The Citibank Business Credit Card Review

Citibank offers two business credit cards, both of which are co-branded cards.

Essentially, this means that unlike Chase, for example, which offers their own suite of Chase-specific business credit cards, both of the Citibank business credit cards are offered in partnership with another company—in this case, American Airlines and Costco—and each card offers rewards that are specific to that retailer.

In this Citibank business credit card review, we’ll break down both the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard and the Costco Anywhere Visa Business Card—discussing how they work and what they have to offer—so that you’ll have all the information you need to make the best credit card choice for your business.

Citibank Business Credit Card Review

• AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard®
• Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Credit Card

The first Citibank business credit card is co-branded with American Airlines, and therefore, earns travel rewards specifically designed for business owners who fly frequently on American.

To begin, the Citi AAdvantage business credit card earns the following long-term rewards:

• 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent on:
  • American Airlines
  • Telecommunications
  • Cable and satellite providers
  • Car rentals
  • Gas
• 1 mile per dollar spent on other purchases

Additionally, if you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first four months after opening your account, you’ll earn a 70,000 miles welcome bonus. Plus, Citi allows you to get authorized user cards for your employees, which will also earn AAdvantage miles for spending.

You’ll be able to redeem the miles you earn for American Airlines flights and upgrades, hotel stays, rental cars, vacation packages, and other retail products.

Moreover, this Citi business credit card has no foreign transaction fees. The card does require an annual fee of $99; however, Citibank will waive the annual fee for your first year as a cardholder.

Although the Citi AAdvantage card has a notable sustained rewards program, the true value of this Citibank business credit card comes from its other travel perks. To explain, as a cardholder of this American Airlines business credit card, you’ll have access to:

• First checked bag free for you and four companions on domestic American Airlines itineraries
• 25% savings on inflight food, beverages, and WiFi when you use your card
• Preferred boarding on American Airlines flights
• Opportunity to earn an American Airlines companion certificate for main cabin travel after spending $30,000 or more in purchases each card membership year

Finally, on top of these airline benefits, this Citi business credit card also includes additional business perks like online account summaries, a 24/7 personal business assistant for help with travel arrangements, contactless pay, and more.

Therefore, if you travel frequently for your business—and with American Airlines—you’ll certainly be able to make the most of your business’s spending with this Citibank business card.

Whereas the Citi AAdvantage business card is dedicated to travel rewards, the Costco Anywhere Visa Business card is a dedicated cash back business credit card.

With this Citi business credit card, therefore, you’ll earn ongoing cash back rewards based on where you spend, earning:

• 4% cash back on gas (including gas at Costco) up to $7,000 spent annually (1% thereafter)
• 3% cash back on restaurants and travel
• 2% cash back on Costco and Costco.com purchases
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

You’ll be able to redeem your cash back as an annual credit card reward certificate once your February billing statement closes. This certificate is redeemable for cash or merchandise at U.S. Costco Warehouses.

Additionally, although there is no annual fee with this Citi business credit card, you do have to be a Costco member to qualify. Therefore, you’ll want to consider the cost of a Costco membership, at least $60 annually, in the ultimate cost of the Citi Costco Anywhere Visa card.

With this in mind, even though there isn’t currently a welcome bonus offer with this Citibank business card, the card does include damage and theft purchase protection, extended warranty, and has no foreign transaction fees.

The Citi Costco card doesn’t offer as many luxury perks as the AAdvantage card; however, as a cash back card, this is a noteworthy option for business owners who spend frequently on gas, restaurants, travel, and of course, Costco purchases.

Since the two Citibank small business credit cards are co-branded cards, they might not be the right fit for everyone. This being said, however, you might consider either of these options if:

• You want to earn rewards specific to American Airlines or Costco.
• You want a business credit card from Citibank as opposed to another financial institution.

On the other hand, there are a number of reasons why you’d continue to explore your business credit card options. All in all, however, these reasons boil down to one overarching idea:

• You don’t want your rewards to be specific to American Airlines or Costco.

Ultimately, because these Citi business cards are specific to American Airlines and Costco, they’re only going to be useful to your business if you spend frequently with either of those retailers.

On the other hand, if you think that these Citibank business credit card rewards are too narrowly focused for your business, you’ll want to consider your other options. There are a variety of business credit card options out there from different issuers that allow you to earn broader rewards—whether points, cash back, or miles.

This being said, however, only you can decide what’s best for your business. Therefore, as you explore your options—Citi business credit cards or otherwise—you’ll want to consider what credit card perks, features, and rewards you value most—this way, you can narrow down your choices and finally choose the card that will best fulfill your business needs.