Link: Apply now for the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
When talking about mid-range credit cards that earn transferrable points, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is probably the first card that comes to mind for many. The card offers lots of great benefits, bonus points on dining and travel, and valuable travel and purchase protection.
However, there are a couple of cards that can compete with the Sapphire Preferred, and in this post, I wanted to take a look at one of those cards, which I think for many people may be a better option. This is an incredibly underrated card, especially in conjunction with the Citi Double Cash® Card (as I’ll explain below).
In this post:
Citi Strata Premier Card Basics For December 2024
The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is a card that offers a limited time welcome bonus of 75,000 points, has several bonus categories where cardmembers can earn 3x points, and also provides lots of flexibility thanks to how many transfer partners there are. Is this card right for you, though? Let’s look at this card in a bit more detail.
Bonus Of 75,000 Citi ThankYou Points
The Citi Strata Premier Card has a limited time welcome bonus of 75,000 ThankYou points after spending $4,000 within three months. Not only can you transfer those points to airline partners (and get at least 75,000 airline miles), but you can also redeem them toward other purchases (and get at least $750 in value).
Based on my valuation of Citi ThankYou points, the bonus of 75,000 points is worth $1,275.
Citi Strata Premier Card Bonus Eligibility
There are some restrictions to be aware of if you’re looking to earn the welcome bonus on the Citi Strata Premier. You’re not eligible for the welcome bonus if you’ve earned a bonus on this exact card or the Citi Premier Card (which is the predecessor to this card) in the past 48 months. Eligibility for this bonus isn’t otherwise tied to whether you have any other Citi card (except the Citi Premier Card).
Be aware of Citi’s other general card approval rules:
- You can only apply for one Citi card every eight days
- You can apply for no more than two Citi cards every 65 days
$95 Annual Fee
The Citi Strata Premier Card has a reasonable $95 annual fee. You can add authorized users to the card at no extra cost, and any spending that authorized users put on their card will contribute toward the points you earn.
Earning Points With The Citi Strata Premier Card
The Citi Strata Premier Card offers the best bonus categories of any mid-range credit card, in my opinion. When picking a credit card I recommend getting one that offers bonus points in categories that you’re likely to spend a lot in.
Credit cards offer bonus points on categories like travel, dining, gas, supermarkets, etc., so just pick a card that offers points in categories useful to you. For context, I value Citi ThankYou points at 1.7 cents each.
10x Points On Citi Travel Purchases
The Citi Strata Premier offers 10x points on hotels, rental cars, and attractions booked through the Citi Travel portal.
There’s no limit to how many bonus points you can earn, though this won’t universally be worth it. Keep in mind that there’s sometimes an opportunity cost to booking through a portal, as it may not offer the ability to earn points and elite perks for hotel stays, as an example.
3x Points On Air Travel & Hotels
The Citi Strata Premier offers 3x points on air travel and hotel purchases, with no limit on how many bonus points you can earn. This includes purchases made directly with airlines and hotels, as well as purchases through travel agencies. To me, that’s like a 5.1% return in these categories.
3x Points On Gas & EV Charging
The Citi Strata Premier offers 3x points on gas station and EV charging purchases. Again, I value that at a 5.1% return, and that makes this one of the best cards for gas station purchases. Furthermore, it’s rare to see a card offering bonus points on EV charging, so that’s pretty innovative, in my opinion.
3x Points On Dining
The Citi Strata Premier also offers 3x points on dining, which includes restaurants, cafes, takeout, and delivery. A 5.1% return in this category makes this one of the best cards for dining.
3x Points On Supermarkets
Lastly (but certainly not least), the Citi Strata Premier offers 3x points at supermarkets. I would also consider this to be one of the best cards for supermarket purchases.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
The Citi Strata Premier has no foreign transaction fees, so this is an excellent card to use for purchases globally since you can earn valuable rewards while not being stuck with those fees, which are sometimes as high as 3%.
Redeeming Citi ThankYou Points
The Citi Strata Premier Card earns ThankYou points. This is one of the four major transferable points currencies, and it’s also a points currency that I’ve found has increased in value significantly over the past few years thanks to all the transfer partners that have been added. Let’s take a closer look at how redemptions work.
Transfer Points To Airline & Hotel Programs
Citi ThankYou points can be transferred to airline and hotel partners. The program has the below 18 partners, including 14 airlines and four hotel groups.
Transfer Partners | Transfer Ratio |
|---|---|
Aeroméxico Club Premier | 1000 : 1000 |
1000: 1000 | |
1000 : 1000 | |
1000 : 1000 | |
1000 : 1000 | |
1000 : 1000 | |
1000 : 1000 | |
1000 : 1000 | |
1000 : 1000 | |
1000 : 1000 | |
1000 : 1000 | |
1000 : 1000 | |
1000 : 1000 | |
1000 : 1000 | |
1000 : 500 | |
1000 : 2000 | |
1000 : 200 | |
Preferred Hotels & Resorts I Prefer | 1000 : 4000 |
1000 : 1000 |
Transferring points to partners can be a great value if you’re looking to redeem for first and business class travel. That’s because first and business class tickets are often super expensive if paying cash, while they’re often reasonably priced if paying in points.
My favorite Citi ThankYou partners are Air France-KLM Flying Blue, avianca lifemiles, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, Singapore KrisFlyer, Turkish Miles&Smiles, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
Look Out For Transfer Bonuses
One way to get even more value out of your ThankYou points is to look out for transfer bonuses. Occasionally Citi offers additional bonuses when you transfer points, and these can often be in the range of 20-30%.
We’ve seen these to Air France-KLM Flying Blue, avianca lifemiles, JetBlue TrueBlue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, and more. These can be a great deal.
Redeem Points For One Cent Each Toward Airfare
Citi ThankYou points can be redeemed at the rate of one cent each toward airfare, so I wouldn’t recommend redeeming that way. You can get much better value by transferring to travel partners.
What About Redeeming For Gift Cards?
While you can redeem Citi ThankYou points for gift cards, merchandise, and more, I’d generally recommend against this. That’s because you’ll get at most one cent of value per point, which isn’t a particularly good deal. It could be a good deal in the context of the welcome bonus since 60,000 points could get you $600 in value, but otherwise, I’d advise against it.
How Should You Redeem Citi ThankYou Points?
It all depends on what your travel goals are. Generally speaking:
- If you’re just looking to redeem for economy travel, redeeming points for one cent each toward the cost of airfare could be okay for you, and might be a better value than transferring to partners
- If you want to redeem for travel in first and business class (which is what I recommend), there’s huge value in learning airline award charts, because you can get outsized value that way
You Can Combine Citi ThankYou Points
Note that if you have the Citi Strata Premier, Citi Prestige, Citi Rewards+, Citi Double Cash, and/or Citi Custom Cash, then you can pool the points earned across all the cards. You can also transfer ThankYou points to other ThankYou members, though do note that these points then expire after 60 days (so I’d recommend transferring them to a partner program within that timeframe).
Citi Strata Premier Card Benefits
I would plan on getting the Citi Strata Premier Card for the bonus and return on spending that it offers, rather than the perks. That being said, the card does have some benefits that people may find useful.
$100 Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
With the Citi Strata Premier, you can get $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, when booking through Citi ThankYou. This benefit is available once per calendar year.
For some people, this will more or less be worth face value, while for others it will be worth very little. If you can get value out of this, it could more than make up for the annual fee on the card.
World Elite Mastercard Benefits
The Citi Strata Premier is a World Elite Mastercard, meaning that it comes with quite a few benefits, including savings with Lyft, Boxed, ShopRunner, and more.
Is The Citi Strata Premier Card Worth It?
The Citi Strata Premier Card offers the most rewarding bonus categories of any mid-range credit card, in my opinion, as the card offers 3x points in five different categories. I also love Citi ThankYou points, and get huge value by transferring them to airline partners, especially in conjunction with a transfer bonus. This is also a great time to pick up the card, given the huge bonus.
So, how does this compare to some of the other cards out there, and how do you truly maximize value?
Tip: Complement With Citi Double Cash
One major reason to consider getting the Citi Strata Premier is because of the value of complementing it with the Citi Double Cash® Card (review). The Citi Double Cash has no annual fee, and offers 1x ThankYou points when you make a purchase, and 1x ThankYou points when you pay for that purchase.
The Citi Double Cash is one of my go-to cards for everyday spending, and I consider this to be an unbeatable combination. You can earn 3x points on dining, gas, at supermarkets, and more, and 2x points on all of your other purchases.
Alternatives To The Citi Strata Premier
If you want to consider another mid-range card in place of the Citi Strata Premier, there are two cards I’d look at.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Vs. Citi Strata Premier
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) is probably the biggest competitor to the Citi Strata Premier.
The card has a $95 annual fee, so the biggest differences are the following:
- The Sapphire Preferred has a welcome bonus of 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 within three months.
- The Citi Strata Premier has better bonus categories, as the card offers triple points on dining, gas, at supermarkets, air travel, and hotels, while the Sapphire Preferred offers triple points on dining, online groceries, and select streaming services, and double points on travel
- The Sapphire Preferred offers significantly better travel, car rental, and purchase protection, and also offers a $50 annual hotel credit; everyone has to decide how much they value that
Amex Gold Card Vs. Citi Strata Premier
The American Express® Gold Card (review) offers a welcome bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 within the first six months of card membership. As far as the return on spending goes, the card offers:
- 4x Membership Rewards points for dining at restaurants on the first $50,000 spent every calendar year, and then 1x
- 4x points for purchases at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 of spend per year), and then 1x
- 3x points on airfare purchased directly from airlines or at amextravel.com
The card has a $325 annual fee (Rates & Fees), though offers several dining-related credits which help offset the annual fee significantly.
As you can see, the Amex Gold is better for dining and U.S. supermarkets, though it doesn’t offer bonus points on gas or hotels.
Bottom Line
The Citi Strata Premier Card is an underrated card that earns valuable transferrable points. The card has a reasonable annual fee, a great welcome bonus, and excellent 3x points categories. I don’t think there’s another card in the market with bonus categories as well-rounded as this card.
When you complement it with the ability to earn 2x ThankYou points per dollar spent with the Citi Double Cash® Card, that’s a great duo.
In general, for mid-range cards, I really think it’s between the Citi Strata Premier and the Chase Sapphire Preferred, as both are excellent cards. You can always pick up both cards and then long term decide which makes the most sense for you.
Apply Now for the Citi Strata Premier Card Card with 75,000 bonus points!
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees).
Thanks for the info Ben! I applied for the card through your link and was approved immediately after responding to a text message from Citi verifying if I applied for the card.
Thanks Ben for the info. I applied through your link and was approved immediately after responding to a text from Citi asking me if I applied for the card.
I'd like to know what Ben uses this card for personally. I hold - and use - this card and other Citi cards but the fact is that there are other cards with equal or better earnings and the signup bonus just isn't that compelling. I do think that the Citi infrastructure has some value but most people won't find it worthwhile to get the Double Cash and Custom Cash cards to earn enough Citi points on an ongoing basis.
I don't use this card much, but I'm a heavy user of the Double Cash and Custom Cash cards, and this card or the retired Prestige is required to make transfers work. On DC, domestic unbonused purchases is the priority (2x), and on the latter, I use it for grocery only. (5x) I have the rest of the ecosystem (Rewards+) to take advantage of small charges and the 10% points refund per year.
It's worth...
I don't use this card much, but I'm a heavy user of the Double Cash and Custom Cash cards, and this card or the retired Prestige is required to make transfers work. On DC, domestic unbonused purchases is the priority (2x), and on the latter, I use it for grocery only. (5x) I have the rest of the ecosystem (Rewards+) to take advantage of small charges and the 10% points refund per year.
It's worth noting that not all transferrable miles are equal. For example. I like Eva business redemptions (which suck in terms of miles required but are great at availability). With Citi, it's a 1 : 1 exchange rate. With C1, it's a 2 : 1.5 rate.
So while people wax poetic on the Venture X, the earning and value for me is actually lower than Citi's ecosystem.
The lack of Aeroplan as a partner kills this card
My "trifecta" consists the Citi Prestige, Citi Strata, and Citi Double Cash cards: 5x on airfare (CP), 3x on Hotels & 10x if thru Citi Portal (CP and CS), 5x on restaurants worldwide (CP), 10x on car rentals if thru Citi Portal (CS), 3x gas stations & EV (CS); 3x on supermarkets *outside* of the US (CS), 2x on unbounded categories (CDC).
You're lucky ot have the CP... I gave mine up years ago and am kicking myself.
I pair my Premier card with the Custom Cash card. No annual fee on that card and you get 5x on your first $500 in spend in certain categories monthly (only 1x beyond the $500 threshold). I usually just use it for grocery spend up to the $500/mo max, then switch back to the Premier for any grocery spend beyond $500 at 3x TY points. It's a pretty easy way to guarantee a minimum of 2500 TY points in the bank every month.
Posting about this card for the second day in a row? There must be an additional incentive for referrals.
Wait, OMAAT has to turn a profit? I'm shocked! Shocked!
Ben's card reviews are excellent, whatever his affiliate arrangments. I'm glad to read long-form reviews of cards including useful guidance about eligibility, restrictions, card combos, direct comparisons with competitors. NONE of that content is ever presented in advertising so I'm grateful to get it here. In exchange I apply through OMAAT links, when the offer is as good as elsewhere.
Complain about card shilling if...
Wait, OMAAT has to turn a profit? I'm shocked! Shocked!
Ben's card reviews are excellent, whatever his affiliate arrangments. I'm glad to read long-form reviews of cards including useful guidance about eligibility, restrictions, card combos, direct comparisons with competitors. NONE of that content is ever presented in advertising so I'm grateful to get it here. In exchange I apply through OMAAT links, when the offer is as good as elsewhere.
Complain about card shilling if you want, but this is the business model and Ben walks the line better than anyone in the space. I, for one, appreciate the content and profit handsomely from it.
If he couldn't monetize and make a living off the website, the website wouldn't exist and we would not benefit from his reviews. For the most part, his reviews are balanced and fair. Keep the reviews coming!
Agreed that there isn't the tasteless level of hucksterism here like at TPG and allowing comments is always a good sign. That said, for any newbies this card may be fine but there should be further mention of some of the caveats and/or practical ways to earn more points but only through getting multiple complementary cards. Give people a fair warning, is all.
Very well said, DenB. Ben has struck a better balance than pretty much everyone else. I don’t understand over criticism.
It’s thanks to Ben that I was able to sign up for the BILT card on day one, for example, and it’s not an overstatement to say that I’ve had multiple Hyatt stays for free because of him.