Citi Strata Premier℠ Review

Overview

The Citi Strata Premier℠ is a flexible travel rewards card from Citi, running on the Mastercard network. The Citi Strata Premier℠ earns up to 3x on dining, groceries, and gas, so it pays you the most exactly where you already spend. It carries a $95 annual fee, so the real question is whether its rewards, credits, and perks clear that bar for the way you spend. New cardholders can earn 60,000 ThankYou® Points after $4,000 in 3 months.

It lands in the mid tier: a modest annual fee in exchange for stronger earn rates and a meaningful welcome offer. The right call depends on whether your spending and the perks clear that fee each year.

Our 4.5 out of 5 rating

Each score weighs the rewards rate, value after the annual fee, welcome offer, points flexibility, and perks, with every point valued at a flat 1 cent. This is our editorial assessment to help you compare cards, not a guarantee of approval or of the value you will get.

Rewards: how it earns

Where the Citi Strata Premier℠ earns its rewards is its bonus categories: 3x on dining (about $90 a year on the $3,000 a typical household spends there), 3x on groceries (about $180 a year on the $6,000 a typical household spends there), and 3x on gas (about $65 a year on the $2,160 a typical household spends there). Across a full year of average household spending, the card returns roughly $551 in rewards before any welcome bonus, so the more your spending overlaps those categories, the better it does.

Brand and bonus rates: beyond the everyday categories above, this card also earns:

• 10x on hotels and car rentals via Citi Travel portal

Every point and mile above is valued at a flat 1 cent, the same honest standard we use for every card. Run your own spending through the calculator to see what this card would actually return for you.

Pros and cons

The welcome bonus

The current welcome offer is 60,000 ThankYou® Points, earned after you spend $4,000 in 3 months. Valued honestly at a flat 1 cent per point, that is worth about $600. The spending requirement works out to roughly $1,333 per month, so make sure it fits your normal budget rather than pushing you to overspend. Stacking the welcome offer on top of a typical year of rewards and accounting for the $95 annual fee, the first year is worth roughly $1,056.

Is the annual fee worth it?

To come out ahead on the Citi Strata Premier℠ you need to clear its $95 annual fee, and it leans on rewards rather than credits to get there. On typical spending it earns about $551 a year. For anyone who spends in its categories, the fee is easy to justify.

Benefits and protections

Beyond the rewards, the perks and protections worth knowing about include:

• $100 annual hotel savings benefit (off a single hotel stay of $500+ via Citi Travel)
• Points transfer to 18+ airline and hotel partners (JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, Turkish Miles & Smiles & more)
• No foreign transaction fees
• Trip cancellation/interruption and trip delay insurance
• Lost and damaged luggage protection
• Purchase protection and extended warranty
• World Elite Mastercard benefits and Citi Entertainment® access

Statement credits

This card does not come with recurring statement credits. Its value is in the rewards rate and welcome offer.

Ecosystem and transfer partners

The Citi Strata Premier℠ earns ThankYou Points, one of the more valuable currencies in rewards because of where the points can go. You can move points 1 to 1 to 8 airline and hotel partners: American Airlines AAdvantage, Turkish Miles & Smiles, JetBlue TrueBlue, Virgin Atlantic, Avianca LifeMiles, Air France/KLM, Wyndham Rewards, and Choice Privileges. As a hub card, this is the one you route points through before transferring out. The sweet spots are usually premium-cabin flights and high-end hotel nights, where a single point can be worth well more than the 1 cent we value it at here.

Who should get it, and who should skip it

It is best for people who spend heavily on dining and groceries and will earn back the $95 fee through those bonus categories and the card's perks.

Skip it if your spending does not line up with its bonus categories, or if you would rather not think about where you swipe at all.

How it compares

If the Citi Strata Premier℠ is not quite the right fit, these related cards are worth weighing against it:

Frequently asked questions