Sometime ago, I saw an advertisement of the Citi AAdvantage MileUp credit card as a replacement of the older Aadvantage Bronce card. However, recently I looked at it in more detail and found out that it is also a good replacement for the Aadvantage Gold card that carries a $50 annual fee.
In the table bellow, I compared the 3 Aadvantage rewards cards that are useful for accumulating miles with day to day shopping. I haven't included the Advantage® Executive card, since I don't find much value on it (high $450 fee and only 1 mile per dollar); it may be useful for some heavy travelers but still I'm not sure due to the high annual fee. Also, I haven't included the Business card options (but they are very useful to get them in addition to personal cards in order to get more miles).
The choice of card depends on individual situation and goals. But by looking at the options available, it seems to me that a good option is having a MileUP card for the long term -without annual fee-, and a Platinum card that can be closed/reopened every few years in order to get bonus points.
The extra points for gas and grocery are very good. However, I rather use an American Express Blue Cash Preferred® Card to get 6% back on grocery and 3% back on gas.
The Platinum card still has some unique advantages such as 10% miles back on reward travel, 2 miles at restaurant and zero international transaction fee (but this zero fee is also given by other non-fee cards)
Holders of Aadvantage Gold cards can call Citibank and ask to replace it with a Aadvantage MileUp card, keeping the credit limit and credit history, eliminating the annual fee at the same time :-)
| Benefits | Citi® AAdvantage® Gold World Elite™ Mastercard® | American Airlines AAdvantage MileUpSM | Citi® AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $50 | $0 (none) | $99 | |
| Annual APR | ? | 17.74% to 25.74%, based on your creditworthiness. | 17.74% - 25.74% variable APR based on your creditworthiness | |
| Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases | no | YES | YES | |
| Earn 1 AAdvantage® mile for every $1 spent on other purchases | YES | YES | YES | |
| Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for each $1 spent at grocery stores, including grocery delivery services | no | YES | no | |
| Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent at restaurants | no | no | YES | |
| Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent at gas stations | no | no | YES | |
| 10% Miles Back | no | no | YES | |
| Enjoy preferred boarding | no | no | YES | |
| 25% savings on inflight purchases of drinks and snacks when you use your card on American Airlines flights | YES | YES | YES | |
| First checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to four companions traveling with you | no | no | YES | |
| Earn a $100 American Airlines Flight Discount after you spend $20,000 or more in purchases during your cardmembership year and renew your card | no | no | YES | |
| Discounted AAdvantage® travel available | YES, 5000 fewer | no | YES, 7500 fewer | |
| on the same reservation | no | no | YES | |
| no limit to the number of AAdvantage® miles you can earn | YES | YES | YES | |
| EMV Chip Technology | YES | YES | YES | |
| Citi® Cards with Apple Pay® | ? | YES | YES | |
| Citi® Concierge | ? | YES | ||
| Foreign Purchase Transaction | ? | 3% | 0% (none) | |
| SignOn Bonus as of 09/18/2018 | ? | Earn 10,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles and receive a $50 statement credit after making $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening | Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $2,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Annual fee waived for the first 12 months | |
| Citi® Private Pass | YES | YES | YES | |
| More info | Citi web doesn't show this card anymore. | https://www.citi.com/credit-cards/credit-card-details/citi.action?ID=aadvantage-mile-up-credit-card | https://www.citi.com/credit-cards/credit-card-details/citi.action?ID=citi-aadvantage-platinum-elite-credit-card&category=travel-reward-credit-cards&afc=1C1&intc=7~7~67~1~MCT~1~citi-aadvantage-platinum-elite-credit-card~4XSX1XD871C1L10602W | https://www.citi.com/credit-cards/credit-card-details/citi.action?ID=citi-aadvantage-platinum-elite-credit-card&category=travel-reward-credit-cards&afc=1C1&intc=7~7~67~1~MCT~1~citi-aadvantage-platinum-elite-credit-card~4XSX1XD871C1L10602W |
| Worldwide Car Rental Insurance | YES | YES ($50000) | YES | |
| Trip Cancellation & Interrruption Protection | YES | YES (up to $1500 per trip) | YES | |
| Worldwide Travel Accident Insurance | YES | YES ($250000 per person) | ||
| Damage & Theft Purchase Protection | YES | YES(up to $1000 per incident) | YES | |
| Citi Price Rewind | YES | YES | YES | |
| Extended Warranty | YES | YES (24 months) | YES | |
| 90 day return protection | yes? | YES (up to $300 per item) | yes? |
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