Bait and switch on AA credit card
 

My wife recently applied for a new Citi Advantage Visa card because the promotion advertised priority access when travel is booked with this card. Now comes an a-mail from American saying oops:

"Since the launch of the new Citi/AAdvantage card, the American Airlines boarding pass has incorrectly displayed this benefit as Priority AAccess, which includes access to dedicated check-in and security lanes, in addition to priority boarding. Going forward....the cardmember boarding passes will display Group 1 to designate this priority boarding benefit."

Needless to say, Group 1 boarding is no great deal and presumably does not include the free bag also promised in the ad.

Priority check-in and security lane access is a perk with the AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard (as well as built-in Admirals Club membership, Elite Qualifying Miles for purchases, and more) and was never part of the AAdvantage Visa. (It also carries an annual fee of $450/yr where the Visa is free for the first year and $85/yr after that.) Apparently a system glitch printed "Priority AAccess" on the boarding passes of Visa card holders as well and AA only recently fixed the error. You cannot really complain about the loss of a benefit you were not really supposed to have in the first place.

I verified that you will get your first checked bag free which has always been a benefit of the Visa card.