The airline announced they signed a 10-year agreement with the financial services company to become the exclusive issuer of the American AAdvantage co-branded credit card, with Barclays cards to be phased out by 2026.

 

Citi to Acquire Barclays American Airlines Portfolio, Create “Innovative Alignment” with ThankYou Points

Under the agreement, Citi will acquire Barclays American Airlines credit card business. While current Barclays cardholders will still be able to enjoy their current card benefits, their cards will ultimately be replaced by their Citi-issued counterpart by 2026. The airline says additional information about the transition will take place in the months ahead.

 

With the 10-year exclusivity agreement, Citi will become the only card promoted across the carrier’s marketing channels, including at airports and in-flight. Leaders for both American and Citi say they can create additional value for the airline’s frequent flyers, including “an innovative alignment between the Citi ThankYou and AAdvantage card programs and is designed to drive incremental value for both companies and produce a significantly expanded loyalty and rewards offering for AAdvantage members and Citi-branded cardmembers.” It’s unclear if this means ThankYou Points will be transferrable to American AAdvantage miles in the future.

 

“The strength of our relationship with Citi has enabled us to deliver first-class products and customer service to millions of AAdvantage cardmembers,” American CEO Robert Isom said in a statement. “This expanded partnership will unlock even more value and exciting new benefits for all of our customers in the future.”

 

Citi’s current portfolio of American AAdvantage credit cards include the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card, the Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard, the Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard, and the Citi/AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard.

 

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Source: frugal travel guy