13 hours ago
3
The newly launched Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® (see rates and fees) is a great product for occasional American Airlines travelers to have in their wallet. With an annual fee of $350, new applicants can earn 90,000 miles after spending $5,000 in the first four months of account opening.
While you may wonder if this card is truly worth its fee, especially if you don't fly regularly, I've crunched the numbers to show just how much money you could save using this card on one single trip.
So, aside from the generous welcome bonus, here's how the Globe Mastercard's perks can benefit you on your next getaway.
Round-trip flights with American Airlines
Let's say you want to travel from Pittsburgh to Las Vegas to see New Kids on the Block in concert in February.
Once you've met the spending requirement and earned your welcome bonus of 90,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles, you can redeem your miles for flights. You could book two round-trip economy AA flights from Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) to Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) from as little as 39,000 AAdvantage miles plus only $22.40 in taxes and fees.
By redeeming your AAdvantage miles, you'll save almost $1,000 on the same Main Cabin flights.
TPG values AA miles at 1.55 cents apiece (as of our December 2025 valuations). Using your rewards would net you a value of 2.5 cents per mile, which is a great redemption that helps you maximize your miles.
Related: I used ChatGPT to plan a last-minute trip to Las Vegas: Here's what worked and what didn't
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
By signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
TSA PreCheck
You can save time passing through security at both PIT and LAS by signing up for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck, for which the Globe card offers a credit of up to $120 every four years.
I've recently signed up for this, and it has been such a time-saver when passing through airport security.
Checked baggage, lounge access, preferred boarding and inflight purchases
The Globe card comes with numerous benefits when flying with American Airlines, which can both save you money and make travel more comfortable, even if you are not a frequent flyer.
On this trip to Las Vegas, you could enjoy:
- Preferred boarding (cardholder and up to eight companions on the same reservation).
- One free checked bag per person on domestic itineraries (cardholder and up to eight companions on the same reservation).
- Four Admirals Club lounge passes each year. One pass is required per adult (18 years or older), and up to three children under 18 can accompany an adult on the same pass. Passes can be used at multiple lounges within 24 hours when flying American Airlines or any Oneworld partner.
- Up to $100 in statement credits every calendar year on inflight purchases when using your card on American Airlines flights (this benefit applies to domestic flights and is not available on codeshare flights operated by another airline).
Checked bags typically cost $35 per person each way, meaning two people flying round-trip for the Vegas concert could save $140 in baggage fees with this card.
Since the above sample itinerary involves connecting flights through Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), these 24-hour Admirals Club passes will be particularly useful as they can be used to enjoy the Admirals Club at both PIT and CLT on the outbound flights, as well as at CLT again on the return flights (there is unfortunately no Admirals Club in LAS). Admirals Lounge passes usually cost $79 each, so if you were to use the included passes to access three lounges for two people, you could save $474.
The inflight purchases credit can save you money on your flights to and from Las Vegas, whether you wish to stay connected with inflight Wi-Fi, purchase additional snacks, or perhaps start celebrating the weekend before you even land with some beers, wine or spirits.
Related: Airline baggage fees: How much it costs to check a bag on major US airlines
Redeem AAdvantage miles for accommodation
Did you know you can redeem your AAdvantage miles for a hotel stay, which can save even more money on your next vacation? While this isn't usually a great value deal, if you are an AAdvantage cardholder, the redemption rate improves dramatically.
Remember, if you only spent 39,000 miles of your 90,000-mile welcome bonus on the round-trip flights to Las Vegas, you would have 51,000 miles left that you could use to save money on accommodation.
The Flamingo Las Vegas is in the heart of the Vegas Strip and just a short walk from the Dolby Live venue. The cash rate for a Deluxe City View Room for three nights would be $488.06, plus resort fees of $149.85.
*Prices accurate at the time of publishing.
Anyone redeeming AAdvantage miles for the same room on the same dates without a cobranded credit card or elite status could redeem 64,600 AAdvantage miles to save the $488.06 (the resort fees would still have to be paid).
However, Globe cardholders can redeem just 48,400 AAdvantage miles for the same room on the same dates, saving $448.06 for three-night accommodation, and a redemption rate of around one cent per AAdvantage mile. Therefore, in this instance, redeeming your miles can save you hundreds of dollars.
Splurge credit for concert tickets
The card also offers an annual "Splurge Credit" of up to $100, with the option to choose from two merchants: 1stDibs, AAdvantage Hotels, Future Personal Training or Live Nation (exclusions apply).
You could use the card to purchase your New Kids on the Block concert tickets through Live Nation, saving you up to $100. Please ensure that you select Live Nation as your preferred merchant and buy directly through Live Nation, rather than a reseller.
If you wanted to visit Vegas but not attend a Live Nation event, you could consider extending your stay (or staying in a more expensive room category or hotel) by redeeming your Splurge Credit through AAdvantage Hotels.
Related: The best credit cards for concerts and music festivals
Bottom line
You might not realize just how rewarding the Citi / AAdvantage Globe Mastercard is, especially if you don't regularly fly with American Airlines.
For this concert getaway to Vegas, after earning the welcome bonus, you could save:
- $979 on flights by redeeming 39,000 AAdvantage miles
- $140 in checked baggage fees
- $474 on Admirals Club lounge access
- $100 on inflight purchases
- $120 on Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application costs
- $488 on your hotel stay by redeeming 48,400 AAdvantage miles through AAdvantage Hotels
- $100 on concert tickets through Live Nation
That's a total savings of $2,401 from this one card in just one trip — an exceptional deal considering the card's annual fee is only $350.
To learn more, read our full review of the Globe card.
Apply here: Citi / AAdvantage Globe Mastercard
English (US) · 