Citi Strata Premier®
Everyday earner that travels well. Simple 3X categories you actually use, a clean $100 hotel perk, flexible point transfers (now including American Airlines), and no foreign fees.
Card Details
- Annual fee: $95.
- Earning (highest → lowest): 10X hotels, car rentals & attractions via Citi Travel • 3X air travel & other hotels (outside Citi Travel) • 3X restaurants • 3X supermarkets • 3X gas & EV charging • 1X all other purchases.
- Annual hotel benefit: $100 off one $500+ prepaid hotel (before taxes/fees) booked through Citi Travel, once per calendar year.
- Points: Citi ThankYou® points (now transfer to American Airlines AAdvantage® 1:1 plus many others).
- Foreign transaction fees: None.
- Protections (high level): Trip delay/cancellation/interruption, baggage, and secondary rental collision (Mastercard benefits; terms apply).
- Issuer / Network: Citi • Mastercard World Elite.
- Qualifications & rules:
- Bonus eligibility: Not eligible if you’ve received a bonus for Citi Premier® or Citi Strata Premier® in the past 48 months (including product changes that received a bonus in that window).
- Approval cadence (informal): Citi often follows 1/8/65 (1 personal approval every 8 days; 2 every 65 days). (Unofficial but widely observed.)
- Credit pull: Usually a single bureau; varies by state/profile.
Recommended credit: Good–excellent.
About The Card
Strata Premier is Citi’s “do-everything” travel card for real life: strong 3X on dining, groceries, gas/EV, and travel you buy direct—plus a big 10X when you book select categories through Citi Travel. The $100 hotel perk is simple, usable, and can offset most of the $95 fee in one shot.
Points are ThankYou—easy to redeem for trips or to transfer to partners for outsized value. With AAdvantage now a 1:1 partner, Strata Premier becomes far more flexible for domestic and international awards. No foreign fees and World Elite Mastercard protections round it out as a clean daily driver that still punches on trips.
Pros
- Rich everyday earn where most people spend: dining, supermarkets, gas/EV, travel.
- Simple $100 hotel value each calendar year via Citi Travel.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Transfer partners for big-trip redemptions—now including American Airlines 1:1.
$95 fee with benefits that are easy to use.
Cons
- Top 10X earn requires booking through Citi Travel.
- Hotel perk is a portal-only prepaid booking of $500+ (before taxes/fees).
- Citi’s 48-month language can limit repeat bonuses; the informal 1/8/65 cadence can slow applications.
Is this card for me?
Pick Strata Premier if you spend meaningfully on restaurants, groceries, gas/EV, and travel, want no FTF, and like the option to transfer points—especially now that you can go 1:1 to American Airlines—without paying a premium-card fee. If you won’t use the $100 hotel perk or rarely book travel, a no-fee card may be simpler; if you want lounges or large travel credits, step up to a premium card.
Citi ThankYou® Transfer Partners (Premier-level)
Ratios and speeds are typical; transfers are one-way and final. Always verify in your ThankYou account before moving points.
Program | Type | Transfer Ratio | Typical Speed |
American Airlines AAdvantage® | Airline | 1:1 | Usually instant |
Aeroméxico Club Premier | Airline | 1:1 | ~3–6 days |
Air France–KLM Flying Blue | Airline | 1:1 | Usually instant |
Avianca LifeMiles | Airline | 1:1 | Usually instant |
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | Airline | 1:1 | 24–48 hrs |
Emirates Skywards | Airline | 5:4 | 1–2 days |
Etihad Guest | Airline | 1:1 | ~24 hrs |
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | Airline | 1:1 | ~1 day |
JetBlue TrueBlue | Airline | 1:1 | Usually instant |
Qantas Frequent Flyer | Airline | 1:1 | 1–2 days |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club (Avios) | Airline | 1:1 | 24–48 hrs |
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Airline | 1:1 | 24–48 hrs |
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus | Airline | 1:1 | 3–5 days |
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | Airline | 1:1 | 24–48 hrs |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | Airline | 1:1 | Usually instant |
Choice Privileges | Hotel | 1:2 | Usually instant |
Wyndham Rewards | Hotel | 1:1 | Usually instant |
The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW)† | Hotel | 1:0.25 | Varies |
