Rewards

You’ll earn 2 miles per $1 spent on eligible purchases with American as well as groceries. The double miles on flight purchases are pretty standard for an airline card, but the rewards on your supermarket shopping are not as common. Other purchases earn the baseline 1 point per $1 spent.

There’s no limit on the number of miles you or authorized users can earn with this card, according to a Citi spokesperson. Miles don’t expire as long as you earn or redeem them at least once every 18 months.You’ll earn 2 miles per $1 spent on eligible purchases with American as well as groceries. The double miles on flight purchases are pretty standard for an airline card, but the rewards on your supermarket shopping are not as common. Other purchases earn the baseline 1 point per $1 spent.

There’s no limit on the number of miles you or authorized users can earn with this card, according to a Citi spokesperson. Miles don’t expire as long as you earn or redeem them at least once every 18 months.

Sign-Up Bonus

If you spend $500 within three months of opening this card, you’ll receive 10,000 miles and a $50 statement credit.1

 Competing cards with no annual fee offer similar bonuses, though the miles on this card are worth more. At an average 2.10 cents apiece, the miles alone are worth $210 when redeemed for flights, based on our calculations.

To get more value right out of the gate, you may be better off with a higher-tier American Airlines card—as long as you can swing the bigger spending requirement and annual fee.


Cost

REWARDS EARNING RATE

Earn 2 miles per $1 spent at grocery stores and eligible American Airlines purchases. Earn 1 mile for every other $1 spent.

Regular APR

15.99% - 24.99% (V)

Annual Fee

$0

Foreign Transaction Fee

3%


Other Features

Unlike mid-tier airline cards, you won’t get any special boarding privileges or a waiver on checked bag fees with this card. These are the two perks worth mentioning:  

Discounts on in-flight purchases with American1

Concierge for booking event tickets, travel, and other services


Customer Experience

J.D. Power ranks Citibank about average for overall customer satisfaction among major card issuers, according to its 2019 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study.6

 Cardholders get online access to their FICO credit score for free and can manage their account and rewards with Citi’s mobile app and the AAdvantage app. You can also reach customer service over the phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or chat with them online, per Citi. 

American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card

From very_good To exceptional ( Credit Recommended Very Good )

American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card

This basic airline card, issued by Citibank, is best for non-commital fans of American Airlines who have excellent credit and are looking to ease into a frequent flyer program. There’s no annual fee, and you don’t have to spend much to get the modest sign-up bonus. The card rewards even the occasional traveler, since charging your groceries earns you just as many miles as flying. Just don’t expect the travel perks you’ll get with most airline cards. If you want those, consider an alternative like the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard.

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pros and cons

Rewards for groceries

Valuable miles

No annual fee

Small sign-up bonus

Foreign transaction fee

May require excellent credit

Few travel benefits

Cost

Annual Fee

0%

Purchase APR

3%

Foreign Transaction Fee

Cash Back

None

Credit Score

Very Good

Long Hotel Stays

Frequent travelers have had a long-lasting love affair with the Citi Prestige® Card (Review). This card offer is unique for its fourth night free on hotel stays of four nights or more, a valuable perk that could help you save hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year, if you stay at high-end properties. The Prestige used to be a powerhouse because you could use that benefit as often as you wanted, but now it’s capped at two uses per year. This new limitation is a bit of a downer, but most people shouldn’t mind too much because Citi stated that the average cardholder didn’t use that perk more than twice per year anyway.

Premium Travel Rewards

Frequent travelers can get a lot out of the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Review). Cardholders enjoy an excellent rewards rate on travel and dining, valuable travel benefits that are easy to take advantage of, and diverse travel partners for point transfers. Wondering if you should go with the Sapphire Reserve or the less-expensive Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Review)? Read our comparison of the Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Sapphire Preferred.

Travel Rewards with No Annual Fee

The Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card (Review) is the top no fee travel card because it offers a decent reward rate for every purchase you make, with the ability to transfer your miles to a variety of airline partners. It can help you travel for free without putting an extra strain on your wallet, as long as you avoid interest and other fees.

Various Hotels

The Citi Prestige® Card (Review) has an excellent rewards program for anyone who tends to stay with different hotel brands, with 3X points for every stay (plus other handy categories for travel). But the best part? You’ll get your fourth night free on hotel bookings, up to twice per year, when you book with ThankYou.com. Plan to use those on a nice vacation, at a fancy hotel or resort, and they could easily be worth over $1K per year. There’s also solid airport lounge access through Priority Pass, and a travel credit to help offset the annual fee.

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