Citi - AAdvantage Business

 "We" aka my P2, just got approved for his first card of 2026! Here's what I opened for him and why!

Citi AAdvantage Business

Annual Fee: $99 (but waived the first year!)

Current (Standard) Sign up Offer: Spend $4,000 in 4 months, earn 65,00 bonus miles

5/24 Status: This is a business card, therefore it does not count against your 5/24. (If you're not familiar with what 5/24 Rule is, visit this post New to Points, Rule 2)

Card Benefits: 

• Earn 2 points for every dollar spent on American Airlines Purchases
• Earn 2 points for every dollar spent on telecommunications, cable/satellite provides, rental car, and gas stations
• Earn 1 point for every dollar spent on all other purchases
• Earn one AA Loyalty Point for every dollar spent
• Free first checked bag; on domestic AA flights

You can also earn a AA Companion Certificate for domestic travel after spending $30K on the card (which I certainly won't do! That cash can be spent elsewhere on another sign up bonus)

Why this Card: My Strategy

After opening the Amex Gold Personal card for P2 and nearing the minimum spend, it's time for a new credit card for one of us. (You can read why I love the Amex Gold Personal card and all about it's benefits here!).

I've been debating what card to open next; with summer camp registration starting, and our normal day to day expenses, I want to maximize the value from the money we're spending.  Basically someone in our household is almost always working on a card's minimum spend towards a sign up bonus.

I decided to have P2 open the Citi AA Business card because it's honestly a nice in-between card for us. What I mean by that is that it's a business card so it doesn't add to P2's 5/24 count and the minimum spend of $4K in 4 months is pretty low. This card basically will be an interim card until I decide what card is next. (I opened this card in Nov 2025. Here's the list of all of the cards we opened in 2025).

For myself, I'm currently trying to take a break from any new card applications, because I want to be eligible to open the Capital One Venture (details here) and likely also VentureX card (VX details here) this year. Capital One can be very picky about it's approvals, especially the number of credit inquiries you have in the past 6 months. Therefore, I'm trying to wait until March before I apply, which will put me at just one credit inquiry in a 6-month period.

I also want to wait closer to taxes being due, to know how much we owe. Our federal tax amount owed, will dictate how high of a minimum spend we can hit (in combination with our normal monthly budget) on our next card. Basically this is a time filler card to keep earning some kind of SUB and also has a minimum spend that we can pretty easily hit overlapping another new card's minimum spend.

Why this Card: The AA Miles

With Denver being our home airport, we are NOT an American Airlines hub. Honestly, I don't even know the last time I flew AA! Buuuuut, what I realized in August 2025 when I was looking for last minute flights to Copenhagen, is just how valuable AA miles can be - thanks to their low redemption cost! 

AA got rid of their standard award chart last year, but still has a lot of good redemptions. This chart shows the "average" points price, but it can vary. In the world of points, you never know which airline will shake out to be the best - so diversity is key!

Summary

This definitely isn't a forever card. For both myself and P2 now having this card, I opened it solely for the low minimum spend and longer time period to earn a sign up bonus. I'll close the card for each of us, once we hit the one year mark - so as not to pay the annual fee.

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Looking for more information on points/miles? You can find all of my points talk posts linked here.

Trying to figure out your next card? Here is my FREE personalized Next Card Recommendation form. Simply fill this out and I'll let you know suggestions.

Curious what cards I (and/or my husband) have, and why? Read here!