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If the new Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees) has caught your eye, now is the perfect time to apply. The card is currently flexing a huge 100,000-point limited-time welcome offer!
- 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.
For a $595 annual fee, you get useable benefits, valuable statement credits (that don't require monthly purchases), and the chance to earn transferable ThankYou Points on all eligible purchases. These are all big wins in our book.
Here’s what you need to know about the Citi Strata Elite and whether it deserves a spot in your wallet.
Page Contents
Citi Strata Elite 100K Bonus Offer
The Citi Strata Elite currently comes with the following elevated welcome offer: For a limited time, earn 100,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
It goes without saying we love six-figure welcome offers. Even better, the spending requirement to unlock the bonus should be well within reach for travelers who are well positioned to take advantage of this card's excellent benefits.
When one bank launches a great offer, it's a safe bet that others will too. Right now, there are two premium cards with unusually good offers. In both cases, we think Citi Strata Elite has a slight edge.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Although the Sapphire Reserve bonus is slightly higher, so is its annual fee at $795. This card's long list of benefits and credits will justify the cost for some, but Citi Strata Elite‘s perks should be easier to use for many. More importantly, Chase's application rules put the Sapphire Reserve out of reach for those who have opened five or more cards in the past two years.
American Express Platinum Card®: As High As 175,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
The current Platinum Card® welcome bonus is a bit of a wild card. If you are eligible for the highest offer, it's worth looking at the card's benefits to see if you'll be able to come out ahead on the eye-watering $895 annual fee (Rates & Fees). Given the sheer number of statement credits to track, we like the relative simplicity of the Citi Strata Elite for all but the most meticulous benefit maximizers.
Why Get the Citi Strata Elite?
There’s a lot to like about the Citi Strata Elite as far as benefits go. Here’s an overview of its headline perks, earning rates, under-the-hood benefits, and the annual fees you’ll need to pay to keep it in your wallet. This should help you decide whether the card deserves a spot in your wallet.
Headline benefits
- Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Get up to $300 back each calendar year on a hotel stay of two nights or more booked through Citi Travel.
- Up to $200 Annual Splurge Credit℠: Earn up to $200 in statement credits every year 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: Receive up to $200 in statement credits annually when you book with Blacklane. Earn up to $100 from January through June and up to $100 from July through December.
- Up to $120 Global Entry® or TSA PreCheck® Credit: Get reimbursed up to $120 every four years for your application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
- Four Admirals Club® Passes: Receive four Admirals Club passes every calendar year, granting access to nearly 50 lounges worldwide.
- Priority Pass™ Select Membership: Complimentary access to 1,500+ airport lounges worldwide for the primary cardmember and authorized users, plus entry for up to two guests.
- Access to The Reserve by Citi Travel: Book from a curated collection of hotels in Citi Travel and receive perks like daily breakfast for two, free Wi-Fi, a $100 experience credit, early check-in, late check-out, and room upgrades when available.
- Citi Entertainment® Access: Exclusive access to presale tickets and VIP experiences for concerts, sports, dining, and cultural events.
- Access to Fashioned by Death & Co®: Complimentary access to the Fashioned platform for mixology courses, videos, and cocktail tutorials.
- Mastercard World Elite™ Benefits: Enjoy elevated Mastercard perks as part of the World Legend tier, including priority restaurant reservations, premium event access, and more.
Earning rates
The Citi Strata Elite earns ThankYou Points on eligible spending as follows:
- 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.
And if you use your card abroad, you won’t pay any foreign transaction fees.
Under-the-hood benefits
In addition to all of the above (yes, there’s a lot), the Citi Strata Elite also comes with a handful of not-so-flashy but still helpful protections:
- Trip delay protection
- Trip cancellation and interruption protection
- Lost or damaged luggage coverage
- MasterRental collision damage waiver
- Extended warranty
- Purchase assurance
These benefits can come in handy when plans go sideways or purchases don’t quite work out.
Related: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card Full Review
Annual fee
The Citi Strata Elite is a premium rewards card, and it carries a $595 annual fee. If you want to add an authorized user to your account, you’ll pay $75 per user.
Qualifying Citigold® clients can offset the Citi Strata Elite’s annual fee in one of two ways. If you’re not already a Citi banking customer and have eligible assets, you might consider becoming one. That’s because you can receive an annual credit toward the fee on your open and current Strata Elite Card as follows:
- Citigold Private Client Relationship Tier credit: Qualifying Citigold Private Clients receive a $595 first-year banking relationship credit, followed by a $145 annual credit each year thereafter.
- Citigold Relationship Tier credit: Qualifying Citigold clients receive a $145 annual banking relationship credit.
Citi Strata Elite Application Rules and Restrictions
Like most credit cards, the Citi Strata Elite comes with its own set of application rules. To make sure you're eligible for the welcome offer, here are the card-specific terms you’ll want to review before applying:
Bonus ThankYou® Points are not available if you have received a new account bonus for a Citi Strata Elite℠ account in the past 48 months or if you converted another Citi credit card account on which you earned a new account bonus in the last 48 months into a Citi Strata Elite.
Based on Citi’s wording, having (or previously having) the Citi Prestige® Card — which is no longer open to new applicants — or the Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees) does not disqualify you from earning the Citi Strata Elite’s welcome bonus — unless you’ve earned a new account bonus on the Citi Strata Elite itself within the past 48 months or converted another Citi card into a Citi Strata Elite during that period.
In addition to these card-specific rules, Citi also has broader application policies that affect when you can successfully apply for a new card. Specifically, for personal credit cards, Citi allows only one application every eight days and no more than two applications within a 65-day period.
Other Premium Travel Card Options
If you already earn flexible rewards through another ecosystem, or want to compare before deciding, the cards below offer premium benefits in their respective programs.
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- Earn 5X points on Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings.
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
Each card has a distinct rewards ecosystem—Capital One Miles, Ultimate Rewards®, and Membership Rewards®—that may better fit if you already have cards in those programs.
Bottom Line
When Citi launched the Citi Strata Elite earlier this year, it made a big splash in the premium travel rewards card market. This card delivers a well-rounded package with valuable statement credits, useful travel perks, lounge access, elevated earning on travel and dining, and access to a strong list of transfer partners.
Even better? The credits are straightforward and relatively easy to use — no monthly calendar reminders or workarounds required. If you can comfortably use the annual hotel credit and Splurge Credit, you’re already well on your way to offsetting the annual fee.
Not everyone will need what the Strata Elite offers. But if the benefits align with your lifestyle, this new card and its limited-time 100,000-point bonus deserves your attention.
- 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.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees), American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
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