With the news that Citibank will be taking over the portfolio of AAdvantage cards, is it worth potentially sacrificing a 5/24-6/24 slot?
I’m currently sitting at 8/24 and will not drop to 5/24 until November 2025. My concern is that by the time I fall within the good graces of Barclays, the AAdvantage Aviator Red will be fully discontinued. If the card sticks around until then, I won’t get under 5/24 until March 2026.
Totally up to you. I personally sacrificed three 5/24 slots this year already (and it's only March 2025) 😆 No need to let Chase control all my applications. FYI: 2 of those cards were personal Hawaiian Airlines cards by Barclays, since those could be discontinued as well after the acquisition by Alaska. Seeing a good card with a good offer that will be going away potentially forever can be justified for an application in my opinion.
If there are Chase cards you really want as much as or more than cards from other issuers, then I'd prioritize Chase. However, if there are cards from others issuers (e.g. Barclays) that you value the same as or more than cards from Chase, then I'd go for it (i.e. sacrifice the 5/24 sot).
I’m debating the same thing and I think I’m going to pull the trigger and get the Aviator Red card for the easy bonus. We should have the option to product change the card down the line and I’ll aim for a custom cash
I got the citi AA plat card early last month and also applied for the barclays aviator. Still waiting on their “customer security team” to clear me… while the credit side has already approved me. Only 1 hard pull as of yet. Their nice, but kind of getting annoyed with their antiquated process for providing more info. Amex made me do the same for Hilton card, but at least I was able to just upload to a secure document site they have. Much better than fax or snail mail.