Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Review

Some of the best Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select benefits are a free checked bag and preferred boarding on American Airlines flights, along with 25% discounts on inflight purchases. Unfortunately, Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select doesn't offer traditional benefits like travel insurance, purchase protection or extended warranty coverage, as Citi dropped many perks from the card back in 2019.

Current Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select benefits include:

• Free checked bag. Available to you and up to 4 guests on the same reservation on domestic American Airlines flights.
• Priority boarding. Available to you and up to 4 guests on the same reservation on all American Airlines flights.
• Inflight purchases discount. 25% off of inflight food and beverage purchases paid for with the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card on American Airlines flights.
• Airfare discount. $125 American Airlines flight discount each card membership year you spend $20,000 on your card and pay the annual fee to renew the card.
• 0% foreign transaction fee. Makes the card great to use abroad.

In addition to these Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select benefits, the card offers generous rewards, including an initial bonus of 50,000 miles for spending $2,500 in the first 3 months. So, despite the lack of many traditional perks, Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select still has a lot to offer. The benefits can be well worth the annual fee of $99 from the second year onward ($0 for the first year).

You can log in to your Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select account by going to the Citibank login page and entering your account credentials. You can also log in with the same credentials using the Citi mobile app. Either way, your online AAdvantage Platinum Select account will allow you access to your balance, transaction history, and account statements; and you can also pay your credit card bill.

If you haven't set up online access for your Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card yet, click “Register for Online Access” below the User ID and password boxes on the Citibank login page. You'll be asked to enter your credit card number and email address, and you will need to choose a User ID and password. If you've forgotten your login credentials, click the “Forgot User ID?” or “Forgot Password?” link on the main login page, and follow the prompts to recover your credentials.

No, the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card does not offer lounge access at airports. The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is the only American Airlines credit card that provides lounge access.

The Citi AAdvantage Executive Card comes with an Admirals Club membership, which allows the primary cardholder and authorized users free entry at nearly 50 Admirals Club lounges, along with up to 2 guests per visit. Primary cardholders and their guests also have access privileges at more than 60 partner lounges at airports worldwide. Authorized users may only enter partner lounges as a guest of the primary cardholder or another Admirals Club member. You can search for clubs and partner lounges on American Airlines' dedicated web page. Feel free to also check out some of the best credit cards with lounge access.

While you can't get free lounge access with the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card, you will benefit from a number of other travel-friendly perks. Among them are a free checked bag on domestic American Airlines flights for you and up to four travel companions, and preferred boarding on AA flights. Plus, you'll earn 2 miles per $1 spent on American Airlines purchases, 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases. The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select also comes with a 0% foreign transaction fee, which makes it a great travel companion.

The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select credit score requirement is 700 at a minimum. That means you need at least good credit to get approved for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select. So, make sure you know where you stand before applying. You can check your credit score for free, right here on WalletHub.

It may be possible to get approved for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select with a slightly lower credit score if you have a high income, for example. But it's better not to take the chance. And the higher your score is when you apply, the better your card's APR and credit limit are likely to be.

Apart from your credit score and income, there are other things that could impact your chances of approval. Some other key criteria include your existing debt load and recent credit inquires.

The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select annual fee is $0 intro for the first year and $99 per year after that. The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select has 0% foreign transaction fees, too. This card also offers an initial bonus of 50,000 miles for spending $2,500 in the first 3 months. This bonus will help offset the $99 annual fee.

While the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select annual fee is relatively expensive, the card gives plenty of regular rewards that can help you break even or make money. It also comes with valuable perks such as a free checked bag on American Airlines flights for you and four companions on the same reservation, as well as preferred boarding and a discount on inflight purchases. Frequent travelers should find the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select annual fee to be well worth paying.

To upgrade from Citi AAdvantage Platinum to the AA Executive card, visit the Citi AAdvantage upgrade page and type in the invitation code from your targeted mail offer, along with your last name, the last 4 digits of your Social Security number, and your billing ZIP code. Then, click “Get Started,” followed by the “Upgrade now” button to complete the upgrade.

Bear in mind, that if you receive a targeted upgrade offer, it does not guarantee you'll be approved, but it should increase your chances if you apply. If you don't have a targeted upgrade offer, you can call Citi customer service at 1 (800) 374-9700 and request one. Citi recommends that you have the AA Platinum Select card for at least 12 months before requesting an upgrade.

Once you've upgraded, you should receive your new Executive card in about 7-10 days. The new card's number and security code will be different, but your AAdvantage Platinum Select credit limit and APR will transfer over to the new Executive card. The AAdvantage Executive card's $450 annual fee will post to your first billing statement, and refunds on Platinum Select's $0 intro 1st yr, $99 after annual fee will be pro-rated, based on the number of months since the fee was paid, and posted as a separate entry.

While you wait for the new card to arrive in the mail, you can use your AAdvantage Platinum Select card - it will have all the functions of the upgraded card.

The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card does not offer rental car insurance. But there are other Citi credit cards that do have this benefit, which covers damages incurred from covered accidents or theft. Cardholders are covered up to a pre-set amount, as per their guide to benefits.

To get coverage, a cardholder must pay for the rental entirely with an eligible Citi credit card. Examples of eligible cards include the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi and the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®.

If you'd like a credit card with rental car insurance, there are plenty of options outside of Citibank, too.

The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select foreign transaction fee is 0%, which is typical for travel credit cards. Cards that have foreign transaction fees usually charge 1% to 3% of the cost of each transaction made with a merchant based in a foreign country. These fees can really add up on a trip abroad, and they even apply to purchases made with foreign retailers online. That's why it's best to get a credit card without foreign fees if you frequently travel out of the U.S. or purchase items from foreign countries.

In addition to its 0% foreign transaction fee, there are some other reasons why the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select is ideal for use abroad. To start, you'll earn extra rewards on any flights you take abroad (and domestically) if you fly with American Airlines. You'll also get perks like preferred boarding and free checked bags. Plus, Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select is on the Mastercard network, which is the most accepted credit card network worldwide.

Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select does not offer travel insurance. Citi dropped travel insurance from all of its American Airlines credit cards in 2019. Previous coverage included travel accident insurance, trip cancellation and interruption protection, and baggage insurance.

A good American Airlines credit card that does have travel insurance is the American Airlines Aviator Red Card. There are plenty of other options though, so if travel insurance is important for you, check out our recommendations for the best credit cards for travel insurance.

You can redeem your AAdvantage Platinum Select miles for flights, seat upgrades, car rentals and even gift cards.

You find more details and get started on their dedicated redemption page, here.