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You might’ve missed it, but on the same day Citi launched its brand new premium travel rewards card, it also relaunched the Citi Rewards+® Card as the Citi Strata℠ Card (Rates & Fees) with boosted earning rates and a big welcome bonus worth 30,000 points.
To put it simply, the Citi Strata Card is worth your attention if you care about earning ThankYou® Points — not just for the welcome bonus, but also because of the long-term value it offers. Here’s why.
- Earn 30,000 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 19.24% - 29.24%, 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
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Earn 30,000 Points With the Citi Strata Card
The Citi Strata Card is a no-annual-fee product, and that's part of what makes its welcome bonus so impressive. Eligible new applicants can take advantage of the following offer: Earn 30,000 bonus Points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
Another part of the Citi Strata Card‘s welcome bonus is an opportunity to save on interest with a low introductory annual percentage rate (APR). A 0% intro APR applies on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months; after that, the Variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.24%, 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 a 5% fee ($5 minimum) applies.
What are Citi ThankYou Points worth?
Based on recent AwardWallet user redemptions, Citi ThankYou® Points are worth 2.18¢ each. That makes the 30,000-point welcome bonus on the Citi Strata Card worth over $650. But there’s a big catch.
Unless you have a Citi ThankYou Points-earning card that carries an annual fee — such as the Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees), or the Citi Prestige® Card (no longer open to new applicants) — your redemptions are limited in two key ways:
- You can't transfer to partners at 1:1 ratios. Instead, most transfers only get you 700 partner points or miles for every 1,000 Citi Points you convert (though there are exceptions).
- You cannot transfer points to American Airlines AAdvantage.
The outsized value of Citi ThankYou Points comes from its transfer partners. So, it makes a lot of sense to pair the Citi Strata Card with another card that unlocks full 1:1 conversions and American Airlines as a transfer option. That’s how you’ll tap into the full $650+ potential of the 30,000-Point welcome bonus.
Related: Citi ThankYou® Transfer Partners: Ultimate Guide to Best Transfer Partners
Why Get the Citi Strata Card?
The Citi Strata Card carries no annual fee, so it understandably has a shorter list of benefits. Instead, its best feature is its lucrative earning potential. In fact, the combination of strong earning rates and a generous welcome bonus are the two main reasons to consider this card, whether you plan to use it on its own or alongside another Citi card.
Here’s a breakdown of the earning structure, including the new “Self-Select” category that you get to pick:
- 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
Cardholders also get access to 24-hour fraud protection, Mastercard® ID Theft Protection, and tap to pay with the card’s contactless chip.
How is the Citi Strata Card different from the Citi Rewards+?
The Citi Rewards+ has officially been rebranded as the Citi Strata Card. And while the name and card art changed, a couple of benefits did too.
To help offset the card’s new boosted earning rates, Citi removed two signature features of the Citi Rewards+, which are no longer available on the Citi Strata Card:
- The automatic round-up to the nearest 10 points on purchases
- 10% points rebate on the first 100,000 ThankYou Points redeemed each calendar year
While it’s a bit disappointing to see those perks go away, it’s worth calling out in case you’re planning to apply for the Citi Strata Card thinking those features are still part of the card.
Citi Strata Card Application Rules and Restrictions
If you're thinking about applying for the Citi Strata Card, there are two sets of rules you need to be aware of: those specific to this card’s welcome bonus, and others tied to Citi’s broader application policies.
The welcome bonus eligibility rules are fairly restrictive, largely because this card is a relaunch of the Citi Rewards+® Card. Here's the language from the application page worth noting:
Bonus ThankYou® Points are not available if you received a new account bonus for Citi Strata℠, Citi Strata Student, Citi Rewards+® or Citi Rewards+ Student 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℠, Citi Strata Student, Citi Rewards+® or Citi Rewards+ Student account.
In addition to the above, Citi also has general 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.
Bottom Line
No-annual-fee credit cards don’t always get the same attention as premium rewards cards, but if you care about earning Citi ThankYou Points, the Citi Strata Card is one you shouldn’t overlook. Its strong earning rates make it a rewarding option on its own, and even more valuable when paired with another Citi card.
Plus, now is also a great time to apply. The current welcome offer gives you 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. With the right strategy, that bonus can go a long way.
- Earn 30,000 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 19.24% - 29.24%, 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
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata℠ Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), and Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
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