Chris was a reporter at The Points Guy, where he covered the intersection of credit card rewards and travel. At TPG, he wrote a broad array of stories ranging from in-depth features and reports to trending travel news as it related to loyalty, card benefits and consumer behavior.
Ryan Wilcox Former credit card writerWhen Ryan worked as a TPG credit cards writer, he oversaw refreshes of card reviews and card offer stories. He enjoyed racking up cash back and helping readers maximize their points and miles for their next big trip.
Aug. 15, 2024 6 min read
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Each credit card issuer has its own set of restrictions regarding application approvals and sign-up bonus eligibility.
Criteria include the number of cards you can apply for, the timing of applications and how often you can earn a sign-up bonus or welcome offer. With American Airlines offering substantial welcome offers on its lineup of cards, those of you who have had one of the cards in the past may be wondering whether you're eligible for a second bonus.
AAdvantage cards are issued by both Citi and Barclays, so there are multiple sets of application restrictions to be aware of if you're considering adding another American Airlines card to your arsenal. Here's what you need to keep in mind.
Let's start with the lineup of card options.
*The information for these cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
When it comes to earning sign-up bonuses on Citi's AAdvantage cards, it's important to know that Citi changed the rules in 2019. If you've earned an AAdvantage bonus on a specific Citi / AAdvantage card, you won't be eligible to earn the bonus again for another 48 months.
Here is the fine print under the card application link for the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard:
American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles are not available if you have received a new account bonus for a Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive account in the past 48 months.
The terms apply for each individual card, as opposed to the entire Citi / AAdvantage card family. For example, if you recently applied for a Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard, you do not need to wait 48 months to apply for a Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard.
Daily Newsletter Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s expertsAn important distinction that you should know is that the 48-month waiting period starts when you "receive a new account bonus" for a specific Citi / AAdvantage card. That is not the same as when you were "approved for the card," "received the card," "activated a card" and other common phrases you might see from an issuer.
In this case, semantics matter because the bonus that posts to your AAdvantage account may post several months after you were approved for the card itself.
Barclays is a bit more vague than Citi when it comes to sign-up bonus restrictions on the AAdvantage cards.
Based on our data points, if you've closed a card, you generally need to wait six months to be eligible for the welcome offer again. However, some application pages, like the one on the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard, state the following:
You may not be eligible for this offer if you currently have or previously had an account with us in this program.
In this case, the "may not" in this sentence means there is the potential that you could be approved for a new card as a previous cardholder, meet the minimum spending requirement and still miss out on the sign-up bonus. Again, your mileage may vary, particularly with Barclays.
Citi and Barclays both have distinct rules regarding application approvals and sign-up bonus eligibility for the AAdvantage credit cards.
While Citi is less vague with restrictions, it also imposes a lengthy waiting period of at least 48 months before you can receive another welcome bonus. The rules with Barclays are a lot more subjective, giving the company more power to deny approval or a bonus should it consider your application unworthy.
In any case, if you're approved and eligible for a welcome bonus, make sure you can complete the minimum spending requirements within the period allotted.
If you want to add another American AAdvantage card to your wallet for daily spending, keep these rules in mind. You don't want to waste a hard pull on your credit or have the unpleasant surprise of being denied a welcome bonus after meeting a card's spending requirement.
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.
