Frequent American Airlines flyers have one big reason to consider the Citi AAdvantage Executive World credit card with its $595-a-year fee: It comes with access to the carrier’s exclusive airport lounges, wrote Gregory Karp and Craig Joseph.
The advantages of the card include:
Pros
- Admirals Club® membership for you and access for up to two guests or immediate family members traveling with you.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases.
- Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases.
- First checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to 8 companions traveling with you on the same reservation.
- $100 credit on Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years.
- 25% discount on in-flight food and beverages on AA flights.
- Priority boarding, check-in and screening on AA flights.
- Luxury perks
One of the easiest ways to get an Admirals Club membership is to get the Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard. The credit card includes access to nearly 100 Admirals Club® and partner lounges worldwide. Immediate family (spouse, domestic partner and/or children under 18) or up to 2 guests may join you. Up to $850 value.
This card has some great perks that would interest anybody looking to frequently fly with American Airlines, such as: 2X on purchases on American Airlines, free baggage, and priority boarding privileges.
Priority check-in offers you a special counter area for you to check in at many airports. These check-in areas (seen below) can have much smaller crowds than the standard check-in areas so you can save a lot of time.
Priority boarding privileges
The priority boarding benefit will display on your American Airlines boarding pass as “Group 4.”
This is the final group in the priority boarding group, so you’ll be boarding before all the economy passengers but you’ll still have some first class and elites in boarding in front of you.
Additionally, American Airlines implemented a fully dynamic award chart, where the number of miles required for a free flight changes based on demand.
For low-demand periods, you can reportedly find flights within the lower 48 states for as low as 7,500 miles each way.
The bottom line is if access to Admirals Club airport lounges is a high priority for you, then this is your card.
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