Citi has refreshed the American Airlines executive card. The changes are as follows:
- $695 annual fee (was $595)
- $500 credit for American Airlines vacation packages. Semi annual (one $250 credit January through June and another July through December) (new)
- Omni Hotels (new):
- Omni Hotels Champion status
- Omni Hotels Free Night Credit (must complete an eligible stay of two nights first)
- Avis President’s Club Status
- $10 monthly GrubHub credit has been removed
- Loyalty bonus points after spend thresholds.
- 10,000 after $50,000 spend (same as before)
- 10,000 after $90,000 spend (same as before)
- 10,000 after $165,000 spend (new)
- 10,000 after $240,000 spend (new)
- $15 Lyft credit after you complete three Lyft rides that month (was $10)
- Mastercard Legend (was Mastercard Elite)
- American Airlines 25% in flight discount replaced with $100 inflight and Admirals Club credit
- Card earning rates:
- 12x on eligible hotels and car rentals booked through American Airlines (was 10x)
- 4x on American Airlines purchases
- 1x on all other purchases
Our Verdict
I don’t really see an extra $100 in value here and I already thought this card had undervalued benefits. Vacation credit would have been more interesting if it was a flat $500 but two $250 credits are extremely hard to get value from. It’s laughable that you need to complete three Lyft rides to unlock a $15 credit on a card with a $695 annual fee.
I got excited for the Omni free night certificate until I saw you needed to complete a two night stay first.
