The New Citi Strata Credit Cards in Review

Three Tiers of Travel Perks, One Giant Leap for Your Wallet

So, Citi quietly decided to show up at the travel rewards party fashionably late but not empty-handed. Enter the new Citi Strata card family: the entry-level Citi Strata℠ Card, the mid-range Citi Strata Premier®, and the high-roller Citi Strata Elite℠. Whether you're points-rich, miles-hungry, or just tired of overpaying for guac, one of these cards might be calling your name.

The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card marks Citi’s return to the premium travel space—and it’s making a bold entrance. This card piles on rewards for those who live to eat (especially on Friday & Saturday) and don’t mind booking all their travel through Citi’s own portal. With a chunky $595 annual fee, Citi tries to ease the pain with lifestyle and travel credits, including Priority Pass membership and Admirals Club passes.

Still, it’s missing a few luxury card essentials—namely, no access to issuer-branded lounges and fewer high-touch travel perks compared to the competition. For those who remember the cult-favorite Citi Prestige® Card (RIP), the Strata Elite is clearly a different animal. Gone are the fourth-night-free hotel perks, and in their place are more practical but less glamorous credits.

While you can squeeze enough value out of the card to cover the annual fee, it’s hard not to compare it to heavyweights like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Platinum Card® from American Express. Both offer a much more generous lineup of benefits that easily outpace their own sky-high fees.

To be fair, the Strata Elite does a good job with what it offers: high earning on Citi Travel bookings, strong dining rewards, and solid statement credits with no confusing hoops to jump through. If your credit score is 670 or higher, your odds of approval are decent.

Ultimately, it feels like Citi built this card for a specific crowd: people who want travel perks, but don’t want to overthink how to use them. That’s great for simplicity, but it may feel too limited for points chasers looking to squeeze out every last ounce of value.

Let's Talk Fees (Spoiler: Not All Wallets Are Created Equal)

• Strata Elite wants a chunk of your paycheck upfront: $595 annual fee.
• Strata Premier goes easier on you: $95 annual fee.
• Strata (basic)? Totally free to hold. Zero annual fee, zero drama.

Welcome Offers: Free Points, But With Fine Print

• Elite: Earn 80,000 points after spending $4,000 in 3 months. Or walk into a Citi branch and potentially snag 100,000 points.
• Premier: Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in 3 months.
• Basic: Earn 30,000 points after spending $1,000 in 3 months.

Heads up: If you played the Citi bonus game in the last 48 months, you might not qualify.

Earning Points: Strata-fied for Your Lifestyle

Citi Strata Elite loves luxury spenders:

• 12x on hotels, car rentals, attractions at cititravel.com
• 6x on airfare through cititravel.com
• 6x at restaurants on Friday/Saturday nights (6pm till 6am)
• 3x at restaurants all other times
• 1.5x on everything else

Citi Strata Premier is your everyday hustle card:

• 10x on cititravel.com hotels, rentals, attractions
• 3x on airfare, restaurants, groceries, gas, EV stations
• 1x on all else

Citi Strata (Basic) is surprisingly generous:

• 5x on hotels/rentals/attractions via cititravel.com
• 3x at grocery stores, gas, transit
• 3x on one self-select category (you pick quarterly)
• 2x at restaurants
• 1x on everything else

Perks: The Fancy Stuff

Strata Elite brings the bling:

• $300 annual hotel credit (2-night min, book via Citi Travel)
• $200 "Splurge" credit (think Best Buy, Live Nation, or American Airlines)
• $200 Blacklane credit
• Global Entry/TSA PreCheck: $120 credit every 4 years
• Priority Pass Select + 4 Admirals Club passes
• Citigold perks: up to $595 in credits
• Access to The Reserve by Citi Travel—free breakfast and property credits at luxury hotels

Strata Premier perks are leaner but still useful:

• $100 hotel credit on $500+ bookings through Citi Travel
• Access to The Reserve by Citi Travel

Strata (Basic) is more about solid earning than flash. Perks? Limited. But hey, it's free.

Travel Protections: When Stuff Hits the Fan

• Elite: Full travel insurance suite: trip delay, cancellation, lost luggage, car rental, extended warranty, and more.
• Premier: Good coverage for travel hiccups: delays, cancellations, rentals.
• Basic: Mostly ID Theft Protection. You're kinda on your own abroad.

Foreign Transaction Fees

• Elite & Premier: None. You can swipe with confidence abroad.
• Basic: 3% fee. That gelato just got more expensive.

Points Redemption and Transfer Partners

All three earn ThankYou Points, but only Elite lets you transfer to American Airlines AAdvantage at a 1:1 ratio. That’s a unicorn in the credit card world.

Other partners include JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, Cathay Pacific, Eva Air, Choice Hotels, and more. The Basic card has the slimmest transfer lineup.

Final Word: Which Citi Strata Card is Right for You?

• Go Elite if you're living that airport lounge life and can milk those travel credits.
• Grab Premier if you want solid earnings without committing to a luxury lifestyle.
• Stick with Basic if you're just getting started and like the sound of "no annual fee."

Each card has its moment in the spotlight. The trick is knowing which stage you're ready to step on.

In the end, it's not quite the big hitter we were hoping for. And with the Elite card priced at $595 annually, the American Express Platinum—at a slightly higher fee—still delivers more value and luxury for frequent travelers.

Visual Cheat Sheet:

Still unsure? Ask yourself: Do you want the bells, the basics, or something in between?

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All information is accurate as of the date of publication but may change over time.

Always check for the latest details before making travel plans.