Having an AA card also keeps your AA miles from expiring. Planning on getting the $595 card for priority boarding (Group 4). It’s also useful to have access to the agents in Admirals Club if a flight gets canceled, and you need to rebook before everyone else waiting in line or on the phone.
Basic AA City Card gets "Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent at grocery stores." Plat Select Card gets 2x on Gas and Dining. Exec World Elite card is good for gaming 10x Loyalty points on hotels. The Barclays Silver Aviator card gets you 2x on hotels and car rentals. That all being said, you really tie your self to AA by being an AA point hound, and its possible to get 3 and 4x points on other transferable currencies.
AA participates in the dining rewards program which earns up to 5x miles and loyalty points per $ spent at the restaurants. If you’re in a big city like LA you can find plenty of options to grind out miles, even at cheap casual restaurants. And it stacks with the normal rewards your card of choice earns. So potentially you can get 3x UR (for example) and 5x AA on the same dollar spend.
I’m spoiled too, overseas if is not buss or 1st I don’t want to go 🙄 I carry my “Silicon Valley attitude “ when traveling over seas 🤦🏻♀️I have work HARD all my life, I deserve it 🏅
AAdvantage is the Hyatt of airline programs (insane value of points, milestone rewards, and they even link together) United MileagePlus is to Marriott Bonvoy (best global reach, luxury Star Alliance redemptions, but constant devaluations) Delta? I don't know enough about Hilton or IHG to draw equivalents
Nice analogy, I agree. In general, Oneworld is like the Hyatt. Alaska miles you can always get value. Star alliance is like marriot Sky is more like Hilton. Southwest is more like IHG
You make some good points. I have the Citi Executive primarily for Admirals Club access but also the car rental deals. I dumped the Delta AMEX card when they started severely limiting my access to the Sky Lounges. I do also have the mid-level United card which is pretty good benefits wise but also has the perk of giving me two free United lounge passes per year which is super coo, to me😊
I finally opened a Citi AAdvantage Plat Select for the initial bonus. I already spent the $3k to get the bonus. Besides the SUB, I like the free 1st checked bag and Group 5. I will probably convert to Executive after a year.. I think with that, I'll get Group 4 and the better lounges. On status, it's not for me since it resets annually.. and I don't travel that often.
AA is my next CC partnership card I’m hitting. I’ve gone through the no AF Inc cards, got the $95 Chase trifecta, the Citi trifecta and the Amex Cash Magnate (Excuse my first CC) and the Amex Green. Fits my spend when I’m no hitting a CC bonus. Y’all always inspire me to apply for another business card, let it head bop my credit score for the points!
Recently there are few hidden devaluations. Qatar increases the Avios for AA/AS; on the other hand, AA almost stopped showing Qatar flights in their award chart (not even economy!!) which is pretty odd. Even if BA or Alaska shows QA, AA doesn’t show the seats.
About the status bit: I’ve considered grinding Qatar Platinum status if I were to fly to the Maldives. First class isn’t an option on the outbound, and QR platinum does in fact get you Al Safwa access (other oneworld emerald will not get you access to Al Safwa though)
The ability to book JAL first/business directly through AA with an award calendar is insane. I've seen 20cpp redemptions just sitting there. You gotta figure thats going away sooner or later. Take advantage while you can.
If I were you I would drop the “if it ain’t biz class I’m not flying” shtick because it comes off as really pretentious especially for a 20 year old…. Also you’re alienating most people who book coach
I’m spoiled too, overseas if is not buss or 1st I don’t want to go 🙄 I carry my “Silicon Valley attitude “ when traveling over seas 🤦🏻♀️I have work HARD all my life, I deserve it 🏅
Having an AA card also keeps your AA miles from expiring. Planning on getting the $595 card for priority boarding (Group 4). It’s also useful to have access to the agents in Admirals Club if a flight gets canceled, and you need to rebook before everyone else waiting in line or on the phone.
Nitpick about the AA Executive Card: it also gets you into Alaska lounges (which are better than Admirals Clubs)
Basic AA City Card gets "Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent at grocery stores." Plat Select Card gets 2x on Gas and Dining. Exec World Elite card is good for gaming 10x Loyalty points on hotels. The Barclays Silver Aviator card gets you 2x on hotels and car rentals. That all being said, you really tie your self to AA by being an AA point hound, and its possible to get 3 and 4x points on other transferable currencies.
AA participates in the dining rewards program which earns up to 5x miles and loyalty points per $ spent at the restaurants. If you’re in a big city like LA you can find plenty of options to grind out miles, even at cheap casual restaurants. And it stacks with the normal rewards your card of choice earns. So potentially you can get 3x UR (for example) and 5x AA on the same dollar spend.
I’m spoiled too, overseas if is not buss or 1st I don’t want to go 🙄 I carry my “Silicon Valley attitude “ when traveling over seas 🤦🏻♀️I have work HARD all my life, I deserve it 🏅
I fly short distance to non hubs. This is primary card as a value the reward flights and platinum status earned through spend.
The Executive really needs to help earn status quicker. Or simply give gold status as a perk.
AAdvantage is the Hyatt of airline programs (insane value of points, milestone rewards, and they even link together)
United MileagePlus is to Marriott Bonvoy (best global reach, luxury Star Alliance redemptions, but constant devaluations)
Delta? I don't know enough about Hilton or IHG to draw equivalents
Nice analogy, I agree. In general, Oneworld is like the Hyatt. Alaska miles you can always get value.
Star alliance is like marriot
Sky is more like Hilton.
Southwest is more like IHG
I can only go along partway. Hyatt points are easy to earn, through Chase, but AA is not the case.
Also Hyatt and AA have a partnership and you can use it to earn more.
You make some good points. I have the Citi Executive primarily for Admirals Club access but also the car rental deals. I dumped the Delta AMEX card when they started severely limiting my access to the Sky Lounges. I do also have the mid-level United card which is pretty good benefits wise but also has the perk of giving me two free United lounge passes per year which is super coo, to me😊
I finally opened a Citi AAdvantage Plat Select for the initial bonus. I already spent the $3k to get the bonus. Besides the SUB, I like the free 1st checked bag and Group 5. I will probably convert to Executive after a year.. I think with that, I'll get Group 4 and the better lounges.
On status, it's not for me since it resets annually.. and I don't travel that often.
Barkley’s paused their AA Business Card applications. It looks like it’s a permanent thing since it happened in October 2023.
Correct I don't see that anywhere and the best personal offer I found is no longer 75 but 60
AA is my next CC partnership card I’m hitting. I’ve gone through the no AF Inc cards, got the $95 Chase trifecta, the Citi trifecta and the Amex Cash Magnate (Excuse my first CC) and the Amex Green. Fits my spend when I’m no hitting a CC bonus. Y’all always inspire me to apply for another business card, let it head bop my credit score for the points!
Recently there are few hidden devaluations. Qatar increases the Avios for AA/AS; on the other hand, AA almost stopped showing Qatar flights in their award chart (not even economy!!) which is pretty odd. Even if BA or Alaska shows QA, AA doesn’t show the seats.
Fun fact: AA ConciergeKey gets you Hyatt Globalist.
Thanks for the info + video!
What 40K business ticket were they talking about between Japan and Abu Dhabi?
would you two be able to do a guide on everything there is to know about using the points? Esp the complex world of transfer partners for newbies?
About the status bit: I’ve considered grinding Qatar Platinum status if I were to fly to the Maldives. First class isn’t an option on the outbound, and QR platinum does in fact get you Al Safwa access (other oneworld emerald will not get you access to Al Safwa though)
The ability to book JAL first/business directly through AA with an award calendar is insane. I've seen 20cpp redemptions just sitting there. You gotta figure thats going away sooner or later. Take advantage while you can.
You can also get insane CPP with Qatar Qsuites flying thru Doha (I’ve seen 70k AA miles from the US to the Maldives)
Do you not lose your AA points if you close this card?
The Flagship lounges on Admirals Club are comparable to Qatar Airways Business lounges in Doha, and i think better than Centurion lounges
AA Admirals club lounge in LAX is better than the Amex lounges.
Barclays has very tough underwriting so I would get their cards ahead of Chase.
tough underwriting meaning hard to get approved if they see you're opening a lot of other cards?
I thought you earned 1 LP for every 1 mile so if you get 2x miles how is that not 2x LP
If I were you I would drop the “if it ain’t biz class I’m not flying” shtick because it comes off as really pretentious especially for a 20 year old…. Also you’re alienating most people who book coach
I’m spoiled too, overseas if is not buss or 1st I don’t want to go 🙄 I carry my “Silicon Valley attitude “ when traveling over seas 🤦🏻♀️I have work HARD all my life, I deserve it 🏅