Citi Strata Elite℠ Card Review [2025]: Premium Perks, Palatable Price

Card basics

Who should get the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card?

If you're a frequent flyer who wants the perks that come with most premium travel cards — lounge access, travel protections, transfer partners — but don't need the laundry list of difficult-to-use statement credits that have led many to dismiss some popular cards as nothing more than "coupon books," the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card may be right for you.

While it may not have the prestigious name of the The Platinum Card^® from American Express or the dedicated cardholder lounges of the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®, the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card offers up a competitive set of benefits that gets to the meat of what many travelers are looking for in a premium credit card.

With some cards, you can get a litany of lower-value credits that can be earned on a range of brands and purchase types. These credits are meant to counter high annual fees but can be difficult to use in full if you're not super deliberate about it.

In contrast, the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card offers a small handful of more substantial credits for expenses that anyone who travels with some regularity is bound to rack up. Hate trudging through security lines at the airport? The card's credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership can help with that.

Want a little taste of luxury on either end of your journey? Use the card's up to $200 annual Blacklane credit to get a chauffeured ride to and from the airport in a fancy black Mercedes. Don't forget to stop by a Priority Pass lounge while you're there; cardholders get complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, valued at $469 annually.

Then there's the up to $300 annual hotel benefit for hotel stays booked through Citi's travel portal. The point is, you should have no problem justifying the card's $595 annual fee if you travel with any frequency. The credits offered with the card are practical for any traveler.

Even better, the card's up to $200 annual Splurge Credit℠ benefit (on your choice of up to 2 eligible brands) can be applied to spending with American Airlines if chosen as one of your selected brands for the credit.

American Airlines partnership

The card would be of particular value if you have the occasion to fly American Airlines. Through Citi's partnership with the carrier, Citi Strata Elite℠ Card cardholders get four Admirals Club access passes per calendar year when flying on American. One-day passes typically cost $79, so this perk alone is worth more than $300 annually.

If you live near an American hub or can bank on flying with the airline at least once or twice a year, the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card is an even more attractive option, especially since cardholders are eligible to transfer their ThankYou Points to American Airlines' AAdvantage loyalty program at a 1:1 ratio. That is something unique among general travel cards currently on the market, and a perk that could deliver significant per-point value if you can find the right deal on an award fare.

Who should skip it?

That same $595 annual fee that seems so easily outweighed by the Strata Elite's benefits can be much more of a burden if you find you're not traveling as much as you expected to in a given year. The biggest thing this card has going for it is its spending credits. If you can't use them, you're just paying quite a lot of money for a placeholder in your wallet.

For a lower-annual-fee card that still comes with some travel perks, try the Citi Strata Premier^® Card, which offers $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) once per calendar year on hotels booked through Citi's Travel portal along with elevated earn rates on general airline and hotel spending to counter its $95 annual fee.

Citi Strata Elite℠ Card benefits

Solid welcome offer

The Strata Elite features an enticing welcome offer for new cardholders with a spend requirement that should be easy enough to meet in the offer timeframe.

For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening​

Up to $300 annual hotel benefit for portal bookings

Like other premium travel cards, the Strata Elite uses benefits to incentivize booking through the issuer's proprietary travel portal. Every calendar year, Strata Elite cardholders can get up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.

Using travel portals has its perks and drawbacks (introducing a third party to your trip planning always does), but with the price of hotel rooms these days, it should be easy enough to use your full credit on one booking and not have to deal with the travel portal again if you don't want to.

Up to $200 annual Splurge Credit℠ on select brands

This credit in particular is enticing. Cardholders could get up to $200 in statement credits annually for spending with the following brands.

• 1stDibs
• American Airlines (exclusions apply)
• Best Buy
• Future Personal Training
• Live Nation (exclusions apply)

Cardholders can select up to two brands at a time via the card benefit hub and can change those brands at any time. You'll be credited for your spending within one to two billing cycles.

Up to $200 annual Blacklane credit

Want to put a little icing on your vacation cake? Spruce up your ride to or from the airport using the Strata Elite's up to $200 credit with Blacklane, a black car chauffeur service with availability in most major U.S. cities and a range of international destinations.

The big downside to this perk is that the statement credit is doled out biannually in $100 increments (up to $100 on Blacklane purchases from January through June and up to $100 July through December). A roughly 25 minute Blacklane ride from my house to my hometown airport costs $110.77 for a standard business class car, so depending on your situation, you may not get a full ride out of either of your twice yearly credits. Still, it's a nice perk and is easy enough to use.

Plus, paying essentially $10.77 for a ride to the airport with Blacklane is still much cheaper for me than taking a Lyft or Uber.

Up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit every four years

Any travel card worth its plastic (or metal) is going to have a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit these days. I'd advise using the Strata Elite's statement credit to get Global Entry membership, as that comes with TSA PreCheck access as well. TSA PreCheck, however, does not come with Global Entry.

Learn more about TSA PreCheck vs. Global Entry to get an idea of how much value you can get from this benefit.

Earning and redeeming Citi ThankYou Points

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your Citi ThankYou Points can add up with the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of 0.01 cents per point.

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: $1,648

Year two earnings: $848

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

Best ways to earn

If you want to optimize earning on your dining, you'll have to use your card during the Citi Nights℠ spending window. So make sure you're going out to eat or ordering takeout/delivery Friday and Saturday nights between 6 p.m. ET and 6 a.m. ET the following day.

Citi ThankYou Points transfer partners

ThankYou Points earned on the Strata Elite can be redeemed via the Citi travel portal at a value of one cent per point. In order to maximize your redemptions and squeeze a little more worth out of each point, look for good deals on award flights with Citi partner airlines or stays at Citi partner hotels.

ThankYou Points from your Citi Strata Elite generally transfer to Citi's travel partners at a 1:1 ratio (with some exceptions). And always watch for promotional periods when your points may have greater value.

Strata Elite cardholders get access to the full range of Citi's travel transfer partners including American Airlines, a new addition to the partner lineup that's available to Strata Elite, Strata Premier, and Citi Prestige^® Card cardmembers.

FAQs

Bottom line

All in all, the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card(Rates and fees) is a strong addition to the issuer's line of Strata cards. While it is certainly much more expensive than the Strata Premier and Citi Strata℠ Card, its earn rates and statement credit benefits more than justify its $595 price tag.

It even stands strong against direct competitor cards from Amex and Chase, offering not just Priority Pass lounge access but a handful of complimentary Admirals Club passes as well for when you're flying with American.

Its $75 authorized user annual fee is also worth noting, as it's less cost prohibitive to secure benefits like Priority Pass lounge access for your closest travel companions as well. The Sapphire Reserve, for example, charges ​​$195 per authorized user each year.

While it's still fresh on the market, the Strata Elite is certainly setting itself up to stand among the best travel credit cards out there.

Generous travel and restaurant rewards

Citi Strata Elite℠ Card

4.8

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 Elite℠ Card

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Rates and fees

Current Offer

For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening​

Annual Fee

$595

Rewards Rate

Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com; Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time; Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening​
• Up to $300 annual hotel benefit with a hotel stay of two or more nights booked through cititravel.com
• High earnings on restaurant purchases

Drawbacks

• $595 annual fee
• Highest travel rewards only available by booking through cititravel.com

Card Details

• For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening​.
• Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com
• Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time
• Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
• Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees