CitiBusiness AAdvantage card comes with increased 75k sign-up bonus
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
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Even though the only points that easily convert into American Airlines miles are Marriott points, American Airlines miles are easy to earn because two banks issue its co-branded credit cards — Barclays and Citi. And now there is an increased offer (as reported by Doctor of Credit) for the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard®. You can earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 in the first five months from account opening, plus the card's $99 annual fee is waived for the first 12 months.
This is the biggest bonus I can remember seeing for this card and the minimum spending is easier to meet since you'll have a full five months to do it, instead of the usual three months we see with most offers.
You can book some amazing awards with that many American Airlines miles, such as the incredible Qatar Qsuite, considered by many the best business class product in the world.
Over the past year American has been rapidly increasing the number of its partner airlines you can book online, so American miles are easier to use than ever before. And with the introduction of the AA Economy Web Specials you can book one-way awards starting at 5,000 miles.
This is a business credit card, so you will need to have some sort of business activity to qualify. But you don't necessarily need to be running a full-time venture -- freelance or independent contractor work (including driving for Uber or Lyft) could be enough. And if you're a sole proprietor it's likely you can use your Social Security number as your business tax ID and your name as your business name.
CitiBusiness AAdvantage ongoing benefits
The CitiBusiness AAdvantage card has a handful of perks that are valuable, especially if you don't have AA elite status. You'll get a free checked bag for you and up to four traveling companions on the same reservation. To take advantage of the this perk you just need to make sure that your AA frequent flyer number is attached to the reservation.
The card also comes with priority boarding. You (and up to four companions) will board with Group 5, which is before most of economy, so you can rest assured that precious nearby overhead bin space will be available.
If you make any inflight Wi-Fi, food or beverage purchases with your CitiBusiness AA card you'll receive a 25% discount. This is better than the discount you receive with other Citi AA cards because it includes Wi-Fi. The card also has a companion certificate benefit, which you will earn if you spend $30,000 on the card during a cardmember year and renew the card (it must remain open for 45 days after the renewal date). With the companion certificate you can bring along a guest on a domestic main cabin flight for only $99 plus taxes and fees.
If you can't qualify for a business card, you could open one of the American Airlines personal cards, like the Barclaycard AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard or Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®, which comes with Adirmals Club airport lounge access.
