Citi AAdvantage Credit Cards: New Rules to Earn 130K AA Miles

8/13 Update: See my latest post, Citi AAdvantage Official 50K Offer But No More Churning? Citi has tightened up and is only allowing a bonus for first time Citi AAdvantage cardmembers. This in the past has meant ~18-24 months from your most recent application for a Citi AAdvantage personal card, but it remains to be seen if it will be true going forward. Note that you can still get the bonus both for a Citi AAdvantage personal credit card AND for a CitiBusiness AAdvantage card, and Flyertalk reports are that CitiBusiness credit card churning (say every 6 months or so) still works.

6/13  Update: At least for now, there is again a working 50K Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Visa link. Please see latest links on our Best Travel Credit Cards page and note that the links, as well as those on Flyertalk, go directly to the application page, there is no landing page that confirms the bonus. You can confirm the bonus after you have been approved, either when activating your card by phone or via secure message.

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I like having plenty of AAdvantage miles, not for flying American Airlines, but rather to book Cathay First Class or Business Class, Etihad First Class, and soon, Qatar.

Now that we've said Bye Bye to the Citi AAdvantage Two Browser Trick, the question is what to do instead, since it's no longer possible to get approved for two Citi AAdvantage personal cards for a total of 100,000 American AAdvantage miles. 

What's emerged over the past several days is a new rule:

You typically CANNOT get approved for two Citi products in the same day

This is a big deal, since we're not just talking about death of the Citi AAdvantage two browser trick, but of not being able to get approved for any two Citi products, such as 1 Citi AAdvantage card and 1 Citi HHonors card, when applying on the same day.

Here's what you should do instead to maximize your chances of earning 80,000 to 130,000 AAdvantage miles from 2-3 Citi AAdvantage applications:

1. Ensure You've Waited Long Enough Since Your Prior Citi AAdvantage and Citi Personal Card Applications

While a very few folks have been lucky enough to have gotten approved for another Citi AAdvantage card 12-17 months after their most recent Citi AAdvantage personal credit card application, most have had to wait 18-20 months before getting approved again. You also need to wait 65 days between Citi card applications.

2. Day 1: Apply for Citi AAdvantage Platinum Card for 50K AAdvantage Miles

Assuming you've waited long enough since your prior Citi AAdvantage card and Citi personal credit card applications, apply for the Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage Visa for 50,000 AAdvantage miles. 

• 50,000 AA miles after $3000 in spend within the first 4 months
• $150 statement credit after the first eligible AA purchase 
• 2 Admirals Club passes

3. Day 2: Apply for Citi AAdvantage Gold Card for 30K AAdvantage Miles

Since Citi no longer is approving most applications for a second Citi card product on the same day, on Day 2 or 3 apply for the Citi AAdvantage Gold Card for 30,000 AAdvantage miles

4. Day 66 or 67: Apply for CitiBusiness AAdvantage Card for 50K AAdvantage Miles

You need to wait 65 days between Citi card applications, so on Day 66 (if you applied for the Citi AAdvantage Gold card on Day 2) or Day 67 (if you applied on Day 3) apply for the CitiBusiness AAdvantage card

• 50,000 AA miles after $3000 in spend within the first 4 months
• $150 statement credit after the first eligible AA purchase 
• 2 Admirals Club passes

FAQ

So I Can't Get Approved for Both a Citi AAdvantage Card and Citi HHonors Card the Same Day?

Recent posters on Flyertalk have not had success with this. Never say never, but doesn't look likely.

Could I Get Approved for a Citi AAdvantage Personal Card and CitiBusiness AAdvantage Card the Same Day?

Yes, multiple Flyertalk posters reports success with this. Just note though that you won't be able to get another Citi AAdvantage personal card approval for about 18 months.

How Else Can I Earn AAdvantage Miles?

Well, assuming the merger with US Airways goes through, your existing US Airways Dividend Miles will at some point become AAdvantage miles. You could apply for US Airways cards now to earn more of those miles.

If you have a good amount of money that's in cash or earning a low interest rate, you could also earn more AAdvantage miles with a BankDirect account.

If you've applied recently for Citi AAdvantage cards, what was your experience getting approved?

Related Posts

Bye Bye to the Citi AAdvantage Two Browser Trick