Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Globe™ Mastercard^® Review

The Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Globe™ Mastercard^® is a “mid-tier” credit card, aimed at an audience that travels several times a year and might enjoy perks when they travel. With a $350 annual fee it comes with lounge perks, TSA Pre-Check credits, and some other unique perks that remind me of the Alaska Airlines credit card. In our Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® review, we look at the card's earning rate, card benefits, current welcome offer, and share our overall thoughts.

**Travel on Point(s) has collected these details and direct links independently.

Current Welcome Offer

The current offer for the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Globe™ Mastercard^® is as follows:

• Earn a welcome bonus of 90,000 AAdvantage miles after spending $5,000 within the first 4 months of account opening.
• The annual fee is $350.
• Direct Link

Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Globe™ Mastercard^® Review: Application Rules

At most, Citi will approve you for one card every eight days and two cards every 65 days. While not a hard-and-fast rule per se, Citi may also reject applications from those with six hard inquiries in the past six months. If you've earned a welcome offer on this card in the past 48 months, you aren't eligible for the bonus. While other card issuers have family rules for co-branded cards within the same brand, Citi treats each AAdvantage card like a separate product.

Earning Structure

The Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Globe™ Mastercard^® offers the following earning structure:

• 6x miles on eligible AAdvantage Hotels bookings
• 3x miles on eligible AAdvantage purchases
• 2x miles on restaurants, including takeout and delivery
• 2x miles on “Rides and Rails” purchases, like taxis, rideshares, and public transportation
• 1x miles on everything else
• Direct Link

For every dollar spent on purchases, cardholders will earn one Loyalty Point as well.

Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Globe™ Mastercard^® Review: Card Benefits

The Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Globe™ Mastercard^® offers the following benefits to cardholders:

• Four “Admirals Club Globe” passes each year.
  • The “Globe” in the name is a new benefit, which allows them to be used even if other day passes are limited. Each pass is good for a 24-hour period once it's redeemed, and good for one person. Cardholders must be present.
• One American Airlines Companion Certificate each year after card renewal.
  • These are redeemable for a companion to fly for just $99, plus taxes and fees, on any round-trip domestic flight on American Airlines within the 48 contiguous United States.
    • Residents from Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico can use them for flights from their home to the 48 contiguous United States.
• $100 credit towards eligible in-flight purchases on American Airlines each year.
  • Eligible purchases include food, beverages, and in-flight wifi on American flights and domestic flights operated by subsidiaries like SkyWest. Credit is in the form of a statement credit.
• One free checked bag for up to eight travelers on the same reservation
• Group 5 boarding for up to eight travelers on the same reservation
• $120 in statement credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck enrollment.
  • These are good once every four years
• $240 in Turo credits annually, available as $30 per eligible Turo trip.
  • These can be used only once per billing statement.
• $100 in Splurge Credits annually, valid for two of the following:
  • AAdvantage Hotel bookings
  • 1stDibs
  • Future Personal Training
  • Live Nation
• No foreign transaction fees
• Mastercard Legend benefits

ToP Analysis

The Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Globe™ Mastercard^® is a new type of card for Citi, one that tries to deliver a solid amount of benefits for an elevated annual fee. This lands in the middle between the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard and the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard.

Stand Out Card Benefits

Some of the benefits are good for the infrequent traveler, like four “Admirals Club Globe” passes that have no blackout periods and can cover two round-trip a year, or one trip for a couple. The companion certificate is also a handy benefit that can save big money on domestic itineraries within the 48 contiguous United States. Plus, $100 in credit while in the air for things like drinks and snack boxes could help those without status see value.

Less Enticing Card Benefits

However, when we take a look at the other benefits, things start to fall apart. The Splurge Credits are probably most useful for Live Nation, which owns the concert industry, or for booking AAdvantage Hotels. The 1stDibs and Future Personal Training options seem pretty useless, at least to me.

The most egregious form of “coupon booking” I've seen in a card appears when we analyze the Turo credits. Not only are the $240 in credit only usable in $30 increments, once per rental, but you can only use one credit per billing cycle. So, if you have two trips in a month, you're out of luck.

Ho Hum Card Benefits

Benefits like a free checked bag and Group 5 boarding might be useful for infrequent travelers as well. Overall, for a $350 annual fee, it's a pretty weak offering. The credits are just too spread out to use effectively for the audience the card is aimed at. The welcome bonus, while substantial at 90,000 miles, is worth well over the annual fee. As with any card, it will make sense in the first year. You may struggle to justify the second year unless you really value the lounge passes and other credits.

Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Globe™ Mastercard^® Review: ToP Thoughts

The Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Globe™ Mastercard^® is aimed at the infrequent traveler who likes a few perks when they travel. With the somewhat lackluster perks, and higher annual fee, it is a no doubt about it over 5/24 card. Once past 5/24, if you're living in a hub city for American, and find yourself on board fairly frequently, then this card could unlock some value. Most will likely do better with the more affordable Citi^® / AAdvantage Platinum Select or AAdvantage Business card. If your goal is just to accrue American Airlines miles then a Citi Strata Premier may be your best bet overall, as they are now a transfer partner of ThankYou points. Share your thoughts on the AAdvantage Globe card over in the ToP Facebook Group.