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If you are a frequent traveler and American Airlines is the airline of your choice, you may want to have access to Admirals Club® lounges to escape the crowded airport terminal. American Airlines operates nearly 50 clubs around the world. Plus, if you have an Admirals Club membership, you also get access to more than 60 partner lounges worldwide, including all Alaska Airlines Lounges, and all Qantas Clubs.

There are different ways you can gain access to American Airlines lounges. Here, we review the cheapest way to get the Admirals Club membership and other ways to enjoy the calm of the network lounges.

FREE ADMIRALS CLUB MEMBERSHIP WITH THE CITI AADVANTAGE EXECUTIVE CARD

The only credit card that gives you free full membership access to Admirals Club lounges is the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard®*. This card is good for applicants with good or excellent credit.

The annual fee for this credit card is $695 and it is fully offset by the Admirals Club membership benefit as membership rates vary from $750 (single membership) to $1,400 (Admirals Club® membership) annually. The cost of the Admirals Club® membership depends on the AAdvantage status and ranges from $1,200 to $1,400 annually and includes guest privileges and partner lounge entry.

Additionally, you can maximize the value of the Citi / AAdvantage Executive credit card by adding up to three authorized users to your card for an annual fee of $175, then $175 annually for each additional user. All authorized users get their own card and free access to American Airlines Admirals Club lounges. Authorized users can visit Admirals Club lounges with no required presence of the primary cardmember.

OTHER CITI AADVANTAGE EXECUTIVE CARD BENEFITS

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard® isn't only about Admirals Club lounge access. When you open the card, you can earn 125,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $15,000 in purchases within the first 5 months of account opening (limited time offer).

You will also get:

  • Up to $120 Global Entry® or TSA PreCheck® application fee credit (every 4 years)
  • First checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to 8 companions traveling with you on the same reservation (savings of up to $900 per round trip)
  • Priority check-in, priority airport screening (where available) and priority boarding privileges for you and up to 8 travel companions on the same reservation when flying with American Airlines
  • Up to $100 back on inflight and eligible Admirals Club purchases when you use your card
  • Earn 4 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
  • After you spend $150,000 in purchases in a calendar year, earn a total of 5 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases for the remainder of the year
  • Earn 12 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible AAdvantage Cars® bookings and eligible AAdvantage Hotels® bookings
  • 1 AAdvantage® mile for every $1 spent on other purchases
  • 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases
  • Up to 40,000 Loyalty Points: earn a 10,000 Loyalty Point bonus after reaching 50,000, 90,000, 165,000 and 249,000 Loyalty Points in the same status qualification year
  • Up to $120 in statement credits on eligible Avis and Budget car rentals every calendar year
  • Up to $180 in Lyft credits annually ($15 Lyft credit after taking three eligible rides in a calendar month)
  • Trip cancellation and interruption protection.
  • Trip delay protection.
  • Lost or damaged luggage protection
  • MasterRental Coverage (car rental insurance)
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases.

OTHER WAYS TO GET ADMIRALS CLUB ACCESS

If you think that you won't fly American Airlines often enough to take advantage of the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive card benefits and to cover the card's $695 annual fee, there are other ways to get American Airlines Admirals Club lounge access. Here are other ways to access Admirals Club.

  • Buy Admirals Club annual membership: it's probably the most expensive way to get the membership as the fee ranges from $750 to $1,400 based on your AAdvantage status. Getting the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard® instead would be much cheaper.
  • Buy a one-day pass: you can purchase it online and at select locations for $79 (or 7,900 AAdvantage® miles). The day pass includes access for you and up to three children (under age 18).
  • Get Alaska Lounge membership: Alaska Lounge members have access to Admirals Club locations when traveling on Alaska Airlines or American.
  • Book eligible First or Business class ticket: you should fly first or business class on an international itinerary between the U.S. and Asia, Australia, Central America, Europe, Mexico City (MEX), New Zealand, South America.
  • AAdvantage members with an AAdvantage elite status receive a special discounted price on an Admirals Club® membership.
  • Have oneworld® Emerald℠ and Sapphire℠ status: members receive access to international first-class lounges on eligible flights.
  • Military: U.S. military personnel traveling in uniform can access domestic and international Admirals Club lounges (based on lounge capacity).
  • Get the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card to have an annual benefit of 4 Admirals Club® Citi Strata Elite℠ passes for access to nearly 50 Admirals Club lounges.
  • Get the Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® to have an annual benefit of 4 Admirals Club® Globe™ Passes and enjoy access to nearly 50 Admirals Club lounges.

Lounge access can make your stressful travel more manageable. But Admirals Club membership is not cheap: it'll cost $750 for an annual single membership that provides individual access to nearly 50 Admirals Club® lounges, and up to $1,400 for an annual Admirals Club® membership that provides access for you and up to 2 guests to more than 100 Admirals Club® lounges and partner lounges worldwide. The best way to save on Admirals Club membership is to get the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive card. Cardholders get a full Admirals Club membership for a $695 annual fee. Add here authorized users who can also access Admirals Club lounges and the card becomes the best deal.

Plus, for a limited time, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard® comes with a 125,000 AAdvantage® bonus offer. Additionally, cardmembers get other valuable perks, like Global Entry or TSA Precheck credit, priority boarding, and a free first checked bag on American domestic flights to name a few.

Disclaimer: This editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the banks or credit card issuer(s). Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of the banks or credit card issuer(s), and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the banks or credit card issuer(s). Reasonable efforts are made to present accurate info, however all info is presented without warranty. Consult with the issuing bank of the card or account for terms & conditions.
All rates and fees, and other terms and conditions of the products mentioned in this article/post are accurate as of the last update date but are subject to change. See the current products' Terms & Conditions on the issuing banks' websites.

*The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Credit-Land.com: Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard®. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. Credit-Land.com does not receive commission for this product.