Citi Will Take Over at Exclusive Issuer of American Airlines Credit Cards
American Airlines and Citi have announced an extension of their over 37-year-long partnership, which will now last for another decade. As part of the new agreement, Citi will become the exclusive issuer of American Airlines’ AAdvantage® co-branded credit card portfolio in the U.S. starting in 2026.
It was already reported back in September that American Airlines is in talks to make Citi its exclusive credit card partner. American Airlines credit cards are currently issued by Citi and Barclays, so the new deal means that the airline would drop Barclays as a partner once the new agreement goes into effect.
Barclays was the issuer of US Airways cards, and it started issuing American Airlines credit card after the two carriers merged more than a decade ago.
Citi will acquire the Barclays American Airlines co-branded card portfolio, with cardholders transitioning to Citi cards in 2026. Barclays cardholders will continue to enjoy the same benefits until the transition takes place, with further details to be shared soon.
As the exclusive issuer, Citi will manage all of American Airlines’ acquisition efforts, including inflight and airport promotions.
The press release also hints at AAdvantage being added as a Citi ThankYou partner. This was briefly a limited time option back in 2021, at a transfer ratio of 1:1.
“The agreement creates an innovative alignment between the Citi ThankYou and AAdvantage® card programs and is designed to drive incremental value for both companies and produce a significantly expanded loyalty and rewards offering for AAdvantage® members and Citi-branded cardmembers.”
It’s not clear for how long Barclays will continue to accept applications for American Airlines cards. The Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red Mastercard currently has a 70,000 miles bonus.
Credit: Source link
