Citi Strata Premier℠ Card Review [2024]: Travel Rewards and Convenient Booking Options

Card basics

Don’t overlook the benefits of the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card when looking for a robust travel card. If you’re a frequent traveler, you’ll love the 10X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com; 3X points on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations; and 1X points on all other purchases.

The card helps you Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com, equal to $700 in gift cards or travel rewards. With an annual fee of $95, you’ll easily make up for it if you spend in the bonus categories.

Keep in mind that you need good to excellent credit to qualify. If you don’t fall into that category, there are options for credit cards with fair or average credit.

Who should get the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card?

I think the Citi Strata Premier Card is a great choice for people who frequently travel and spend money on dining and entertainment, but don’t mind booking through CitiTravel.com. If booking through CitiTravel isn’t your idea of saving money, you may want to look elsewhere.

For frame of reference, your points are typically worth one cent each for travel redemptions, including partner transfers, except for the occasional promotion Citi may run.

However, if you don’t travel frequently and don’t typically spend money eating out or going to events, it might make more sense for you to apply for a cashback credit card without an annual fee. Many cards allow you to earn great cashback rewards on everyday purchases that might be more valuable.

Citi Strata Premier benefits and perks

• Generous welcome bonus: Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com. The bonus is worth $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at ThankYou.com.
• Excellent rewards on purchases: Earn 10X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com; 3X points on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations; and 1X points on all other purchases.
• Transfer points to airline loyalty programs: Transfer your points from your Citi Strata Premier℠ Card to participating airline and hotel loyalty programs, such as TrueBlue and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club for free. You only need a minimum of 1,000 points to request a transfer.
• Annual hotel savings: Receive $100 off a single hotel stay that's $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when you book through CitiTravel.com, once per year.
• No foreign transaction fees: Pay no foreign transaction fees no matter where you travel, so you don't stress about this additional cost while using your card abroad.
• Travel protections: Get trip cancellation/interruption insurance, lost or damaged baggage protection, trip delay reimbursement, and car rental coverage when you use your card to pay while traveling.
• Access to exclusive entertainment: Get access to exclusive tickets and events through Citi Entertainment®.

Earning & redeeming Citi ThankYou Points

Before choosing any reward credit card, whether travel or general rewards, I encourage you to determine how to maximize your earnings and compare your redemption options. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of earning a free hotel stay, for example, but when determining its cash value, it can sometimes be disappointing.

Best ways to earn

The best way to earn points with the Citi Strata Premier Card is to use it for bonus category purchases. Since this card earns 10X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com; 3X points on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations; and 1X points on all other purchases, you would be better served using a cashback card with a higher reward rate for purchases outside of those bonus categories.

Here’s an insider tip on how to truly maximize your earnings:

Use the Citi Double Cash^® Card to earn up to 2% cash back on any purchase that falls outside the Strata Premier card’s reward categories. If you have both cards, you can transfer Double Cash points to your ThankYou account, and have more rewards.

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your points can add up with the Citi Strata Premier Card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of one cent.

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $1,630

Year two earnings: $930

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which takes a look at points earned via spending, the welcome offer, and the annual fee.

While the earnings you get from regular spending are already pretty generous, you'll get even more value from this card if you're able to take advantage of its annual $100 hotel savings benefit. Not bad for a card with a modest $95 annual fee.

Maximizing your redemptions

Fortunately, you have many options to redeem your ThankYou points, including:

• Travel accommodations, such as airline tickets or hotel accommodations
• Gift cards to major retailers and brands
• Statement credit
• Cashback as a direct deposit
• Cashback as a check in the mail
• Shop with points with partner retailers
• Pay with points for certain purchases, as a statement credit
• Points sharing with other ThankYou® members
• Points transfer (more on this below)

I recommend using one cent per point as your threshold, as that’s the average redemption value for ThankYou® points. But like any point redemption, determine which reward provides the greatest value to make the most of your card.

Citi transfer partners

Like I said above, you have the option to transfer your points to an airline or hotel loyalty program. ThankYou points from your Citi Strata Premier℠ generally transfer to all of Citi’s travel partners at a 1:1 ratio, but always watch for promotions when your points may have greater value.

Citi has many transfer partners. Here's a quick look at your options:

Citi Strata Premier Card FAQs

Other cards to consider

While the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is an excellent travel rewards credit card, I feel it’s best for people who don’t mind using the CitiTravel platform to book travel.

If that’s not something you’re comfortable with or you don’t travel often, here are some other options:

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card has many similarities to the Citi Strata Premier Card. There’s a welcome offer that helps you earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening (that's worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel). Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year, a $95 annual fee, and its points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel through the Chase Travel℠ portal. The main difference is that you only earn 2X points on other travel purchases with this card. However, you can transfer your points to Chase’s travel partners. I suggest comparing the Citi Strata Premier vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred cards side-by-side, you can see which better fits your needs.

American Express^® Gold Card

Another option is the American Express^® Gold Card. While it has a $325 annual fee, it has valuable perks, including a $120 dining credit toward certain restaurants and delivery apps, including Grubhub. (Enrollment required for select benefits.)

You’ll also earn 4X Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 per year, after that 1X), 4X at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, after that 1X), 3X on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com, 2X on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com, and 1X on all other eligible purchases. So despite the annual fee, this card might be a better choice for you if you tend to spend a lot at restaurants.

Earn Valuable Travel Points Even Faster

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

4.9

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

4.9

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Apply Now

Why We Like It

Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com

Rates and fees

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See how these cards compare:

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

• Generous welcome offer valued at up to $1,050 when redeemed via Chase Travel
• High rewards on dining and bookings via Chase Travel
• 25% more value when redeeming points for travel through Chase Travel
• Up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel
• Receive valuable travel protections like trip delay reimbursement and primary rental car insurance

American Express® Gold Card

• Robust rewards for dining out and U.S. supermarket purchases
• Offers great travel rewards and benefits
• See rates and fees | Terms Apply

Bottom line

If you travel frequently and don’t mind booking through CitiTravel, the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is a no-brainer. Earning 10X points for every dollar spent on most travel expenses is quite the reward. However, if travel isn’t your priority or you’re a comparison shopper like me, there are other options to get rewarded for travel and your everyday purchases.

Earn Valuable Travel Points Even Faster

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

4.9

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

Apply Now

Rates and fees

Current Offer

Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com

Annual Fee

$95

Rewards Rate

10X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com; 3X points on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations; and 1X points on all other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Exceptional rewards on travel booked through Citi Travel
• Offers opportunities to transfer points to travel partners at a 1:1 ratio
• Elevated rewards on everyday spending, like grocery shopping

Drawbacks

• Requires good-to-excellent credit to qualify
• You get the most rewards only by booking travel through Citi’s portal

Card Details

• Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com
• Earn 10 points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
• Earn 3 points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
• Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
• No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases