No More Priority AAccess for Citi AAdvantage Cardholders
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Citi is a TPG advertising partner
Apparently Citi AAdvantage cardholders have been enjoying a benefit by mistake that they were not entitled to. One of the many perks to holding a Citi American AAdvantage credit card is priority boarding – you’re among the first to get onto the plane so you don’t have to worry (as much) about finding space for your overhead bag. However, cardholders have actually been given Priority AAccess - a set of privileges normally reserved for airline elites and passengers flying in first or business class.
American Airlines has caught on, though, and informed its co-branded credit cardholders that the priority boarding their card entitles them to is only “Group 1 privileges” that allow them “to board the plane at the beginning of the general boarding process,” and that tickets booked or altered after November 14, 2012, will no longer display Priority AAccess.
Translation: No cutting in front of elites or first or business class passengers just for having a Citi AAdvantage card, and none of the other perks of Priority AAccess like priority check-in and security lines. Apparently American’s elites have spoken up and voiced their concern.
That policy is in line with American’s new economy fare class system where you can purchase bundles of extra perks like free checked bags, Group 1 boarding and no change fees, as well as bonus miles and waived confirmed flight changes for an extra fee on the basic fare. Again, you’ll note the use of the term “Group 1 boarding” since elites will still have Priority AAccess as will premium class customers that gets them onboard earlier.
From the perspective of an elite traveler, this is a great move that will make elite boarding less of a cattle call, though I doubt if this will actually make much of an impact. However, I work hard to retain my status, so I'm glad that American respects that.
Even if you are miffed by this change, there are still other reasons to get AAdvantage cards, though, including the 10% mileage award refund for cardholders (up to 10,000 miles a year) with personal products like the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard; a 5% annual mileage bonus with the CitiBusiness / AAdvantage World Mastercard; and Admirals Club access with the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard.
The information for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum card and CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
