Personal Card

Citi Strata Premier Credit Card

Written by: Lenny Pappano

The Citi Strata Premier card is the top-tier travel rewards card in Citi’s ThankYou Points ecosystem. If you want a strong sign-up bonus, valuable transfer partners, and solid earning categories, this is the card to get if you’re serious about travel redemptions through Citi.

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Citi Strata Premier Credit Card Review

Key Takeaways

This is the most valuable card Citi offers for earning and redeeming ThankYou points. The 60,000-point sign-up bonus — earned after $4,000 in spending within 3 months — is significantly higher than what you’ll find on Citi’s no-fee cards. With a $95 annual fee that can be offset by a $100 hotel credit through the Citi Travel portal, the value is clear. If you’re looking to access Citi’s airline and hotel transfer partners, this is the card that unlocks that functionality.

Why This Card Could Be Right For You

The Citi Strata Premier gives you meaningful earning opportunities and full access to Citi’s ThankYou transfer partners — all for a relatively low annual fee.

Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
3x points on everyday categories like restaurants, groceries, gas stations, EV charging, air travel, and hotels (outside the Citi portal)
10x points on hotels and car rentals booked through Citi Travel
$100 annual hotel credit on a single stay of $500+ when booked through Citi Travel
Full access to Citi’s airline and hotel transfer partners (including all three major airline alliances)

If you’re redeeming ThankYou points for travel, especially through transfer partners, this is the card you want in your wallet.

When The Usual Advice Doesn't Apply

This card may not be the right fit if:

You don’t book travel through portals, making the $100 hotel credit less useful
You prefer simple cashback or statement credit over managing transfer partners
You already have travel cards in other ecosystems (like Chase or Amex) and don’t want to juggle another set of points

What to Know About Citi ThankYou Points

Citi points have limited utility; we don’t generally collect them without a clear use in mind

Choice Hotels and niche airline partners are the best transfer values.
If you need to take a break from Chase, already have the top Cap One cards, and Amex isn’t offering elevated SUBs, only then should you consider a Citi card.
Only the Strata Premier card is worth the trouble as it’s the only Citi card with transferable miles and a 60-80k point SUB
Points are flexible with a breadth of airline partners, some exclusive to Citi (like Avianca, Cathay Pacific, Turkish, and Singapore, amongst others)

How The Citi Strata Premier Credit Card Fits In The Citi ThankYou Points Ecosystem

Citi offers two lower-tier cards without annual fees. Both feature much smaller sign-up bonuses — $200 cash back for both the Citi Double Cash and Citi Custom Cash cards. Each card has its own spending multipliers: 2x points on all purchases with no limits for the Double Cash, and 5x points on your top eligible spending category each billing cycle for the Custom Cash.

Despite these lower-tier cards' welcome offers, the primary advantage of choosing the Strata Premier is the ability to transfer your Citi ThankYou points to any of their hotel and airline partners. For those familiar with the points and miles hobby, this capability is crucial for unlocking the most valuable rewards and redemptions.

Card Information

Bonus Points	Minimum Spend	Point Value	Annual Value	Annual Fee	1st Year Value
60,000	$4,000	1.4 ¢	$22	$95	$823

Best Value	Differentiating Perks	Rules
ThankYou points	3x Points on travel, 2x Points on dining, Transfer toward statement credit, airfare, hotels	TY 1/24 , No 5/24 , Citi 2/65 , Citi 1/8 , Citi 6/6

Award System

Bank

Reconsideration Phone 800.870.1073

Most Recent Special Offer

75,000 Bonus Points for
$4,000 spend ended Jun 2024