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American Airlines and Citi Forge New Credit Card Partnership

Shares of American Airlines Group (AAL) experienced a notable increase of 11% on Thursday following the airline’s announcement of a new exclusive credit card partnership with Citi (C). This collaboration will see Citi assume control of the credit card portfolio previously managed by Barclays (BCS).

American Airlines and Citi have enjoyed a lengthy relationship, having partnered on credit card offerings for over 37 years. Their renewed agreement includes a 10-year extension, whereby Citi will become the sole issuer of the AAdvantage co-branded card portfolio in the United States, beginning in 2026. Until this agreement, both Citi and Barclays had provided credit cards associated with the airline.

According to a joint statement from the two companies, “The agreement creates an innovative alignment between the Citi ThankYou and AAdvantage card programs and is designed to drive incremental value for both companies, producing a significantly expanded loyalty and rewards offering for AAdvantage members and Citi-branded cardmembers.”

Market reaction to the partnership has been positive. Shares of Citi and U.S.-listed Barclays saw a rise of approximately 2% in recent trading sessions. Additionally, American Airlines’ stock has reached its highest point since the summer of 2023.

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