American Airlines has officially announced that, due to its exclusive partnership with Citi, applications for the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® will no longer be accepted. The transition of the Barclays Aviator portfolio to Citi is set for 2026.
A spokesperson for American Airlines stated, “We are excited to expand upon our 38-year collaboration with Citi by naming them our exclusive issuer for the AAdvantage® cobranded credit card portfolio in the U.S. starting in 2026,” in a written statement to Flying Frugal.
The entire American Airlines credit card program will migrate to Citi in 2026, and Barclays will stop accepting applications for new AAdvantage Aviator cards.
Details regarding the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard have been independently gathered by The Points Guy, and the card information provided here has not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
Previously, Barclays offered several cards under the AAdvantage Aviator umbrella, but now only the AAdvantage Aviator Red was available for new applicants—until now.
While we don’t have specifics on how the existing Aviator cards will fit into the Citi portfolio, updates on the transition will be shared with current AAdvantage Aviator card members in the coming months.
Conclusion
The Aviator card portfolio is no longer open for new applications, as American Airlines prepares to transition to Citi in the coming year.
This news brings a mix of emotions for me.
The Aviator cards have played a crucial role in my strategy to maintain elite status within the American Airlines Loyalty Points framework. I have long utilized the now-unavailable AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Silver Mastercard®.
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One feature I particularly valued was the shortcut to status; you could earn up to 15,000 Loyalty Points based on qualifying spending during each status period. Specifically, you’d earn 5,000 Loyalty Points for spending $20,000, another 5,000 for $40,000, and yet another 5,000 when reaching $50,000 annually on the card.
This benefit will aid in achieving top-tier AAdvantage Executive Platinum status this year, but this may not be an option come 2026. I look forward to learning about alternative shortcuts as the portfolio transitions to Citi.
The information regarding the AAdvantage Aviator World Elite Silver Mastercard has been independently sourced by The Points Guy and the card details on this page have not been validated or approved by the card issuer.
For insights into the best current offers within Citi’s extensive range of American Airlines credit cards, refer to this article.
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