Citi Launches New Strata Premier Card With One Big Upside That’s Been Missing (2024)

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Jerod MoralesDeputy Editor

Jerod Morales is a deputy editor at Forbes Advisor and a travel rewards expert. He took a deep dive into points and miles in 2016, searching for a way to make travel both possible and affordable for his growing family. Now, as a dad to four sons, he and his wife enjoy introducing their kids to cultures and cities across the globe as often as they can.

Jerod Morales

Jerod MoralesDeputy Editor

Deputy Editor

Toni Perkins-SouthamLead Editor

Toni is a points and miles enthusiast who has been leveraging loyalty programs to travel around the world (for nearly free) with her husband and their four young children. She’s passionate about sharing travel tips so that others can not only feel inspired but also confident in planning their own travel.

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

Apply Now

Welcome Bonus

70,000 bonus points

Annual Fee

$95

Regular APR

21.24% - 29.24% (Variable)

Credit Score

Excellent, Good

Card Details

Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com
Earn 10 points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
Earn 3 points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
$100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases

Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

What the Citi Strata Premier Offers

The Strata Premier matches the earnings of the former Premier by offering 10 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com, 3 points per dollar on restaurants, supermarkets, gas & EV stations, air travel and hotels and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. A noteworthy addition is the 10 points per dollar on select travel at CitiTravel.com and EV charging stations at 3 points per dollar. These bonus categories make the Strata Premier a strong contender for everyday spending and for anyone who doesn’t want the hassle of figuring out what card to use to maximize earnings.

It includes an attractive welcome bonus: Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening.

There is an annual $100 hotel benefit, but cardholders will have to spend at least $500 (not including taxes and fees) in a single stay booked through CitiTravel.com to trigger the credit.

Citi Strata Premier Adds Travel Protections

Noticeably missing from most Citi credit cards, travel insurance protections have been added to the Strata Premier.

We don’t know all the details surrounding these travel protections—like what constitutes a delay, or how much you can expect to get for lost luggage—but here’s what Citi is promising for travelers:

Trip cancellation and trip interruption (common carrier)
Trip delay coverage
Lost or damaged luggage protection
MasterRental coverage for car rentals

How Does the Citi Strata Premier Compare to Similar Cards?

Citi has a respectable list of over 15 transfer partners including:

Avianca LifeMiles
Wyndham Rewards

Note that Citi’s only domestic airline partner is JetBlue. While it’s a solid airline, it’s not known for its robust route network, chiefly serving coastal cities in the U.S.

Popular cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card with a similar $95 annual fee include some of the same travel partners, but also offer point transfers to domestic partners like Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. If you don’t do much international travel, you may prefer more domestic partners like these offered from Chase.

The Sapphire Preferred offers rewards at a rate of 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. However, the Strata wins the earnings race by adding gas and other travel as categories earning 3 or more points per dollar.

If the travel protections shake out to be similar to Chase coverage, the Strata Premier could be a worthy replacement if you value the earning structure and transfer partners over what Chase offers.

Bottom Line

While travel protections haven’t been the deciding factor in whether or not I choose to apply for a card, they have been a reason for me to use and keep a card long term—especially a card with an annual fee. I almost always book travel with a card that includes trip protections just like the ones included with the new Citi Strata Premier℠ Card—and it’s saved me more than once.

Should the Strata Premier become your new go-to card? It makes a strong case with several bonus earning categories—and now the difference between it and competitors is mostly the airline and hotel transfer partners included. If Citi’s transfer partners align with your travel patterns, this could be a fantastic card that stays in your wallet year after year.