A select group of American AAdvantage Citigroup Visa cardmembers are being notified that their Visa card is going to be replaced by an AAdvantage American Express credit card according to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal. There are an estimated 12 million cardholders of an AAdvantage affinity credit card with about 10 percent of that number holding Visa cards (most are MasterCards). The new American Express card will be tied into the AAdvantage program — not American Express Membership Rewards. Customers will earn 5,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after their first purchase on the new card and they will earn 1.25 miles for each dollar spent for the first 12 months, up to 10,000 miles. The card comes annual fee free for the first 12 months, and then will cost $85 annually after that. Customers can refuse the new card if they so choose — but they must call the bank to request keeping the Visa card. And if they are not happy with the American Express card after they convert, they can switch back to the Visa card. Customers with an AAdvantage MasterCard will not be affected by the switch. AAdvantage offers several Citibank MasterCard options ranging from no annual fee to an $85 annual fee and with varying mileage accrual amounts.