The Citi Strata℠ Card (see charges and charges) is a well-liked starter card with no annual price and a superb entry level into the Citi ThankYou Rewards ecosystem.
Paying the annual price on the Citi Strata Premier® Card (see charges and charges) will be value it if you wish to elevate your journey. The cardboard provides greater incomes charges in key bonus classes and higher entry to Citi’s airline switch companions.
Think about the next causes as to why it’s best to improve from the Citi Strata to the Strata Premier.
Earn extra ThankYou Rewards factors
As a no-annual-fee card, the Citi Strata earns:
- 5 factors per greenback spent on points of interest, automotive leases and resorts booked via Citi Journey
- 3 factors per greenback spent on electrical automobile charging stations, fuel stations, choose transit and supermarkets
- 3 factors per greenback spent on an eligible self-selected class (which you’ll change quarterly)
- 2 factors per greenback spent at eating places
Nonetheless, the Strata Premier provides greater incomes charges and barely totally different bonus classes. They embrace the next:
- 10 factors per greenback spent on points of interest, automotive leases and resorts booked via Citi Journey
- 3 factors per greenback spent on air journey, EV charging stations, fuel purchases, resorts (booked exterior of Citi Journey), eating places and supermarkets
The Strata Premier is a extra travel-centric card. It earns extra on choose Citi Journey purchases, plus airfares and resorts booked exterior of Citi Journey. Frequent vacationers could discover the Citi Strata much more rewarding.
Upgrading additionally bumps up bonus-earning on eating places to three factors per greenback spent from 2 factors per greenback spent, which might add up over the 12 months.
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Associated: Do you have to e book resorts via Citi Journey?
Your ThankYou factors are extra beneficial
By upgrading the Citi Strata, you may earn extra ThankYou factors and unlock higher worth in your hard-earned factors.
Each playing cards can switch ThankYou factors to Citi’s 22 switch companions, together with high-value choices like American Airways AAdvantage, Qatar Airways Privilege Membership and Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership. The Strata Premier has a slight benefit; it could switch factors to most companions at a ratio of 1:1.
The Citi Strata can solely switch at a ratio of 1:0.7 for many companions. Whatever the associate you are contemplating, the Strata card will all the time have a worse switch ratio than the Strata Premier.
This makes a giant distinction when contemplating transferring tens of 1000’s of factors to safe a sought-after business-class ticket.
When leveraging switch companions with the Strata Premier, you will get greater than 1.9 cents per level (primarily based on TPG’s September 2025 valuations). I persistently get between 4 and 9 cents per level when transferring factors to a associate airline for a business-class redemption.
Associated: Strata, Premier or Elite: How to decide on a Citi Strata bank card
Extra beneficial advantages
Even with the $95 annual price, the Strata Premier provides extra advantages that assist justify its value yearly. Two vital advantages you may maximize are:
- $100 annual lodge credit score: A $100 credit score as soon as per 12 months for single-stay lodge bookings of $500 or extra (excluding taxes and charges) made via Citi Journey
- World Elite Mastercard advantages: The Citi Strata Premier provides a number of travel-related perks, together with a $5 month-to-month Lyft credit score after taking three rides in a calendar month (supply ends Jan. 31, 2026), a three-month trial of Instacart+ with a brand new subscription and $10 off your second eligible Instacart buy every month (supply ends Jan. 31, 2027) and entry to the Mastercard luxurious resorts and resorts portfolio for on-property perks like complimentary breakfast and room upgrades (upon availability)
For the reason that Strata Premier is a extra premium card than the Citi Strata, you additionally get entry to Citi’s curated assortment of resorts and can obtain elitelike advantages when reserving via Citi Journey.
As a Strata Premier cardholder, you may obtain the next journey protections:
- Automobile rental protection
- Misplaced or broken baggage safety
- Journey cancellation and interruption insurance coverage
- Journey delay protection
That is extra complete protection than you may obtain from the no-annual-fee Strata card.
Associated: Citi’s Lodge Assortment and The Reserve: Get free breakfast and premium perks
Think about making use of fairly than upgrading
In the event you really wish to maximize your points-earning, contemplate making use of for the Strata Premier as an alternative of upgrading from the Citi Strata card.
For starters, new Strata Premier cardholders earn 60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 within the first three months of account opening. Primarily based on TPG’s valuations, the welcome sup
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