Visiting the Admirals Club When You Leave Your Card at Home
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
A couple weeks ago, I signed up for the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard in anticipation of my visit to American's brand-new Admirals Club at LAX's Terminal 5. Of course a $450 annual fee doesn't make sense for a single lounge visit — I'll be stopping by other AA lounges in the months to come, plus I'm eligible for a massive 75,000-mile bonus after spending $7,500 in the first three months.
So, clearly it made sense to pull the trigger, and, since I signed up nearly a week before my trip, I figured I'd have the card in time to head to LAX. Well, I was wrong — it arrived at my apartment a few hours after I left New York City.
As it turns out, I had no reason to be concerned — when I arrived at the Admirals Club, I explained the situation to the agent. She asked for my AAdvantage account number, checked my ID and voila, I was in! If you're the primary cardholder for the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard, your Admirals Club membership appears on your AA frequent flyer account, just as it would if you purchased an annual pass to the lounge. That's great news for anyone who's just signed up for the card and plans to travel before it arrives in the mail.
The same doesn't apply to authorized users, though. While you can add up to 10 AUs without a fee — a tremendous perk — secondary cardholders will need to have a physical card with them to get into the lounge.
Have you been able to access the Admirals Club without your Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard?
