Part 2: Applying For AAdvantage Rewards Cards Before The Merger

Posted by Noob Master on Feb 19, 2013 in AAdvantage, American Airlines, Uncategorized | 4 comments

Edit: [apply at your own risk, but it appears the two browser trick is dead. These aren't my links so I can't guarantee approval.]

Edit: [You can only do one personal Citi app a day]

Since the announced merger of American Airlines and US Airways, there have been a flurry of people signing up for the Barclays US Airways card. But, don’t forget about Citibank and American Airlines cards.

The dream is that there will be new rewards card products when the merger is complete, but one thing is probably certain – Citibank will be the main issuer of the new airline’s rewards cards once the transaction is complete.

I blogged about the US Airways card options last week, and today I’ll be laying out the Citibank AAdvantage options, AND the best current practices in applying for Citi AAdvantage cards. Enjoy.

[Oh, btw - none of these cards give me a referral credit. I know you love me, but don't let this stop you from applying.]

The Options

AAdvantage Amex 

AAdvantage Visa 

Each card has a 50,000 mile sign-up bonus, a $150 statement credit (after eligible AA purchase), and 2 lounge passes. There is a $3,000 spend requirement to meet in 4 months for EACH card. But, these expired links don’t mention any of the details on the landing page. However, many people have been approved and received the perks. The $89 annual fee is waived for the first year.

Platinum Select AAdvantage Mastercard 

You will receive 40,000 AAdvantage miles after spending $1,000 in 4 months. Once again, there’s no mention of the offer on the landing, because “it’s an expired link.” However, just like the Visa & Amex, many people have reported success when applying. The annual fee is also waived for the first year.

Gold World Mastercard

30,000 AAdvantage miles after spending $750 in 4 months. The $50 annual fee is waived for the first year.

AAdvantage CitiBusiness Visa 

The sign-up bonus with the business Visa card is 50,000 miles,  $150 statement credit (after eligible AA purchase), and 2 lounge passes. The minimum spending requirement is $3,000 in 4 months.

Currently, these are the 4 best offers, but the expired deals change a lot. Like whoa. Here’s a link to the Flyertalk thread where you can find updated links if these aren’t working. But, as you can see, these are some lucrative offers that will not only top off your AAdvantage account, but net you some statement credits (free $$), and lounge passes.

Application Strategy

In the past, the best strategy has been to apply for the one Amex and one Visa AA card at the same time via different browsers. However, it appears that in most cases, this has come to an end. Citibank is finally able to code the two cards as the same product if you apply for them at the same time. An additional perk was the two inquiries being combined into one.

There’s still hope. I’ve received a couple of emails from readers (a big hat tip to Eric) with success stories of being approved for an Amex/Visa & a Gold WorldMastercard (30k signup bonus). That’s 80,000 miles! Not a bad haul. People trying for the Platinum Select Mastercard haven’t had any luck.

Plus, in one reader’s (Eric’s) experience, he was then targeted from Citi to apply for the Amex AAdvantage card even though he already had the Visa & Mastercard. In fact, that’s why he was targeted – because he already held a Viss AA-branded card.

targeted AA Amex offer

Now the offer was only 25,000 AAdvantage miles, but if the goal is to stockpile AA miles before the merger on the most cards as possible, then this may be the new personal card strategy. Of course, we are still new to the post apocalyptic world with no Amex & Visa “double browser trick.” There’s still not enough data points to say you will automatically receive a targeted offer if you apply for the AA Mastercard, and if you will get approved for the Mastercard and the AA Visa at the same time.

BUT if you’re going to be applying for the 50,000, $150 statement credit, and 2 lounge pass American Airlines Visa, then there’s no harm in adding the 30,000 Mastercard to the mix since the inquiries will be combined anyway.

Moving onto the business card. The current offer is outstanding! I highly recommend adding a CitiBusiness card to your App Party, and perhaps you’ll be able to get it more than once before the merger.

Heads up: In the last year, it has become really hard to get approved for the business card as a sole proprietor unless you have already had the card before.

The CitiBusiness card has been “churnable,” but I haven’t tried in last 6 months. Jordan is about to sign up for it again in a week, so I will let you know her results. My goal/plan is to sign up for it again during my next App Party. If I’m successful, I’ll cancel after 3 months and try again.

Here Are a Few Citi Card Application Rules

1. You can only apply for 2 Citi cards every 60-ish days. If you try for a third, you will be instantly denied with no hopes of reconsidering. I recommend waiting 90-95 days in between Citi apps.

2. You can apply for a business card every 90 days.

3. Citibank can be a stickler for “too many recent inquiries,” so I always apply for Citi cards first during an App Party.

4. You have to wait 18-24 months from the previous personal AAdvantage application date to apply for the same version of the card. This is usually how long it takes to be seen as a new customer.

5. The Citi reconsideration department sucks! Their phone number is 1-888-201-4523. If you don’t have luck over the phone and it’s rare that you will, because they don’t empower their employees in many instances, you can write a letter and mail it in to their executive department.

CitiBank Executive Review Department
P.O. Box 6000
Sioux Falls, SD 57117

6. Most of the offers won’t have the sign-up bonuses on the landing page, so it’s a bit of a risk, but many people have been approved through them. You can confirm your offer with a rep when you activate.

7. The AAdvantage offers change constantly, so if the links above aren’t working, please let me know by commenting below. Also, you can check the Flyertalk thread for more stories and to find links if mine are broken.

My Plan

My goal is to apply for as many Citibank AAdvantage cards as I can before the merger to 1) stockpile miles and 2) in hopes of new card offers after the merger. I just applied for the personal cards a few months ago, so I’m sticking with the CitiBusiness card, which is a stellar offer.

I may try to throw in a Mastercard AAdvantage offer too, since I’ve never held one. We will see.

I hope this helps as you think about applying for Citibank AAdvantage cards before the merger is completed in October.

Noobilicious.

— Noob Master