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The Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees) is one of the few travel cards left with an annual fee under $100, and it earns incredibly valuable points through everyday spending and a new cardholder welcome bonus.
Right now, new cardholders can earn a 60,000-point bonus after meeting a minimum spending requirement. This bonus is worth $600 when redeemed through Citi Travel — or even more when maximizing Citi transfer partners.
Before you start planning out how to use your bonus points, you need to understand the eligibility requirements for both the card and the bonus. Here's everything you need to know about the application rules for Citi's ThankYou® Rewards earning cards, and how to determine if you'll earn a welcome bonus.
- Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
- Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
- Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases.
- 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
Page Contents
Understanding the Citi Credit Card Lineup
Cards in the ThankYou® lineup include:
- Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees)
- Citi Custom Cash® Card
- Citi Double Cash® Card (Rates & Fees)
- 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
- Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent
- 1% cash back thereafter, plus, you'll earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
- Eligible spending categories are: Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Select Travel, Select Transit, Select Streaming Services, Drugstores, Home Improvement Stores, Fitness Clubs and Live Entertainment.
- Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal.
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel.
In addition, there are also a few other cards that aren't currently open to new applicants:
- Citi Rewards+® Card (no longer open to new applicants)
- Citi Prestige® Card (no longer open to new applicants)
You might be surprised to see some of the cards on this list. Don't they earn cash back? Well, yes. However, cash back earned on cards like the Citi Double Cash is actually fulfilled as ThankYou® Points that can then be redeemed for cash back, transferred to a limited set of transfer partners — or combined with points from your Citi Strata Premier.
Related: 5X on Top Category, 3X on Travel and Food, 2X on Everything Else: The Citi ThankYou Rewards Trifecta
General Citi Credit Card Application Rules
Like many card issuers, Citi has policies designed to ensure new card applicants are the type of customers the issuer wants to acquire. If you aren't already familiar with why these rules exist, check out our guide to creating a healthy relationship with the banks.
With Citi, there are two important but subtly different restrictions to understand:
- The first set of rules relates to when you can successfully apply for a card (the timing of your application). If you fail to follow these guidelines, Citi may not even process your application. These restrictions apply to all cards issued by Citi.
- The second set of rules relates to whether you can earn the sign-up bonus being marketed to new card members. Although you may be able to apply for a card and get approved, you might not be eligible to earn a new cardmember bonus.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
When can you apply for a Citi credit card?
Citi's timing rules aren't publicized on Citi's website or application pages. But thanks to many applicants who shared information about their experience, the points and miles community has generally been able to agree on the following:
For personal (consumer) credit cards, Citi will accept a maximum of one (1) application in an eight-day period and a maximum of two (2) applications in a 65-day period.
In other words, your application will be rejected if either of the following is true:
- You’ve applied for any Citi card in the past eight days.
- You’ve applied for two Citi cards in the past 65 days.
For business cards, Citi only accepts new applications once every 95 days.
The restrictions described above are often referred to by the shorthand “Citi 8/65 rule.” So, to determine your eligibility, you need to track the dates you applied for Citi-issued credit cards. The date your application was approved or denied doesn't matter. It's based on the application date.
When can you earn a welcome bonus on a Citi credit card?
Much of the confusion about Citi's application rules centered on a previous rule where opening, closing, or earning a bonus on one card could affect your eligibility for a bonus on another card that earns the same type of rewards. This previous restriction applied for 24 months across cards within the same family. That was complicated, to say the least.
Luckily, most cards have moved away from this general “family” rule and changed to a “this particular card” timeline. For most cards, the rule requires 48 months between bonuses.
Related: How to Earn More Citi ThankYou Points
Who's Eligible for the Citi Strata Premier Welcome Bonus?
There is a 48-month rule you need to know about on the Citi Strata Premier, which you can find in the application terms:
Thus, if you've had this card previously and earned a welcome bonus in the past 48 months, you probably aren't eligible for the welcome bonus.
Moreover, Citi is known for only approving applicants who are eligible for the bonus. That's good news: It's unlikely that you'll be approved for a Citi credit card and then not receive the bonus after meeting the spending requirements.
Final Thoughts
When a bank offers a sign-up bonus, it's betting on recouping that cost over the life of its new relationship with the customer. In recent years, we've seen increasingly sophisticated rules to exclude customers that banks don't think will be profitable. These restrictions aren't always easy to understand, but learning the basics is critical to a successful points and miles strategy.
Along with Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards, Citi's ThankYou Points are among the most valuable and versatile points you can earn. The current 60,000-point offer on the Citi Strata Premier is an excellent bonus that should give all points and miles collectors a good reason to review Citi's application rules.
- Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
- Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
- Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases.
- 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
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), and Citi Double Cash® Card (Rates & Fees)
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