American Airlines Shifts Credit Card Partnerships to Citi, intensifying Onboard Sales Push
FORT WORTH, TX – American Airlines has completed it’s transition of credit card partnerships from Barclays to Citi, a move designed to revitalize its co-branded card program and recapture market share. The change comes with a renewed focus on onboard credit card solicitations, a practice that has drawn criticism from passengers but remains a key revenue driver for the airline.
For years, American Airlines has aggressively pursued credit card sign-ups, even during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when flights were nearly empty. This strategy was driven by contractual obligations with Barclays, its previous partner. According to internal documents, barclays faced penalties for failing to meet minimum customer acquisition quotas, even when flight attendants were primarily tasked with distributing credit card applications rather than providing typical in-flight service. If Barclays failed to meet thes quotas, they were required to make penalty payments to American airlines – a practice that predated the pandemic.
The airline’s goal with Citi is to replicate the successful integration seen between Delta Air Lines and American Express, where the card program is a significant source of revenue and customer loyalty. American’s card program, once the leader in charge volume seven years ago, has slipped to third place.
“The goal that American and Citi have is better integration of the card program, so they can work together to increase its value the way that Delta and american Express have,” the airline stated. Passengers should anticipate more frequent announcements and potentially improved card offers as a result of the partnership.
The airline has even explored unconventional revenue streams related to onboard amenities, previously suggesting increasing lavatory size and advertising credit cards within the space to offset costs.
