Citi Strata vs. Citi Strata Premier Card

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If you’re looking for an everyday rewards card to add to your wallet, the Citi Strata℠ Card and the Citi Strata Premier® Card might both be on your radar. Both cards are excellent options that offer rewards in popular categories and flexible redemptions. Still, they target rather different types of cardholders.

In this guide, we’ll compare the cards’ terms, benefits, redemption options and more. Learn what each card offers to determine whether you should apply for the Citi Strata or the Citi Strata Premier.

Main details

Citi Strata vs. Citi Strata Premier highlights

To choose between two cards, it’s a good idea to compare each of their aspects side by side. Let’s start with rewards and some common fees.

Welcome bonus winner

Citi Strata Premier

• Why it wins

  The Citi Strata Premier Card is a winner in this round as it offers a significantly more valuable intro bonus. You can earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening. That’s $600 in value with redemption options like gift cards and travel booked through Citi.

  To compare, the Citi Strata offers 30,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening. However, Citi Strata points transfer to most of Citi’s airline and hotel partners at a significantly lower transfer ratio than the Citi Strata Premier — often less than 1:1 — making transfers a poorer value compared to the Premier. Because of this, we value the Citi Strata’s bonus at $300.

  That said, you should also consider whether you can meet each card’s spending requirement. To earn the welcome bonus on the Citi Strata Premier Card, you need to spend $1,334 each month for three months. The intro bonus on the Citi Strata is much easier to earn — you’ll only need to spend $334 monthly for three months.

Rewards rate winner

Citi Strata Premier

• Why it wins

  Both the Citi Strata and Citi Strata Premier offer rewards in a wide range of everyday categories, and there’s significant overlap between the two. But, we give a slight edge to the Citi Premier for the overall higher rewards rates.

  The Citi Strata offers the following rewards rates:

  • 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 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 2 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent at Restaurants.
  • Earn 1 ThankYou® Point for each $1 spent on All Other Purchases.

  The Citi Strata Premier offers the following rewards rates:

  • 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

  Which card is better for you depends on your lifestyle. The Citi Strata will be more rewarding for non-travelers looking to earn rewards on everyday expenses, while the Citi Strata Premier is best for those who spend a lot on travel and dining.

Annual fee winner

Citi Strata

• Why it wins

  The best annual fee is no annual fee, and the Citi Strata takes the prize here. The Citi Strata Premier Card charges $95 per year.

  Still, it’s wise to look beyond annual fees. A good credit card will give you ample opportunity to offset them. For example, once per calendar year, Citi Strata Premier gives you $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booking through CitiTravel.com. That annual credit alone is enough to offset the $95 annual fee.

Foreign transaction fee winner

Citi Strata Premier

• Why it wins

  Like most travel credit cards, the Citi Strata Premier Card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees on purchases made in foreign currency, whether you’re traveling abroad or shopping online with a non-U.S. based merchant. The Citi Strata, on the other hand, charges a 3 percent fee on all foreign transactions. If you need a card you can take on international trips, Citi Strata Premier is the better option.

Which card earns the most?

Though each card has the chance to shine in different bonus categories, the Citi Strata Premier will likely be more rewarding given its overall higher rewards rates.

Citi Strata Premier vs. Citi Strata spending example

As an example, let’s say your family’s yearly spending breaks down like this:

• $6,000 at supermarkets ($500/month)

• $2,400 at restaurants ($200/month)

• $3,000 on air travel

• $2,400 on hotels, attractions or rental cars booked through Citi Travel

• $1,800 at gas stations ($150/month)

• $360 on eligible streaming services, which you choose as the Citi Strata’s self-select category ($30/month)

• $360 on eligible transit ($30/month)

• $1,200 on miscellaneous purchases ($100/month)

Here’s a chart to help you visualize this spending scenario and the rewards:

As you can see, the Citi Strata Premier earns significantly more in this scenario, mainly bolstered by the higher rewards rates on airfare, dining and Citi Travel purchases. But if your family spends less on those purchases compared to the example, and more on streaming (or any of the eligible self-select categories) and transit, then it’s possible for the Citi Strata to win out.

Also consider that the Citi Strata Premier’s rewards are potentially worth more than the Citi Strata’s when redeemed for travel, thanks to the better transfer ratios. However, the Citi Strata Premier also comes with a $95 annual fee.

Why should you get the Citi Strata Premier?

If you’re a frequent traveler and want to earn travel rewards through your everyday spending, the Citi Strata Premier can be a good choice.

• Additional benefits

  One of the most prominent Citi Strata Premier benefits is its $100 annual hotel benefit. You can use this discount once per calendar year on a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when you book through Citi Travel and pay with your Strata Premier card, ThankYou points, or a combination of both. You’ll also get exclusive benefits like a $100 experience credit and complimentary daily breakfast for two when you book hotels in The Reserve collection through Citi Travel.

  Additionally, the Citi Strata Premier offers a few travel insurance benefits. These include trip cancellation/interruption coverage, trip delay and lost or damaged luggage insurance, and car rental insurance. The card provides a couple of shopping protection perks, including extended warranty and purchase assurance.

• Redemption options

  As is the case with many travel cards, you’re likely to get the best redemption value if you transfer ThankYou points to one of Citi’s travel partners. You can also redeem your points for cash back (in the form of a direct deposit, check or statement credit), gift cards, shop with points at participating retailers (including Amazon), Citi Travel bookings and more. Point redemption values may vary between different options.

  You can also transfer your points to another ThankYou member through Citi’s points sharing feature.

  ThankYou points that you earn yourself don’t expire, while ThankYou points received through points sharing expire 90 days after they were shared.

• Recommended credit score

  Most travel credit cards require good to excellent credit, and Citi Strata Premier is no exception. That means to qualify for the card, you want a credit score of at least 670.

Why should you get the Citi Strata?

If you don’t travel often or prefer a card without an annual fee, the Citi Strata might be a better option.

• Additional benefits

  The Citi Strata card offers a 0 percent intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers (then 18.74% – 28.74% (Variable) APR), a perk that the Strata Premier doesn’t have. Balance transfers must be completed within four months of account opening to qualify for the intro APR, and you’ll pay an intro balance transfer fee of 3 percent ($5 minimum) for transfers completed within that timeframe. After four months, the balance transfer fee jumps to 5 percent ($5 minimum).

  Cardholders also get special access to purchase event tickets through Citi Entertainment and ID Theft Protection offered by Mastercard.

• Redemption options

  The Citi Strata gives you similar redemption options as the Citi Strata Premier, including cash back, gift cards, shop with points, Citi Travel bookings and more.

  Notably, the Citi Strata does offer access to Citi’s full list of transfer partners — a rare perk for a no-annual-fee card — but the transfer rates aren’t great compared to the Citi Strata Premier. For example, 1,000 ThankYou points are equal to 1,000 AAdvantage miles when you transfer them from the Citi Strata Premier, but only 700 miles with the Citi Strata.

• Recommended credit score

  Like with the Citi Strata Premier, you’ll need a good to excellent credit score (at least 670) to qualify for the Citi Strata.

The bottom line

As far as travel cards go, the Citi Strata Premier has more to offer than the Citi Strata. With the Citi Strata Premier, you’ll get better rewards rates and redemption options, more benefits and no foreign transaction fees. If you’re not ready to commit to a card with an annual fee, the Citi Strata may be a solid alternative that offers excellent rewards rates on everyday spending and a useful introductory APR offer.