; if it's in the letter, it will be honored (c) if in doubt, call and ask.

2b) Another helpful post discussing timeframe for meeting min spend: 6279

3) Any expectation that Citi will do things that make sense is just plain silly. They won't.

Citibank Contacts/Resources
  • Application status: https://www.accountonline.com/cards/...?screenID=3187
  • (800) 695-5171 Personal Application Status and Reconsideration Line with live rep
  • (800) 763-9795 General Personal Application Inquiries with live rep
  • (866) 606-2787 General Application and Account Questions with live rep
  • (888) 201-4523 Application status
  • (866) 606-2961 Reconsideration Line.
  • Twitter : @AskCiti. Very powerful tool.
  • Executive Office - useful for getting a more empowered agent for reconsideration purposes: CitiBank Executive Review Department, P.O. Box 6000, Sioux Falls, SD 57117
Admiral Club Access: You do not need to be flying AA that particular day of travel. (Ex: you're flying DL on the day of travel...you could still enter the AC lounge, even though you're not on an AA flight that day.) Beware, though, that individual lounges have individual rules (see the link below). Alternate rules usually come w/ Qantas lounges, not AA lounges. Furthermore, AC access "comes with" US Air access (19 locations). As of December 2015, authorized users have AC access (but not partner lounge access) even if they are not with the primary card holder.

For reference, an AC lounge list: http://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInforma...#admirals-club
For questions and discussions on lounge access: Help Desk: Lounge Access and Lounge Access Rules
Information on new authorized user AC lounge access: Citi Authorized User Admirals Club Benefit Terms

Also, please note that these cards do not include the 10% miles rebate offered by some other Citi AA products.

What about the EQM? AA tracks your miles earned on Executive card(s) and adds 10K Elite Qualifying Miles to your EQM balance once you earn 40,000 miles during a calendar year on Executive card(s). Any number of Executive cards can add up to the 40K, and you cannot earn more than 10K EQM each year. No redeemable miles are added, and this is of no consequence or value unless you will also earn at least 15K additional EQM in a given year by flying and 10K will bump you up to the next status level.

Direct phone number to Citi Fraud Prevention department: +18664705331

Concierge service enrollment (allows for electronic requests). Concierge number is +18778812668

Here are the minimum credit limit required amounts in order to keep an account open (for purposes of new card applications and reconsiderations)
Citi Amex 1k (likely citi gold as well)
Citi Visa signature/world MasterCard 3k (as low as 1k on some accounts YYMV)
Citi World elite Mastercards (including exec) 5k


Advice to those new to citi American Airlines cards,

If you are just starting out please apply and use the lower level citi AA card for a while before moving on to this thread and card. This will help you in the long run in more ways than one. Most of us here have opened and used lower level AA cards before moving on to this thread and card
Also,
Check out this thread
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/citi-...-benefits.html
Print Wikipost

Citi AA Executive [Late 2014 - 2015]

Old Sep 22, 2014, 3:17 pm
  #61  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
Originally Posted by ninim2200
did your approval letter state any bonus?
I thought I had shredded that because of the pin code I didn't intend to use. But no, I just found it. And I quote from halfway down the first page in large print:

"Make the most of your card
Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of cardmembership."

Hooray, no mention of having had the card before. But then there is an * and my hopes went down again. I looked that up in the small print on the other side:

"(AA) miles are earned on purchases, except returned goods..(etc.) Only the primary cardholder is eligible to earn miles."

So far so good, but then here is the kicker:

"(AA) miles will appear as a bonus in your (AA) account 8-10 weeks after you have met the purchase requirements."

Was that in the T/C before? Because 8 to 10 weeks is a lot longer than 37 days. And although not everyone, most people have the AF post on the first billing statement. So it seems to get the miles, we will probably have to pay the AF, which we had NOT intended to do. And even then hope the 18 month language, that appears on the online app, but is not anywhere in the approval letter, won't take effect.

To add to the mystery, I have no way of knowing if the 18 month language was in that link when we applied. We applied Sept 6th, I was instantly approved online, and my wife was quickly approved at Recon that day. My approval letter is dated Sept 9th.

It's entirely possible the "18 months" was added to the link sometime after our apps, and doesn't apply to us at all. But may very well apply to those who use the rewritten link now.
Brugge is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2014, 3:18 pm
  #62  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: YYC, SFO, OAK
Programs: AS MVP 75K, AA Platinum, IHG Platinum, Club Carlson Gold
Posts: 734
Originally Posted by air360
So I called recon and got Put on with a supervisor. She seemed to be able to see a lot of stuff on accounts. She asked me why I had opened an account in Juky and closed it and why i wanted another card when I already have one open (1 open 1 closed) then she said looking at the overall picture it looked like I had had a number of inquires on my credit. She advised me that they wanted to see a bit more history on the open account and a few less inquires.
I know I was out of the 65 day time limit...so maybe there is something to this new rule as I only have the 2 other execs and a chase card (so 3 inquires) in the past 8 mo or so...so not that many.

Maybe I will wait a few weeks and put a bunch of spend (that I pay) on that open account and try recon again. She sounded pretty confident there would be no reconsideration at this time...kinda like it was an easy choice for her to justify her no...so probably won't call back for a few weeks

I won't lie...I'm a bit bummed....first time I have ever been decline for any cad lol
This sounds like it could be the beginning of the Citi Exec crackdown...
AwardBee is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2014, 3:32 pm
  #63  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: DFW,OVB (Russia)
Programs: AA HH Gold SPG Gold BA
Posts: 1,823
Originally Posted by AwardBee
This sounds like it could be the beginning of the Citi Exec crackdown...
I'm a bit confused?? takeaways/ summary of this please..

Anyways, Please remind me why there is a such a panic?
Did he meet the spend and not get bonus or something? or is all this purely based on what the approval letter said/or did not say?

Anyway,

Thanks for the clarification.

Sidenote, Chill out
rgAAFT is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2014, 3:33 pm
  #64  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
Poison Pill for avoiding paying the AF

Also in the landing page link that immediately follows the "be careful" statement (not the link I used):

"BONUS MILES:
American Airlines AAdvantage miles will appear as a bonus in your AAdvantage account 8-10 weeks after you have met the purchase requirements."

It seems Citi got tired of us getting card after card, pocketing the miles, and canceling before the fee was due. They stuck a "poison pill" in the T/C to prevent that.
Brugge is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2014, 3:38 pm
  #65  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
Originally Posted by air360
So I called recon and got Put on with a supervisor. She seemed to be able to see a lot of stuff on accounts. She asked me why I had opened an account in Juky and closed it and why i wanted another card when I already have one open (1 open 1 closed) then she said looking at the overall picture it looked like I had had a number of inquires on my credit. She advised me that they wanted to see a bit more history on the open account and a few less inquires.
I know I was out of the 65 day time limit...
I note she didn't mention any 18 month rule.

Which link did you use, the "be careful" link from the Wiki, which does not have the 18 month language (AFAIK), or the "new product" link which (at least now) does have that language?
Brugge is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2014, 3:46 pm
  #66  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: SoCal
Posts: 2,164
You guys are making a big deal over this, when apparently there is nothing wrong, if your letter says you get 50k miles, then you will get it, i saved every single approval letter i have (9 total) and i am sure your letter is no different, so i think we should take a deep breath and relax. a lot of the offers in the past stated for "New Applicant only Offer" and we still got the bonus, if things change we adapt, and move to the next big thing, this hobby is based on trial and error and experience, and i don't think any of us should take it for granted, saying all that i still think this is still working fine, i applied over the weekend for my wife for her #5 exec / got approved, we should see the letter in a couple of days, if it has the bonus great, if not then no big deal, we will get the other offer...... . take deep breath and enjoy the ride.
ninim2200 is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2014, 3:46 pm
  #67  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
Originally Posted by rgAAFT
I'm a bit confused?? takeaways/ summary of this please..

Anyways, Please remind me why there is a such a panic?
Did he meet the spend and not get bonus or something? or is all this purely based on what the approval letter said/or did not say?
I met the spend but the first statement has yet to post. It is not at all clear if the "18 month" language was in the app when I applied. It certainly was not in my approval letter.

The other OP was denied the card, but only after the CSR asked the sort of questions Citi has never asked in the past. Such as why did you cancel a card, and why do you want another one when you already have one open? These things were almost never mentioned at Recon in the past, and certainly never seemed to have any effect on approval/denial. Not it seems they do.....
Brugge is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2014, 3:51 pm
  #68  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: SoCal
Posts: 2,164
Originally Posted by Brugge
Also in the landing page link that immediately follows the "be careful" statement (not the link I used):

"BONUS MILES:
American Airlines AAdvantage miles will appear as a bonus in your AAdvantage account 8-10 weeks after you have met the purchase requirements."

It seems Citi got tired of us getting card after card, pocketing the miles, and canceling before the fee was due. They stuck a "poison pill" in the T/C to prevent that.
8-10 weeks is the standard bonus delivery time on all citi cards
ninim2200 is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2014, 3:57 pm
  #69  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
Originally Posted by ninim2200
You guys are making a big deal over this, when apparently there is nothing wrong, if your letter says you get 50k miles, then you will get it, i saved every single approval letter i have (9 total) and i am sure your letter is no different, so i think we should take a deep breath and relax. a lot of the offers in the past stated for "New Applicant only Offer" and we still got the bonus, if things change we adapt, and move to the next big thing, this hobby is based on trial and error and experience, and i don't think any of us should take for granted, saying all that i still think this is still working fine, i applied over the weekend for my wife for her #5 exec / approved we should see the letter in a couple of days, if it has the bonus great, no big deal, we will get the other offer...... all, take deep breath and enjoy the ride.
You are just the person I was looking for, because I didn't save any approval letters past when the points posted to AA.

Do your earlier letters say that points will post 8 to 10 weeks after you meet the spend? If they said that, then maybe they will keep posting a few days after the spend posts and we can still get the miles and avoid the fee. But if they used to say the points will post once the spend is met, and this "8 to 10 weeks" is new language Citi has just added to the EXEC letters, then avoiding the fee may not be possible any more.

Because paying $900 (plus MS fees) each time we reapply would be a really big deal to me.

By the way, which link did you use to apply for this last card?

Last edited by Brugge; Sep 22, 2014 at 4:04 pm
Brugge is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2014, 4:01 pm
  #70  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
Originally Posted by ninim2200
8-10 weeks is the standard bonus delivery time on all citi cards
Certainly not in practice for the EXEC cards up until now. Aside from a few glitches, the points were posting at AA around 2 days after the EXEX statement posted with the min spnd completed. That was the reason we were able to get the miles and still cancel within 67 days.
Brugge is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2014, 4:46 pm
  #71  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: DFW,OVB (Russia)
Programs: AA HH Gold SPG Gold BA
Posts: 1,823
Originally Posted by ninim2200
You guys are making a big deal over this, when apparently there is nothing wrong, if your letter says you get 50k miles, then you will get it, i saved every single approval letter i have (9 total) and i am sure your letter is no different, so i think we should take a deep breath and relax. a lot of the offers in the past stated for "New Applicant only Offer" and we still got the bonus, if things change we adapt, and move to the next big thing, this hobby is based on trial and error and experience, and i don't think any of us should take it for granted, saying all that i still think this is still working fine, i applied over the weekend for my wife for her #5 exec / got approved, we should see the letter in a couple of days, if it has the bonus great, if not then no big deal, we will get the other offer...... . take deep breath and enjoy the ride.
+1
For now I stand by my original position

I think what's really going on is that some of you don't have faith and two, I think some of you just can't get over the fact that you were denied for what you think is a weird reason. I think some of you guys tend to go "all in " while a deal is active, and think the world is ending if someone tells you no for once
I think this is a point for some of you guys to just lay low for a while, so you really don't get this deal shut down and ruin it for those like me who have been laying low for a while

Last edited by rgAAFT; Sep 22, 2014 at 5:12 pm
rgAAFT is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2014, 6:17 pm
  #72  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,269
Originally Posted by Brugge
Certainly not in practice for the EXEC cards up until now. Aside from a few glitches, the points were posting at AA around 2 days after the EXEX statement posted with the min spnd completed. That was the reason we were able to get the miles and still cancel within 67 days.
No guarantees, but I'm pretty sure the 8-10 weeks language is and has been standard boilerplate. Citi actually gives miles right away, but they say 8-10 weeks so that if there's a glitch, they won't have every single person calling 2 days after their statement closes. It's a way of managing expectations.
LWT3 is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2014, 6:26 pm
  #73  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: SoCal
Posts: 2,164
Originally Posted by Brugge
You are just the person I was looking for, because I didn't save any approval letters past when the points posted to AA.

Do your earlier letters say that points will post 8 to 10 weeks after you meet the spend? If they said that, then maybe they will keep posting a few days after the spend posts and we can still get the miles and avoid the fee. But if they used to say the points will post once the spend is met, and this "8 to 10 weeks" is new language Citi has just added to the EXEC letters, then avoiding the fee may not be possible any more.

Because paying $900 (plus MS fees) each time we reapply would be a really big deal to me.

By the way, which link did you use to apply for this last card?
i went back and checked the approval letters for the 100k, 75k cards and they all have the 8-10 weeks statement on page 2, as i mentioned before its a standard statement that citi uses for all the cards, you should be getting your miles in 24-48 hours after your statement post them.
ninim2200 is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2014, 6:36 pm
  #74  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: ORD
Programs: AAdvantage, UA, Avios
Posts: 637
I agree let's wait and see if people get denied more because of the new language.. Nothing confirmed has happened yet.
starbuk is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2014, 7:49 pm
  #75  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 18
Yep, it looks like Brugge got in under the wire but I'm not expecting the bonus miles since my letter doesn't doesn't mention them. So citi must have changed the T/Cs on that link sometime between Brugge's app and mine.

Bigger Q is whether it's worth applying for the exec going forward. My wife and have been exclusively applying for execs the last six months, so maybe the other banks need some attention.
timrek is offline  

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