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Citi’s credit card lineup offers big-time rewards for ongoing spending in a wide variety of categories. The right combination of cards boasts a minimum return of anywhere from 2 cents to 6 cents per dollar spent, which is incredible. But better yet, transferring the points you earn to any of Citi’s plethora of transfer partners provides an opportunity to get even more value out of your hard-earned rewards.
Here's what you need to know about building an elite combination of Citi credit cards, plus a bonus card to unlock luxe benefits.
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Citi Credit Card Lineup Overview
The Citi credit card lineup underwent some major changes in 2025. The issuer sunset the Citi Rewards+® Card, and introduced the no-annual-fee Citi Strata℠ Card(Rates & Fees) and the premium Citi Strata Elite℠ Card(Rates & Fees).
These cards add fantastic benefits and earning opportunities that complement the mid-tier Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees) beautifully.
- 5X – Earn 5 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals and Attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ via cititravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent in an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice (Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons, or Pet Supply Stores). Choose your eligible Self-Select Category on Citi Online or by calling customer service. The default Self-Select Category is Select Streaming Services.
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on Select Transit purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 2X – Earn 2 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Restaurants
- 1X – Earn 1 ThankYou® Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- 10X on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 1X – Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – 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.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
In addition to introducing new credit cards, Citi made another important update. Now, all Citi ThankYou® Rewards Point– and cash back-earning credit cards have access to Citi's 21 partner airlines and hotel programs, albeit at different transfer ratios. The Citi Strata Premier, Citi Strata Elite, and Citi Prestige® Card (no longer open to new applicants) offer better transfer ratios than the no-annual-fee card options.
For instance, if you want to transfer points to American Airlines, you can transfer at a 1:1 ratio with the Citi Strata Premier and Citi Strata Elite. Although you can still make the transfer with the Citi Strata Card, Citi Double Cash® Card (Rates & Fees), or the Citi Custom Cash® Card, you'll transfer at a ratio of 1:0.7.
Citi cardholders can also move points from one card to another or share points with others. This means points earned via cards that have lower transfer ratios can be moved to the Citi Strata Premier or the Citi Strata Elite to extract maximum value.
Related: How to Transfer Citi ThankYou Points
Best Citi Credit Card Combos
Each of Citi's cards offers its own bonus earning categories. When you make the right card pairings, you unlock some serious earning power from everyday spending and the ability to transfer your hard-earned points at the best rates.
Below are examples of how holding multiple Citi credit cards leads to enhanced rewards on routine spending. Note that these examples do not represent the only Citi card combinations.
Dynamic duo: Citi Strata Premier® Card & Citi Double Cash® Card
This is the quintessential Citi credit card duo. The Citi Strata Premier earns:
- 10X on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 1X – Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 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.
- 10X on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 1X – Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
Then, the Citi Double Cash earns an unlimited 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay. You can use your Citi Strata Premier when you're ready to book travel, doing your weekly grocery shopping, or going out to eat. Then, use your Citi Double Cash to cover all of your other day-to-day spending.
If you're looking to pay down debt or finance a larger purchase, this card also comes with one of the best available introductory APR offers on balance transfers.
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel. - Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 17.49% - 27.49%, based on your creditworthiness.
- Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
- If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel.
Although the Citi Double Cash is marketed as earning cash back, you'll actually earn Citi ThankYou Points. This means you'll earn a minimum of 2X points on all of your spending. And these 2 (or more) points earned on all purchases can be combined in your Citi Strata Premier account, so you have access to the best transfer ratios when you're ready to convert to Citi's 21 transfer partners.
The Citi Double Cash also has no annual fee, which makes this 2X-on-everything card an easy addition to anyone’s wallet.
Related: Citi Double Cash Review
Trifecta: Add a Citi Strata℠ Card
For those with an appetite for more Citi cards, consider a trio of the Citi Strata Premier, Citi Double Cash, and the Citi Strata Card. The no-annual-fee Citi Strata Card provides something few other cards do: the ability to self-select one of your bonus categories.
As a cardholder, you'll earn:
- 5X – Earn 5 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals and Attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ via cititravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent in an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice (Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons, or Pet Supply Stores). Choose your eligible Self-Select Category on Citi Online or by calling customer service. The default Self-Select Category is Select Streaming Services.
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on Select Transit purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 2X – Earn 2 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Restaurants
- 1X – Earn 1 ThankYou® Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- Earn 20,000 bonus Points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- 0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months; after that, the variable APR will be 18.49% - 28.49%, based on your creditworthiness. There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
- Earn 3 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent in an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice (Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons, or Pet Supply Stores). Choose your eligible Self-Select Category on Citi Online or by calling customer service. The default Self-Select Category is Select Streaming Services.
- Earn 5 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals and Attractions booked on Citi Travel® via cititravel.com; earn 3 ThankYou Points for each $1 spent at Supermarkets, on Select Transit purchases, and at Gas & EV Charging Stations.
- Earn 2 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent at Restaurants; earn 1 ThankYou® Point for each $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
- No Annual Fee
- 5X – Earn 5 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals and Attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ via cititravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent in an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice (Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons, or Pet Supply Stores). Choose your eligible Self-Select Category on Citi Online or by calling customer service. The default Self-Select Category is Select Streaming Services.
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on Select Transit purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 2X – Earn 2 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Restaurants
- 1X – Earn 1 ThankYou® Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
Sure, there's some overlap in bonus categories with the Citi Strata Premier. However, not only will you be able to earn 3X on transit purchases (where the Citi Strata Premier earns just 1 point), you'll also be able to select a 3X bonus category from the following options:
- Fitness Clubs
- Select Streaming Services
- Live Entertainment
- Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons
- Pet Supply Stores
Have an expensive monthly gym membership? Choose to earn 3X points per dollar on that. Subscribed to every streaming service you can find? Great, you'll earn 3X points. The flexibility makes this a great addition to your wallet, and complements the Citi Strata Premier and the Citi Double Cash perfectly.
Related: Citi Strata Card Review
Quadfecta: Add a Citi Custom Cash® Card
Bonus categories from the Citi Strata Premier and Citi Strata Card earn 3X on purchases. However, Citi fanatics have the opportunity to earn an even higher return on spend as a cardholder of the Citi Custom Cash.
Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. And while this is marketed as cash back, earnings come in the form of ThankYou Points — just like the Citi Double Cash.
- Sign-up bonus of $200 in cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening, issued as 20,000 ThankYou® Points
- 5% cash back in your top eligible spend category on up to $500 of purchses each billing cycle
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for--the top earning category adjusts automatically each month to the eligible category in which you spend the most.
- Excellent intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers
- No annual fee
- Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent
- 1% cash back thereafter, plus, you'll earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
- Eligible spending categories are: Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Select Travel, Select Transit, Select Streaming Services, Drugstores, Home Improvement Stores, Fitness Clubs and Live Entertainment.
- Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal.
Eligible 5% bonus categories include the following:
- Restaurants
- Gas stations
- Grocery stores
- Select travel
- Select transit
- Select streaming services
- Drugstores
- Home improvement stores
- Fitness clubs
- Live entertainment
With careful purchasing habits, that $500 per month in spending earns an extra 2 to 3 points per dollar more than what other available Citi cards offer. Best of all, the Citi Custom Cash also has no annual fee.
Related: Citi Custom Cash Review
If you've had a Citi trifecta or quadfecta over the past few years, you might've felt like something was missing. Sure, you were able to earn anywhere from 2 to 5 points per dollar on your everyday purchases, and you only had to pay a total of $95 per year to keep these cards in your wallet. However, you didn't get premium benefits.
In 2025, Citi released the Citi Strata Elite, which, in exchange for a $595 annual fee, you'll receive a suite of statement credits and luxe benefits. The earning potential also adds an interesting element:
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – 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.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
- For a limited time, earn 100,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 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
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – 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.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
Select times during the weekend, you'll earn 6X points per $1 spent at restaurants, which is quite a bit more than the other cards on this list offer. However, the real reason to add this card to the lineup is the benefits it provides:
- Up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more booked through Citi Travel each year
- Up to $200 in Annual Splurge Credits on your choice of up to two of the following brands: 1stDibs, American Airlines, Best Buy, Future Personal Training, and Live Nation
- Up to $200 annual Blacklane credit ($100 semi-annually)
- 4 Admirals Club Citi Strata Elite Passes each year
If you maximize the benefits of the card, you can easily get substantially more value than the annual fee. Although the purpose of the Citi trifecta or quadfecta is to maximize your earning potential, adding in the Citi Strata Elite gives you more travel and shopping benefits than any of the other cards combined.
Related: Citi Strata Elite Review
Citi Credit Card Application Strategy
Don’t go signing up for all four Citi cards on this list all at once; you won’t be approved. Citi's credit card application rules restrict you to one personal card per eight-day period and two personal cards in a 65-day period.
Each card offers a welcome bonus, which can be a significant step forward in building a stash of ThankYou Points. The no-annual-fee options naturally offer smaller bonuses, but premium cards like the Citi Strata Elite offer a whopping 100,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening..
Check out Citi's credit card offer history to determine if the current welcome offer on the card you're interested indicates whether it's a good time to apply.
Related: How to Track Your Progress Toward a Citi Credit Card Sign-up Bonus
The bigger bonus play
Citi stands out among card issuers by allowing cardholders to product change between card “families.” For example, a co-branded American Airlines credit card could be product changed to a Citi Double Cash, or vice versa.
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® has a welcome bonus of 80,000 miles after $3,500 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening. The annual fee is $99, waived for first 12 months, and I would happily skip a smaller bonus on one of Citi's no-annual-fee cards to start with this card, earn the bonus American Airlines miles, and then change to a Citi Double Cash or Citi Custom Cash a year later.
Please note that you'll need to wait 48 months before earning another bonus on the same Citi card. However, this applies to that card, not all cards from Citi or even all Citi cards that earn the same type of rewards. That means you could earn a welcome bonus on the Citi Strata Premier and Citi Custom Cash just months apart, even though they're both from Citi and earn the same type of rewards.
Related: Who's Eligible for a Citi Welcome Bonus? ThankYou Rewards Cards Application Rules Explained
Making the rewards worth more than advertised
You may have noticed our conservative estimations here. At minimum, you can redeem your Citi points for 1 cent apiece by cashing them out or using them to pay for trips with Citi Travel. Thus, with the 6X we've discussed above, that means the rewards would be worth at least 6 cents. However, using Citi's airline and hotel partners can provide much more value.
Consider that AwardWallet users typically redeem Citi points at 2.29¢ each. Even if we take the “easy math” approach by rounding to an even 2¢ per point, earning 6x on select purchases and redeeming at 2¢ per point results in 12¢ in value, or 10¢ in value from your 5X category. That's pretty incredible.
And keep in mind that several of the cards offer quite a bit more points per dollar if you book travel through the travel portal. I just booked a hotel stay in Mexico City using my Citi Strata Elite. It cost $750, but I was able to use my $300 annual hotel credit to knock it down to $450. That $450 in spending netted me 5,400 Citi ThankYou Points thanks to the 12X multiplier on hotels booked through Citi Travel.
Related: Complete Guide to the Citi Travel Portal
Final Thoughts
What Citi credit card offerings lack in terms of flash, they make up for in long-term substance. Those looking to steadily and consistently earn higher rewards on routine spending should consider a Citi card combo. Whether that means a duo of the Citi Strata Premier and Citi Double Cash or a full-fledged quadfecta, Citi provides opportunities aplenty to be well-rewarded on your spending.
And when you're ready for premium benefits and easy-to-use statement credits, add the Citi Strata Elite to the mix.
Thanks to the unique features of these cards, the right combination scores a minimum of 2 cents and up to 6 cents for every dollar spent — or maybe double that, depending on how you redeem.
- 5X – Earn 5 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals and Attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ via cititravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent in an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice (Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons, or Pet Supply Stores). Choose your eligible Self-Select Category on Citi Online or by calling customer service. The default Self-Select Category is Select Streaming Services.
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on Select Transit purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 2X – Earn 2 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Restaurants
- 1X – Earn 1 ThankYou® Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- 10X on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 1X – Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – 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.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata℠ Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), and Citi Double Cash® Card (Rates & Fees)
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