Citi and American Airlines are expanding their cobranded credit card lineup with the launch of the new Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard®, available starting today.
It’s been a busy year for Citi.
In July, the bank launched its top-tier Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (see rates and fees) and added American Airlines AAdvantage as a Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer partner. In the broader context, this latest launch reflects Citi ramping up its relationship with American ahead of becoming the sole issuer of AAdvantage credit cards starting next year. (Barclays will no longer co-issue American Airlines cards.)
TPG spoke with John LaCosta, Citi’s head of cobranded partnerships, who said Citi tried to do three things as part of the card launch.
“One was elevated travel, get people that experience in those premium benefits … maximize their earning potential to get status quicker with Loyalty Points and provide flexibility around the value we provide,” he said.
This new mid-tier card is designed for semifrequent American Airlines flyers. If you fly with American at least once a quarter but don’t need or want the full Admirals Club membership that comes with its top-tier card, the Globe is aimed squarely at you.
Welcome offer
The Citi / AAdvantage Globe Mastercard has launched with a limited-time welcome bonus of 90,000 miles after spending $5,000 in the first four months of account opening.
This bonus is one of the more generous airline card offers we’ve seen recently, especially at this mid-tier level. It’s worth $1,395 based on TPG’s October 2025 valuations.
Related: Current offers on Citi / American Airlines AAdvantage cards
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Annual fee
The annual fee on the Citi / AAdvantage Globe Mastercard is $350.
It’s priced in line with other mid-tier airline cards like the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and the United Quest℠ Card (see rates and fees).
That positions it squarely in the space for travelers who want meaningful perks without a $400-plus annual fee.
Related: The complete guide to credit card annual fees
Lounge access and travel perks
One of the biggest draws of this card is the inclusion of four Admirals Club passes each calendar year.
Each pass is valid for 24 hours, so if you’re on a connecting itinerary, you can use one pass to access multiple lounges on the same day. For example, flying from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) via Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) would get you access to clubs at both ATL and PHL using the same pass.
Admirals Club day passes typically cost $79 each, but I’d personally value them closer to $35 per visit. That would put the lounge access value at about $140 a year (or 40% of the annual fee).
Other travel benefits include:
- Companion certificate: This certificate is valid each cardholder year for a round-trip domestic Main Cabin ticket for $99 (plus taxes and fees, which should be $11.20 on a round-trip itinerary).
- Inflight credit: This credit is for up to $100 per calendar year for inflight purchases of food and beverages. Given the inflight credit is per calendar year, you could get up to $200 value in your first cardholder year if you apply for the card and use this benefit before the end of 2025. (It resets on Jan. 1.)
- Free checked bag: Enjoy your first checked bag free on domestic flights for you and up to eight travel companions on the same reservation; you don’t have to use the card to pay for the ticket to get the checked bag or boarding benefits (below).
- Preferred boarding: Enjoy Group 5 boarding, which is the first group in the second boarding lane. (The two lanes are Groups 1 to 4 and Groups 5 to 9.)
- Trusted Traveler Programs credit: Enjoy a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit of up to $120 every four years.
Earning rates and loyalty perks
The earning rates themselves don’t stand out as impressive. You’ll earn:
- 6 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent on eligible AAdvantage Hotels bookings
- 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- 2 miles per dollar spent at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
- 2 miles per dollar spent on eligible “Rides and Rails” purchases, including taxis, ride-hailing services and public transit
- 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases
General travel rewards cards tend to offer stronger returns in these categories.
Where the Globe becomes more interesting is in earning elite status with AAdvantage. After every four eligible American Airlines flights, you’ll receive a 5,000 “Flight Streak” Loyalty Point boost (up to three times per year for a total of 15,000 Loyalty Points). You’ll also earn 1 Loyalty Point for every mile earned on this card.
For travelers trying to reach or maintain status, those boosts could help bridge the gap without having to book extra flights. This is currently the only Citi-issued AAdvantage card to offer this benefit.
Related: 8 methods that earned American AAdvantage Executive Platinum for 2025 and my strategy for 2026
Statement credits and other benefits
The card also includes an up to $100 Annual Splurge Credit, similar to what’s on the Strata Elite Card. You can choose two merchants each year:
- 1stDibs (selling luxury furniture, jewelry and art)
- Eligible AAdvantage Hotels bookings
- Future Personal Training
- Live Nation (event tickets and experiences)
Since this credit is based on the calendar year (like the inflight credit), you can double-dip during your first year for up to $200 in value if you apply for the card and use the credit before the end of 2025.
There’s also a Turo credit, which offers up to $30 per rental up to eight times per year (for a total of $240 in annual credits).
I’ll be honest: This isn’t a selling point for me. Turo itself says it’s very unlikely that any credit card provides coverage for damage to a car booked through its platform, and it’s even less likely to provide liability coverage for damage to other people or vehicles. That’s a big gap in protection, and I wouldn’t recommend relying on this credit.
Other benefits include no foreign transaction fees and standard travel and shopping protections like baggage, car rental and trip delay coverage, as well as extended warranty and purchase protection.
How does the Globe compare to other AAdvantage cards?
This card fills the gap between two of Citi’s existing AAdvantage products.
The information for the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
In an interview with TPG, Scott Long, American’s senior vice president of AAdvantage, said, “We think it’s a real diverse population of customers that would be excited for this card. It’s also this transition to more premium travel experience, available for leisure travelers … probably flying more than once or twice a year, but doesn’t fly 20 or 30 times a year.”
For travelers who want lounge passes and elevated travel benefits but can’t justify the $595 annual fee on the Executive card, the Globe offers a middle ground that makes sense. You’ll get meaningful perks that you can realistically use as a semifrequent American Airlines flyer without overpaying for features you don’t need.
Who can apply?
You can apply for this card even if you already hold other Citi or Barclays cobranded AAdvantage cards.
A credit score of at least 670 is recommended for the best chance of approval.
Citi’s application rules are straightforward:
- You can only apply for one Citi card every eight days and no more than two cards in a 65-day period.
- While Citi doesn’t limit the number of cards you can hold, it does cap your total credit line across all Citi cards. If your application goes pending, you can call Citi’s reconsideration line to ask to shift credit from an existing card in order to get approved.
Citi is also known to be sensitive to recent inquiries, so it may help to space out your applications strategically.
My take
This card fills a niche in Citi’s AAdvantage portfolio. It’s built for travelers who fly often enough to value lounge passes, a companion ticket and a few extra Loyalty Points but who don’t need the full suite of premium benefits that come with the Executive card.
I like that the Globe offers meaningful perks that are relatively easy to use, rather than a laundry list of benefits most people will never touch.
The Turo credit isn’t a selling point, and the everyday earning rates lag behind top travel rewards cards. But for semifrequent American Airlines flyers who can take advantage of the lounge passes, the companion certificate, the statement credits and the large welcome bonus, it can offer solid value.
On the other hand, this card probably won’t make sense if you’re a casual traveler who doesn’t fly American often enough to use the lounge passes or inflight credit. And if you’re a regular American Airlines flyer who values unlimited lounge access, the Executive card remains the better fit.
Bottom line
The Citi / AAdvantage Globe Mastercard is a welcome addition to the AAdvantage lineup. It’s designed for travelers who want something between the Platinum Select and the Executive, offering meaningful perks and a big limited-time welcome bonus at a mid-tier price point.
This launch also highlights how much Citi is investing in its partnership with American ahead of becoming the airline’s exclusive cobranded card issuer next year.
The $350 annual fee can be justified if you’ll make use of the lounge passes, the companion certificate and the statement credits. But if you’re just looking for a low-fee way to earn American Airlines miles or need unlimited Admirals Club access, this isn’t the right card for you.
Related: How to choose an airline credit card
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