Popular airline hits customers with steep fee hike for first time in 8 years

The era of the standard $99 airline credit card may be fading as American Airlines becomes the latest major carrier to adjust its price tag.

Beginning Jan. 24, 2027, the annual fee for both the Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard and the Citi/AAdvantage Business Mastercard will jump from $99 to $150, according to a company press release.

The adjustment marks the first price hike for the popular Platinum Select consumer card since 2018, signaling a shift in the travel rewards landscape.

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To soften the blow of a nearly 52% fee increase, American Airlines, Citi and Mastercard are adding several new travel and lifestyle perks.

Whether those additions make up for the $51 increase will depend largely on how travelers use the card, Nick Ewen, editor-in-chief of The Points Guy, told Fox News Digital. 

"You have to look at the real dollar value based on your own travel habits," said Ewen, who is based in Florida. 

Cardholders will gain additional ways to earn AAdvantage miles on everyday spending, along with up to $120 toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees every four years, American Airlines confirmed.

Additionally, a new $100 annual statement credit for in-flight purchases will replace the previous 25% food and beverage discount. 

This makes the card significantly more rewarding for travelers, as the credit can be applied toward broad in-flight expenses, including Wi-Fi, which was explicitly excluded under the old discount system.

For someone who regularly spends money aboard American flights or already pays for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, Ewen said the new credits could help offset the higher annual fee.

"If the answer is yes, you're definitely going to come out ahead," he said of travelers who typically spend up to $100 on inflight purchases each year.

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The changes may not be for everyone, however.

"If you're only flying American once a year, you may not be able to stomach that additional increased annual fee," he said.

The changes also include adjustments to how cardholders can rack up rewards on everyday purchases, according to the press release. 

The personal Platinum Select card will offer three miles per dollar on eligible AAdvantage Hotels and Cars bookings and two miles per dollar on gas and EV charging, select streaming services, and eligible Rides and Rails purchases.

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Existing perks — including preferred boarding, no foreign transaction fees and a free first checked bag on domestic American itineraries for the cardholder and up to four companions — will remain intact.

Ewen said the higher fee follows a broader shift among airline rewards cards. 

"American is far from the first airline that we've seen this increase in their annual fees," he said, pointing to similar changes from Delta, Southwest and United.

Entry-level airline cards that once hovered around $100 annually are increasingly moving closer to $150, Ewen said.

"This is definitely the norm, although it's not universal across the board," he added.

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The move by American Airlines aligns with a broader trend sweeping the credit card sector.

Over the past few years, the travel rewards market has seen steady fee inflation as issuers pack mid-tier and premium cards with statement credits and subscription services.

Financial institutions are betting consumers will accept higher upfront costs in exchange for tangible, use-it-or-lose-it perks, transforming traditional flight-focused credit cards into broader lifestyle products, according to reports. 

The changes drew mixed reactions from cardholders online.

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"Call me crazy, but none of this is an upgrade," one Reddit user commented.

Another questioned the value of the new inflight credit. 

"These inflight credit[s] [are] annoying," the person wrote. "They don't even stock them except for longer flights."

Others were more receptive to the new benefits, with one commenter pointing to the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit as a reason the higher fee could be worthwhile.

"This has become more of a respectable airline card in my opinion now with this refresh," one user wrote.