Every bank card issuer has its personal set of restrictions it makes use of to information approvals and decide welcome provide eligibility. Standards embrace the variety of playing cards you possibly can apply for, the timing of your purposes and the way typically you possibly can earn a welcome bonus on the identical card.
With American Airways providing substantial welcome provides on its lineup of playing cards, these of you who’ve had considered one of its playing cards previously could also be questioning whether or not you are eligible for a second bonus.
In the interim, each Citi and Barclays concern AAdvantage bank cards, so there are a number of units of software restrictions to pay attention to in the event you’re contemplating including one other American Airways card to your arsenal. This is what you want to remember.
AAdvantage bank cards
Let’s begin with the lineup of card choices.
| Bank card | Welcome bonus | Annual payment | Welcome bonus worth (primarily based on TPG’s September 2025 valuations) |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airways AAdvantage® MileUp®*
|
Earn 15,000 bonus miles after spending $500 in purchases throughout the first three months from account opening. | $0 | $233 |
| AAdvantage® Aviator® Crimson World Elite Mastercard®* | Earn 50,000 bonus miles after making a purchase order and paying the annual payment throughout the first 90 days from account opening. | $99 | $775 |
| Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Choose® World Elite Mastercard®* | Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,500 in purchases throughout the first 4 months from account opening. | $99 ($0 introductory annual payment for the primary yr) | $1,240 |
| Citi® / AAdvantage Enterprise™ World Elite Mastercard® (see charges and charges) | Earn 65,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases throughout the first 4 months from account opening. | $99 ($0 introductory annual payment for the primary yr) | $1,008
|
| Citi® / AAdvantage® Government World Elite Mastercard® (see charges and charges) | Earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $7,000 throughout the first three months from account opening. | $595 | $1,085 |
*The data for these playing cards has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
Citi AAdvantage card software restrictions
For those who’ve earned an AAdvantage welcome bonus on a selected Citi / AAdvantage card, you will not be eligible to earn the bonus once more for an additional 48 months.
Right here is the effective print underneath the cardboard software hyperlink for the Citi / AAdvantage Government Mastercard:
New account bonus will not be obtainable if in case you have acquired a brand new account bonus for a Citi® / AAdvantage® Government account previously 48 months or in the event you transformed one other Citi bank card account on which you earned a brand new account bonus within the final 48 months right into a Citi® / AAdvantage® Government account.
The phrases apply to every particular person card, versus your complete Citi / AAdvantage card household. For instance, in the event you not too long ago utilized for the Citi Platinum Choose, you don’t want to attend 48 months to use for a Citi Government Mastercard to obtain that card’s welcome bonus.
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The one exception is in the event you product-change your card to a different AAdvantage card after incomes the welcome bonus. For instance, in the event you modified your Platinum Choose to a Citi Government Mastercard, you’d nonetheless want to attend 48 months from once you earned your welcome bonus on the Platinum Choose to earn one on the Government.
An vital distinction is that the 48-month ready interval begins once you “obtain a brand new account bonus” for a selected Citi / AAdvantage card. That isn’t the identical as once you have been “permitted for the cardboard,” “acquired the cardboard,” “activated the cardboard” and different widespread phrases you would possibly see from an issuer.
On this case, semantics matter as a result of the bonus posted to your AAdvantage account might have been posted a number of months after you have been permitted for the cardboard itself.
Associated: Greatest card for American Airways flyers
Barclays AAdvantage Aviator card software restrictions
Barclays is a little more imprecise than Citi with regards to welcome bonus restrictions. Remember that Barclays at the moment accepts purposes for only one of their AAdvantage playing cards, the Aviator Crimson.
Based mostly on our information factors, in the event you’ve closed a card, you usually want to attend six months to be eligible for the welcome provide once more. Nonetheless, some software pages, just like the one on the AAdvantage Aviator Crimson, state the next:
You is probably not eligible for this provide in the event you at the moment have or beforehand had an account with us on this program
On this case, the “might not” on this sentence signifies that you could possibly be permitted for a brand new card as a earlier cardholder, meet the minimal spending requirement and nonetheless miss out on the welcome bonus. Once more, your mileage might differ, significantly with Barclays.
Citi and Barclays are separate issuers, so that you’re allowed to open an AAdvantage bank card with each issuers whereas additionally receiving the welcome bonus.
TPG bank cards author Danyal Ahmed earned the welcome bonus on each the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Choose and Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Crimson.
Remember that Citi is ready to change into the only issuer of AAdvantage bank cards in 2026. For those who’ve exhausted your Citi card choices, take into account a Barclay-issued AAdvantage card when you nonetheless can.
Associated: A information to Barclays’ AAdvantage Aviator bank cards
Backside line
Citi and Barclays each have distinct guidelines concerning software approvals and welcome bonus eligibility for his or her AAdvantage bank cards.
Whereas Citi is much less imprecise with restrictions, it additionally imposes a prolonged ready interval of a minimum of 48 months earlier than you possibly can obtain one other welcome bonus on the identical card. The foundations with Barclays are much more subjective, giving the corporate extra energy to disclaim approval or a bonus ought to it take into account your software unworthy.
In any case, in the event you’re permitted and eligible for a welcome bonus, be sure to can full the minimal spending necessities throughout the interval allotted. Welcome bonuses could make the distinction between taking your dream journey or being caught at residence, so it is vital to earn them when you possibly can.
Associated: How you can redeem miles with the American Airways AAdvantage program
