The Citi Strata℠ Card (see charges and charges) is a well-liked starter card with no annual charge and a very good entry level into the Citi ThankYou Rewards ecosystem.
Paying the annual charge on the Citi Strata Premier® Card (see charges and charges) could be price it if you wish to elevate your journey. The cardboard presents larger incomes charges in key bonus classes and higher entry to Citi’s airline switch companions.
Take into account the next causes as to why you must 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 motels booked by means of Citi Journey
- 3 factors per greenback spent on electrical automobile charging stations, gasoline 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 presents larger incomes charges and barely totally different bonus classes. They embody the next:
- 10 factors per greenback spent on points of interest, automotive leases and motels booked by means of Citi Journey
- 3 factors per greenback spent on air journey, EV charging stations, gasoline purchases, motels (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 motels booked exterior of Citi Journey. Frequent vacationers might 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 may add up over the yr.
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Your ThankYou factors are extra invaluable
By upgrading the Citi Strata, you possibly can earn extra ThankYou factors and unlock higher worth on 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 possibly 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 accomplice you are contemplating, the Strata card will at all times have a worse switch ratio than the Strata Premier.
This makes an enormous distinction when contemplating transferring tens of hundreds of factors to safe a sought-after business-class ticket.
When leveraging switch companions with the Strata Premier, you may 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 accomplice airline for a business-class redemption.
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Extra invaluable advantages
Even with the $95 annual charge, the Strata Premier presents further advantages that assist justify its value yearly. Two important advantages you possibly can maximize are:
- $100 annual lodge credit score: A $100 credit score as soon as per yr for single-stay lodge bookings of $500 or extra (excluding taxes and charges) made by means of Citi Journey
- World Elite Mastercard advantages: The Citi Strata Premier presents a number of travel-related perks, together with a $5 month-to-month Lyft credit score after taking three rides in a calendar month (provide 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 (provide ends Jan. 31, 2027) and entry to the Mastercard luxurious motels and resorts portfolio for on-property perks like complimentary breakfast and room upgrades (upon availability)
Because the Strata Premier is a extra premium card than the Citi Strata, you additionally get entry to Citi’s curated assortment of motels and can obtain elitelike advantages when reserving by means of Citi Journey.
As a Strata Premier cardholder, you will obtain the next journey protections:
- Automotive rental protection
- Misplaced or broken baggage safety
- Journey cancellation and interruption insurance coverage
- Journey delay protection
That is extra complete protection than you will obtain from the no-annual-fee Strata card.
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Take into account making use of relatively than upgrading
In the event you really need to maximize your points-earning, take into account making use of for the Strata Premier as a substitute 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 provide is price $1,140.
In the event you improve a Citi Strata card, you’ll not earn a welcome provide. This card’s welcome bonus can also be not out there should you’ve obtained a brand new account bonus for a Citi Premier or Citi Strata Premier account up to now 48 months.
You additionally will not be capable of earn it should you’ve transformed one other Citi bank card account on which you earned a brand new account bonus within the final 48 months right into a Premier or Strata Premier card.
So long as you possibly can qualify for the Strata Premier’s welcome bonus, it is price contemplating whether or not making use of for the cardboard is a greater technique than getting it by means of an improve.
By maintaining the Strata card as a substitute of upgrading it, you should utilize the Strata and Strata Premier collectively to maximise points-earning throughout extra classes.
For instance, you possibly can put choose transit and eligible self-selected class purchases on the Citi Strata and all different journey and restaurant purchases on the Strata Premier card.
Backside line
The advantages and incomes potential of the Strata Premier will most certainly outweigh the price of the annual charge and current higher long-term worth than the Citi Strata card.
Normally, the most effective advantages you will obtain are the flexibility to switch factors to the vast majority of companions at a 1:1 ratio and travel-focused bonus classes.
Consider what’s in your pockets to make sure that you are at all times getting the utmost worth potential, which can imply an improve is on the horizon.
To study extra, learn our full evaluate of the Citi Strata and Strata Premier.
Apply right here: Strata Premier
