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As was announced back in March, all of American Airlines’ co-branded cards are eliminating the 10% rebate on redeemed AAdvantage miles (up to 10,000 miles per year). This was a benefit on the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard, the Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red Mastercard, and the Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Silver World Elite Mastercard.
This was a unique benefit of the co-branded cards that I always took advantage of, and am sad to see go. The best part was how easy it worked — once the card was attached to your AAdvantage profile, the 10% rebate posted instantly on your account upon making a mileage redemption.
Replacement Benefits
In lieu of this benefit, Barclays added some benefits including a Wi-Fi credit, a companion pass offer (minimum spend required), and a inflight food and beverage credit, depending on which exact card you have.
Citi added a $125 flight statement after spending $20,000 on the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard. That card still has some value, especially with the current 70,000 AAdvantage miles welcome offer. Of course, all the cards give your first checked bag free on domestic flights — a nice benefit for any non-elite yet semi-frequent American Airlines travelers.
The Upshot
If you’re looking to use your AAdvantage miles in the near future and hold one of these cards, it may make sense to look for redemptions sooner rather than later. May 1st is just around the corner — I will be spending some AAdvantage miles before then to take advantage of this perk before its gone for good.
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