American Airlines and Citi announced the extension of their long-standing co-branding partnership for the next 10 years. The partnership, which has been in place for more than 37 years, will see Citi become the exclusive issuer of the AAdvantage co-branded card portfolio starting in 2026.
in Announcement of 10-year extension“American Airlines is proud to launch the first airline loyalty program and the travel industry's first co-branded credit card with Citi,” said Robert Isom, CEO of American Airlines. Ta.
American Airlines and Citi's relationship has been going on for nearly 40 years, but the airline's co-branded card portfolio has had some strange quirks over the past decade.
While American Airlines' competitors have exclusive relationships with card issuers, such as Delta Air Lines with American Express and United Airlines and Southwest Airlines with Chase, American Airlines has exclusive relationships with card issuers2. We are partnering with the company. This is because American Airlines took over Barclays as its second card issuer when it merged with US Airways in 2013.
Since then, an arrangement has been in place that allows Citi to sell American Airlines co-branded cards online, in airport lounges and through direct mail, while Barclays can sell American Airlines co-branded cards onboard flights and in airport terminals. However, starting in 2026, Citi will take over the Barclays AAdvantage card portfolio and transition current cardholders into the Citi ecosystem.
Barclays was issuing one business card and four personal cards under its AAdvantage Aviator portfolio. However, only the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard is currently available to new applicants.
Red World Elite Mastercard information was independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been verified or provided by the card issuer.
Savvy points and miles collectors might consider applying early, given that new applications for this card may close by the end of 2025. Earn 60,000 AAdvantage bonus miles on just one purchase within 90 days. And pay a $99 annual fee.
However, if you are scheduled to fly on American Airlines, we recommend that you obtain an application form from the flight attendant. TPG credit card editor Emily Thompson applied through a QR code on the in-flight app and received an extra 10,000 miles. I have an American Airlines flight next week, so I'll look for an application as well.
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I have previously obtained an Aviator Red Card, but Barclays has fairly lenient application restrictions. Although not specific or confirmed, we recommend closing the card and waiting at least six months before reapplying to qualify for the welcome bonus.
Because Citi holds exclusive rights to AAdvantage's co-branded portfolio, AAdvantage may be added as a transfer partner for the Citi ThankYou Rewards program. This is welcome news, as we rate Citi's points lower than those of major competitors such as American Express, Chase, and Capital One.
Citi has offered a limited-time transfer opportunity to exchange Citi Points for AAdvantage Miles in the second half of 2021. It will be interesting to see if it makes a continued comeback. Adding American Airlines as a transfer partner is a welcome enhancement to the program and could potentially increase the value of Citi Points.
When we contacted Citi, a spokesperson said:
The expansion and expansion of our relationship with American Airlines will continue to expand our existing and new relationships as we introduce new products and benefits in the future, creating enhanced loyalty and benefits for AAdvantage® members and Citi-branded cardmembers. It will have a positive impact on your customer base. We are not sharing any details at this time. stay tuned.
This shows that transfer opportunities are uncertain, even if you hope they will materialize. We will keep you updated on further announcements from Citi and AA.
