Why businesses need a co-branded card for AAdvantage Business

If your small business relies on American Airlines for business travel, the AAdvantage Business program can be a great way to earn miles and loyalty points on employee travel.

However, to fully participate in the program, companies typically must meet a minimum qualifying travel spending requirement of $5,000 and have at least five registered, active business travelers – requirements that can be difficult for small teams to meet.

Fortunately, this does not mean that you will be automatically excluded from the program. If an authorized representative of your company holds an eligible AAdvantage Business co-branded credit card, e.g Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (See rates and fees) Your company can still enjoy the full benefits of the software without meeting those limits.

For a limited time, Citi is offering new Citi/AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard holders a welcome bonus of 75,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first five months of account opening. TPG’s October 2025 ratings consider AAdvantage miles to be worth 1.55 cents each, making this welcome bonus worth $1,163.

Whether you already have an AAdvantage Business credit card in your wallet or are thinking about applying, here’s why it could be a smart move for your small business.

How does AAdvantage Business work?

Through the AAdvantage Business program, your company earns 1 mile per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines flights, while travelers earn 1 loyalty point per dollar. Flights must be eligible Booked through American Airlines-owned channels, such as aa.com, the American Airlines app, or Reservations.

As a reminder, miles can be redeemed for flights, while loyalty points count towards earning elite status with American Airlines. These rewards are earned in addition to what the traveler normally earns through their personal AAdvantage account, so in most cases, there is no downside to signing up as a corporate traveler.

However, according to the program’s terms, travelers can only enroll under one AAdvantage Business account at a time, so those working with multiple businesses will need to choose which account they want to associate with.

While businesses can earn and keep AAdvantage miles, they cannot redeem them directly. Alternatively, they can transfer miles to employee accounts or travel managers for redemption.

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Related: Best Uses of American Airlines AAdvantage Miles

How Small Businesses Benefit from the AAdvantage Business Card

Businesses must typically meet both of the following requirements to fully participate in the AAdvantage Business program:

• $5,000 in qualifying program revenue over the past 12 months
• Five business travelers have taken at least one trip in the past 12 months

If the company does not meet these requirements, travelers will not earn additional loyalty points through the AAdvantage Business program, and the company will not be able to transfer miles to individuals.

However, small businesses can bypass these requirements if the authorized representative has a qualifying co-branded AAdvantage Business card such as the AAdvantage Business Card Citi/AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard.

So, even if you’re a sole proprietor and spend less than $5,000 on business travel each year, you can get the Citi/AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard and earn extra miles and loyalty points through the AAdvantage Business program when you travel for business.

Likewise, a partnership with two employees who frequently travel to work sites may meet the requirement of $5,000 in qualifying program income but not the requirement of five travelers. However, an authorized representative of the partnership can obtain a Citi/AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard — and perhaps add other employees as authorized users — and companies and travelers can then take advantage of the AAdvantage Business program when traveling for business.

In short, a qualifying co-branded AAdvantage Business card such as the Citi/AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard has become critical for small businesses that otherwise would not meet one or both of the standard AAdvantage Business requirements.

RELATED: Who Is Eligible for a Business Credit Card?

Bottom line

Many small businesses will likely struggle to meet the spending or traveler requirements of the AAdvantage Business program.

Fortunately, companies do not need to meet standard requirements if an authorized representative is Citi/A Advantage Business World Elite MasterCard Card holder.

To learn more, read our full review of the Citi/AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard.

Apply here: Citi/A Advantage Business World Elite MasterCard