Joe McConnell
Each credit card issuer has its own restrictions regarding application approval and sign-up bonus eligibility.
The criteria include the number of cards you can apply for, the timing of your applications, and how often you can earn a sign-up bonus or welcome offer. With American Airlines offering substantial welcome offers across its range of cards, those who have had one of the cards in the past may be wondering if they qualify for a second bonus.
AAdvantage cards are issued by both Citi and Barclays, so there are different sets of application restrictions to be aware of if you’re thinking about adding another American Airlines card to your arsenal. Here’s what to keep in mind.
AAdvantage Credit Cards
Let’s start with the range of card options.
| Credit card | Welcome Bonus | Annual fee | Welcome bonus value (based on TPG Ratings August 2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®*
|
15,000 AAdvantage miles after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months of account opening | $0 | $255 |
| AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard* | 60,000 miles after making a purchase and paying the annual fee within the first 90 days of account opening | $99 | $1,020 |
| Citi® Card / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®*
|
50,000 miles after spending $2,500 in the first three months of account opening | $99 (tax free for the first 12 months) | $850 |
| CitiBusiness® Card / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®* | 65,000 American AAdvantage miles after spending $4,000 in the first four months of account opening | $99 (tax free for the first 12 months) | $1,105 |
| Citi® Mastercard® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Card (see rates and commissions) | 70,000 bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first three months of account opening | $595 | $1,190 |
*Information for these cards has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Citi/AAdvantage Card Application Restrictions
When it comes to earning sign-up bonuses on Citi’s AAdvantage cards, it’s important to know that Citi changed the rules in 2019. If you’ve earned an AAdvantage bonus on a specific Citi/AAdvantage card, you won’t be eligible to earn the bonus again for another 48 months.
Here are the fine print under the link to apply for the Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard:
American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus points are not available if you have received a bonus for a new Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive account in the last 48 months.
The terms apply to each individual card, rather than the entire Citi/AAdvantage family of cards. For example, if you recently applied for a Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard, you do not have to wait 48 months to apply for a Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard.
Daily News
Reward your inbox with TPG’s daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides, and exclusive offers from TPG experts
An important distinction to know is that the 48-month waiting period begins when you “receive a new account bonus” for a specific Citi/AAdvantage card. This is not the same as when you were “approved for card,” “received card,” “activated card,” and other common phrases you might see from an issuer.
In this case, semantics matter because the bonus that is posted to your AAdvantage account could be posted several months later. After you have been approved for the card itself.
Related Reading: How to Choose the Best Card for American Airlines Passengers
Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Card Application Restrictions
Barclays is a little more vague than Citi when it comes to restrictions on sign-up bonuses on AAdvantage cards.
According to our data, if you’ve closed a card, you typically have to wait six months to be eligible for the welcome offer again. However, some application pages, such as the one on the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard, state the following:
You may not be eligible for this offer if you already have or have previously had an account with us under this program.
In this case, the “may not” in this sentence means that there is a chance you could be approved for a new card as a previous cardholder, meet the minimum spending requirement, and still lose the sign-up bonus. Again, your mileage may vary, especially with Barclays.
Related: The Many Types of Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Credit Cards
In conclusion
Citi and Barclays have different rules regarding application approval and sign-up bonus eligibility for AAdvantage credit cards.
While Citi is less vague with its restrictions, it also imposes a lengthy waiting period of at least 48 months before you can receive another welcome bonus. The rules with Barclays are much more subjective, giving the company more power to deny approval or a bonus if it deems your application unworthy.
In any case, if your application is approved and you are eligible to receive a welcome bonus, make sure you are able to meet the minimum spending requirements within the allotted period.
If you’re looking to add another American AAdvantage card to your wallet for everyday spending, keep these rules in mind. You don’t want to waste a tough credit check or have the unpleasant surprise of being denied a welcome bonus after meeting a card’s spending requirements.
