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American Airlines ends Barclays partnership, moves all AAdvantage cards exclusively to Citi

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American Airlines ends Barclays partnership, moves all AAdvantage cards exclusively to Citi
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Clint Henderson Managing editor | The Points Guy

American Airlines has announced that it will end its credit card partnership with Barclays and move to an exclusive agreement with Citi. Starting in 2026, Citi will be the sole issuer of American Airlines’ AAdvantage cobranded credit cards in the United States.

A spokesperson for American Airlines stated, "We are proud to build on our 38-year card partnership with Citi by naming them as our exclusive issuer for our AAdvantage cobranded credit card portfolio in the U.S. beginning in 2026."

As a result of this new arrangement, applications for the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard have been removed. The full transition of the American Airlines credit card program to Citi is planned for next year, and no new applications for Barclays AAdvantage Aviator cards are being accepted.

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Previously, Barclays offered several cards under its AAdvantage Aviator portfolio, but recently only the AAdvantage Aviator Red was available to new applicants. Details about which Citi products current Aviator cardholders will receive after the transition have not yet been disclosed. More information is expected to be shared with affected customers in the coming months.

The change means that existing benefits tied to Barclays-issued cards—such as earning Loyalty Points toward elite status through spending—may no longer be available after 2025. The future structure of these benefits under Citi’s management has not been specified.

For readers interested in exploring current offers from Citi’s lineup of American Airlines credit cards, further details can be found at The Points Guy website.

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