The Citi Business Platinum Select Card is now offering a great new welcome offer. With this new offer you can earn 75,000 miles! This is a fantastic offer if you’re looking for AA miles and while I don’t receive any sort of commission for this card, I’d recommend it for people trying to rack up AA miles. I’ll break down the offer below.
Table of Contents
The offer
- Earn 75,000 miles after spending $5,000 in the first five months
- $99 annual fee (waived the first year)
The 75K offer has expired!
It’s worth noting that you get five months to reach the minimum spend for this card (most offers only give you three or four months), so you only need to spend $1,000 per month which should be very doable for a lot of people.
Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!
How far can the miles take you?
75,000 AA miles could cover a one-way business class ticket all the way to the Maldives on partners like Etihad or Qatar. If you want to get an idea on how to maximize AA miles then check out my article on AA sweet spots here.
Additional perks to applying
What I really like about this card is that it does not report to your personal credit report. So if you are under 5/24, you can pick up this card without burning a 5/24 slot.
Also, if you’re just looking to give your personal credit report a rest, this can be a good option since the account won’t show up and bring down your average age of accounts.
Note the 48 month application rule that applies:
American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles are not available if you have received a new account bonus for a CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® account in the past 48 months.
Other options to consider
The Chase Ink Business Cash or Chase Ink Business Preferred both offer more flexible points with better value (Chase Ultimate Rewards). Both of those cards come with great offers right now, especially the Chase Ink Preferred at 80,000 points after meeting the minimum spend ($5,000 in the first three months of account opening).
Plus, you could always transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to British Airways and use them for AA flights which isn’t a bad deal for shorter flights.
Additional perks
The Citi Business Platinum Select Card also comes with some additional perks you might be interested in.
Bonus earning
- 2X on AA purchases
- 2X on telecom, cable/satellite
- 2X on car rentals and gas
If you’re wanting to maximize points via spend with a business card then the Chase Ink cards mentioned above could be a much better fit since you could earn higher rewards on telecom, cable/satellite, and rental cars. You could also look into cards like the Amex Business Gold Card which has some fantastic bonus categories at 4X!
First checked bag free
First checked bag free for you and up to 4 companions on eligible bags when traveling on domestic itineraries operated by American Airlines. For this benefit to apply, the card account must be open 7 days prior to air travel AND the reservation must include the Signing Individual’s AAdvantage number 7 days prior to air travel.
Companion Certificate
Companion Certificate good for 1 guest at $99, issued each year after your account anniversary after spending $30,000 or more on eligible purchases (taxes and fees apply). This is only good for roundtrip domestic economy fares and you will pay a $99 companion ticket fee plus $21.60 to $43.20 in government taxes and fees, depending on itinerary.
$30,000 is a lot of spend for a discounted companion certificate of $99 so I’m not sure that I’d be too excited about this option. I guess it could be valuable for an expensive economy flight around the US but you could put $30,000 towards two Hilton Ascend cards and earn two free nights which could be worth much more than an economy ticket (less the fees).
Preferred boarding
Preferred boarding for you and up to 4 companions on your reservation when traveling on itineraries operated by American Airlines. You will board after Priority boarding is complete, but before the rest of economy (Main Cabin) boarding.
For this benefit to apply, the card account must be open 7 days prior to air travel AND the reservation must include the Signing Individual’s American Airlines AAdvantage number 7 days prior to air travel.
Inflight savings
Receive 25% inflight savings on food and beverages when you use your card on American Airlines operated flights.
Eligible purchases include the inflight purchase of food and beverages on American Airlines operated flights when purchased using the card account. Savings does NOT apply to any other inflight purchases, such as wireless internet access or inflight entertainment.
Final word
Overall, this is a compelling offer at 75,000 miles. If you’re in the market for AA miles then you should definitely consider this card, especially since it doesn’t report to your personal credit report. But if you’re still at the stage of trying to seek out the most valuable travel rewards credit cards then you’ll want to consider alternative options which will set you up with more flexible rewards that will be easier to use and that come with better bonus earning potential.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.