Citi American Airlines Business Card 75,000 mile offer ??

[DebtFreeinPhilly]

Hi Everyone -
Yesterday (Mon. Aug. 6, 2018) I received an offer to apply for the Citibank American Airlines Business card. The offer is 75,000 AA miles with a $5,000 spend in 5 months. The $99 annual fee is waived for the first 12 months. Is this a good offer?

I am new to the realm of travel rewards. We have 2 credit cards currently, Capital One Venture and Citibank Coscto. We don't use either on a regular basis, just to make a large purchase that we have the cash for anyways. We have excellent credit and carry no debt. My family travels to France once a year to visit in-laws. I live outside of Philadelphia so PHL International is my home airport but if the cost difference is more than $200/person, we are willing to go to Newark, NJ. I have started to look into travel rewards to pay for these yearly trips. Thanks for the help!

[ducky19]

That's likely the highest offer you'll get for it. The $5k spend is higher than usual, but that may be the new norm for business cards. My wife and I both got this card with the 75,000 mile bonus, but I think the spend was only $3k. I would say as long as you can meet the spend (either through your regular spend or manufactured spend), it's worth it. We'll be flying 5 people roundtrip to Cali from the Midwest with our miles next year. If you aren't stuck on American, check out the Delta cards available right now in my links below. They are the highest you'll see for these cards, so now's a good time to get them as AmEx has a once per lifetime rule on new cards. We're using Delta miles to fly R/T in first class to St. Croix in January! Welcome to the game, if you have any more questions there are lots of us on here. Boarder42 is another who churns a lot of rewards cards. Feel free to PM either of us!

[Trifle]

Hi DebtFree

I am a 'slow churner', and have done maybe 8-10 travel cards over the past 10 years. It can definitely be a rewarding hobby, if you are disciplined about meeting the spend and paying on time. We have taken several fabulous family trips as a result of my churning.

I think that sounds like a good offer on a travel card.  In fact it's better than one I just signed up for last month (CitiAAdvantage Business for 70k points,  with $4000 spend over 3 months).  Rats.  :)

If you want a complete overview of what's out there at any given time, check out the Nerdwallet, PointsGuy and Doctor of Credit websites.  They do a pretty good job giving you options in the various categories:  Travel, cash back, etc.

Have fun!

[boarder42]

where did you get this offer? was it mailed to you?  I want it - targetted Citi offers bypass the 24 month rule.

[Rubic]

Was the approval code 9-digits or 12-digits?  Either way it's a good deal if
you can meet the minimum spend on the card.  But if it's a 9-digit mailer, you
can close the card after receiving your 75,0000 AA miles, then re-apply.

I've just completed my 65,000/$4K biz card spend, my 8th Citi AA Plat
since I started churning.

Also just got approved for my 2nd Barclay AAviator card for another
50,000 bonus miles. ;-)

[DebtFreeinPhilly]

where did you get this offer? was it mailed to you?  I want it - targetted Citi offers bypass the 24 month rule.

@boarder42 - I received the card in the mail. It has an expiration date of 10/31/18. I understand the 5/24 Citi bank rule but this card would be outside of that? Meaning I could in effect apply for an additional 5 more cards over the next 24 months?

Was the approval code 9-digits or 12-digits?  Either way it's a good deal if
you can meet the minimum spend on the card.  But if it's a 9-digit mailer, you
can close the card after receiving your 75,0000 AA miles, then re-apply.

@Rubic - The approval code is 9 digits. The minimum spend is not a problem even without manufacturing. We spend $1000/month on food, gas, insurance, cell phone, and internet, so that covers the spend. Also, I will check out NerdWallet and The Points Guy for more information.

To make sure I understand correctly, I apply for this card, spend the $5000 over the next few months, get the bonus, cancel the card, and I can reapply for another similar card. Or can I re-apply for the exact same one?

Follow up question: Is there a specific order of cards I should get? Or besides the two mentioned websites, where can I go to learn more? I can reasonably spend $1200/month (normal monthly expenses) on a card and pay it off regularly.

[boarder42]

where did you get this offer? was it mailed to you?  I want it - targetted Citi offers bypass the 24 month rule.

@boarder42 - I received the card in the mail. It has an expiration date of 10/31/18. I understand the 5/24 Citi bank rule but this card would be outside of that? Meaning I could in effect apply for an additional 5 more cards over the next 24 months?

Was the approval code 9-digits or 12-digits?  Either way it's a good deal if
you can meet the minimum spend on the card.  But if it's a 9-digit mailer, you
can close the card after receiving your 75,0000 AA miles, then re-apply.

@Rubic - The approval code is 9 digits. The minimum spend is not a problem even without manufacturing. We spend $1000/month on food, gas, insurance, cell phone, and internet, so that covers the spend. Also, I will check out NerdWallet and The Points Guy for more information.

To make sure I understand correctly, I apply for this card, spend the $5000 over the next few months, get the bonus, cancel the card, and I can reapply for another similar card. Or can I re-apply for the exact same one?

Follow up question: Is there a specific order of cards I should get? Or besides the two mentioned websites, where can I go to learn more? I can reasonably spend $1200/month (normal monthly expenses) on a card and pay it off regularly.

citi doesnt have the 5/24 rule thats chase - citi rule is you cant get the same airline bonus within 24 months of opening or canceling the same card or something like that. but that is typically not the case for targetted offers.

[Rubic]

Was the approval code 9-digits or 12-digits?  Either way it's a good deal if
you can meet the minimum spend on the card.  But if it's a 9-digit mailer, you
can close the card after receiving your 75,0000 AA miles, then re-apply.

@Rubic - The approval code is 9 digits. The minimum spend is not a problem even without manufacturing. We spend $1000/month on food, gas, insurance, cell phone, and internet, so that covers the spend. Also, I will check out NerdWallet and The Points Guy for more information.

To make sure I understand correctly, I apply for this card, spend the $5000 over the next few months, get the bonus, cancel the card, and I can reapply for another similar card. Or can I re-apply for the exact same one?

That's great.  Yes, you can cancel the card after your AA miles post, then re-use
the 9-digit mailer again to re-apply.  (Because you can't have more than one Citi
AA biz card at a time.) Current datapoints indicate your mailer will work up to 2 months
after the nominal expiration date.

Follow up question: Is there a specific order of cards I should get? Or besides the two mentioned websites, where can I go to learn more? I can reasonably spend $1200/month (normal monthly expenses) on a card and pay it off regularly.

For personal cards, you want to start with Chase, because they have a strict 5/24 rule. 
Your Citi AA card application is okay, because it's a business card and won't count
against 5/24.

The best places to begin reading are the sidebars in /r/churning and Doctor of Credit. 
Many other websites are paid to promote subpar CC offers.

[DebtFreeinPhilly]

Good to know. Thanks @Rubic. Since I am new to the travel rewards, I'll probably only use the offer once. Don't want to overspend and not be able to pay off the card defeating the point of the whole venture.

Would taking this offer with Citi then going through the Chase Gauntlet (correct term?) be the best option? Or start with Chase?

[Rubic]

Good to know. Thanks @Rubic. Since I am new to the travel rewards, I'll probably only use the offer once. Don't want to overspend and not be able to pay off the card defeating the point of the whole venture.

Absent manufactured spending, you absolutely don't want to spend more than
your organic (and frugal) monthly spending.  However at $1,200 per month, you
should be able to meet the minimum spend for the bonus, then re-apply.  In any
case, you don't have to make a decision until you've met spending for your first
75,0000 bonus miles. 

[Pro-tip:] If you're close to hitting your minimum spend at the end of the bonus
period, you can just purchase yourself some grocery gift cards from wherever
you buy your consumables (me: Aldi, Trader Joe's) and then spread out grocery
purchases over the next few weeks.

Would taking this offer with Citi then going through the Chase Gauntlet (correct term?) be the best option? Or start with Chase?

As mentioned earlier, if this were a personal card, I'd definitely wait until I'd obtained
my Chase cards.  But in this case, go ahead and obtain your 1 (or 2) Citi AA bonuses.

You'll have plenty of time (months, really) to study up on CC bonus strategies.

Also remember I'm just a random guy on the Internet.  Please research everything I've
posted with the links I provided earlier.  Also note that data points in churning change
rapidly, so what is true today may no longer apply 3 months hence.

Good luck!

[DebtFreeinPhilly]

Also remember I'm just a random guy on the Internet. 

But random guys on the internet have the best advice that is always true and correct. Just like strangers in a van offering candy...


Thanks for the help! I'll look into it further.

[kpd905]

where did you get this offer? was it mailed to you?  I want it - targetted Citi offers bypass the 24 month rule.

boarder,
if you want one of these offers check the Code Sharing Thread on r/churning.  People are giving away these codes for both the personal and business AA cards.  Sometimes free, sometimes they ask for $5 or something via Venmo or Paypal.

I just sort by New and try to grab one for free.