Each bank card issuer has its personal set of restrictions it makes use of to information approvals and decide welcome provide eligibility. Criteria embody the variety of playing cards you possibly can apply for, the timing of your purposes and the way typically you possibly can earn a welcome bonus on the identical card.
With American Airlines providing substantial welcome affords on its lineup of playing cards, these of you who’ve had one among its playing cards up to now could also be questioning whether or not you are eligible for a second bonus.
For the time being, each Citi and Barclays situation AAdvantage bank cards, so there are a number of units of utility restrictions to pay attention to in case you’re contemplating including another American Airlines card to your arsenal. Here’s what you want to take note.
AAdvantage bank cards
Let’s begin with the lineup of card choices.
| Credit card | Welcome bonus | Annual charge | Welcome bonus worth (primarily based on TPG’s April 2025 valuations) |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®*
|
Earn 15,000 miles after spending $500 in purchases inside the first three months of account opening. | $0 | $248 |
| AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®* | Earn 60,000 miles after making a purchase order and paying the annual charge inside the first 90 days of account opening. | $99 | $990 |
| Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®*
|
Earn 50,000 miles after spending $2,500 within the first three months of account opening. | $99 ($0 introductory annual charge for the primary 12 months) | $825 |
| Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (see charges and charges) | Earn 75,000 miles after spending $5,000 in purchases inside the first 5 months of account opening. | $99 ($0 introductory annual charge for the primary 12 months) | $1,238
|
| Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (see charges and charges) | Earn 70,000 miles after spending $7,000 inside the first three months of account opening. | $595 | $1,155 |
*The info for these playing cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
Citi / AAdvantage card utility restrictions
If you’ve got earned an AAdvantage welcome bonus on a particular Citi / AAdvantage card, you will not be eligible to earn the bonus once more for another 48 months.
Here is the wonderful print below the cardboard utility hyperlink for the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard:
American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles will not be out there in case you have obtained a brand new account bonus for a Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive account up to now 48 months or in case you transformed another Citi bank card account on which you earned a brand new account bonus within the final 48 months right into a Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive account.
The phrases apply for every particular person card, as opposed to your entire Citi / AAdvantage card household. For instance, in case you not too long ago utilized for the Citi Platinum Select, you don’t want to wait 48 months to apply for a Citi Executive Mastercard to obtain that card’s welcome bonus.
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The solely exception is in case you product-change your card to another AAdvantage card after earning the welcome bonus. For instance, in case you modified your Platinum Select to a Citi Executive Mastercard, you’d nonetheless want to wait 48 months from if you earned your welcome bonus on the Platinum Select to earn one on the Executive.
An necessary distinction that it’s best to know is that the 48-month ready interval begins if you “receive a new account bonus” for a particular Citi / AAdvantage card. That shouldn’t be the identical as if you had been “approved for the card,” “received the card,” “activated a card” and different frequent phrases you would possibly see from an issuer.
In this case, semantics matter as a result of the bonus posted to your AAdvantage account could have been posted a number of months after you had been accepted for the cardboard itself.
Related: Choosing the perfect card for American Airlines flyers
Barclays AAdvantage Aviator card utility restrictions
Barclays is a little more obscure than Citi when it comes to welcome bonus restrictions. Keep in thoughts that Barclays at the moment accepts purposes for only one of their AAdvantage playing cards, the Aviator Red.
Based on our knowledge factors, in case you’ve closed a card, you typically want to wait six months to be eligible for the welcome provide once more. However, some utility pages, just like the one on the AAdvantage Aviator Red, state the next:
You is probably not eligible for this provide in case you at the moment have or beforehand had an account with us on this program.
In this case, the “may not” on this sentence implies that you could possibly be accepted for a brand new card as a earlier cardholder, meet the minimal spending requirement and nonetheless miss out on the welcome bonus. Again, your mileage could differ, significantly with Barclays.
Citi and Barclays are separate issuers, so that you’re allowed to open an AAdvantage bank card with each issuers whereas additionally receiving the welcome bonus. TPG bank cards author Danyal Ahmed earned the welcome bonus on each the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select and Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red.
Keep in thoughts that Citi is ready to develop into the only issuer of AAdvantage bank cards in 2026. If you’ve got exhausted your Citi card choices, contemplate a Barclay-issued AAdvantage card whilst you nonetheless can.
Related: The many flavors of Barclays’ AAdvantage Aviator bank cards
Bottom line
Citi and Barclays each have distinct guidelines relating to utility approvals and welcome bonus eligibility for his or her AAdvantage bank cards.
While Citi is much less obscure with restrictions, it additionally imposes a prolonged ready interval of not less than 48 months earlier than you possibly can obtain another welcome bonus. The guidelines with Barclays are much more subjective, giving the corporate extra energy to deny approval or a bonus ought to it contemplate your utility unworthy.
In any case, in case you’re accepted and eligible for a welcome bonus, be sure you can full the minimal spending necessities inside the interval allotted. Welcome bonuses could make the distinction between taking your dream journey or being caught at dwelling, so it is necessary to earn them when you possibly can.
Related: How to redeem miles with the American Airlines AAdvantage program
