Citi AAdvantage Cards Add Travel Credits and Raise Annual Fees to $150
Budgeting & Saving DDG 724 reads
Changes start January 24, 2027, adding new earning categories and credits while raising both cards’ annual fees by $51.
The Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select and Citi AAdvantage Business cards will cost $150 a year starting with each cardholder’s first account anniversary after January 24, 2027. That’s $51 more than their current $99 annual fees. Both cards are also adding credits, travel protections and new ways to earn miles, so the practical question for cardholders is whether the benefits they’ll actually use justify the higher yearly cost.
The benefit changes take effect January 24, 2027. The new fee timing is different: existing customers will see the $150 charge at their next account anniversary after that date. That means the date of the benefit changes and the date a particular cardholder pays the higher fee may not be the same.
What changes on the Platinum Select
The personal Platinum Select will earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible AAdvantage Hotels and AAdvantage Cars bookings. It will earn 2 miles per dollar at gas stations, including EV charging stations, on select streaming services and on eligible Rides and Rails purchases. Its existing 2 miles per dollar on eligible American Airlines purchases and restaurants remains, as does 1 mile per dollar on other purchases.
The card’s American Airlines Flight Discount will rise from $125 to $150. To qualify, a cardholder must spend at least $20,000 during the cardmember year and renew the card. That threshold and renewal requirement matter: the discount is not an automatic annual credit for every cardholder.
New statement credits include up to $120 toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck once every four years and up to $100 per year for inflight purchases. The latter replaces the card’s 25% discount on those purchases, so the value will depend on how much a cardholder spends on eligible inflight items and how the new credit applies to them.
Other additions are a complimentary annual Walmart+ membership, 50% off an annual FOX One subscription and travel protections for trip delay, trip cancellation or interruption, rental cars and lost baggage. The card continues to include a free first checked bag, preferred boarding, 10% savings on eligible American Airlines Vacations packages and no foreign transaction fees.
What changes on the Business card
The business card will also earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible AAdvantage Hotels and AAdvantage Cars bookings. It adds a self-selected category earning 2 miles per dollar, with options for U.S. shipping providers, office supply stores or U.S. advertising services. The choice lets a business cardholder match the bonus category to one of those types of spending, though the listed benefit does not provide the same bonus across all three.
Like the personal card, the Business card adds up to $120 toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years and up to $100 a year in inflight statement credits. The credit replaces a 25% inflight discount. It also adds 25% off a Melio subscription and travel protections covering trip delay, trip cancellation or interruption, lost or damaged luggage and rental cars.
Its existing earning categories remain: 2 miles per dollar on eligible American Airlines purchases, car rentals, gas stations, telecom merchants, and cable and satellite providers. The card also keeps its $99 Companion Certificate, available after at least $30,000 in purchases during a cardmember year and renewal. A free checked bag and preferred boarding continue for the cardholder and up to four companions.
Weighing the higher fee
The fee rises by $51 on each card. A useful way to assess that change is to review the benefits one by one against the spending and travel plans that already fit your household or business. For example, the new inflight credit is capped at $100 per year, while the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit is available only once every four years. Those limits make it important to consider when the credits can be used, rather than treating their maximum amounts as yearly savings.
Other benefits come with conditions or depend on a cardholder’s choices. The Platinum Select’s $150 Flight Discount requires both $20,000 in cardmember-year spending and renewal. The Business card’s Companion Certificate requires $30,000 in purchases and renewal. A benefit tied to spending thresholds may be more useful to someone whose ordinary expenses already meet them than to someone who would need to change spending habits to qualify.
Cardholders can also compare the new earning categories with the purchases they commonly make. The personal card’s bonuses cover gas and EV charging, select streaming, and eligible Rides and Rails purchases. Business cardholders can select one of three listed categories. The cards retain their existing earning categories, but the source details do not specify every merchant or purchase that qualifies, so customers may want to check the card terms for eligibility.
The changes apply to these two mid-tier cards. The no-fee MileUp card, Citi AAdvantage Globe and premium Executive card are not changing under the announcement. For current Platinum Select and Business cardholders, the key dates are January 24, 2027, for the benefit changes and the next account anniversary after that date for the higher annual fee.
