New benefits on Citi AA cards

Yep. The value proposition was always very specific.

I've been bothered about something else I've noticed recently. I have an AA Signature Visa and my wife has the AA Visa and Amex, all from the giant signup bonuses. I also have the AA Exec card. They keep sending me offers for 1.2 miles per dollar and the like on the cheap cards but never on the Exec card. All in all, it (barely) worked for a specific case for me, but for the cost, I don't understand how they don't give at least the same treatment to Exec card holders. They're managing this card very poorly.

this middle bolded part caught my eye:

Earn 10% Back on Redeemed American Airlines AAdvantage® Miles
For benefit to apply, your Citi® / AAdvantage® account must be open and active at the time of redemption. The American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles you earn through this benefit will be based on 10% of the total AAdvantage® miles you redeem each month during the calendar year. The maximum number of AAdvantage® bonus miles you can earn annually from this benefit is 10,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles per calendar year, regardless of how many AAdvantage® miles you redeem in that calendar year. This benefit only applies to AAdvantage® miles redeemed from the primary cardmember's AAdvantage® account.


what exactly do they mean "per month"? and why did they word it that way if they meant it to be cumulative for the year? i really hate the legalese with which they write these things.

This may be a stupid question, but for the checked bag and priority boarding, does the reservation need to be booked using the citi/AA card? There's nothing in the language saying "must be booked with card" just that the account must be open 7 days in advance and that the reservation must include the primary account holder's AAdvantage number.
Thanks!

Yes, the card must be used for the booking.

Has anyone tried to get this benefit by just showing the card? This is the same way the UA card works. The flight must be booked with the UA card, but in practice, you'll still get the free checked bag.

I would guess that the 10% "bonus" is credited on a monthly basis, based on the number of AA miles redeemed during the month.

I suppose the "bonus" isn't a rebate, though -- it would seem to be new miles earned, and thus would extend the life of the remaining miles in your account.

hmmm, okay, i think. LOL! so, in theory, i book an award ticket in may for 25,000 mile, then in june on my acct statement, i would get 2500 put back into my acct. are we sure it won't just be a credit? (similar to a refund/redeposit of miles from a cancelation) i am wondering if your thought would truly keep miles extended or if they would pull a fast one on the users.

just wish they would clearly, without legalese, explain exactly how this will work. they seem to forget we are not in their head, knowing exactly what they meant.

Well, not reading the rules has bitten me in the backside. I took a flight in May and got all the bennies. Priority Access, 10% of the miles back, and free bag. Now I booked a similar flight for the better half. Used my miles, paid with the AAdvantage card I used for my flight. But it appears that since I ain't traveling on this trip, we have to pay for her bag. (but the 10% miles have already posted even though the flight hasn't happened yet) Oh yeah, she got group 2 instead of Priority Access.

Guess I will talk to the Ticket agent about the bag at the airport. Maybe they will have pity on me. (riiiiiight)

I wouldn't see your use of the card here as a ticket purchase, and I am pretty sure AA's computers wouldn't either, which may be at least one reason she doesn't get the bag and priority boarding benefits. You simply paid a fee that goes on to the T.S.A. AA is treating the ticket itself as a free one, not a purchase with the card.

Similarly, you got the rebate of miles because you are the holder of one of those cards and you, the member, redeemed the miles, up to a 10,000 rebate in the calendar year. I did the same thing, and now have my full 10,000 back. Interestingly, I did not have to, and in fact didn't, use the AA Citi card for the T.S.A. fees. Those weren't ticket purchases, and the rebate-figuring system didn't care how I paid the fees.

My guess is that the Mapsmiths are going to pay for her bag, and it sounds like you see that as likely as well. Since her basic transportation (hers, not the suitcase) is still free except for the T.S.A. fee, the outcome probably is not that terrible.

Well. . . dropped her off this morning and expected to have to pay the bag fee. They did not charge us at the checkin but I am still expecting to get a bill.

Neat!