Each credit card issuer has its own set of restrictions to guide approval and determine the eligibility of a popular offer. The criteria include the number of cards you can apply for, the time of the application, and the frequency of receiving welcome bonuses on the same card.
With American Airlines offering substantial welcome offers on its card lineup, those who have one in the past may wonder if you are eligible for a second bonus.
Currently, both Citigroup and Barclays issue Aadvantage credit cards, so if you are considering adding another American Airlines card to your arsenal, there are multiple sets of application restrictions. This is what you need to remember.
Aadvantage Credit Card
Let’s start with the lineup of card options.
| credit card | Welcome bonus | Annual fee | Welcome reward value (Based on TPG’s September 2025 valuation) |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines Aadvantage®Mileup®*
|
Earn 15,000 miles of bonus miles after spending $500 in the first three months of opening an account. | $ 0 | $233 |
| Aadvantagnation®VAVIATOR®Red World Elite Mastercard®* | Earn 50,000 miles of bonus miles after earning purchases and paying annual fees within the first 90 days of opening. | $99 | $775 |
| citi® /aadvantage®PlatinumSelect®World Elite Mastercard®* | Spend $3,500 in purchases from your account to earn 80,000 miles in the first four months of opening your account. | $99 ($0 first year introduction annual fee) | $1,240 |
| citi® / aadvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (See rates and fees) | Spend $4,000 from the first four months of account opening and earning 65,000 miles of bonus miles. | $99 ($0 first year introduction annual fee) | $1,008 |
| citi® /aadvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (See rates and fees) | Spend $7,000 in the first three months after the account is opened and earn 70,000 miles. | $595 | $1,085 |
*The information on these cards has been collected independently by Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Citi aadvantage card application restrictions
If you get a welcome bonus for Aadvantage on a specific Citi/Aadvantage card, you will be eligible for another 48-month bonus.
This is a beautiful print under the card application link Citi/Aadvantage executes Mastercard:
If you receive a new account bonus for the Citi®/Aadvantage® Execution Account within the last 48 months, or if you convert another Citi Credit Card Account to a new account bonus for the one you received in the last 48 months, you cannot get a new account bonus.
The term applies to each individual card, not the entire Citi/Aadvantage card series. For example, if you recently applied for Citi Platinum Select, you don’t have to wait 48 months to apply for Citi Executive Mastercard to earn the welcome bonus for that card.
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The only exception is if you get a welcome bonus, if you change the card to another Aadvantage card. For example, if you change the Platinum Selection to Citi Executive Total Mastercard, you still have to wait 48 months to earn a welcome bonus from your Platinum Selection to earn one on executives.
An important difference is that the 48-month waiting period begins when you “receive new account bonuses” for your specific Citi/Aadvantage card. This is different from when you “approve the card”, “receive the card”, “activate the card” and other common phrases you may see from the issuer.
In this case, semantics matter, as the bonus posted to your Aadvantage account may have been released for several months back You have obtained approval from the card itself.
Related: Best Cards for American Airlines Flyer
Barclays Aadvantage Aviator Card Application Restrictions
Barclays is more blurry than Citi when it comes to welcome reward restrictions. Remember, Barclays currently only accepts applications for one of its Aadvantage cards, i.e. Pilot Red.
According to our data points, if you close a card, you usually have to wait six months before you get a welcome offer again. However, some application pages, such as one on Aadvantage Aviator Red, state the following:
If you currently have or have an account with us on this program, you may not be eligible for this offer
In this case, the “probably not” in the sentence means that you can get approval for a new card as a former cardholder, meet the minimum spending requirement, and still miss the welcome bonus. Again, your mileage may vary, especially Barclays.
Citi and Barclays are separate issuers, so you can open an Aadvantage credit card with both issuers while also receiving welcome bonuses.
TPG credit card writer Danyal Ahmed received a welcome bonus on Citi Aadvantage Platinum Select and Barclays Aadvantage Aviator Red.
Remember, Citi will be the sole issuer of Aadvantage credit cards in 2026. If you run out of Citi card options, consider using the Aadvantage card issued by Barclay, and you can still do it.
Related: Barclays Aadvantage Pilot Credit Card Guide
Bottom line
Citigroup and Barclays have different rules regarding application approval and welcome bonus eligibility for their Aadvantage credit cards.
While Citi doesn’t have much ambiguity on the restrictions, it will also wait for at least 48 months long before you can get another welcome bonus on the same card. Barclays’ rules are more subjective, giving the company more authority to refuse approval or receive bonuses if you think your application is not worth it.
In any case, if you are approved and qualify for the welcome bonus, make sure you can complete the minimum spending requirement within the allocated period. Welcome bonuses can vary between having a dream trip or being stuck at home, so it’s important to make money where possible.
Related: How to redeeate miles using American Airlines Aadvantage Program
