November 4, 2026
Citi Overhauls Two AAdvantage® Credit Cards With New Benefits and Higher Annual Fees
Toni Perkins-Southam
Two of the main cobranded American Airlines credit cards are getting some big updates, including new ways to earn miles, statement credits, and travel protections. The downside? The annual fees are also going up.
On October 27, 2026, Citi and American Airlines announced changes to the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® and Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®.
Starting January 24, 2027, both cards’ annual fees will jump from $99 to $150. Existing cardholders won’t see the higher fee hit until their next renewal after that date. Fortunately, the first-year annual fee waiver is staying around.
What’s Changing With the Citi® / AAdvantage Platinum Select® Card?
The Platinum Select® card is getting several new earning categories and benefits, including:
- 3x miles on eligible AAdvantage® Hotels and AAdvantage® Cars bookings
- 2x miles on select streaming services, eligible Rides and Rails purchases, and EV charging stations
- Complimentary Walmart+ membership, valued at $98 annually
- 50% off an annual FOX One subscription
- Up to $100 annually in in-flight statement credits (replacing the existing 25% in-flight discount)
- Up to $120 toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fees every four years
- New travel protections, including trip-delay insurance, trip-cancellation and trip-interruption insurance, rental car insurance, and lost-baggage coverage
The card’s annual American Airlines flight discount is also increasing from $125 to $150 after spending $20,000 in a cardmember year and renewing.
What’s Changing With the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ Card?
The Business card is getting some upgrades of its own:
- 3x miles on eligible AAdvantage® Hotels and AAdvantage® Cars bookings
- 2x miles in one category of your choice: U.S. shipping providers, office supply stores, or U.S. advertising services
- Up to $100 annually in in-flight statement credits (replacing the existing 25% in-flight discount)
- Up to $120 toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fees every four years
- 25% off a Melio subscription plan
- New travel protections, including trip-delay insurance, trip-cancellation and trip-interruption, rental car insurance, and lost or damaged luggage protection
Related: The Best American Airlines Credit Cards: Which AAdvantage® Card Is Right for You?
Are the New Benefits Worth the Higher Annual Fees?
Fortunately, neither card is losing its core American Airlines perks. Cardholders will still get preferred boarding and a free first checked bag on eligible domestic flights, and they still won’t have to pay foreign transaction fees. But whether the new benefits justify paying an additional $51 each year is going to ultimately depend on how you use your card.
The in-flight credits and expanded earning categories could help offset the increase, while the complimentary Walmart+ membership adds value for Platinum Select® cardholders who already use the service.
The bigger question is whether Citi has done enough to make these cards more competitive, or if the higher fees just make them more expensive to keep.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. American Express is a Points Talk Squad advertiser, but we always show the best public offer even when we don’t earn a commission. Terms Apply.
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