Citi Gets Exclusive on American Airlines Co-Branded Cards

Citi will become the exclusive issuer of the American Airlines co-branded card portfolio, AAdvantage, in 2026, having reached an agreement to acquire the Barclays American Airlines Co-branded Card portfolio.

Citi and American Airlines, which have had a co-branded partnership for more than 37 years, have also extended that partnership for another 10 years, the companies said in a Thursday (Dec. 5) press release.

The bank will begin transitioning Barclays American Airlines Co-branded Card cardholders to the Citi portfolio in 2026 and will become the exclusive issuer in the U.S. at that time, according to the release.

“We’re now excited to take this relationship to greater heights through an expanded customer base and a series of new loyalty and reward offerings,” Citi CEO Jane Fraser said in the release.

The agreement will create an alignment between the companies’ card programs — AAdvantage and Citi ThankYou — to drive incremental value for both firms and expand the loyalty and rewards offering for both AAdvantage members and Citi-branded cardholders, per the release.

“The strength of our relationship with Citi has enabled us to deliver first-class products and customer service to millions of AAdvantage cardmembers,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in the release. “This expanded partnership will unlock even more value and exciting new benefits for all of our customers in the future.”

It was reported in September that American Airlines was considering consolidating its business with a single credit card partner, potentially by making Citigroup its exclusive partner and dropping Barclays.

American’s current credit card arrangement is unusual, as most brands work with a single issuer, CNBC reported at the time. The arrangement dates back to 2013, when American merged with US Airways and added US Airways’ card partner, Barclays, while keeping its own partner, Citigroup.

The airline renewed both relationships in 2016, with Citi being allowed to market its cards online, in direct mail and in airport lounges, and Barclays marketing cards on flights.

American said in July that loyalty program revenue has been “one of the bright spots” in its performance, experiencing 8% year-over-year growth and with an opportunity for partners to get involved in more ways.