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The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees) is one of the newest premium credit cards to hit the market. It's a welcome addition to Citi's lineup — especially considering the premium Citi Prestige® Card hasn't been open to new applicants in several years.
In exchange for a $595 annual fee, Citi Strata Elite cardholders can expect a suite of statement credits, access to the full 21 Citi transfer partners, Priority Pass lounge access, and more. Here's everything you need to know about this card.
- For a limited time, 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.
Page Contents
Citi Strata Elite Pros
- Easy-to-use annual credits
- Unique benefits
- Excellent transfer partners
Citi Strata Elite Cons
- Convoluted bonus categories
- High annual fee
Citi Strata Elite Welcome Bonus
New applicants for the Citi Strata Elite can earn 80,000 bonus Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
While this isn't the highest welcome offer we've ever seen on a card, it is fairly accessible. As long as you spend around $1,500 on your credit card per month, you'll easily clear the threshold to meet the spending requirement.
If you're wondering what this bonus might be worth, consider that AwardWallet users, on average, redeem Citi ThankYou® Rewards Points for an average of 2.19¢ apiece. That makes the welcome offer worth over $1,700 toward award travel travel — close to triple the annual fee.
Related: How to Track Your Progress Toward a Citi Sign-up Bonus
Citi Strata Elite Benefits
Cardholders of the Citi Strata Elite receive several lucrative benefits to help justify the annual fee. While there are a few statement credits, it feels much less like a coupon book than its competitors, such as the The Platinum Card® from American Express or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees).
Statement credits
Cardholders of the Citi Strata Elite can maximize the following statement credits:
- Up to $300 discount on a hotel stay of two nights or more each year when booked through CitiTravel.com
- Up to $200 in annual statement credits on your choice of up to two of the following brands: 1stDibs, American Airlines (exclusions apply), Best Buy®, Future Personal Training, and Live Nation (exclusions apply)
- Up to $200 Annual Blacklane® Credit (up to $100 on Blacklane purchases January through June and up to $100 July through December)
- Up to $120 Global Entry® or TSA PreCheck® Application Fee Credit
Annual hotel benefit
The $300 annual hotel benefit seems fairly easy to use — it's automatically applied to your reservation. If your total is less than $300, you can use the remaining amount for another reservation. The caveat is that you must book through Citi Travel, but that's doable once a year to save $300.
Annual Splurge Credit
The $200 Annual Splurge Credit℠ is also a refreshing cardholder benefit. Instead of being tied to one merchant and doled out in monthly credits, you get up to $200 to use throughout the year how you see fit.
Note that you must select up to two merchants by going to citi.com/splurgecredit to be eligible to receive the credit. Also note that you cannot receive a Splurge Credit for Live Nation or Ticketmaster purchases for events outside of the U.S., so you can't buy tickets to a concert abroad.
Annual Blacklane credit
Of the Citi Strata Elite statement credits, the $200 Annual Blacklane credit might be the least valuable one. Instead of being available all at once, it's doled out in two $100 semi-annual credits. So, while it's easy enough to use, you'll likely still need to pay money out of pocket.
For example, a roughly 45-minute ride from the Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG) to the Eiffel Tower would cost a whopping 139.63 euros (roughly $163). Even with the $100 credit, you're paying roughly $63 for the ride given current exchange rates. An Uber might be pretty comparable, so you're essentially paying for a nicer car.
If you regularly use Blacklane, this is an exciting feature, but if not, you aren't getting a ton of added value.
Other benefits
- Priority Pass™ Select membership
- 4 Admirals Club® Citi Strata Elite℠ Card Passes each year
- Complimentary access to content and tutorials from Death & Co®, a leading cocktail institution
- Access to The Reserve by Citi Travel®, and benefits like a complimentary breakfast for two, free Wi-Fi, a $100 experience credit, early check-in, late check-out, and room upgrades (subject to availability)
- Travel protections like trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay insurance, lost or damaged luggage coverage, and MasterRental coverage
- Opportunity to transfer points to several travel partners, including American Airlines AAdvantage
A Priority Pass Select membership is standard among cards at this price point. However, Priority Pass lounges aren't typically the nicest you'll find in any given airport. Since Citi doesn't have it's own collection of airport lounges like Chase, Capital One, and American Express, cardholders will want additional cards to pair with the Citi Strata Elite to round out lounge access opportunities.
It does seem that Citi is trying to mitigate this pain point with the addition of four Admirals Club passes each year. This is a great option for families — one adult can bring up to 3 children under 18 with them free of charge when using the Citi Strata Elite passes.
Related: Citi ThankYou Transfer Partners: Ultimate Guide to Best Transfer Partners
Citigold Benefits
If you are a Citigold client, which means you maintain a minimum combined average monthly balance of at least $200,000 across deposit, retirement, and investment accounts, you will receive a $145 Banking Relationship Annual Credit. Citigold Private Clients, or members who maintain a minimum combined average monthly balance of at least $1,000,000 across eligible accounts, receive a $595 first year banking relationship credit, plus the $145 annual credit each year thereafter.
You could potentially receive extra benefits as a Citi Strata Elite cardholder if your retirement and investment accounts are through Citi.
Citi Strata Elite Earning Rates
The earning potential for Citi Strata Elite cardholders is subpar. Frankly, you aren't going to want to use the Citi Strata Elite as your daily driver. That's because you'll earn:
- 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.
The Citi Nights℠ earning rate is interesting if you're a relative night owl or regularly travel abroad — and remember to watch the clock. If you're using your card in France, for example, you'll only receive bonus points from midnight to noon on Saturday and Sunday. In Tokyo, your “Citi Nights” are from 7 AM to 7 PM on Saturday and Sunday.
While 12 points per dollar on hotels and 6 points per dollar on flights might not seem like anything to scoff at, it's only available if you book through Citi Travel. It's disappointing to see another travel card offer bonus points almost exclusively on travel portal bookings.
In short, you'll need to either book travel through the Citi Travel portal or dine during certain hours to get more than 1.5 points per dollar. Ideally, the Citi Strata Elite would feature another bonus point category on general travel purchases.
Related: How To Earn Citi ThankYou Points: Unlock The Rewards in 2025
Redeeming Rewards With the Citi Strata Elite
When you are ready to redeem your rewards, you have several options. You can use your points to book flights, hotels, car rentals, and attractions through Citi Travel. You can also redeem your ThankYou Points for gift cards, cash back, and more through thankyou.com.
You'll get a valuation of just 1 cent per point (or less) when you redeem through Citi Travel or for gift cards and cash back. If you want to maximize your points, this isn't the best option.
The best use of your ThankYou Points is generally by taking advantage of transfer partners. As a Citi Strata Elite cardholder, you'll get access to the most transfer partners and best transfer ratios.
Here's the list of partners you can initiate a transfer to:
Related: Best Ways to Redeem Citi ThankYou Points
Application Restrictions
Citi's application rules and restrictions are fairly vague. The issuer doesn't limit the number of cards you can hold at one time. Instead, Citi is more concerned with the overall amount of credit it is extending to you across all of your Citi cards.
You can only apply to one personal card every eight days (no more than two in a 65-day period). You aren't eligible to earn a welcome bonus on the Citi Strata Elite if you have received a new account bonus on the card in the past 48 months. Since the card hasn't been out long, this isn't much of an issue now, but keep it in mind for the future.
Cards That Compete With Citi Strata Elite
If you don't think the Citi Strata Elite is right for you, there are plenty of other credit cards out there.
- If you want a premium card with a lower lower annual fee, consider the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. With an annual fee of just $395, it offers several benefits, including a $300 annual travel credit on bookings made through Capital One Travel, access to Capital One lounges, anniversary bonus miles, and a higher base earning rate on everyday purchases. For more, check out our full review of the Capital One Venture X.
- If you want better lounge access, consider The Platinum Card® from American Express. Although it has a higher $695 annual fee (Rates & Fees), it comes with the best lounge access around through the Global Lounge Collection. You can visit American Express Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Club locations, Escape Lounges, the Plaza Premium Lounge network, and more. It also has a great earning rate on flights and hotels. For more, check out our full review of the Amex Platinum.
- If you want higher earning rates on purchases, you might be better off with the Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees). Although it's not a premium credit card, it earns 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com; 3X points per $1 spent on air travel and other hotel purchases; and 3X points at gas stations, EV charging stations, restaurants, and supermarkets. It also comes with a $100 annual hotel benefit on stays of $500 or more booked through Citi Travel. With an annual fee of just $95, the Citi Strata Premier is hard to beat. For more, check out our full review of the Citi Strata Premier.
- 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
(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®.
- 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
Related: Comparison of Premium Travel Rewards Credit Cards
Bottom Line
The Citi Strata Elite is a solid premium rewards credit card — if you know how to maximize it. Although it's nice to see a 1.5x earning rate, this card still shouldn't be the one you should reach for every time you make a purchase. There are other cards — even in the Citi lineup — that have a better earning potential. So, at the very least, you'll get the best return on every dollar spent by pairing the Citi Strata Elite with something else.
However, if you can maximize the statement credits, you'll easily outweigh the annual fee. Just make sure you pair it with a card with a better earning potential.
- For a limited time, 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), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees), and Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees)
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