Not More Couponification: Changes, Annual Fee Increases Coming to Two More Citi American Airlines Cards

AA Business Card and Platinum Select Updates

Two more Citi AAdvantage co-branded cards are getting refreshed, including the ToP favorite Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® and the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®. There are some new earning opportunities and benefits, but both cards will—shocker!—see their annual fees increase from $99 to $150. We felt pretty meh about the “enhancements” announced this summer for the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard. And we don’t feel much differently about this announcement. Because once again, it’s going to take a little more work to extract full value from the new benefits. Here’s what’s changing with the AA business card and Platinum Select updates.

Business Card Revamp

Let’s take a look at what’s changing—and what’s not—for the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®. The AA business card and Platinum Select updates take effect on January 24, 2027, including for existing cardholders.

What’s Changing

• 3X AAdvantage miles on eligible AAdvantage Hotels and AAdvantage Cars bookings
• 2X AAdvantage miles in one self-selected business category. Cardholders can choose from:
  • U.S. shipping providers
  • Office supply stores
  • U.S. advertising services
• Up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® credit every four years
• Up to $100 in annual statement credits for eligible inflight purchases (replacing the former 25% savings on inflight food and beverage purchases)
• 25% discount on a Melio monthly subscription plan for managing business payments:
  • The 25% subscription discount applies solely to the subscription fee and excludes transaction-specific costs like expedited payments or credit card processing fees.
  • The 25% subscription discount will be applied automatically at checkout for new subscribers who pay for their subscription fee with the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®.
  • Existing subscribers who have already set up a subscription using their Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® will see the discount reflected in their monthly subscription fee. 
• Additional travel protections, including enhanced trip cancellation and interruption coverage, lost or damaged luggage protection, rental car coverage, and trip delay protection
• $150 annual fee (increased from $99). This card will continue to have the annual fee waived for the first 12 months.

What’s Staying the Same

• 2X AAdvantage miles on eligible American Airlines purchases, gas stations, car rentals, telecommunications and cable and satellite providers
• $99 American Airlines Companion Certificate after spending $30,000 during the cardmembership year and renewing the card
• Preferred boarding
• Free first checked bag on eligible domestic itineraries
• No foreign transaction fees
• Earn Loyalty Points (LPs) through employee spending: Primary cardmembers will continue receiving 1 LP for every dollar spent by authorized users on eligible business purchases through December 31, 2028, on ToP of the 1 LP those users will earn. Read our overview of this excellent perk here.

Are These Perks Worth the Annual Fee Increase?

The changes to the earning structure are not earth-shattering. The value of the $100 in annual statement credits for eligible inflight purchases will depend on whether you’d normally buy food, drinks or other eligible items onboard. And with so many other cards already offering Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® credits, I’d expect this benefit to add little value for many cardholders.

We are fans of the Melio service (and even have an exclusive ToP link allowing new Melio customers to get a $230 gift card after completing their first payment of $500 or more). But we think the free Melio Go tier should be sufficient for most small businesses that only need access for one user and will make 5 or fewer ACH payments per month.

Platinum Select Revamp

Let’s take a look at what’s changing—and what’s not—for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®. The AA business card and Platinum Select updates take effect on January 24, 2027, including for existing cardholders.

What’s Changing

• 3X AAdvantage miles on eligible AAdvantage Hotels and AAdvantage Cars bookings
• 2X AAdvantage miles:
  • Gas stations, now including EV charging stations
  • Select streaming services
  • Eligible Rides and Rails purchases
• $150 (increased from $125) American Airlines flight discount after spending at least $20,000 during the cardmembership year and renewing the card
• Up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® credit every four years
• Up to $100 in annual statement credits for eligible inflight purchases (replacing the former 25% savings on inflight food and beverage purchases)
• Complimentary annual Walmart+ membership, valued at $98, for primary cardmembers
• 50% discount on an annual FOX One subscription
• Additional travel protections, including trip delay, trip cancellation and interruption, rental car insurance, and lost baggage protection
• $150 annual fee (increased from $99). This card will continue to have the annual fee waived for the first 12 months.

What’s Staying the Same

• 2X AAdvantage miles on eligible American Airlines purchases and at restaurants
• Free first checked bag on eligible domestic American Airlines itineraries
• Preferred boarding
• No foreign transaction fees
• 1 Loyalty Point per eligible mile earned from purchases.
• Up to $180 annually in Turo credits (originally set to end this month, this benefit will stick around)
• 10% savings on eligible American Airlines Vacations packages

Are These Perks Worth the Annual Fee Increase?

This revamp brings a longer list of new credits than the business card’s update. However, the usefulness of coupons for things like a FOX One subscription is likely to vary a lot by cardholder. Those who have an American Express Platinum Card® may already have a Walmart+ membership through that card, for example. The value of the $100 in annual statement credits for eligible inflight purchases will also be dependent on whether you can actually use it. And this is now just another card on the long list of those that offer Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® credits.