Citi AAdvantage Executive Fee Hits $695 After Card Adds $500 Vacations Credit

American and Citi refreshed the Citi / AAdvantage Executive card Monday. The annual fee climbs from $595 to $695 for new cardmembers on Aug. 23, and the authorized user fee holds at $175 for up to three users.

Here's what the higher fee gets you:

• Up to $500 back on eligible American Airlines Vacations purchases each calendar year, delivered as two semiannual $250 credits
• Up to $100 back on inflight and eligible Admirals Club purchases each calendar year
• Up to $180 in Lyft credits annually, as a $15 credit each month after three eligible rides — up from $10 monthly and $120 a year
• 12x AAdvantage miles on eligible AAdvantage Hotels and AAdvantage Cars bookings, up from 10x
• Up to 40,000 bonus Loyalty Points, with new milestones at 165,000 and 240,000 joining the existing 50,000 and 90,000 thresholds, each worth 10,000 points
• Omni Hotels & Resorts Champion status, plus one free night per calendar year after a qualifying two-night direct booking
• Avis President's Club status, with enrollment open through Aug. 31, 2028
• World Legend and Mastercard Collection benefits, including priority restaurant reservations and premium event ticketing

Existing cardmembers get the new benefits on Aug. 23 regardless of when they're billed the higher fee, including the two added Loyalty Point milestones.

Cardmembers who've held the card more than 12 months should expect notice in August or September and the $695 fee at their next anniversary. Anyone under the 12-month mark won't be notified until August 2027.

One last thing: CNN Underscored notes that the card will lose two small benefits. It will no longer include $120 in annual Grubhub credits or offer a 25% discount on in-flight purchases.

Andrew's Take

The vacations credit should be easy enough to use — an AA Vacations package only needs two components, so a flight plus a cheap rental car qualifies — and elites chasing the new 165,000 and 240,000 milestones do well here. Just do the math before you renew: the credit arrives in two $250 halves that expire, and losing the Grubhub credit is a loss for foodies. Regardless, if you're in the Admirals Club enough, you should get more than enough value from the card to justify the fee increase.