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Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®

  • Admirals Club® membership for you and access for up to two guests or immediate family members traveling with you
  • Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening
  • Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases

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 all Alaska Airlines Lounges, all Qantas Clubs, and select partner lounges.

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 Elite Mastercard® (Citi is a Credit-Land.com advertising partner). This card is good for applicants with good or excellent credit.

The annual fee for this credit card is $450 and it is fully offset by the Admirals Club membership benefit as membership rates vary from $500 to $650 depending on your AAdvantage status. Plus, you can maximize the value of the Citi / AAdvantage Executive credit card by adding authorized users. 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 Elite Mastercard® isn't only about Admirals Club lounge access. When you open the card, you can earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

You will also get:

  • Up to $100 Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee credit (every 5 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
  • Priority check-in, priority airport screening (where available) and priority boarding privileges for you and up to eight travel companions on the same reservation
  • 25% savings on inflight food and beverage purchases when you use your card on American Airlines flights
  • Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases.
  • 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 $450 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 $500 to $650 based on your AAdvantage status and whether you buy new membership or renew. Getting the /details/citi-aadvantage-executive-world-elite-mastercard.php instead would be much cheaper.
  • Buy a one-day pass: you can purchase it online and at select locations for $59. 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.
  • Have AAdvantage elite status: qualifying AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro and Platinum members can access Admirals Club lounges when flying internationally.
  • Have oneworld® Emerald℠ and Sapphire℠ status: members can access Admirals Club and partner lounges with qualifying boarding passes.
  • Military: U.S. military personnel traveling in uniform can access domestic and international Admirals Club lounges (based on lounge capacity).

Lounge access can make your stressful travel more manageable. But Admirals Club membership is not cheap: it'll cost $650 for individual non-elite AAdvantage members, and $1,250 for a household membership. 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 $450 annual fee. Add here free authorized users who can also access Admirals Club lounges and the card becomes the best deal.

Plus, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® comes with a 50,000 American Airlines miles welcome bonus offer and other valuable perks, like Global Entry or TSA Precheck credit, priority boarding, and a free first checked bag on American domestic flights.

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®

    Rewards Bonus

  • Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening
  • Earning Rewards

  • Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases
  • Annual Fee

  • $450