In 60 seconds: Citi and American Airlines are raising the annual fee on their AAdvantage Platinum Select and Business cards from $99 to $150, starting January 24, 2027. In return, cardholders get a $100 yearly inflight credit, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, and new bonus categories — a deal that works out fine for frequent flyers and looks a lot worse if you rarely fly American.
- The Platinum Select and Business cards go from $99 to $150 a year on January 24, 2027 — a $51 increase.
- New perks include a $100 annual inflight credit and a Global Entry / TSA PreCheck credit.
- The fee is waived for the first 12 months after account opening for new cardholders, per the terms dated October 27, 2026.
- The Business card keeps preferred boarding, a free first checked bag on domestic flights, and 10% off eligible American Vacations packages.
- Frequent American flyers can roughly break even; occasional flyers may be paying more for perks they never use.
Photo: An American Airlines Boeing 737-800. File photo by PlanespotterA320 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
If your wallet holds a Citi AAdvantage card, check the fine print before your next trip. American and Citi quietly refreshed two of their most popular co-brand cards this week — and the headline change is the kind that hits every cardholder, whether they use the new perks or not.
What happened
On October 27, 2026, Citi and American Airlines rolled out changes to the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard and the Citi / AAdvantage Business Mastercard. The core change: both cards' annual fees rise from $99 to $150, effective January 24, 2027, according to terms dated October 27, 2026. For new accounts, Citi says the fee is waived for the first 12 months after opening — so a new applicant's first year stays free, and the $150 kicks in from year two.
This is the second round of AAdvantage fee hikes this year, not the first. Back in August, the premium Executive card jumped from $595 to $695, with Citi adding up to $500 in American Vacations credits, higher Lyft credits, and hotel and rental-car status to soften the blow. The message from both rounds is consistent: American and Citi are pushing their cards upmarket, betting that loyal flyers will pay more for a richer bundle — and that everyone else will either upgrade their usage or quietly downgrade their card.
Latest verified facts
Here's what actually changes on the two $150 cards, based on the October 27 coverage from One Mile at a Time and the published terms:
| Feature | Before | From Jan 24, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee (Platinum Select + Business) | $99 | $150 (waived 12 months for new accounts) |
| Inflight credit | None | $100 a year on qualifying inflight purchases |
| Global Entry / TSA PreCheck credit | Not included | Added (enrollment/eligibility rules apply) |
| Bonus spending categories | Standard AAdvantage earning | New bonus categories added |
| Travel protections | Existing coverage | Improved coverage |
| Variable purchase APR | — | 19.74%–29.74% (Platinum); 19.74%–28.74% (Business) |
What doesn't change matters too. The Business card keeps preferred boarding, one free first checked bag on qualifying domestic American flights for the primary cardholder and up to four companions on the same reservation, 10% off eligible American Vacations packages, and no foreign transaction fees. Those are the workhorse benefits for small-business owners who fly their teams — and they're the reason many holders will stay put despite the $51 hike.
One caution before you celebrate the new credits: none of them is automatic cash. The $100 inflight credit only counts on qualifying onboard purchases, the PreCheck/Global Entry credit has its own enrollment steps, and the bonus categories come with eligibility rules. If you don't buy food or Wi-Fi in the air and you already have PreCheck through another card, the new bundle's headline value shrinks fast.
Why it matters
Do the math honestly and the picture splits in two. A cardholder who flies American a few times a year, buys a snack or Wi-Fi onboard, and uses the PreCheck credit can wipe out the $51 increase without trying — One Mile at a Time's verdict was that the changes are "broadly breakeven" for someone who values the card as-is. But a cardholder who opened the card for the miles, flies once a year, and never touches the new credits just got a 52% fee increase for nothing. That's the group Citi is effectively asking to leave — or to start flying more.
There's also a competitive read here. At $150, the Platinum card still sits well below the lounge-tier cards — Delta's SkyMiles Reserve runs $650 and United's Club card $695 — but it's now priced like a mid-tier travel card, not an entry-level airline card. American and Citi clearly want it judged against that mid-tier set, where the inflight and PreCheck credits are table stakes.
Impact on the USA and the world
For American travelers, this is part of a broader 2026 pattern: the perks arms race. Every major airline-card issuer has been raising fees and stuffing cards with credits this year, and the result is a wallet full of coupons that only pay off if your spending matches the issuer's script. The winners are frequent flyers whose habits already line up; the losers are everyone who signed up for a simple miles card and now needs a spreadsheet to know whether it's still worth it.
For the industry, the timing is deliberate. With the Executive card's $695 fee already in place since August, Citi now has a clean ladder: $150 for the everyday American flyer, $695 for the lounge regular, and the new Globe card in between. If the $150 tier holds its holders, expect the other airlines' mid-tier cards to follow — Delta and United rarely let a fee gap sit unexploited for long.
What happens next
If you hold one of these cards, do three things before January 24. First, check whether your account's terms notice lists the $150 fee and when it first applies to you — new accounts get the 12-month waiver, existing holders should confirm their own timing rather than assume. Second, add up the credits you'd actually use: inflight purchases you already make, plus a PreCheck or Global Entry renewal you'd pay for anyway. If that total clears $51, the card still earns its keep. If it doesn't, call Citi and ask about a downgrade to a no-fee AAdvantage card before the higher fee posts — you keep your miles history, and you stop paying for perks you never touch.
Our take: this isn't a bad deal, and it isn't a generous one — it's a filter. Citi just told its AAdvantage holders exactly who the card is for now. If that's you, the new credits genuinely cover the hike. If it isn't, the honest move is to walk away from the fee, not to grumble and pay it. Either way, decide before January 24, not after the statement arrives.
Related reading: How to Build a Credit Score From Zero in the USA.
Sources: One Mile at a Time, "Citi AAdvantage Platinum & Business Card Changes: Higher Fee, New Benefits" (Oct 27, 2026); TravelPRNews, terms dated Oct 27, 2026; NerdWallet, Citi/AAdvantage Executive card review (updated Oct 13, 2026); CNN Underscored, Executive card refresh coverage. Fee, credit, APR, and waiver figures are from the October 27 terms/coverage cited above; bonus-category details are subject to the cards' eligibility rules.