Is the Citi / AA Globe Mastercard worth the annual fee?
If you’re an American Airlines flyer looking to add a new AAdvantage card to your wallet, you’ll want to be sure you can justify the card’s annual fee.
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® (see rates and fees) comes with a $350 annual fee. While it isn’t the highest in the Citi / AAdvantage suite, it is certainly nothing to ignore.
Do the Globe card’s perks outweigh its annual fee? Let’s dive into the benefits and see if they’re worth the price.
Welcome bonus
Points and miles enthusiasts know this well: Much of a card’s first-year value is found in a lucrative welcome offer.
Thankfully, the Citi / AAdvantage Globe Mastercard delivers.
For a limited time, applicants can earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first four months from account opening.
Per TPG’s May 2026 valuations, this bonus is worth $1,440.
Domestic award tickets on American Airlines start at 5,000 miles one-way on short-haul routes, so a family of four could potentially book two round-trip itineraries with 90,000 miles. If luxury is more your speed, you can also maximize this bonus for first-class seats on Japan Airlines for 80,000 miles.
The Globe card’s bonus alone is worth four times more than its $350 annual fee.
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Still, you’ll want to receive more ongoing value from your card to justify holding it year after year. Let’s get into the annual benefits and see how they help reduce the effective annual fee.
Related: What is a credit card welcome offer? How they work and how to maximize value
Lounge passes
Citi / AAdvantage Globe cardholders receive four Admirals Club airport lounge passes each year. One pass is required per adult; up to three children under 18 years old can join one adult on the same pass.
You can use lounge passes at multiple lounges within 24 hours when you’re flying on American Airlines or a Oneworld partner airline, such as Alaska Airlines, British Airways or Cathay Pacific.
Day passes for Admirals Club access cost $79 when purchased outright. At face value, the four passes included with this card are worth $316 annually.
If you’re able to maximize all four passes, this perk nearly offsets the Globe card’s $350 annual fee by itself.
Related: 5 ways to ensure you have lounge access before your next flight
Turo credit
The annual fee can also be easier to justify by maximizing the Citi / AAdvantage Globe‘s Turo credit.
With this perk, you can receive up to $30 per Turo car rental, up to eight times per year, for a total of $240 each year.
If you can get the full value of this credit, it helps cut the Globe’s $350 annual fee by more than half. However, you’ll have to book eight separate car rentals per year.
It’s worth noting that Turo rentals are generally not covered by rental card insurance policies from credit cards, since it’s considered a peer-to-peer car-sharing platform. Because of this, you likely wouldn’t be able to use the Globe’s rental car insurance on a Turo rental if something went wrong, which is a major protection gap to consider.
Still, if you enjoy renting from Turo, that $240 is solid value.
Related: My experience with Turo: Car rental convenience at a great price
Splurge Credit
One of the most flexible benefits on the Citi / AAdvantage Globe is its “Splurge Credit.”
This benefit is worth up to $100 annually and allows you to choose two merchants from the following list:
- 1stDibs
- AAdvantage Hotels
- Future Personal Training
- Live Nation (exclusions apply)
This credit is issued on a calendar year basis, so if you apply for the card in the middle of the year, you could potentially double-dip in your first cardholder year to receive $200 in value.
This perk partially reduces the effective annual fee, though you’ll want to stack it with another benefit to fully offset it.
Related: I asked TPG staffers how they manage credit card statement credits — here are 4 tips
AA inflight purchases credit
With the Citi / AAdvantage Globe, you’ll receive up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year on inflight purchases when you buy with your card on American Airlines flights.
Keep in mind the benefit applies only to domestic AA flights and is not available on codeshare flights operated by another airline.
And, since American Airlines has rolled out free Wi-Fi on many of its planes, the value of this perk isn’t as great as it once was.
Like the Splurge Credit, this benefit is issued on a calendar-year basis. So, in your first cardholder year, you can potentially maximize your earnings by using it shortly after approval and again after Jan. 1.
This $100 benefit will help offset about a third of the $350 annual fee, so you’ll want to stack it with another to get a full return on your annual fee.
Related: American Airlines passengers can use AAdvantage miles for inflight purchases
Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit
If you haven’t already received a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit through another card, this benefit included on the Citi / AAdvantage Globe is worth up to $120 every four years.
Even if you have already signed up for Global Entry, you can share this benefit with someone who hasn’t gotten it yet. Simply use your card to pay for anyone’s application fees.
This perk helps justify a third of the card’s $350 annual fee on its own.
Related: Global Entry vs. TSA PreCheck: Which is more beneficial?
First checked bag free on AA flights
Citi / AAdvantage Globe cardholders receive their first checked bag free on domestic American Airlines flights for themselves and up to eight companions traveling with them on the same reservation.
The quantifiable value of this benefit depends on how often you fly AA domestically and whether you have others checking one bag with you.
It costs $50 one-way to check a bag on American Airlines (or $45 if you pay online), so if you check a bag for at least seven flights in a year, you’ll receive enough value to cover the cost of the Globe’s $350 annual fee with this benefit alone.
Related: Airline baggage fees: How much it costs to check a bag on major US airlines
Bottom line
If you’re able to maximize at least two or three of the Globe card’s perks each year, you can offset its $350 annual fee. And, the lucrative welcome bonus is worth more than four times the annual fee.
So if you can redeem your AAdvantage miles at a high value, the annual fee can easily be worth it. If you rarely fly American Airlines or find the credits included on the Globe difficult to redeem, this card isn’t worth it for you.
However, whether you’re a frequent or occasional AA flyer, occasional Admirals Club lounge guest or someone who can use up multiple statement credits, this card could be a great choice. Consider your travel habits and preferences to see if that $350 is worth it.
Apply here: Citi / AAdvantage Globe Mastercard
