American Airlines in talks to Make Citi Exclusive Credit Card Issuer

American Airlines to Pick Citi Exclusive Card Issuer

American Airlines is in talks to make Citi its exclusive credit card partner. American Airlines credit cards are currently issued by Citi and Barclays, so the new deal means that the airline would drop Barclays as a partner.

CNBC says that talks are ongoing and the timing of an agreement is unknown, citing people with knowledge of the negotiations. Ay deal would also be subject to regulatory approvals.

Co-branded credit cards are quite valuable for airlines as as well as the issuing banks. But the details of the arrangements can make a big difference in how profitable the deal is for either party.

Airlines earn billions of dollars a year from banks in exchange for miles that cardholders earn for using their cards. American Airlines is possibly looking for e better deal as it currently has the largest loyalty program. But it only brought in $5.2 billion last year from its credit card partnership, compared to Delta Air Lines that made nearly $7 billion.