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This Citi credit card includes travel protections and a yearly hotel credit worth $100. With this card in your wallet, you’ll earn Citi ThankYou Rewards points and will have multiple ways to redeem your rewards. The Citi Strata Premier is particularly valuable for travelers who transfer their rewards to participating hotel and airline transfer partners for hotel and flight bookings.
The Citi Strata Premier℠ offers plentiful ways to earn rewards. This rewards credit card also provides multiple redemption methods, so you have flexibility in how you redeem your earnings.
The Citi Strata Premier℠ credit card is connected to Citi's ThankYou Rewards program. When you make purchases with your credit card, you’ll earn ThankYou points.
Here’s a breakdown of how you can earn rewards with the Citi Strata Premier℠ credit card:
Earn 10X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
Earn 3X points on air travel, other hotel purchases, restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and EV charging stations
Earn 1X point on all other purchases
In addition to providing multiple ways to earn bonus rewards, the Citi Strata Premier℠ credit card has no spending caps. Many other credit cards that earn bonus rewards on gas and grocery purchases have spending caps, which limits the rewards one can earn. You can earn unlimited rewards with the Citi Strata.
Expert tip: Since the Citi Strata Premier only earns 1X point on non-bonus rewards category spending, you can benefit by pairing it with another Citi credit card like the Citi Double Cash Card. Since it earns 2% cash back on every purchase, you can use this card for everyday purchases outside of the Citi Strata's bonus categories to maximize your rewards.
Citi Strata Premier℠ cardholders have multiple ways to redeem their rewards. Here are some ways you can redeem the Citi ThankYou points you earn with your card:
Cash back: Redeem for cash back as a statement credit to your credit card account, a paper check, or direct deposit.
Gift cards: Redeem for gift cards to retailers like Chewy, Home Depot, and Target.
Shop with points: Redeem for purchases at participating online retailers, including Amazon and Best Buy.
Travel bookings: Redeem for travel bookings through the Citi Travel portal.
Travel partners: Transfer to participating airline and hotel loyalty program partners to book flights or hotel stays.
Want to get more value from your rewards? The Citi Strata Premier℠ is one of a select few Citi credit cards with access to Citi’s entire list of transfer partners. Many travelers maximize the value of their points by transferring them to participating hotel and airline loyalty programs.
Expert Intel: Logan Allec, CPA and owner of Choice Tax Relief explains why it can be worthwhile to redeem your ThankYou points this way: “You can simply get more value per point by booking through a travel partner, especially airline partners. When redeeming for cash back, there is a $0.01 per point valuation. So if you redeem, say, 50,000 ThankYou Points for cash back, you'd get $500 cash back. That's not terrible, of course, but when transferring to travel partners, you can get far more value per point.”
Here’s a complete list of Citi’s travel transfer partners:
AeroMexico Rewards
Avianca Lifemiles
Cathay Pacific
Emirates Skywards
Etihad Guest
EVA Air
Flying Blue
JetBlue TrueBlue
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Qatar Privilege Club
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Thai Royal Orchid Plus
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
ALL Accor Live Limitless
Choice Privileges
Leaders Club
Preferred Hotels and Resorts
Wyndham Rewards
Expert Intel: Ready to redeem your ThankYou points? Credit card and travel rewards expert, Steven Cruse, suggests the following approach to help you maximize the value of your rewards: “Always consider the value you're getting now versus the value you could have. A free flight now might feel good, but patience and an understanding of travel transfer partners could gift you multiple flights instead. Do your homework, be flexible, and let the points do the heavy lifting.”
We explain the basis for our Citi Strata Premier℠ Card ratings in each category below:
The Citi Strata Premier℠ credit card has a reasonable $95 annual fee. This travel rewards card has no foreign transaction fees, making it an ideal option for international travelers. The card’s ongoing variable APR is high, so carrying a balance on your credit card could get expensive. No introductory 0% APR is available for purchases or balance transfers.
This travel rewards credit card has perks that appeal to travelers. One worth mentioning is the $100 annual hotel benefit, which can be redeemed when booking a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) through CitiTravel.com. This card also offers travel protections like trip delay protection and lost or damaged luggage coverage.
Citi offers multiple redemption options, including for travel. Citi Strata Premier℠ cardholders can redeem their ThankYou points for travel bookings at CitiTravel.com. Another option is to transfer points to more than 15 airline and hotel transfer partners. Many Citi Strata Premier cardholders choose this method to maximize the value of their rewards.
Citi credit card customers benefit from $0 liability on unauthorized transactions. Citi also monitors for fraud and alerts cardholders when potential fraud is detected. Another notable security feature is Citi Quick Lock. This tool allows card users to temporarily lock their cards to block new charges from processing while enabling recurring transactions to process. This security feature can be useful if you’ve misplaced your credit card.
The Citi website is user-friendly. The Citi Mobile app is available for iOS and Android devices. The mobile app has an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 on the App Store and 4.7 out of 5 on Google Play. Customers can make payments, review statements, and browse recent transactions through their online accounts. On its website, Citi is transparent about card features, including rates and fees. Customers can easily apply for a new credit card online.
We considered the availability of customer support, support response times, and first-hand experiences shared by cardholders in online communities. Unfortunately, many Citi cardholders are dissatisfied with their customer service experience.
Some have found it challenging to connect to a customer representative quickly, while others struggled to get replacement cards mailed out promptly after misplacing their original cards. Keep this in mind when considering whether to apply for the Citi Strata.
The primary way for Citi credit cardholders to get assistance is by calling the credit card customer support line at 1-800-950-5114. Citi also has official accounts on social media platforms like Facebook.
We called Citi's customer service line while writing this review. Callers must provide credit card account information to connect to a support representative. Since we aren't Citi cardholders, we couldn't verify how prompt their customer support response is.
We also reached out to Citi through its official Facebook account. We received a reply within minutes. For those struggling to reach a representative via phone, it may be worthwhile to reach out for support on social media.
First-hand cardholder experiences can help you make a more informed decision about whether the Citi Strata is an ideal credit card for you. We compiled feedback from past and current Citi Strata Premier℠ cardholders shared in online communities and forums.
Here’s what cardholders had to say about their experience with the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card:
Many cardholders appreciate that they can earn bonus rewards when swiping their cards for everyday purchases. One Reddit, one user shared the following in r/Credit Cards: “Strata Premier definitely has the best multipliers for everyday purchases.”
Another Reddit user noted: “I think the Citi Strata Premier is great as an everyday card because it hits all the main categories (groceries, gas, and dining) at 3X without a cap.”
However, many customers shared experiences that suggest Citi’s customer service is lacking. In r/Credit Cards, a user said: “I dropped their cards due to the terrible service. As great as their cards are, customer service goes a long way for me. Amex and Discover have been the gold star for me.”
We asked financial experts who use the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card to share their thoughts.
Here is what one expert had to say:
Expert Intel: Logan Allec, CPA and owner of Choice Tax Relief, finds value in the $100 annual hotel credit. Allec shares why this can be a worthwhile perk for travelers: "If you make a booking for just around $500, that's essentially a 20% savings — and you get your 10X points for booking the hotel through CitiTravel.com."
Citi Strata Premier℠ | Chase Sapphire Preferred | |
Annual fee | $95 | $95 |
Base rewards | 10X points on hotel, car rentals, and attractions booked through Citi Travel, 3X points on air travel, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and EV charging stations, 1X point on other purchases | 5X points on travel booked through Chase Travel, 3X points on dining, online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), and select streaming services, 2X points on other travel, 1X point on other purchases |
APR | 20.24% - 28.24% Variable APR | 20.49% - 27.49% Variable APR |
Sign-on bonus | 75,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening | 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening |
Both rewards cards have the same annual fee and similar regular purchase APRs. But how each card earns rewards differs. Both cards offer multiple bonus reward categories. The ideal credit card for you will be the one that aligns with your spending habits.
The sign-up bonus offers for these cards are similar. It's worth noting that the Citi Strata Premier welcome offer appears higher. However, both offers carry the same value when redeemed for travel through each card issuer's travel portal. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card, 60,000 points are worth $750 when redeemed for Chase Travel bookings. With the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, 75,000 points are worth $750 for Citi Travel bookings.
Both credit cards give cardholders access to plentiful airline and hotel transfer partners, which can be a valuable redemption choice. It's worth noting that Chase has more domestic airline partners, while most Citi airline partners are international carriers. Those who fly internationally may benefit more from a Citi credit card.
Related: Check out our list of the best travel credit cards
While compiling our Citi Strata Premier℠ Card review, we examined factors that impact credit card users most. These factors include features and benefits, rates and fees, security, customer service, and user experiences. We also took note of experiences shared by existing Citi Strata Premier℠ cardholders in online communities and forums.
Learn more about our credit card rating and review methodology.
With a modest $95 annual fee, valuable travel perks, travel protections, and flexible redemption options, the Citi Strata Premier℠ can be a worthwhile rewards credit card, especially for travelers. If your typical spending habits align with the card's bonus rewards categories, your rewards potential could be plentiful.
Transferring your ThankYou points to Citi's travel transfer partners can be especially valuable. You may be able to extend the value of your points beyond the $0.01 per point value you get when redeeming for cash or travel through the Citi Travel portal. However, most airline partners are international carriers, so those who fly internationally may benefit more from the Citi Strata.
What Is the Difference Between the Citi Premier and Strata Premier?
The Citi Premier is a previous Citi card, which is no longer available to new applicants. The Citi Strata Premier℠ is a redesigned version of the Citi Premier Card with some added benefits, like more bonus rewards categories. But overall, the Strata Premier is a similar credit card.
Does Citi Strata Premier℠ have lounge access?
No, the Citi Strata Premier℠ doesn’t offer complimentary airport lounge access. If you value travel perks like this, you may want to consider premier travel rewards cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card or the Capital One Venture X Rewards Card. Both credit cards provide free lounge access.
How Much Are Citi Strata Premier℠ Points Worth?
The value of ThankYou points earned using the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card varies depending on how you redeem them. Points are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for travel through CitiTravel.com or for cash back. You may get more value from your points by transferring them to participating Citi transfer partners to book hotel stays or flights.
Disclosure: This content is not provided by the issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of BestMoney alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the issuer.
