The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is adding new benefits and zhuzhing up existing ones — but at a cost. The card's annual fee will be $695, an increase of $100 from before.
Cardholders who apply for the card on or after Aug. 23, 2026, will be charged the new fee. According to American Airlines, existing cardholders who have had the card for more than 12 months will be sent a notification in August or September 2026 and will be charged the new fee at their next renewal date after that notification. Existing cardholders who have had the card for less than 12 months will be notified in August 2027 and charged the new fee at their next renewal date after notification.
What’s changing
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is adding some fresh perks, like new travel statement credits, and changing some existing benefits. New and existing cardholders will have access to these benefits starting Aug. 23, 2026:
New benefits
- $500 in American Airlines Vacations credit. Receive up to $500 in statement credits per year when you purchase eligible American Airlines Vacations travel packages or Experiences on aavacations.com. This benefit comes as two credits, each for up to $250; one is good from January through June, the other from July through December.
- $100 in-flight and Admirals Club credit. Get up to $100 in statement credits per year when you use your card for in-flight purchases and eligible Admirals Club purchases, including food, beverages and in-flight Wi-Fi. The entire $100 credit can even be redeemed in a single transaction. (Note: Through September 2026, and only for existing cardholders who opened their account before Aug. 23, 2026, the card will also continue to offer its current benefit of 25% savings on in-flight food and beverage purchases.)
- Omni Hotels & Resorts perks: Receive automatic Omni Champion status when you enroll in Omni Hotels & Resorts' Select guest loyalty program. Champion status is Omni’s second-highest status tier and includes perks like early check-in, late check-out and room upgrades when available. Cardholders who are enrolled in the Champion status benefit also get an Omni Free Night Reward every calendar year after they complete a stay of two or more consecutive nights booked directly on omnihotels.com.
- Avis President’s Club status: Cardholders who enroll in this benefit will receive complimentary Avis President’s Club status, which includes benefits like car upgrades, faster service that allows customers to skip the rental counter at major airports, and complimentary additional drivers.
Updated card benefits
- More miles for AAdvantage hotels and cars: Cardholders will earn 12 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent on eligible AAdvantage hotels and cars bookings. Previously, the card earned 10 miles per dollar for such purchases.
- Faster path to status: You'll get 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points after you earn 50,000, 90,000, 165,000 and 240,000 Loyalty Points per qualifying year — for a total of up to 40,000 points. Previously, cardholders could earn only up to 20,000 points after reaching the 50,000 and 90,000 milestones.
- $180 Lyft credit: Earn a $15 Lyft credit after taking three eligible rides in a calendar month, for a total of up to $180 in credits annually. Previously, the card offered a maximum of $120 annually.
Higher Admirals Club membership fee
At the same time the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is getting more expensive, so is the cost of a membership for American Airlines' airport lounge network, the Admirals Club. Membership rates depend on your frequent-flyer status with the airline, but the base price for a standard membership for a non-status flyer is jumping to $1,400, up substantially from $850. There's also a new "single" membership, without guest access, for $750. Read more about the price changes here.
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® remains the only branded American Airlines card with unlimited access to Admirals Club airport lounges. And even with the card’s new annual fee, it’s still significantly less expensive to get the card than to pay for a lounge membership outright.
Nerdy Perspective
"If your goal is to get into the Admirals Club, this card remains the cheapest way to get in — even with the fee hike. I wish the credits were more appealing (RIP, Grubhub), but the increased Loyalty Points and in-flight credit are certainly welcome news for frequent flyers."
What’s staying the same
New cardholder bonus offer
Cardholders continue to be eligible for the following: Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $7,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
Rewards rates
- 4 miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases. (This rises to 5 miles per dollar after spending $150,000 total on the card in a calendar year.)
- 1 mile per $1 spent on everything else.
Other benefits
- Admirals Club membership.
- First checked bag free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to eight companions traveling with you on the same reservation.
- VIP airport treatment: priority check-in, airport screening (where available) and early boarding when flying American Airlines.
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application credit: Receive a statement credit, up to $120 every four years, as reimbursement for your application fee.
- Earn $1 statement credit per $1 spent on eligible Avis and Budget car rental purchases, up to $120 every calendar year.
- Earn a Grubhub statement credit of up to $10 per monthly billing statement, up to a total of $120 every 12 billing statements. (Note: this benefit is available until Aug. 31, 2027, only for existing cardholders who opened their account before Aug. 23, 2026.)
