Compare the Features and Benefits of Citi Prestige and
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®

Although it has a hefty $495 annual fee, power users can find good rewards.

Citi Prestige Benefits

• Get the 4th night free on hotel bookings of 4 or more consecutive nights made through the Citi travel center – capped at 2x per calendar. Note that all bookings must be made online and will not qualify for most hotel loyalty program’s elite benefits or points earning. The Citi portal is now powered by Booking.com
• You will also get a $250 travel credit every calendar year (super easy to use and automatically applied against all travel charges) and Priority Pass airport lounge access, with full access to Priority Pass Experiences like airport dining.
• Cell phone protection: The Citi Prestige offers up to $1,000 per claim with up to 2 claims per year. Max is $1,500 in a 12-month period with a $50 deductible per claim.

Because of the high annual fee, if you won’t take advantage of the 4th night free benefit, the Citi Premier card is likely a better card for you if your goal is to earn Citi ThankYou points.

This card is no longer available to new applicants. There is not currently a replacement but one is rumored. 

For occasional travelers that fly American Airlines and are looking to earn miles with the airline, then the AAdvantage® MileUp card could be a solid option.

And while you might not think about this card if you are already an American Airlines elite traveler, you may find the bonus categories more beneficial than the $99 fee Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite MasterCard since you already have the additional benefits like free checked bags and priority boarding via your status.

This beginner-friendly card, with no annual fee, is ideal for those who don’t travel often enough to justify a more expensive, premium card.

The AAdvantage® MileUp also has a competitive 2X bonus category rate at grocery stores (including grocery delivery services) and eligible American Airlines purchases.

And remember, all base miles earned via spend on this card count as Loyalty Points towards AAdvantage® status.

In addition, you’ll get 25% off inflight food and beverage purchases and there’s no mileage cap on the card. American Airlines miles can be used on over 1,000 worldwide destinations, as you can use them for American Airlines, American Eagle and any Oneworld alliance or non-alliance partner airlines.

However, there are some significant downsides to consider as well. While this is an airline-specific card, the MileUp card doesn’t include many airline perks, such as a free checked bag perk or preferred boarding. In addition, there’s a relatively modest welcome bonus and the card charges a foreign transaction fee (so you won’t want to use this card abroad).

And if you do fly American Airlines (and Oneworld partner airlines or JetBlue) more than a couple of times per year, but are not elite already, there are some better options out there, including those from American Airlines. That includes the mid-tier Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard, offering the first checked bag free, and the premium Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard, offering Admirals Club lounge access.