Citi Strata Premier℠ Card review: The best choice for diverse spending habits?

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In the crowded arena of travel cards, the recently rebranded Citi Premier℠ Card is often overshadowed by its more famous rivals. But this card may be one of the best travel cards out there — especially for those who don’t spend a ton on travel.

This card offers an impressive rewards structure. It earns 3X points on a wide range of categories, including restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel, hotels, and EV charging stations.

The card provides access to Citi's ThankYou Rewards program, which offers various redemption options, including point transfers to airline and hotel partners, allowing for potentially valuable redemptions.

While the card has a $95 annual fee, it comes with a competitive welcome bonus and a $100 annual hotel credit for stays of $500 or more booked through Citi Travel. Overall, this card is a great rewards earner with strong redemption possibilities.

How the Citi Strata Premier Card works

The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card rewards you for your everyday spending and travel expenses. Here are the key things to know about this card:

• Rewards: 10X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com, 3X points on air travel and other hotel purchases at restaurants, supermarkets, and gas and EV charging stations, and 1X points on all other purchases
• Welcome bonus: Earn 70,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening
• Annual fee: $95
• APR: Variable APR of 21.24% to 29.24% (based on creditworthiness)
• Redemption options: Use points to book travel through Citi's travel portal or transfer points to 18 airline and hotel partners. You can redeem points for gift cards, statement credits, and checks, or pay with points at select online retailers. 
• Additional benefits: $100 annual hotel credit for stays of $500 or more booked through Citi Travel, no foreign transaction fees, travel insurance protections, and Citi Entertainment access for presale tickets and special events

Citi Strata Premier Card rewards

The Citi Strata Premier is a mid-tier rewards card, similar to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. However, it is arguably the strongest earner for gas and grocery purchases. 

Citi also offers lots of flexible redemption options, which make the rewards even more valuable. But not every redemption is a winner, so you’ll need to do some homework to find the best values for your points. 

Earning rewards 

Earning rewards is one of the strongest parts of the Citi Strata Premier card. It has an extensive list of bonus categories, which allows you to earn 3X points or more on a variety of purchases:

• 3X points on flights and hotels
• 3X points on gas and EV charging stations
• 3X points at grocery stores and restaurants
• 10X points on travel purchases made through Citi Travel

These bonus categories cover a wide range of everyday spending and travel expenses, making it easy to rack up points. Whether you're a frequent traveler, a road tripper, a foodie, or a busy family, you'll find plenty of opportunities to earn bonus points with the Citi Strata Premier Card. You’ll earn 1X points on all other purchases. 

One caveat is you can’t earn bonus points on purchases made at big box retailers or wholesale clubs for these purchases. Even if it’s a gas purchase at Costco, it usually doesn’t count. The same goes for groceries at Walmart, unfortunately. 

The Strata Premier offers more diverse bonus categories than other popular cards, like the Chase Preferred or the Capital One Venture Rewards. 

Redeeming rewards 

The Citi Strata Premier Card earns ThankYou points, which can be redeemed in a variety of ways:

• Shop with points: Use your points to cover purchases at select online retailers.
• Cash back: Redeem your points for a statement credit, a direct deposit, or a check.
• Gift cards: Exchange your points for gift cards from popular brands.
• Travel portal: Book flights, hotels, rental cars, and more through the Citi Travel portal.
• Charitable contributions: Donate your points to select charities.
• Point transfers: You can transfer your ThankYou points to one of Citi's 18 airline and hotel partners, including Cathay Pacific, AeroMexico, Accor Live Limitless, Avianca, Choice Privileges, Emirates, Etihad, Eva Air, Flying Blue, Jetblue, The Leading Hotels of the World, Qantas, Qatar, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Wyndham.

The value you get from your ThankYou points depends on how you redeem them. If you opt for cash back or booking through the Citi Travel portal, your points will generally be worth $0.01.

But if you're willing to work to find sweet spots with Citi's transfer partners, you can potentially get much higher value for your points.

Of course, finding award availability and navigating the booking process with transfer partners can be more complex than redeeming points through the travel portal. It's important to weigh the effort required against the potential value is important.

While the Citi ThankYou program is robust, it may not include some of the transfer partners you're most familiar with, such as Hyatt, Southwest, or Delta. To get the most value from your ThankYou points, you may need to learn how to leverage Citi's unique partners, like Flying Blue or Turkish Airlines.

Citi Strata Premier Card benefits

The Citi Strata Premier Card offers various benefits to enhance your travel experience. Let's explore the sign-up bonus and additional perks of this card.

Sign up bonus

Currently, the Strata Citi Premier Card offers a sign-up bonus of 70,000 ThankYou points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. This bonus is worth $750 when redeemed for travel through the Citi Travel portal, or potentially even more if you transfer your points to one of Citi's airline or hotel partners.

The Citi Strata Premier Card's sign-up bonus is competitive compared to other popular travel credit cards. 

Additional perks

The Strata Premier comes with a suite of travel protections, including:

• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short due to a covered reason, such as illness or severe weather, you may be reimbursed for non-refundable expenses.
• Trip delay insurance: If your trip is delayed for a certain number of hours, you may be reimbursed for essential expenses like meals and lodging.
• Lost baggage protection: If a common carrier loses or damages your luggage, you may be eligible for reimbursement.
• Car rental insurance: When you pay for a rental car with your Citi Strata Premier℠ Card and decline the rental company's collision damage waiver, you may be covered in case of theft or damage to the vehicle.

These travel protections are fairly standard among travel credit cards. The Strata Premier Card also offers two other notable perks:

• $100 annual hotel savings benefit: When you book a hotel stay of $500 or more through Citi Travel, you'll receive a $100 credit back on your statement. While this benefit can be valuable, it's important to note that inventory may be more limited inventory compared to booking directly with hotels or through other travel portals.
• Citi Entertainment: As a cardholder, you can access presale tickets and exclusive experiences for concerts, sporting events, dining, and more.

While these perks can add value, they shouldn't be the primary reason for choosing this card. The $100 hotel benefit can be tricky to use due to the limitations of the Citi Travel portal, and Citi Entertainment is a nice-to-have feature rather than a make-or-break benefit.

Citi Strata Premier Card fees & charges 

Citi Premier fees and rates align with other cards (which isn’t saying much). You’ll want to do all you can to avoid paying interest, late fees, cash advance fees, and other charges. Here’s what they are and how you can beat them. 

Annual fee

The Citi Strata Premier Card has a $95 annual fee, comparable to those of other mid-tier travel cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. Another comparable card, the American Express® Green Card, charges a slightly higher annual fee of $150. See rates and fees. 

It's important to assess whether the card's rewards and benefits provide enough value to justify the cost. For example, if you can use the $100 annual hotel savings benefit, you'll effectively offset the annual fee. Similarly, if you spend enough in the card's bonus categories to earn over $95 worth of points each year, the annual fee can be well worth it.

To break even on the annual fee through spending alone, you'd need to spend $3,167 per year, or about $264 per month, in the card's 3X bonus categories. However, if you can redeem your points for higher value through Citi's transfer partners, you could recoup the annual fee with even less spending.

Interest rates

The Citi Strata Premier has a variable APR range based on your creditworthiness:

• Purchase APR: 21.24% to 29.24%
• Balance transfer APR: 21.24% to 29.24%
• Cash advance APR: 29.99%
• Penalty APR: Up to 29.99%

These interest rates are in line with those of other travel cards. Keep in mind this card does not offer an introductory APR offer on purchases and balance transfers. 

Carrying a balance on your card and incurring interest charges can negate the value of any rewards you earn. To avoid high-interest costs, always aim to pay your statement balance in full each month. 

By doing so, you'll enjoy a grace period on new purchases and won't be charged interest. If you need to carry a balance, pay it off as quickly as possible to minimize interest charges.

Other fees

In addition to the annual fee and interest rates, the Strata Premier has a few other fees to be aware of:

• Foreign transaction fee: None
• Cash advance fee: $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater
• Balance transfer fee: $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
• Late payment fee: Up to $41
• Returned payment fee: Up to $41

The Strata Premier card doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, making it a good choice for international travel. However, cash advances and balance transfers come with high fees and should be avoided.

How the Citi Strata Premier Card compares 

Let's compare the Strata Premier card to other popular travel cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a well-known travel credit card with a strong rewards program and valuable travel benefits.

Both cards charge a $95 annual fee and have similar welcome bonuses. The Strata Premier stands out for its broad 3X bonus categories, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers bonus points on dining and a 25% redemption bonus through the Chase portal.

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is another popular travel credit card that offers a simple rewards structure and flexible redemption options. 

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers a simple 2X earning rate on all purchases and the flexibility to redeem miles for statement credits against any travel purchase. Like the Preferred card and the Strata Premier, the Venture Rewards card charges a $95 annual fee and a comparable welcome bonus. 

While the Capital One Venture's flat-rate earnings can be appealing for its simplicity, the Strata Premier Card's bonus categories offer the potential for higher rewards on specific types of spending.

Who should consider the Citi Premier Card?

The Citi Strata Premier is an excellent choice for many travelers and everyday spenders who want to maximize their rewards without navigating complex loyalty programs. Here are some types of consumers who may find the most value in this card:

1. Travelers (but not jet setters): This card makes it easy to rack up flexible travel points on your everyday spending. If you travel at least a couple of times yearly and aren’t looking for premium travel perks, this card could be a good option.
2. Road warriors: With 3X points on gas station purchases, the Strata Premier Card is a great choice for those who spend a lot on fuel, whether for daily commutes or frequent road trips.
3. Foodies and grocery shoppers: The card's 3X bonus categories on restaurants and supermarkets make it appealing for those who enjoy dining out or cooking at home.

On the other hand, the Citi Strata Premier Card may not be the best fit for those who:

• Prefer a simpler rewards structure with fewer bonus categories to track
• Want premium travel benefits like airport lounge access or a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit
• Can't take full advantage of the card's bonus categories or redemption options.

Before you pick this card, take a serious look at the transfer partners and explore how much redemptions go for. 

For example, this card wasn’t on my radar until I learned what kind of redemptions could be made. I was originally looking for a travel card to book business-class flights to Europe, but instead, I’m taking my family of seven to Hawaii on Turkish Airlines.

How we rated this card

Every credit card review we publish has undergone a rigorous editorial process to ensure accuracy and objectivity.

We rate all credit cards on a 10-point system, with 10 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest possible score. We assess each card across several key factors, weighted based on what our research shows matters most to readers like you. Learn more about our methodology here. 

The bottom line 

The Citi Strata Premier Card is a strong choice for travelers and everyday spenders who are willing to put in some effort to maximize their rewards and redemptions. 

By evaluating your spending patterns, redemption goals, and travel preferences, you can determine whether this card aligns with your needs and offers the most value for your lifestyle.

Editorial disclosure: Opinions expressed are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included in the post.