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The brand new Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees) offers a few perks that are especially useful if you fly American Airlines. One example is the four Admirals Club® passes you get each year just for holding the card.
This is a great benefit if you value lounge access but don’t visit Admirals Clubs often enough to justify paying for a membership or carrying another high-annual-fee Citi card that offers unlimited access, like the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®.
Whether you have the Citi Strata Elite or are thinking about applying, here's everything you need to know about how its Admirals Club passes work, plus some tips to help you get the most out of them.
How the Citi Strata Elite Admirals Club Passes Work
If you’ve ever purchased a one-day pass to an Admirals Club, you already have a good idea of how the Citi Strata Elite Admirals Club passes work. But if you haven't, this might all be new. So, let’s walk through how they work, starting from the moment you’re approved for a new account.
Where to find Admirals Club passes online and in the American Airlines app
Once you become the proud owner of a new Citi Strata Elite, you’ll likely see four Admirals Club passes show up in your American Airlines account right away. That’s because part of the application process includes entering your AAdvantage® number, and the passes are typically added to your account immediately after approval.
If you're using a desktop browser, the passes are easy to find. Log in to your account, head to the “Rewards hub,” and scroll to the bottom of the page. You should see all four passes listed there, each with a unique ID and QR code.
I'm sure it's been done before, but scanning a QR code from your laptop screen might not go over well with the Admirals Club receptionist. You’ll probably have better luck pulling them up on your phone.
And that’s simple enough once you get used to the redesigned American Airlines app, which looks quite a bit different than it used to. In the app, tap “AAdvantage” at the bottom of the screen, then “Rewards.” Scroll to the bottom, and you’ll see your passes. Tap “View passes” to pull one up.
How to redeem Citi Strata Elite Admirals Club passes
Now that you know where to find your Admirals Club passes, you’re ready to use them at the airport. The redemption process is quick and easy. You can use the passes at nearly 50 Admirals Club locations, including those located internationally — but not at partner lounges like Alaska Lounges.
When you reach the reception desk, be prepared to show:
- The QR code of the Admirals Club pass you plan to use
- Your boarding pass for same-day travel on an eligible flight. This includes flights marketed or operated by American, any Oneworld carrier, or Alaska Airlines
- A government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport
Guests are not included unless they’re under 18. In that case, you can bring up to three children with you. For anyone 18 or older, you’ll need to redeem one Admirals Club pass per person. And keep in mind that access is not guaranteed. If a lounge is overcrowded, staff may deny entry to pass holders.
Easy ways to maximize your Admirals Club passes
It's also worth noting that each Admirals Club pass is valid for a full 24 hours after it is first scanned by a lounge receptionist. Visiting multiple locations during that time is one of the best ways to get the most value from each pass.
For instance, this lengthy window allows you to visit more than one lounge if your itinerary includes a few stops, if you're on a long layover in an airport with several Admirals Clubs like Charlotte or Dallas, or even if you are traveling on back-to-back days within the 24-hour period.
Just be sure to show the receptionist the same QR code when you visit another Admirals Club within the 24-hour window — not a new one.
Related: Upgrade Your Travel Experience: Best Travel Credit Cards With Lounge Access
When do Citi Strata Elite Admirals Club passes expire — and when do you get new ones?
The Citi Strata Elite Admirals Club passes are a calendar year benefit, so they're not based on your cardmember year. This means the passes you have will expire on December 31 of the current year, and four new ones will be added to your account on January 1. You can easily check the expiration date on each pass in your American Airlines account.
This is worth repeating because it is important. Any unused passes will be forfeited at the end of the year. Don't forget to use them!
Also keep in mind that if you cancel or product change your Citi Strata Elite to another Citi card, any unused passes will be removed from your account.
Bottom Line
The Citi Strata Elite is a sneaky good card if you fly American Airlines and value Admirals Club access, but don't quite fly enough to justify paying for an annual membership, earn enough Loyalty Points to select one via Loyalty Point Rewards, or care to apply for the AA Executive Card. In that sense, it's a very practical benefit. But just make sure to use your passes, since they won't roll over into the next year.
- 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
- 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)
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