Oneworld Alliance carrier American Airlines
has confirmed that Citi will take over the entire AAdvantage loyalty program credit card portfolio in 2026, ending months of speculation. The airline has long offered cards issued by both Citi and Barclays, which it inherited in its merger with US Airways.
Citi takes over as the exclusive AAdvantage card issuer
American Airlines began its partnership with Citi 37 years ago, and today extended it for another decade. The carrier plans to work more closely with Citi to “create significant value” for both AAdvantage
cobranded credit cardholders and those at Citi, which offers its own travel card.

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The airline offers cobranded cards through both Citibank and Barclays.
Citi will take over as the exclusive issuer of the credit cards for American Airlines’ AAdvantage frequent flyer program in 2026 after reaching an agreement with Barclays for its portfolio of Aviator cards. In a statement, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom highlighted the carrier’s longstanding and historic partnership with Citi:
“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.”
In the meantime, cardholders of the Aviator Red card and others issued by Barclays will continue to enjoy the same benefits.
What is happening to the Barclays American Airlines Cards?
According to Citigroup, more information about the transition will be made available “in the coming months.” The group confirmed it had reached an agreement to acquire the Barclays American Airlines cobranded card portfolio and will begin transitioning card members to the Citi portfolio in 2026.

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Let’s see how to take advantage of these unique partnerships.
This marks the end of a unique arrangement in which Barclays and Citi both issue cards, but through different platforms. Barclay’s Aviator Red Card and the remaining cards in its portfolio have long been marketed through inflight advertisements and at airports. In contrast, the Citi cards received more prominent billing on the airline’s website.
As part of the new agreement, Citi will take over the remaining American Airlines acquisition channels, including inflight and at airports, as it moves to become the exclusive issuer. Citi executives say the group brokered the deal because the attractive cardmember base, size, and strength of the combined portfolio will help accelerate growth for Citi’s credit card and personal banking business in the US. Citi CEO Jane Fraser expressed her excitement that the deal has been finalized:
“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.”
The acquisition is also expected to create a synergy between the AAdvantage loyalty program and Citi’s Thank You rewards points program.
How will the Barclays cards fit into the Citi portfolio?
While the airline did not immediately confirm the specifics of how cardmembers will be transitioned, the existing portfolios shared quite a few parallels. Each issuer offers cards with no annual fee, midrange cards, and premium cards for the most dedicated frequent flyers.
Photo: David S Swierczek | Shutterstock
As it stands, each card has a general equivalent, except for the high-end Citi card. However, the card offerings may still shift significantly over the next two years before the new agreement comes into place. The existing cards open to new applications are listed below:
Barclays |
Annual Fee |
Citi |
Annual Fee |
---|---|---|---|
AAdvantage Aviator World Elite Mastercard |
$0 |
American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Mastercard |
$0 |
AAdvantage Aviator World Elite Blue Mastercard |
$49 |
||
AAdvantage Aviator World Elite Red Mastercard |
$99 |
Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard |
$99 (Free for the first year) |
AAdvantage Aviator World Elite Silver Mastercard |
$199 |
||
Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard |
$595 |
||
AAdvantage Aviator World Elite Business Mastercard |
$99 |
Citi / AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard |
$99 (Free for the first year) |
The news comes as American announced it expects to fly over two million flights this year, equally more than 275 million seats across its 2024 operations.