Citi AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard Review
Just like we discussed in our recent review of the AAdvantage Aviator Red credit card, one of the best ways to avoid paying airlines fees is through a co-branded credit card. As a small business owner on flying American Airlines more than once per year, and you like to check a bag, the Citi AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard is a great option.
The main benefit of this card include:
$99 yearly fee - waived for the first year
Earn 75,000 AAdvantage miles after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months
First checked bag free when flying domestically on American Airlines
Earn a companion certificate for domestic economy travel after spending $30,000 during the year
Enrollment in the AAdvantage Business program
$99 Yearly Fee on the Citi AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard
As we’ve seen the yearly fees on a lot of travel credit cards skyrocket in recent years, and at $99/year, the fee on the Citi AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard card presents excellent value. This fee is quickly offset if you take more than a few flights on American, and expect to check a bag.
Better yet, the fee is waived for the first year!
Earn 75,000 AAdvantage miles on the Citi AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard
This is one of the easiest ways to earn 75,000 AAdvantage miles. To earn the sign-up bonus, you need to spend $5,000 within 5 months of opening the card. For most small business owners, this should not present a challenge.
*Note, this date is calculated from the day you open the account, not the day the card arrives.
75,000 AAdvantage miles can be quite valuable. There are many routes American flies where you can find award seats for as little as 7,500 AAdvantage miles + $5.60 in taxes/fees. If you use the miles in this fashion, the 75,000 AAdvantage mile bonus could be used to take 10, one-way flights, while only paying the taxes and fees.
First checked bag free with the Citi AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard
In addition to the massive AAdvantage miles haul you can receive, the free checked bag where the real value of the card comes in handy for most people. If you plan on flying more than one round-trip ticket on American Airlines, you’ll save money by having this card.
First checked bags on American Airlines domestic flights cost $40. That fee is for each direction on a round-trip itinerary. Therefore, if you’ve bought a round-trip ticket, and plan on checking a bag in both directions, you’ll end up spending $80. Therefore, if you plan on doing this more than once every year, the saving on baggage easily offsets the card’s $99 yearly fee. Since the yearly fee is waived for the first year, you’ll see immediate savings!
Earn a companion certificate with the Citi AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard
Each year you spend over $30,000 on the card, you’ll receive a companion certificate. This certificate allows you to book a second round-trip ticket for a companion, while only paying $99 + taxes/fees. The companion certificate is a great way to save on transcontinental travel. If you frequently travel with someone else, this can be worth a significant value for long-haul, domestic itineraries.
While the $30,000 spend may seem extreme, again, most small business owners would not have much of a challenge getting to that threshold.
*Note the certificate cannot be used for travel to Hawaii or Alaska, only the 48 contiguous states.
Enrollment in the AAdvantage Business program
The last small perk is enrollment in the AAdvantage Business program. There’s a lot unpack with the program, and it will be a topic of a full review in the future. It’s main benefits include your business earning 1 mile for every $1 spent on American using your AAdvantage Business ID and a suite of tools to help manage you and your employee’s travel. You can learn more directly at the AAdvantage Business program’s website. Needless to say, this is another great way to multiply the number of AAdvantage miles you’re earning from your business spending.
Other benefits include of the Citi AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard
While those are what we see as the main benefits of the Citi AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard, other benefits include:
Earn 2x AAdvantage miles on spending on American Airlines
Earn 2x AAdvantage miles on spending at telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and at gas stations
Earn 1x AAdvantage miles on all other spending
Conclusion
Overall, the Citi AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard is a solid choice for many small business owners. It’s a great way to harness operational spending that is already occurring in a way that creates additional benefits. The card does have a larger introductory spending threshold, but again, this should be easy for most small business owners to meet.
