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The Citi Strata Premier® Card offers a great mix of value and perks; it's one of my favorite “keeper cards” in my wallet. With a reasonable annual fee and solid earning rates, it easily justifies its cost. Whether you're earning rewards on daily spending or taking advantage of travel benefits, this card delivers.
However, if this isn't a card you've applied for yet, there are new terms and conditions attached to its welcome bonus. Here's what you need to know.
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Previous Citi Strata Premier Welcome Offer Restrictions
Prior to the recent restrictions implemented, the rules for earning this welcome bonus were fairly straightforward:
Bonus ThankYou® Points are not available if you have received a new account bonus for a Citi Premier℠ Card or Citi Strata Premier® Card account in the past 48 months.
Essentially, you just couldn't earn another welcome bonus if you've gotten one from applying for the same card within the past four years (48 months).
New Restrictions on the Citi Strata Premier Welcome Offer
Before making any plans on how you're going to use those 60,000 ThankYou® points, you'll now need to account for other Citi cards you've earned welcome bonuses on, and whether or not those have been product changed.
Per Citi's terms and conditions, here is the new rule:
Bonus ThankYou® Points are not available if you received a new account bonus for a Citi Premier℠ Card or Citi Strata Premier® Card 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 Premier or Citi Strata Premier account.
- 3X points per $1 on airfare and hotels and at gas stations, restaurants, and supermarkets
- Annual Hotel Benefit: Save $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when you book through CitiTravel.com
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X points per $1 spent on airfare, and other hotel purchases
- 3X points per $1 spent at gas and EV charging stations
- 3X points per $1 spent on dining at restaurants, including cafes, bars and lounges
- 3X points per $1 spent at supermarkets
- 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
How These New Restrictions May Impact You
Luckily, this mainly depends on what other cards you've opened or product changed with Citi. Most users may not need to worry about this change at all if they've never product-changed any Citi cards or have only held onto the Citi Strata Premier (or its predecessor) for a few years.
However, if you've product changed a different Citi card to the Citi Strata Premier recently, you'll need to consider this new restriction.
Here's an example of how this works:
- Let's say you opened a Citi Custom Cash® Card card on May 1, 2023. You earned the welcome bonus within the first month of opening the account.
- Last year, you decided to upgrade that card to a Citi Strata Premier. You called to product change the card on October 1, 2024.
- Now, you've decided that you want to earn the welcome bonus on the Citi Strata Premier card. Because of this product change, you are now not eligible for a Citi Strata Premier welcome bonus until June 1, 2027
- This would be 48 months since you earned the Citi Custom Cash welcome bonus. This also applies even if you've closed the account.
Related: Citi Product Change Rules: How and Why To Switch Credit Cards
Bottom Line
Every credit card issuer has its own set of rules, which can be tough to keep track of. With recent changes, Citi now states that you won’t be eligible for the Citi Strata Premier welcome bonus if, in the last 48 months, you’ve either earned a bonus on this card or product changed from another card that was later upgraded to the Citi Strata Premier.
This is an important detail to consider when planning your credit card application strategy and should be kept in mind as you decide whether to apply for this card.
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