Bottom Line

If you're looking to rack up AA miles, this is a good card. The sign-up bonus is beefy (we've seen it as high as 70,000 points), though the amount of points you get on regular spending is subpar. Checked bags are free, saving you at least $50 per round-trip flight. Priority boarding and no foreign transaction fee makes travel less stressful. And the potential to double your miles is simple if you use this card for all business expenses like car rentals, gas and paying your phone bill (though multipliers on other cards can offer you much better value).

Another drawback is that this card doesn't offer any lounge access. But if you're already getting that with another card -- or only plan to take straight flights with no layovers -- then this really isn't a big deal.

At bottom, this might be a good card to get for the sign-up bonus. And then keep it in your wallet to get free checked bags and priority boarding in later years.

Why You Might Want This Card

Go To Biz Card For AA Traveler

The big draws to this card:

1. The hefty 70,000 sign-up bonus you get after a modest minimum spend

2. A reasonable annual fee of just $99 (waived the first year).

The great thing about American Airline miles is they can be used on any partner airline, including British Airways, Cathay Pacific and many others. That makes traveling the world fairly accessible. Also worth mentioning is the handy companion certificate after spending $30,000 on your card in one year. That said -- our guess is that you'd be much better off using the $30,000 extra spend collecting sign-up bonuses on other cards. You'll also get one bag checked free and priority zone 5 early boarding when you book with this card. The spending multipliers are reasonable but nothing to get excited about. The highest multiplier is 2x on airfare, cell phones, internet/cable and gas stations.

Exceptions To The Rule

About American Airlines Miles

American Airlines has had its ups and downs over the past few years. And while it’s not a top pick for everyone, AA miles can be exceptionally valuable and surprisingly easy to collect piles of them in a relatively short period of time. Your bonuses come through different cards and even different banks. The main contributor at this time is Citi, who has increased sign-up bonuses. Barclay also offers a line up of AAdvantage Aviator cards. And there are the American Express Rewards that are transferable to AA.

Booking can be tricky and probably one of the main reasons why people shy away. Finding non-stop flights is almost impossible; sometimes the greatest deals involve an unpleasant red-eye; and when using your points to book with one of their partners, you normally have to actually pick up the phone and talk with someone directly through the airline. (Who wants to do that anymore?)

American Airline partners up with OneWorld, opening up amazing seats even for business and first-class options without the restrictions attached to Star Alliance or the pricing inconsistency of SkyMiles. By not relying on the American Airlines website to find the best route for redemption, you can get you some pretty sweet seats on stellar partners.

Here's a trick: Cathay Pacific has a better OneWorld search. If you find a desirable One World flight there, there's a decent chance you can call American Airlines for the same flight even though it doesn't show on their site.

Or, if you decide to redeem right through the American website, there are standard “MileSAAver” seats, “MilesSAAver Off Peak” options, “Reduced Mileage Awards” and their new “Economy Web Specials Program,” where you can get flights all over the world for just 5,000 points one way.

While it may not be for everyone, it's worth having at least some AA points for when the stars align with one of their discount programs and your travel schedule.

WHAT IS AN AMERICAN AIRLINE WEB SPECIAL?

American Airlines started Web Specials in 2018. And for those of us traveling with points and miles, this was exciting -- especially when they started to include international routes and first and business class. The specials are based on demand rather than on a specific award chart. As an example, one staff member went from NY to Los Angeles for 5,000 AA Miles one way last winter. And another was able to book New York to New Zealand for the same amount of miles. So what’s the catch? If you need to cancel your trip, the cost of getting your points back could be more than the points are worth. You can cancel your trip and reinstate your miles for $150, the first award ticket and $25 for each additional ticket. Unless of course you’re an Executive Platinum member, in which case, reinstatement comes with no penalties.

Bottom Line:

Web Specials are fantastic in our opinion, especially if you’re flexible and a bit of a risk taker. We’re not Executive Platinum members, and some of us had to kiss 5,000 miles and $6 away when our plans changed this spring and our hiking trip got canceled. But if you’re holding up 5,000 AA Miles against a flight across the country, it’s really not a huge sacrifice. The fact that you can hop onboard an AA or OneWorld Alliance plane and travel for under 20,000 points is a steal. And we’re willing to take the risk of losing a few thousand miles if need be.

Where CitiBiz AAdvantage Platinum Select Fits In This Point Ecosystem

Personal Experience