American Airlines has today announced an extension and expansion of their long-standing co-branded credit card partnership with Citi. Under the new agreement, Citi will become the exclusive issuer of the AAdvantage® co-branded card portfolio in the U.S.
On Thursday (December 5, 2024), American Airlines announced an extension and expansion of their over 37-year co-branded credit card partnership with Citi, paving the way for more customer benefits. Under the renewed 10-year agreement, Citi will become the exclusive issuer of the AAdvantage® co-branded credit card in the U.S. from 2026. Working more closely together, American and Citi plan on creating significant value for both AAdvantage co-branded and Citi-branded cardmembers.
In Thursday’s announcement, American Airlines’ CEO, Robert Isom, said,
“American is proud to have launched the first airline loyalty program, and with Citi, the travel industry’s first co-branded credit card. The strength of our relationship with Citi has enabled us to deliver first-class products and customer service to millions of AAdvantage cardmembers. This expanded partnership will unlock even more value and exciting new benefits for all of our customers in the future.”
Also commenting on the extended and expanded co-branded credit card partnership, Citi’s CEO, Jane Fraser, added,
“American Airlines and Citi have built something truly special together — a partnership rooted in delivering excellence to our customers. We’re now excited to take this relationship to greater heights through an expanded customer base and a series of new loyalty and reward offerings. Together, we’re creating more opportunities to welcome new cardmembers, deepen our connection with our existing ones and make our co-branded card the clear favorite in everyone’s wallets.”
Citi has reached an agreement to acquire the Barclays American Airlines Co-branded Card portfolio and will begin transitioning cardmembers from Barclays to Citi in 2026. Barclays cardholders will continue to enjoy the same benefits they do today. Additionally, the agreement creates an innovative alignment between the Citi ThanYou and AAdvantage card programs and is designed to drive incremental value for both companies, while producing a significantly expanded loyalty and rewards offering for both AAdvantage and Citi-branded cardmembers. For more information about the AAdvantage/Citi credit card portfolio, please click here.
American Airlines’ purpose is To Care for People on Life’s Journey®. The carrier offers thousands of daily flights to over 350 destinations in more than 60 countries. American is also a founding member of the oneworld global alliance whose member airlines serve over 900 destinations worldwide. Shares in the American Airlines Group, Inc., trade on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol AAL and the company’s stock is included in the S&P 500.
Source: American Airlines