This offer is no longer available on our site: Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

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3. Citi Strata Premier℠ Card review: Bonus cash back on food and travel

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25

reviews

2.4

Rating: 2.4 out of 5.

Great for longer hotel stays

Annual Fee: $95

This content is curated by Intuit Credit Karma’s Editorial team using data from members who were approved for this card or similar cards, or who self-matched this card or similar cards. Intuit Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our third-party advertisers don’t review, approve or endorse this content. Information about financial products not offered on Credit Karma is collected independently. Our content is accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted.

Here’s the average credit limit of members who matched their Citi Strata Premier℠ Card or similar cards.

% of members by credit limit range

The average credit limit for members who have matched with this card or similar cards is $14,479, with $5,000 being the most common.

Here’s the average credit score of members who matched their Citi Strata Premier℠ Card or similar cards.

% of members by credit score range

The average credit score for members who have matched with this card or similar cards is 707, with 810 being the most common. Note this is just one of the deciding factors when it comes to getting approved.

Member stats

Updated daily

26.6%

Average credit utilization (or what percent of the card’s credit limit is being used) of members who matched with this card or similar cards.

41 years

Average age of members who matched this card or similar cards.

$103,779

Average annual income of members who matched this card or similar cards. Note: Income may be estimated for some members by Credit Karma and may differ from members’ actual incomes.

Pros and cons

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Bonus rewards categories

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Strong sign-up bonus

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$100 annual hotel benefit

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Annual fee

What you need to know about the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

Strong sign-up bonus

With the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, you can earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® points when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You can redeem the bonus points for travel directly through Citi, or for $700 in gift cards at thankyou.com. Or you can transfer them to a travel partner to potentially get a better value for your points.

If you’re planning to make a big purchase after you first get the card, this sign-up bonus may be worth the hefty spending requirement — especially since the points can help offset the card’s $95 annual fee.

Bonus rewards categories

You can earn 10 points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal. If you’re a foodie, you’ll enjoy earning three points for every $1 spent on groceries and at restaurants. And people who travel often can get three points per $1 on travel expenses, including gas, air travel and hotels. All other purchases will earn one point per $1.

And since there’s no limit on the number of points you can rack up or expiration on the rewards, your earning potential is unlimited.

Annual hotel benefit

If you have the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, you can get $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more before taxes and fees when you book it through the ThankYou® program. Just keep in mind that using the ThankYou® program may limit your ability to shop for the best deals or book through other loyalty programs. Even so, this discount can help offset the card’s annual fee.

No foreign transaction fees

If you plan to use the card while traveling abroad, you won’t have to worry about foreign transaction fees.

Understanding your points and redemption options

Citi’s ThankYou® rewards program offers some convenient ways to redeem your points, like for gift cards and cash. But there are limitations. For instance, if you plan to transfer points to one of the program’s airline and hotel partners, you might not find a partner that matches your travel needs on the list.

According to Credit Karma’s estimated standard point valuations, Citi ThankYou® points are worth 1.24 cents each for typical Citi Strata Premier℠ Card members. But to get the best value for your points, you must transfer your points to a partner program — like JetBlue TrueBlue and KLM’s Flying Blue. You can also transfer your ThankYou® points to certain hotel programs, such as Wyndham Rewards. Points transfer in 1,000-point increments.

If you redeem points for gift cards, you’ll get a value of 1 cent per point. And it’s also worth noting that you likely won’t get a better value than that if you redeem your points for cash back.

Who the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is good for

People who prefer banking with Citi and eat out or travel often may find the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card a good fit. The card’s large sign-up bonus, bonus rewards rates and annual hotel credit may make the card worth it for somebody looking for a fairly basic option.

But if you’re looking for luxury perks, you may want to explore other card options.

Not sure this is the card for you? Consider these alternatives.

If the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card isn’t the best fit for you, check out these other options.

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: People who prefer a card with more travel protections and more lucrative rewards redemption options may want to consider this card.
• Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card: This card may be a good fit for travelers who prefer to earn rewards across all purchases and not be limited by bonus categories.
• Citi Double Cash® Card: If travel isn’t an immediate priority for you and you’d rather have a higher cash back rate on all purchases and payments, this card may be a good fit.