One of the benefits of the Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard is Admirals Club Lounge membership, which normally costs $400 – 500 per year for new members. Starting today, Citi is extending Admirals Club lounge access to all authorized users. This is is pretty significant, since a day pass to the Admirals Club normally costs $50 each. There are ways to get around this, like buying discount passes on Ebay or elsewhere, but getting it for merely being an authorized user is easy and free.
The Dragonair Business Class lounge in Hong Kong – not the Admirals Club, but still an oasis of peace and quiet.
In order to get admitted into an Admirals Club, authorized users who aren’t traveling with the primary cardholder can simply present their card and government issued ID to the lounge attendant.
Back when the Citi AAdvantage Executive card had a massive 100,000 mile sign-up bonus, I signed several family members up for the card, then added myself as an authorized user so I could help them meet the minimum spending requirements. If I’d decided to keep one of those accounts open and remain an authorized user, it would mean free club lounge access for as long as the account remained open. If you still have your Citi AAdvantage Executive card and want to make the travel experience easier for a (responsible) family member, then all you have to do is add them as an authorized user to your card and they’ll become eligible for this benefit. There is no fee to add an authorized user.
American Airlines has over 50 Admirals Club lounges around the world and with airport terminals being packed to the brim this time of year, they present a nice, quiet (er) alternative place to grab a snack and hang out before boarding a flight. I once visited the Admirals Club lounge in Paris and have to say, it was pretty nice. The food wasn’t catered by the Peninsula Hotel, but it was perfectly fine for a pre-flight snack. It definitely beats any of the fine junk food establishments you’ll find in the terminal and there’s free wifi and a place to charge your phone without having to sit on the floor next to twelve other people crowded around a charging station (sorry, I’m working on the less complaining thing).
The sig-up bonus on the Citi AAdvantage Executive credit card is currently 50,000 miles after $5,000 spent within 3 months. The card does have a $450 annual fee which isn’t waived the first year. This card is really ideal if you’re a frequent traveler who normally pays for Admirals Club membership and gets value out of the Global Entry/TSA Recheck application fee credit and 25% in-flight purchase savings. For the rest of us, I think the Citi Advantage Platinum card with a $95 annual fee will do.
Will you be making use of the Citi AAdvantage Executive credit card’s new Admirals Club lounge benefit for authorized users?
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