Citi has announced that it will become the sole issuer of the American Airline cards in 2026. Currently both Citi & Barclays issue American Airline cards. This is because Barclays used to issue the US Airways card and American Airlines acquired US Airways in 2013, the cobranded cards were renewed in 2016. Barclays is allowed to advertise inflight/in airports and Citi has the rest of the acquisition channels.
The new deal with Citi as the sole issuer will begin in January 2026 and also includes American Airlines becoming a transfer partner of Citi ThankYou points. In addition it seems as if Citi has purchased the back book from Barclays meaning existing Barclays cardholders will be converted to the Citi American Airlines cards starting in 2026. The new deal is for ten years until 2036.