Citi is an advertising partner. Citi is no longer accepting applications for the Citi Custom Cash® Card product as of May 28, 2026.
Welcome to the Points Pro, where I answer your credit card and travel rewards questions each week. If you have a question you’d like answered, you can submit it here.
This week, reader Elizabeth asks:
I have the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®, and I feel like it takes me so long to rack up enough miles for good flights. What’s the best way to get the most out of my miles on this card? Is there a best day or time to look at the prices?
(This question has been edited for clarity and brevity.)
Elizabeth is in a familiar situation; she has a rewards credit card that doesn’t quite deliver what she wants. There isn’t any surefire trick to finding good award deals, but with a little flexibility, she might be able to stretch her miles further.
And when it comes to earning American Airlines miles, Elizabeth has noticed one of the biggest weaknesses of airline credit cards: They often aren’t the best option for earning airline miles.
How to maximize your AAdvantage credit card
How I make the most of my AAdvantage miles
The day or time you book your flight doesn’t matter as much as the day you fly. If your travel plans are flexible, you may be able to book the flights you want for less, as American Airlines offers dynamic pricing for its own award flights.
I’ve found lower award prices flying on a Tuesday or Wednesday instead of a Friday or Sunday. That may not be true for all destinations and times of year, but it’s always a good idea to compare prices from one day to the next.
You can also use American Airlines miles to book flights with partner airlines. These awards have fixed prices and can be spectacular deals (especially in premium cabins) if you can find them and have enough miles.
I’ve found super cheap American Airlines awards, only to be disappointed that the lowest price requires an extra stop — something even I’m unwilling to do to maximize value. The flights at more convenient times or on better days are generally going to cost more. The same goes for premium business or first-class awards.
This may sound silly, but having more miles may be the best way to make the most of your miles and get the good flights. In other words, if you want access to the best flights, ensure you’re earning the most miles you can.
For someone with an average budget, earning a big welcome bonus is the easiest way to quickly rack up miles. A good limited-time welcome bonus for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® could be 80,000 miles, and the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® has had offers as high as 100,000 miles.
You’ll want to keep an eye out for increased bonuses. The current offer for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $2,500 in purchases within the first three months of account opening, and the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®‘s current offer is 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $7,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is one of the best ways to get access to American Airlines’ network of Admirals Club® airport lounges.
- Access to nearly 100 Admirals Club® and partner airport lounges
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fee credit
- High annual fee
- Additional fee for authorized users
- No bonus rewards outside of American Airlines purchases
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $7,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Admirals Club® membership for you and access for up to two guests or immediate family members traveling with you
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
- Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases
- First checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to 8 companions traveling with you on the same reservation
Balance transfer fee
5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum
If you’re earning 2X miles on every dollar you spend on your American Airlines credit card (which isn’t likely — more on that later), it would probably take you a year or longer to earn as many miles as you would from a single big intro bonus.
Elizabeth also wants to know if it’s ever a good idea to buy miles. It rarely makes sense to buy miles to book a flight (unless you’re getting an incredible discount) because you’ll typically spend more on the miles than you would if you paid for the flight. But if you’re just short of having enough miles to book an expensive flight, it can make sense in reasonable amounts.
Why I use Citi ThankYou Rewards cards to earn AAdvantage miles
But what this card lacks (and frankly, what most co-branded airline cards lack) is top-tier bonus categories. The AAdvantage Platinum Select earns 2X miles at restaurants, gas stations and on eligible American Airlines purchases, plus 1X miles on all other purchases. Compare that to the Citi Strata Premier® Card, which earns:
- 10X points on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com
- 3X points on air travel and other hotel purchases
- 3X points at restaurants
- 3X points at supermarkets
- 3X points on gas and EV charging stations
- 1X points on all other purchases
You can transfer the Citi ThankYou® Points you earn with this card to American Airlines at a 1:1 ratio. Plus, the Strata Premier has a $95 annual fee, which is $4 less than what you’d pay for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select. Simply put, you’ll earn as many or more American Airlines miles on every purchase with the Citi Strata Premier than with the AAdvantage Platinum Select.
The Citi Strata Premier® Card has competitive rewards rates and unlocks access to all of the Citi ThankYou® transfer partners, which boosts the value of your points.
- Unlocks point transfers to all of the Citi ThankYou® partners, including Emirates Skywards, Choice Privileges, Flying Blue and more
- Generous bonus spending categories include dining, supermarkets, hotels and flights
- Valuable welcome bonus
- Has an annual fee
- Car rental coverage is secondary, not primary
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
- Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
- Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Balance transfer fee
Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
If you really want to make the most of every dollar, there are several no-annual-fee Citi credit cards that also earn ThankYou Rewards®. I use a combination of the Citi Double Cash® Card and Citi Custom Cash® Card.
The Double Cash earns at least 2% cash back on every purchase (1% when you buy and 1% when you pay), and the Citi Custom Cash earns 5% back in the category where you spend the most each month (on up to $500 in your top eligible category, including gas, dining, grocery stores and many more). I use the Custom Cash for groceries, and I use the Double Cash for most purchases that fall outside of bonus categories and would only earn 1X rewards with other credit cards.
The Citi Double Cash® Card is one of the best no-annual-fee cash-back cards thanks to its straightforward rewards structure.
- Balance transfers get a long intro APR
- Generous flat-rate cash-back rewards structure
- No annual fee
- Travelers face a foreign transaction fee
- Intro APR only applies to balance tranfer
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel.
- Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 17.49% – 27.49%, based on your creditworthiness.
- Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
- If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
Balance transfer fee
There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
Foreign transaction fee
The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card aims to brings premium restaurant rewards and travel benefits to users, including an annual hotel benefit of $300.
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com
- Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time
- Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
Balance transfer fee
Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
Subscribe to the CNBC Select Newsletter!
Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox. Sign up here.
Why trust CNBC Select?
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every personal finance article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.
Catch up on CNBC Select’s in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X to stay up to date.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
