Citi is an advertising partner. The Citi Custom Cash® Card and Citi Premier® Card is no longer available to new applicants.
Citi has rebranded its popular mid-tier Citi Premier® travel credit card as the Citi Strata Premier® Card. The new Strata Premier Card is nearly identical to the old Citi Premier except it has additional travel protections, bonus spending categories and a new welcome offer.
If you're interested in applying for this card, here's what you need to know about the card's benefits and how to qualify for the intro bonus.
The Citi Strata Premier® Card has competitive rewards rates and unlocks access to all of the Citi ThankYou® transfer partners, which boosts the value of your points.
- Unlocks point transfers to all of the Citi ThankYou® partners, including Emirates Skywards, Choice Privileges, Flying Blue and more
- Generous bonus spending categories include dining, supermarkets, hotels and flights
- Valuable welcome bonus
- Has an annual fee
- Car rental coverage is secondary, not primary
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 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
Balance transfer fee
Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
Citi Strata Premier® Card details
The Citi Strata Premier® Card earns transferrable Citi ThankYou® Points and earns them in bunches. It also currently offers a welcome bonus of 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening
This bonus is worth $600 in gift cards or travel rewards (booked through thankyou.com). To potentially get even greater value, you can also transfer these points to any Citi ThankYou® travel partners, including Air France/KLM (Flying Blue), Avianca, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. Having the option to transfer your points unlocks all sorts of opportunities.
For example, you could take advantage of the monthly Flying Blue promo rewards and use the bonus points to book two round-trip economy awards flights from the U.S. to Europe which can easily cost over $500 a person depending on your itinerary. Want to go somewhere a little more tropical? Transfer those 60,000 points to Avianca LifeMiles and you have enough to book two round-trip economy awards flights from the U.S. to the Caribbean.
Citi Strata Premier Card benefits
Aside from a new name and some travel protections, the new Citi Strata Premier is mostly the same as the Premier card it replaces.
One change is that the Strata Premier is making permanent the old Premier's limited-time spending category bonus of 10X points on hotels, car rentals and attractions when booked through CitiTravel.com. You're also now able to earn 3X at EV charging stations.
But the most notable changes with the Strata Premier are the new travel coverages, including:
- Trip cancellation/interruption
- Trip delay
- Lost or damaged luggage
- MasterRental coverage (car rental insurance)
What's staying the same with the Citi Strata Premier Card?
The Citi Strata Premier's annual fee is staying at $95, and you'll continue to earn:
- 3X points on air travel
- 3X points on hotels (not booked through CitiTravel.com)
- 3X points at restaurants
- 3X points at supermarkets
- 3X points at gas stations
- 1X points on all other purchases
You'll still receive an annual hotel benefit valid for $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more that you book through CitiTravel.com. This card continues to have no foreign transaction fees and access to Citi Entertainment as well as all of the same Citi ThankYou® Rewards transfer partners.
As before, if you have a Citi cash-back card, such as the Citi Double Cash® Card or the Citi Custom Cash® Card, you can pair it with the Citi Strata to convert your cash-back rewards into fully transferrable points.
The Citi Double Cash® Card is one of the best no-annual-fee cash-back cards thanks to its straightforward rewards structure.
- Balance transfers get a long intro APR
- Generous flat-rate cash-back rewards structure
- No annual fee
- Travelers face a foreign transaction fee
- Intro APR only applies to balance tranfer
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel.
- Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 17.49% - 27.49%, based on your creditworthiness.
- Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
- If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
Balance transfer fee
There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
Foreign transaction fee
3%
The Citi Custom Cash® Card is an especially simple and rewarding cash back card because you'll automatically earn bonus rewards where you spend the most.
- Offers a long intro APR on balance transfers
- Easy-to-earn welcome bonus
- No annual fee
- Bonus cash back categories are capped
- Charges a foreign transaction fee
Rewards
- Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter
- Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
- Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2026
Balance transfer fee
5% of each balance transfer ($5 minimum)
Foreign transaction fee
3%
How to qualify for the Citi Strata Premier Card
You'll want a good-to-excellent credit score to have the best chance of being approved for the Citi Strata Premier. There is also an additional restriction for qualifying for this card's intro bonus. If you've received an intro bonus for the Strata Premier or the Premier card within the last 48 months, you can't earn the bonus again with a new Strata Premier Card.
It's important to note that this 48-month restriction applies to when you received the intro bonus points, not when you opened the account. If you opened a Citi Premier card in April of 2020 but didn't earn the intro bonus until early July 2020, you have to wait 48 months from July — not April — to be able to earn the Strata Premier's bonus.
Alternatives to the Citi Strata Premier Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) charges the same annual fee as the Strata Premier Card and offers similar benefits. It too earns transferrable travel rewards and has a long list of travel and purchase protections. But while the cards seem similar on the surface, dig a bit deeper and you'll find the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has a few advantages over the Citi card.
The Chase Ultimate Rewards® airline and hotel transfer partners include programs such as World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and Air Canada Aeroplan, which help make Chase's network one of the best in the travel rewards space. The Sapphire Preferred also features more robust protections than the Strata Premier, including purchase protection and extended warranty protection on top of travel insurance.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card packs a punch for a $95 annual fee card, offering annual travel credits, comprehensive travel protections and more.
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase's travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Long list of travel and shopping protections
- $50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit
- Has an annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase TravelSM
- 10% anniversary points boost - each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card doesn't have the same long list of bonus spending categories you get with the Strata Premier. Instead, it earns at least 2X miles on every purchase, which makes it a strong option for everyday purchases outside of standard bonus categories. The Capital One Venture Rewards also allows you to transfer miles to a strong list of partner travel programs or keep things simple by offsetting travel purchases with miles at a rate of one cent each.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a reasonable annual fee and earns flexible travel rewards, which makes it a great travel card for beginners or heavy travelers.
- Valuable welcome offer worth at least $750 in travel
- You can transfer miles to over 15 Capital One partners, including Emirates Skywards, Choice Privileges and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- No foreign transaction fees
- Lacks ongoing travel benefits such as statement credits or lounge access
- Limited bonus spending category that only applies to certain Capital One Travel bookings
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app
Balance transfer fee
$0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
Foreign transaction fee
None
Bottom line
The Citi Premier Card is now the Citi Strata Premier. With this renaming, a few of the benefits are changing, but it is largely the same card. However, the biggest weakness of the Citi Premier has been solved with this update, which includes the addition of travel insurance perks.
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