The Citi / AAdvantage Executive's new benefits are live: 6 things to do now

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard® — formerly the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® — just underwent a significant refresh, and its new benefits are now live.

For existing cardholders, that means it's time to take a few steps to make sure you're getting as much value as possible from the card's new perks, including a new American Airlines Vacations credit, elite status for hotels and rental cars and additional statement credits.

The card's annual fee is also increasing from $595 to $695, making it more important than ever to take advantage of its benefits.

New cardmembers will pay the higher fee beginning Aug. 23, while existing cardmembers will transition to the new fee on a rolling basis.

Here are six things you should do now to make the most of the refreshed card.

Use your $250 American Airlines Vacations credit before it expires

One of the card's biggest new perks is up to $500 in American Airlines Vacations statement credits annually, split into two six-month periods: up to $250 from Jan. 1 through June 30 and another $250 from July 1 through Dec. 31.

The good news is that even though the benefit is launching partway through the second half of the year, cardholders still have until Dec. 31 to use the full $250 credit. Any unused portion won't roll over into 2027, though, so now is a good time to start planning how you'll use it.

screenshot of American Airlines vacations

Keep in mind that this isn't a general American Airlines travel credit. To qualify, you'll need to pay with your Citi / AAdvantage Executive Card and make an eligible purchase through American Airlines Vacations.

Qualifying vacation packages generally include at least two travel components, such as a flight and hotel, a flight and rental car or a hotel and rental car. Eligible American Airlines Vacations Experiences can also qualify.

If you can naturally use the full $500 annual benefit, it can offset a substantial portion of the card's refreshed $695 annual fee.

Still, I wouldn't book through American Airlines Vacations solely to use the credit. Before booking, compare the package price with the cost of booking each component separately and consider any hotel or rental car loyalty benefits you could give up by not booking directly.

Enroll in Omni Champion Status and earn your free night

Hotel elite status is another nice addition to the refreshed Citi / AAdvantage Executive Card.

Cardholders can enroll for complimentary Omni Champion Status, an upper-mid-tier status with Omni Hotels & Resorts that sits above Omni Insider and below top-tier Omni Icon status.

You'll need to enroll to receive the benefit, but it's a quick step. Log in to your Citi account online or through the Citi Mobile App, navigate to your card benefits and follow the prompts to enroll in Omni Champion Status.

Once you're enrolled, make sure your Omni Select Guest account reflects your new status before your next stay.

Champion Status normally requires at least $4,000 in eligible Omni spending in a calendar year, so getting it just by holding the card could be valuable if you stay with Omni even a few times a year.

Benefits include:

Complimentary one-level room upgrades, when available
Early check-in as early as 1 p.m. and late checkout as late as 3 p.m., when available
10 Omni Credits per room night
A complimentary daily morning beverage
A local market amenity upon arrival
Four complimentary pressed items or shoeshines

But there's another reason to enroll: Cardholders can earn an annual Omni free night reward after a qualifying stay of two or more consecutive nights booked directly with Omni.*

If you have an Omni stay coming up, enroll before your trip and book directly with Omni so your stay counts toward the free-night reward. That way, you can take advantage of your Champion benefits during the stay while also qualifying for the card's annual Omni free night reward.

*Enrollment is required. A qualifying stay consists of two or more consecutive nights booked directly through Omni Hotels & Resorts at omnihotels.com.

Enroll in Avis President's Club status

This next one is easy: Enroll in your complimentary Avis President's Club status.

The refreshed Citi / AAdvantage Executive Card includes this perk through Aug. 31, 2028, but there's little reason to wait to enroll, especially if you have an Avis rental coming up.

To enroll, follow the dedicated enrollment link for the benefit and verify your eligibility with your card. From there, you can link your existing Avis Preferred account or create a new one to receive President's Club status.

President's Club is Avis' top published status tier, making this a nice addition for cardholders who regularly rent with Avis. Benefits include car upgrades, expedited service that lets you skip the rental counter at major airports and complimentary additional drivers.

Use your inflight and Admirals Club statement credit

The refreshed card also introduced a new up-to-$100 annual statement credit for eligible American Airlines inflight and Admirals Club purchases.

Since this benefit is based on the calendar year, cardholders have until Dec. 31 to use their available 2026 credit before the benefit resets Jan. 1.

Eligible purchases can include food and beverages purchased onboard American Airlines flights, as well as eligible purchases at Admirals Club locations.

If you're an existing cardholder who regularly flies American, this is one of the easiest new benefits to use.

Check your progress toward the new Loyalty Point milestones

The refreshed card can now give AAdvantage elite-status chasers an even bigger boost, with cardholders able to earn up to 40,000 bonus Loyalty Points during the status qualification year — double the previous maximum of 20,000.

Cardholders earn 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points after reaching each of the following milestones:

50,000 Loyalty Points
90,000 Loyalty Points
165,000 Loyalty Points
240,000 Loyalty Points

The 165,000- and 240,000-point thresholds are new, so if you're working toward AAdvantage elite status, check your current Loyalty Point balance to see how close you are to your next bonus.

If you've already reached either of the new thresholds during the current qualification year, you'll receive the applicable bonus Loyalty Points in the coming weeks.

Take 3 Lyft rides in a month to unlock your $15 credit

The refreshed Citi / AAdvantage Executive Card now offers up to $180 in Lyft credits annually, up from $120.

After taking three eligible Lyft rides in a calendar month, you'll earn up to $15 in Lyft credits.

If you already use Lyft regularly, make sure your card is linked to your account and keep the three-ride threshold in mind each month.

I wouldn't take extra rides solely to trigger the benefit, but for frequent Lyft users, this can be an easy way to get additional value from the card.

Existing cardholders can still use these outgoing benefits

Existing cardholders get a little extra time to take advantage of two benefits that are being phased out as part of the refresh.

The card's 25% discount on eligible inflight food and beverage purchases will remain available to existing cardholders through Sept. 30. So, if you're flying American in the next few weeks, don't forget to continue using your card for eligible onboard purchases while the discount is still available.

American Airlines Admirals Club at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).

Existing cardholders also retain the card's Grubhub benefit through Aug. 31, 2027, which offers up to $10 back per monthly billing statement on eligible purchases.

New cardholders as of Aug. 23. won't receive either of these benefits.

One important benefit isn't changing: The card will continue to include an Admirals Club membership for the primary cardmember, while authorized users will continue to receive Admirals Club access. That's especially notable given the broader changes to Admirals Club membership options and pricing taking effect Aug. 23.

Bottom line

The Citi / AAdvantage Executive Card's refresh is now live, and cardholders have several new benefits to activate and use.

At a minimum, enroll in Omni Champion and Avis President's Club status, check your Loyalty Point progress, familiarize yourself with the expanded Lyft benefit and make a plan to use the 2026 American Airlines Vacations and inflight or Admirals Club statement credits before they expire.

The card's refreshed $695 annual fee is significant, but frequent American Airlines flyers who can consistently use the new benefits may still find enough value to justify the cost. The key is making sure you actually use the benefits you're paying for.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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