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There are good times to apply for a premium credit card, such as when there's an elevated welcome offer or a chance to double-dip some of the card's statement credits. And then there are great times to apply for a premium credit card, when you can do both.
Right now is one of those rare times, so it’s a great opportunity to apply for the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees) before the year ends. Here's why.
- 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.
Page Contents
Why Now Is the Best Time to Apply for the Citi Strata Elite
Premium credit cards come with hefty annual fees, and the Citi Strata Elite with its $595 annual fee is no exception. If you’re going to get the card and pay that fee, it’s worth doing so before the year ends for two big reasons.
Double-dip on annual statement credits
First, applying now means you can double-dip on the Citi Strata Elite‘s annual statement credits. Applying before the end of the year gives you the chance to use the credits expiring at the end of 2025 and the ones that reset in 2026 — while paying the annual fee just once.
The Citi Strata Elite has a few annual statement credits, so there's an opportunity to unlock a lot of potential value here.
Related: Can the Citi Strata Elite Pay for Itself in One Trip? Here's How I Saved $1,800 on a Europe Trip
Earn an elevated welcome offer
The second reason is the more obvious one: the Citi Strata Elite‘s elevated welcome offer. We don't know exactly how long the offer will last, but if you apply today, you can earn 100,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
You can do some fantastic things with Citi ThankYou® Points, including transferring them to American Airlines. On average, AwardWallet users redeem Citi Points for 2.28¢ apiece, so this bonus can be incredibly valuable if you're able to maximize it through transfers to the program's 21 airline and hotel partners.
This is a slam-dunk chance to extract far more value out of your Citi Strata Elite in year one. And we'll show you just how much more you'll get out of the card by applying now.
Related: How to Get and Maximize the Citi Strata Elite‘s 100,000-Point Welcome Offer
Apply Now and Double-Dip on These Citi Strata Elite Statement Credits
An annual statement credit is one you can use during a calendar year, such as between January 1 and December 31, 2025. And if you apply for the Citi Strata Elite now, you can take advantage of the credits expiring at the end of 2025 and the ones that reset on January 1, 2026, while only paying the annual fee once.
To show you how this works, consider that the Citi Strata Elite offers up to $300 back each calendar year on a hotel stay of two nights or more booked through Citi Travel. Applying now gives you up to $300 in credits to use by December 31 before the benefit resets on January 1.
That’s up to $600 in value toward eligible hotel stays booked through Citi Travel. And double-dipping this benefit alone exceeds the card’s $595 annual fee.
But the hotel savings benefit isn’t the only credit you can double-dip. Here are the other annual and semi-annual statement credits and perks you can do the same with:
- 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.
- Four Admirals Club® Passes: Receive four Admirals Club passes every calendar year, granting access to nearly 50 lounges worldwide.
How much value you can unlock by applying for the Citi Strata Elite now
For those keeping score, applying before the end of the year means you can get up to $600 back at Citi Travel on eligible stays, up to $400 in Splurge Credits, up to $300 in Blacklane credits (since it’s a semi-annual credit), and four Admirals Club passes you can use this month before getting a new batch on January 1, 2026.
Double-dipping these statement credits alone adds up to as much as $1,300 in tangible value in year one. And that doesn’t even account for the value you’ll unlock while redeeming the card’s 100,000-Point welcome bonus.
If you wait until January 2026 to apply for the Citi Strata Elite, you’ll only get to use its statement credits once before the second-year annual fee posts to your account. And it's anyone's guess if the elevated welcome offer will still be available. So now’s the time to apply for the Citi Strata Elite.
Related: Citi Strata Elite Full Review
Bottom Line
It’s a great time to apply for the Citi Strata Elite. And this isn’t just because the card is offering 100,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
You can also double-dip on a trio of statement credits plus another travel benefit and pay the $595 once. This is an easy way to get more out of your card in year one before you decide if it’s worth re-upping for year two.
But don’t wait too long. Applying before the end of December means you can take advantage of the elevated welcome offer and double-dip on these benefits. Come January 1, it’s anyone’s guess if the offer will still be available, and the window to double-dip in year one will be closed until the end of next year.
- 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)
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