AAdvantage Globe Card Approval
I wanted to discuss my recent AAdvantage Globe card approval a bit. This is a weird one, since the Globe card is one of the few cards that I have no idea who it is intended for. That is a rarity with credit cards, at least for me. There are bad card launches and refreshes from every card issuer, but I can usually see the intent they had at least. That is not the case with this recently launched card. I find that kind of surprising for a card with a $350 annual fee. After saying all of that, I grabbed one anyway.
Earning Structure
Hey, maybe I am the crazy one here. Maybe the value is obvious to everyone else. Let’s go through the earning structure and card perks to see if I am oblivious to the value this card offers.
- 6x AAdvantage miles on AAdvantage hotel bookings
- 3x AAdvantage miles on American Airlines purchases
- 2x AAdvantage miles on
- Restaurants
- Taxis
- Rideshares
- Public transport
- 1x AAdvantage miles on everything else
- You will also earn 1x loyalty points on every dollar of eligible spend
I don’t see anything in the card’s earning structure that moves the needle much. Earning 2x on a lot of transportation is probably the most unique thing here, but it isn’t a huge area of spend for a lot of people (including me).
Card Perks
When you get into the $300+ realm of credit card fees you expect some pretty juicy perks, right? At a minimum, you expect a ton of coupons that you can try to squeeze value out of, like blood from a stone. Well, here is what the AAdvantage Globe card offers for its $350 annual fee:
- Four Admirals Club Globe passes each year.
- These hit her account immediately and are supposed to be super charged Admirals Club passes. They should work even if they are turning away regular passes because of capacity issues.
- $100 credit towards eligible in-flight purchases on American Airlines each year.
- $120 in statement credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck enrollment.
- $240 in Turo credits annually, available as $30 per eligible Turo trip.
- $100 in Splurge Credits annually, valid for two of the following:
- AAdvantage Hotel bookings
- 1stDibs
- Future Personal Training
- Live Nation
- American Airlines Companion Certificate
- Earn a $99 American Airlines Companion Certificate starting in your second card membership year upon renewal.
- Flight Streak 5,000 Loyalty Point Bonus (x3)
- earn 5,000 bonus Loyalty Points after every four qualifying American flight segments. Can do this up to 3x.
My Thoughts On The Perks
I am really squinting here, and I just don’t see it. Let’s go through the major ones with some more detail:
Splurge Credit
The splurge credit would be pretty good if they included all of the options the Strata Elite gets for it. I don’t have any concert plans on the books, so I guess I’ll try to grab a hotel somewhere for that.
In-Flight Credit
If the $100 American Airlines credit was for flights, then that would be something. Limiting it to in-flight purchases really kills the value here, at least for me. Anyone that has AAdvantage Platinum status and above is already getting free drinks in Main Cabin Extra on their flights. I guess I could grab a ton of snack boxes on my way off the plane somewhere.
Turo Credit
I don’t use Turo, and making that a per trip credit is devious. The $99 companion certificate only comes in year two, and I don’t use the one I get from my AAdvantage Business card already. Both of those get a zero valuation for me.
Lounge Passes
The Admirals Club passes are the only thing that I really find interesting. I would put those at around $25 – $30 worth of value for each one.
Flight Streak Bonus
This is one of the more unique perks of the card, and I missed it originally (thanks Marc down below). It is a bit different to put a value on. You need to take some cash American Airlines flights, which could be easy or could be hard for you. That all depends on your normal travel patterns. The cool thing is it is by segment, so a round trip flight with 1 connection each way would trigger the 5,000 points. If you travel for work then this should be an easy 15,000 Loyalty Points, since it doesn’t require paying with the card.
To value it for a normal person, let’s say that it saves you $15,000 in credit card spend for status. Of course, this is assuming you even care about earning status. Let’s also assume that the opportunity cost of using your American Airlines card is 1.25% in increased value you could have had from another card. That would save you, in theory, $187.50 in value from the spend. If you are booking cash flights just to use this perk then the value drops quite a bit. You have to be honest about your own situation here and if you needed to go outside of norms to trigger this bonus.
Other Notable Perks
Here are some other notable perks of the American Airlines AAdvantage Globe card:
- One free checked bag for up to eight travelers on the same reservation
- Group 5 boarding for up to eight travelers on the same reservation
- No foreign transaction fees
- Mastercard Legend benefits
Most of this can be had with the $95 card.
So Why Grab The AAdvantage Globe Card Then?
The 90,000 AAdvantage mile welcome offer, after spending $5,000 in 3 months, is why I still grabbed the Globe card. If I am only able to get $100 – $200 in value back that is fine. I am okay paying $250 in net cost to get 90,000 AAdvantage miles.
The Citi application rules kind of force you to look at the Globe as a worthwhile card to get as well. Since you can get each individual American Airlines product every 48 months, instead of a family rule, I might as well get the clock rolling on this card.
Seriously Though, Who Is This Card For?
When the AAdvantage Globe card launched I figured it would be for American Airlines loyalists that don’t value lounge access much. Maybe it would offer some unique perks, or a better way to earn Loyalty Points etc. Something more in line with the Atmos Summit card.
Boy, was I wrong. This card’s perks don’t really make sense for anyone that has status with American Airlines. The coupons are so limited that I don’t even really think it makes sense for someone that wants to feel like they have status either.
I never thought I would say this, but the AAdvantage Executive card looks like the much better value proposition to me long term. Even at the inflated $595 annual fee, at least it gets my entire family in the lounge whenever I want. (Yes, I realize it isn’t as good as it was when you could bring 10 people off the street with you.) Sadly, I think the $10 monthly GrubHub credit the Executive card gets is better than any of the Globe’s card perks too.
AAdvantage Globe Card Approval: Final Thoughts
My AAdvantage Globe card approval was born out of Citi’s application rules and a very compelling welcome offer. I don’t plan on keeping the card long term unless something drastically changes.
Does anyone plan on keeping this card past the first year? I don’t see one redeeming feature the card offers. The Admirals Club Globe passes are nice, but they are not worth $350. Let me know if I am missing something down below, or over in the MTM Facebook Group.
I have this card, but only because I had an Aviator Silver card. I suspect it was created partially because Citi bought the Barclay’s book and they didn’t want to give all the Silver holders a discount on the Aadvantage Executive card.
I could see that being the case. I guess they could have moved them into the $95 one instead, but rolling out the Globe gives them some opportunity on the roll overs for sure.
Really? For one, we use the companion fare when traveling between two of our homes during the summer months. The companion fare saved us about $700 during our last trip; the mileage redemptions were crazy during this period. So, we’re coming out ahead using just that feature…
The companion fare doesn’t come until year two for people signing up. If you are able to use it during a time that you would have paid cash anyway, then great. If you are paying cash for a flight just to use it, or booking a more expensive flight / less convenient flight just to use it then it isn’t as valuable as it appears. Then they are just influencing the way you spend – their real intention. Just because that was the case this year, doesn’t mean it will be the case the next year etc. too.
The companion pass also has a $99 fee and can not be combined with flight credits (like Delta can) which makes it one of the worst in the industry. So, yeah, really – for me they don’t hold a lot of value. That isn’t to say for others they may not have value. As long as you are not fooling yourself on that “value” then great. This isn’t a one size fits all game.
You forgot an important perk
Flight Streak™ bonus
Earn a 5,000 Loyalty Point bonus after every 4 qualifying American Airlines flights (up to 15,000 additional Loyalty Points each status qualification year).2
I did miss that – I will add it in now. Thanks Marc
What were the stats for her to get approved for this card? 0/12 ? ?/24?
Citi cares about hard pulls more than approvals. She had 6 or 7 in the last 6 months (which is what they focus on)
It’s intended for Citi, duh
It has to be compelling to at least someone to be successful though.
product change to what?
In the past Citi has been the best with PC – can move AA cards to ThankYou cards etc. Much more YMMV now when you reach out for the PC.
Mark, silly goose. The card is for everyone . . . to snag the SUB . . . and then product change.
Haha – pretty much at this point.