Citi has an excellent portfolio of cards earning its transferable points currency, with the three primary cards being known as the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (learn more), Citi Strata Premier® Card (learn more), and Citi Strata℠ Card (learn more).
These are all compelling cards, and in particular, the Citi Strata Elite Card and/or Citi Strata Premier Card are cards that those who are into miles & points will want to consider. In this post, I’d like to go over the details of the welcome offers on these three cards, for anyone who may be considering applying.
Link: Learn more about the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card, Citi Strata Premier® Card, or Citi Strata℠ Card
Citi Strata bonus offer details (Elite, Premier, Strata)
The trio of Citi Strata Card products are the key to earning Citi ThankYou points for credit card spending. While the Citi Strata Card is a great $0 annual fee card, the $95 annual fee Citi Strata Premier Card and $595 annual fee Citi Strata Elite Card are key to fully unlocking the value of these points, in terms of being able to transfer them to airline and hotel partners at the best rate possible.
No matter which card you decide on, there’s value to complementing it with the no annual fee Citi Double Cash® Card (learn more), which is one of the best cards for everyday, non-bonused spending. This card earns 2x ThankYou points per dollar spent on everyday purchases (1x points when you make a purchase, and 1x points when you pay for a purchase), so it’s an excellent option for maximizing everyday spending.
With that in mind, let me go over the current welcome bonuses available on the three Citi Strata Card products, plus the basics of the card value proposition. Based on my current valuations of miles & points, I consider ThankYou points to be worth 1.7 cents each.
| Citi Strata family product | Welcome bonus points | Welcome bonus value |
|---|---|---|
| Citi Strata Card ($0 annual fee) | 20,000 ThankYou points after spending $1,000 in three months | $340 |
| Citi Strata Premier Card ($95 annual fee) | 60,000 ThankYou points after spending $4,000 in three months | $1,020 |
| Citi Strata Elite Card ($595 annual fee) | 75,000 ThankYou points after spending $6,000 in three months | $1,275 |
$0 annual fee Citi Strata Card 20K points bonus
The $0 annual fee Citi Strata Card has a welcome bonus of 20,000 ThankYou points after spending $1,000 within three months.
The primary reason you’ll want to consider this card is because of the rate at which it racks up ThankYou points. The card offers 5x points on select Citi Travel purchases, 3x points at supermarkets, on select transit, on gas & EV charging, and on self-select categories, and 2x points at restaurants.
There are a couple of catches. First, the card does have foreign transaction fees, so I wouldn’t recommend using it for foreign currency purchases. Second of all, to unlock the full value of these points, you’ll want to have this card in conjunction with one of the two more premium cards, since that allows you to maximize the value of points when making transfers.
Read a full review of the Citi Strata Card.
$95 annual fee Citi Strata Premier Card 60K points bonus
The $95 annual fee Citi Strata Premier Card has a welcome bonus of 60,000 ThankYou points after spending $4,000 within three months.
I’d argue that this is the best value card in the Citi ThankYou portfolio. For one, the card has an excellent rewards structure, with no foreign transaction fees, and offers 10x points on select Citi Travel purchases, 3x points on air travel & hotels, on gas & EV charging, on dining, and on supermarkets, which is an incredibly well rounded rewards structure.
The card also offers a $100 annual hotel credit benefit, which can help offset the annual fee. Having this card also lets you unlock the full value of ThankYou points, in terms of being able to move points to travel partners at the best ratio possible.
Read a full review of the Citi Strata Premier Card.
$595 annual fee Citi Strata Elite Card 75K points bonus
The $595 annual fee Citi Strata Elite Card has a welcome bonus of 75,000 ThankYou points after spending $6,000 within three months.
This is Citi’s newest premium credit card, with a good ThankYou points rewards structure, and it’s one I applied for at the time of launch. The card earns 6-12x points on select Citi Travel purchases, 3-6x points on dining (6x points on Citi Nights is cool), and 1.5x points on everyday spending.
If you’re looking to offset the annual fee, the card offers credits, including an up to $300 annual hotel credit, an up to $200 annual Splurge credit, and an up to $200 annual Blacklane credit. The card also offers lounge access, in the form of a Priority Pass membership, plus four annual Admirals Club 24-hour passes.
It’s particularly worth calling out the excellent first year value on the card, since some of the credits and benefits are tied to the calendar year, rather than being tied to the cardmember year. This means you can get a disproportionate amount of value with your first annual fee.
Read a full review of the Citi Strata Elite Card.
Who is eligible for Citi Strata Card welcome bonus offers?
The good news is that eligibility for the Citi Strata Elite Card, Citi Strata Premier Card, and Citi Strata Card, is super straightforward. Eligibility for all three cards is considered independently, meaning that you’re eligible to be approved for each of the cards over time. Furthermore, you’re eligible for any or all of these cards if you have the Citi Prestige Card (which is no longer open to new applicants).
The major restriction to be aware of is that each individual card has a “once in a lifetime” rule. That means you’re only eligible for the welcome offer on each of the cards once. The cards also used to have a 48-month rule on bonus eligibility, but nowadays the rule is once per lifetime.
Let me emphasize that those requirements are considered independently. That’s to say that if you already have the Citi Strata Premier Card, you’d be eligible for the Citi Strata Elite Card (including the welcome bonus), and vice versa.
Read more about Citi Strata Card portfolio eligibility.
Citi Strata Card welcome bonus FAQs
Bottom line
The Citi Strata Elite Card, Citi Strata Premier Card, and Citi Strata Card, are all excellent cards, which now make up Citi’s primary portfolio of personal cards earning ThankYou points. The good news is that consumers are eligible for all three of these cards, including the welcome bonuses.
You can’t go wrong with any of these cards. Personally, I think the Citi Strata Premier Card is the easiest to justify card in the collection, since it has a reasonable annual fee, great bonus categories, and unlocks the full value of ThankYou points. However, I think the Citi Strata Elite Card can make a lot of sense, assuming you can take advantage of the credits and benefits, plus value lounge access. The card’s welcome bonus is also the most compelling.
What’s your take on the value proposition of the three Citi Strata Card products?
Strata Premier + DoubleCash is quite the combo. Together with the regular Strata, even better.
The Premier 3x air/hotel bonus is actually a bit broader per their T&Cs and includes travel agencies: "Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases: Includes purchases at airlines, hotels (not booked through the Citi Travel site via CitiTravel.com), and travel agencies."
truly such an under-hyped portfolio of cards + benefits, and with much less tracking to deal with too compared to Chase + AmEx.