What you need to know about earning another American Airlines card welcome bonus
Editor's Note
Quick summary
- Approval and welcome offer eligibility for travel rewards cards tied to a major airline depend on specific issuer rules, including timing and prior bonus history.
- One issuer enforces a 48-month waiting period before you can earn a new welcome bonus on the same card, calculated from when the bonus was received, not when the card was approved.
- Another issuer's rules are less clear, sometimes requiring a six-month wait after closing a card, but may still deny a bonus even if you meet spending requirements.
- Currently, it is possible to hold cards from both issuers and earn separate welcome bonuses, but this will change as one issuer becomes the sole provider in 2026.
What to consider
- The 48-month restriction applies to each individual card, not the entire card family, but product changes can affect eligibility timelines.
- Ambiguous language from one issuer means approval does not guarantee a welcome bonus, even if spending requirements are met.
- Minimum spending must be completed within the specified period to qualify for any welcome bonus.
What you'll miss from the article
- A detailed breakdown of eligibility nuances and how to navigate overlapping rules for maximizing airline card welcome bonuses.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Each credit card issuer has its own set of restrictions it uses to guide approvals and determine welcome offer eligibility. Criteria include the number of cards you can apply for, the timing of your applications and how often you can earn a welcome bonus on the same card.
With American Airlines offering substantial welcome offers on its lineup of cards, those of you who have had one of its cards in the past may be wondering whether you're eligible for a second bonus.
For the time being, both Citi and Barclays issue AAdvantage credit cards, so there are multiple sets of application restrictions to be aware of if you're considering adding another American Airlines card to your arsenal. Here's what you need to keep in mind.
AAdvantage credit cards
Let's start with the lineup of card options.
| Credit card | Welcome bonus | Annual fee | Welcome bonus value (based on TPG's September 2025 valuations) |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®*
| Earn 15,000 bonus miles after spending $500 in purchases within the first three months from account opening. | $0 | $233 |
| AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®* | Earn 50,000 bonus miles after making a purchase and paying the annual fee within the first 90 days from account opening. | $99 | $775 |
| Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®* | Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,500 in purchases within the first four months from account opening. | $99 ($0 introductory annual fee for the first year) | $1,240 |
| Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees) | Earn 65,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first four months from account opening. | $99 ($0 introductory annual fee for the first year) | $1,008
|
| Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees) | Earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first three months from account opening. | $595 | $1,085 |
*The information for these cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Citi AAdvantage card application restrictions
If you've earned an AAdvantage welcome bonus on a specific Citi / AAdvantage card, you won't be eligible to earn the bonus again for another 48 months.
Here is the fine print under the card application link for the Citi / AAdvantage Executive Mastercard:
New account bonus is not available if you have received a new account bonus for a Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive account in the past 48 months or if you converted another Citi credit card account on which you earned a new account bonus in the last 48 months into a Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive account.
The terms apply to each individual card, as opposed to the entire Citi / AAdvantage card family. For example, if you recently applied for the Citi Platinum Select, you do not need to wait 48 months to apply for a Citi Executive Mastercard to receive that card's welcome bonus.
The only exception is if you product-change your card to another AAdvantage card after earning the welcome bonus. For example, if you changed your Platinum Select to a Citi Executive Mastercard, you'd still need to wait 48 months from when you earned your welcome bonus on the Platinum Select to earn one on the Executive.
An important distinction is that the 48-month waiting period starts when you "receive a new account bonus" for a specific Citi / AAdvantage card. That is not the same as when you were "approved for the card," "received the card," "activated the card" and other common phrases you might see from an issuer.
In this case, semantics matter because the bonus posted to your AAdvantage account may have been posted several months after you were approved for the card itself.
Related: Best card for American Airlines flyers
Barclays AAdvantage Aviator card application restrictions
Barclays is a bit more vague than Citi when it comes to welcome bonus restrictions. Keep in mind that Barclays currently accepts applications for just one of their AAdvantage cards, the Aviator Red.
Based on our data points, if you've closed a card, you generally need to wait six months to be eligible for the welcome offer again. However, some application pages, like the one on the AAdvantage Aviator Red, state the following:
You may not be eligible for this offer if you currently have or previously had an account with us in this program
In this case, the "may not" in this sentence means that you could be approved for a new card as a previous cardholder, meet the minimum spending requirement and still miss out on the welcome bonus. Again, your mileage may vary, particularly with Barclays.
Citi and Barclays are separate issuers, so you're allowed to open an AAdvantage credit card with both issuers while also receiving the welcome bonus.
TPG credit cards writer Danyal Ahmed earned the welcome bonus on both the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select and Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red.
Keep in mind that Citi is set to become the sole issuer of AAdvantage credit cards in 2026. If you've exhausted your Citi card options, consider a Barclay-issued AAdvantage card while you still can.
Related: A guide to Barclays' AAdvantage Aviator credit cards
Bottom line
Citi and Barclays both have distinct rules regarding application approvals and welcome bonus eligibility for their AAdvantage credit cards.
While Citi is less vague with restrictions, it also imposes a lengthy waiting period of at least 48 months before you can receive another welcome bonus on the same card. The rules with Barclays are a lot more subjective, giving the company more power to deny approval or a bonus should it consider your application unworthy.
In any case, if you're approved and eligible for a welcome bonus, make sure you can complete the minimum spending requirements within the period allotted. Welcome bonuses can make the difference between taking your dream trip or being stuck at home, so it's important to earn them when you can.
Related: How to redeem miles with the American Airlines AAdvantage program