Citi to officially become exclusive issuer of AAdvantage cards in late April
Editor's Note
For Barclays AAdvantage cardholders, the time has come. On April 24, Citi will officially transfer all existing Barclays AAdvantage cardholders to the equivalent Citi-issued AAdvantage card. Citi will be American Airlines AAdvantage's exclusive credit card partner as of that date.
Many TPG readers have long wondered what will happen to their AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® or other Barclays-issued AAdvantage credit card. Here's everything we know about the upcoming transition.
The information for the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Moving from Barclays to Citi: What you need to know
Barclays AAdvantage cardholders will receive detailed information about the upcoming transition Jan. 31, a Citi spokesperson confirmed. Make sure to pay close attention to your email on this date.
For now, we have a few key details to keep in mind. To begin, here's the list of each Barclays AAdvantage card and its corresponding Citi card:
| Barclays card you have | Citi card you'll receive |
|---|---|
AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Mastercard®* | American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard* |
AAdvantage® Aviator® Blue World Elite Mastercard®* | Citi® / AAdvantage® Gold World Elite Mastercard®* |
AAdvantage Aviator Red Mastercard | |
AAdvantage® Aviator® Silver World Elite Mastercard®* | |
AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard®* |
*The information for these cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
While the transition will begin April 24, a Citi spokesperson noted that it will take time for cardholders to receive their new Citi cards. Citi will begin mailing cards April 27, but you may not receive your card for up to eight weeks after that date.
According to Citi, your Barclays AAdvantage card will continue to work until you activate your new Citi AAdvantage card. At this time, we do not know when Barclays AAdvantage cards will stop working, but we expect to have more information Jan. 31.
Will Barclays AAdvantage cardholders be eligible for a welcome bonus on the Citi AAdvantage card they receive?
Barclays AAdvantage cardholders will be subject to the same welcome bonus eligibility rules as Citi AAdvantage cardholders, according to a Citi spokesperson.
In plain terms, once you receive your new Citi AAdvantage card, you won't be eligible to earn a welcome bonus on that card for 48 months. Unfortunately, this is the case even if you close your new Citi card as soon as you receive it.
Will Citi honor existing 0% APR offers on Barclays AAdvantage cards?
Yes. Citi will honor the terms of any introductory or promotional annual percentage rates that Barclays AAdvantage cardholders had on their account until the date they are set to expire.
What is the Citi / AAdvantage Gold card?
The Citi / AAdvantage Gold card was closed to applicants in 2018. The card is relatively basic, with a $50 annual fee. It earns 1 mile per dollar spent on all purchases, and cardmembers get discounts on inflight food and beverage purchases.
A Citi spokesperson confirmed that the AAdvantage Gold card will remain closed to new applicants, so the only way to acquire it is to transfer from the Aviator Blue.
Bottom line
The sun is setting on AAdvantage's partnership with Barclays and rising on a new era of exclusivity with Citi. If you have a Barclays-issued AAdvantage card in your wallet, you'll get a new Citi card this April. Until then, you can use your card as usual to earn AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points.