Who should get the Citi Strata Premier Card?

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The Citi Strata Premier® Card is a strong travel credit card option, especially if you’re looking to earn points on non-travel purchases.

For a $95 annual fee, you’ll earn rewards on hotels and airfare, as well as dining out, filling up your gas tank and shopping at the supermarket. Not only that, but the Strata Premier offers a $100 annual hotel savings credit and access to World Elite Mastercard benefits.

Who should get the Citi Strata Premier Card?

Are you interested in earning rewards on everyday purchases alongside travel? Do you already own another ThankYou points-earning Citi card? Here are a few cases where applying for the Strata Premier makes sense.

Travelers who want rewards in everyday categories

The Citi Strata Premier card is a nice mix of travel and everyday rewards for frequent flyers and hotel hoppers. In particular, you will:

• 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

And considering Citi ThankYou points can be more valuable when used toward transfer partner travel, those with an interest in maximizing rewards are best suited.

Bankrate currently values Citi ThankYou points earned with the Strata Premier card at 1.6 cents each when redeemed for high-value transfer partner travel.

Those who already own a basic Citi credit card

If you already own a no-annual-fee Citi credit card that earns ThankYou points, pairing it with the Citi Strata Premier can be an excellent way to further boost your rewards.

No-annual-fee Citi cards technically earn basic ThankYou points — which means the points aren’t worth as much for transfer partner travel. If you pool your points into your Citi Strata Premier account, though, you’re looking at even better rewards potential.

Travelers who frequently fly domestically

Citi’s list of transfer partners are mostly international carriers, but there’s a jewel in its crown — it’s the only bank program with direct transfers to American Airlines AAdvantage. JetBlue and Virgin Atlantic also offer access to domestic flights, either directly or through partnerships. If you already fly with American, this is an easy way to earn even more miles for flights on American and all of its Oneworld partners.

Who should avoid the Citi Strata Premier Card?

Here are a couple of instances where you might want to opt for a different travel credit card.

Travelers who want more travel protections (and luxury perks)

Citi has some modest travel protections, like lost baggage protection and accident insurance, but travelers who want more comprehensive programs may want to look at other cards. The Strata Premier offers access to World Elite Mastercard benefits, including zero liability protection and World Elite Concierge — though that doesn’t always make up for everything.

In terms of premium travel perks and statement credit opportunities, there’s really only one notable benefit: an annual $100 discount on a single hotel stay of at least $500 (excluding taxes and fees) when you use your card and book through ThankYou.com or 800-THANKYOU. While this isn’t uncommon for a mid-tier travel card, you’ll need to look at premium travel cards for benefits like lounge access and TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credits.

Those who don’t want to pay an annual fee

In general, the more a card costs to have, the more you get back in benefits — if you’ll use them. If you’re taking a breather for travel or just want to explore the world of travel rewards before you jump in, you might consider a card without an annual fee. There are even a few that offer transfers to travel partners and earn perfectly respectable rewards.

Alternative cards to consider

It doesn’t hurt to look into other top travel credit cards on the market. While the Citi Strata Premier is a truly good all-around travel option, it does lack some common benefits offered by comparable cards.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, for example, is an alternative to consider as it features a similar welcome bonus and rewards for the same $95 annual fee — but there are different travel-related benefits to note.

You can enjoy trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement, 24/7 travel and emergency assistance services and more. Plus, if you’re most interested in transfer partner travel, Chase offers more domestic partners — and points can be worth up to 2.0 cents apiece, according to Bankrate valuations.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is another solid travel card option, offering a flat 2X miles on all purchases, plus 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. It comes with a $95 annual fee, and offers benefits like an auto rental collision damage waiver and up to a $120 credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. Note, though, Capital One offers fewer domestic transfer partners as Citi — though, according to Bankrate, points can be worth 1.7 cents each.

The bottom line

Overall, the Citi Strata Premier is a respectable and versatile travel credit card. It has strong, uncapped bonus categories that most people can use often. Check out the full guide to Citi Strata Premier card benefits to see if you like everything it offers.