Citi and American Airlines are expanding their co-branded credit card lineup with the new Citi®/AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard®, available starting today.
It’s been a busy year for Citi.
In July, the bank launched its top-tier Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (See Rates & Fees) and add American Airlines AAdvantage as a Citi Appreciation Rewards transfer partner. From a broader perspective, this latest launch reflects Citi’s strengthening relationship with American Airlines ahead of becoming the sole issuer of the AAdvantage credit card starting next year. (Barclays will no longer co-issue American Airlines cards.)
TPG spoke with John LaCosta, Citi’s head of co-branded partnerships, who said Citi was trying to do three things when launching the credit card.
“One of them is to enhance the travel experience and allow people to experience these premium benefits…maximize their earning potential, earn status faster through loyalty points and provide flexibility around the value we offer,” he said.
This new mid-range card is designed for frequent American Airlines fliers. If you fly American at least once a quarter but don’t need or want the full Admirals Club membership that comes with the top cards, TWA is the way to go.
Welcome offer
The Citi/AAdvantage Globe Mastercard is now available with a limited-time welcome bonus of 90,000 miles when you spend $5,000 in the first four months of account opening.
This bonus is one of the more generous airline card offers we’ve seen lately, especially at the mid-range level. According to TPG’s October 2025 valuation, it is worth $1,395.
RELATED: Current Deals on the Citi/American Airlines AAdvantage Card
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annual fee
The Citi/AAdvantage Globe Mastercard has an annual fee of $350.
Its price is on par with other mid-range airline cards such as Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card and United Quest℠ Card (See Rates and Fees).
This makes it perfect for travelers who want meaningful benefits without paying $400+ in annual fees.
Related: Your Complete Guide to Credit Card Annual Fees
Lounge access and travel benefits
One of the biggest draws of this card is the inclusion of four Admirals Club passes per year.
Each pass is valid for 24 hours, so if you choose a connecting itinerary, you can use one pass to access multiple lounges on the same day. For example, when flying from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) via Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), you can use the same pass to enter clubs at both ATL and PHL.
Day passes to the Admirals Club are usually $79 each, but I personally found the price to be closer to $35 per visit. This would value lounge use at approximately $140 per year (or 40% of the annual fee).
Other travel benefits include:
- Companion Certificate: This voucher is valid for the cardholder annually and is valid for $99 round-trip domestic economy class airfare (plus taxes, which would be $11.20 round-trip).
- Points on board: This point can be used towards up to $100 per calendar year towards in-flight food and beverage purchases. Given that in-flight points are calculated on a calendar year basis, if you apply for the card before the end of 2025 and take advantage of this offer, you can earn up to $200 worth of rewards in your first cardholder year. (This offer will reset on January 1.)
- Free checked baggage: You and up to eight traveling companions on the same reservation can check bags for free on domestic flights; you don’t have to use the card to pay for your tickets to get checked bag or boarding benefits (below).
- Priority boarding: Enjoy group 5 boarding, which is the first group in the second boarding lane. (The two lanes are Groups 1 to 4 and Groups 5 to 9.)
- Trusted Traveler Program Points: Enjoy up to $120 in Global Entry/TSA PreCheck points every four years.
Yield and Loyalty Benefits
The yield itself isn’t all that impressive. What you will get:
- Earn 6 AAdvantage miles for every $1 spent on qualifying AAdvantage hotel bookings
- Earn 3 miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- Earn 2 miles for every $1 spent at restaurants (including takeout and delivery)
- Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on eligible Ride & Rail purchases, including taxis, ride-hailing services and public transportation
- Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
General travel rewards cards tend to offer stronger rewards in these categories.
Where the world gets more interesting is achieving elite status with AAdvantage. You’ll earn a 5,000 Back-to-Fly loyalty point boost after every four qualifying American Airlines flights (up to 3 per year, for a total of 15,000 loyalty points). You also earn 1 loyalty point for every mile earned with this card.
For travelers trying to achieve or maintain status, these boosts can help bridge the gap without having to book additional flights. This is currently the only AAdvantage card issued by Citi that offers this benefit.
RELATED: 8 Ways to Win the 2025 USA AAdvantage Executive Platinum and My Strategy for 2026
Statement Points and Other Benefits
The card also includes up to $100 in annual splurge points, similar to the Strata Elite card. You can choose two merchants each year:
- 1stDibs (sells luxury furniture, jewelry and art)
- Eligible AAdvantage hotel bookings
- The future of personal training
- Live Nation (event tickets and experiences)
Since this point is based on the calendar year (the same as the inflight points), if you apply for the card before the end of 2025 and use the points, you can enjoy double savings worth up to $200 in your first year.
There are also Turo points available for up to $30 per rental, up to 8 times per year (annual points total $240).
Let’s be honest: this isn’t a selling point for me. Turo itself says it is unlikely that any credit card will offer damage coverage for cars booked through its platform, and even less likely that it will offer liability coverage for damage to other people or vehicles. This leaves a large gap in protection and I would not recommend relying on this credit.
Other benefits include no foreign transaction fees and standard travel and purchase protections such as luggage, car rental and travel delay insurance, as well as extended warranties and purchase protection.
How does Globe compare to other AAdvantage cards?
The card fills a gap between Citi’s two existing AAdvantage products.
Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard information is independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
“We think a really diverse group of customers will be excited about this card,” Scott Long, senior vice president of AAdvantage at American Airlines, told TPG. “It’s also a shift toward a more premium travel experience for leisure travelers…maybe flying more than once or twice a year, but not 20 or 30 times a year.”
For travelers who want lounge passes and premium travel benefits but can’t justify the $595 annual fee for an executive card, the Globe offers a reasonable middle ground. You’ll get meaningful benefits that you can actually use as a semi-frequent flyer on American Airlines without having to pay too much for features you don’t need.
Who can apply?
You can apply for this card even if you already hold another Citi or Barclays co-branded AAdvantage card.
A credit score of at least 670 is recommended for the best chance of approval.
Citi’s application rules are simple:
- You can only apply for one Citi card every eight days, and you can only apply for a maximum of two cards within 65 days.
- While Citibank doesn’t limit the number of cards you can have, it does limit the total credit limit across all Citibank cards. If your application is pending, you can call Citi’s reconsideration hotline to request a credit transfer from your existing card for approval.
Citi is known to be sensitive to recent inquiries, so it may help to strategically allocate your application.
my opinion
This card fills a gap in Citi’s AAdvantage portfolio. It’s designed for travelers who fly frequently and value lounge passes, companion tickets and some extra loyalty points but don’t need the full suite of premium benefits that come with the Executive card.
I like that Globe offers benefits that are meaningful and relatively easy to use, rather than having a laundry list of benefits that most people will never touch.
Turo points aren’t a selling point, and daily earnings rates lag behind top travel rewards cards. But for frequent American Airlines fliers who can take advantage of lounge passes, companion certificates, bill points and a huge welcome bonus, this can provide real value.
On the other hand, if you’re a leisure traveler who doesn’t fly American frequently and doesn’t have access to lounge passes or inflight points, this card may not make sense. If you’re a frequent flyer on American Airlines and value unlimited lounge access, the Executive card is still a better fit.
bottom line
The Citi/AAdvantage Globe Mastercard is a welcome addition to the AAdvantage family. It’s designed for travelers who want to enjoy the perks between Platinum Select and Executive cabins, offering meaningful benefits and a generous, limited-time welcome bonus at a mid-range price point.
The issuance also highlights how much Citi is investing in its partnership with American Airlines ahead of becoming the airline’s exclusive co-branded card issuer next year.
The $350 annual fee is reasonable if you use lounge passes, companion certificates, and statement credits. But if you’re just looking for a low-fee way to earn American Airlines miles or need unlimited access to Admirals Club, this card isn’t for you.
Related: How to Choose an Airline Credit Card
