Some issues in life are higher in twos — and that is completely the case with the Citi Strata Premier® Card (see charges and charges) and the Citi Strata℠ Card (see charges and charges).
Whereas the Citi Strata Premier is a superb stand-alone journey bank card, it is best to think about including the Citi Strata to earn one other welcome bonus and extra factors on on a regular basis spending.
Here is the within scoop on how this duo works.
Associated: Greatest Citi playing cards
Earn 2 welcome bonuses
The Citi Strata Premier encompasses a welcome supply of 60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
In the meantime, the Citi Strata gives 30,000 bonus factors after spending $1,000 on purchases inside three months of account opening.
Based mostly on TPG’s September 2025 valuations, these welcome gives are value $1,140 and $570, respectively — netting you as much as $1,710 in worth for those who get each playing cards.
Simply keep in mind that Citi has an software restriction on these playing cards. You will not obtain the welcome bonus on the Strata or the Strata Elite for those who beforehand obtained a bonus on the cardboard (or a card that you simply transformed to it) previously 48 months.
Low mixed annual charges
This card duo has a low mixed annual charge of simply $95. The Citi Strata Premier has a $95 annual charge, and the Citi Strata has no annual charge in any respect.
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Even after you’ve got earned the welcome bonus, the playing cards’ low mixed annual charge makes this duo value retaining in your pockets yr after yr.
Associated: The 7 greatest bank cards with annual charges beneath $100
Increase your points-earning
The subsequent promoting level of holding each playing cards is their complementary incomes charges.
Use the Citi Strata Premier for almost all of your bonused spending, together with:
(Since each playing cards overlap on Citi Journey portal purchases, supermarkets, fuel and EV charging, it is easier to simply use the Strata Premier for these purchases, because it has fewer bonus classes to recollect.)
Then, you may need to use the Citi Strata for:
- Choose transit (3 factors per greenback spent)
- An eligible self-select class* that you may change every quarter (3 factors per greenback spent)
*Self-select classes embody barber retailers, beauty shops and hair salons, health golf equipment, stay leisure, pet provide shops and choose streaming companies.
So, the Strata must be your go-to card for purchases resembling these from ride-hailing companies, health club memberships and sports activities and live performance tickets.
Each playing cards earn 1 level per greenback spent on all nonbonus spending. Collectively, the Strata and the Strata Premier cowl most bonus class spending, incomes at the least 2 factors per greenback spent on most purchases.
Nonetheless, if you wish to make sure you earn at the least 2 factors per greenback spent on each buy, think about including the no-annual-fee Citi Double Money® Card (see charges and charges) to earn 2% money again (1% if you purchase and 1% if you pay). That money again might be transformed to Citi ThankYou Rewards factors and helps create the Citi Trifecta.
Associated: Have all the favored bank cards? Listed below are 10 choices to your subsequent software
Entry Citi’s switch companions
All of the factors you earn from the Citi Strata might be transferred to 22 loyalty applications — simply at a lowered ratio of 1:0.7 for many. Nonetheless, by holding the Strata Premier, you may switch your factors at a greater ratio of 1:1 (for many companions). So, 100,000 Citi factors can flip into 100,000 airline or resort factors or miles (for many companions).
Citi additionally gives frequent switch bonuses of as much as 50% with choose loyalty companions.
Whilst you can learn our in depth information on maximizing Citi ThankYou Rewards factors for journey, this is a preview of a few of our favourite methods to redeem them.
Associated: Bank card switch bonuses
Maximize your redemptions
You get poor worth out of your ThankYou Rewards factors for those who redeem them for money again at solely 0.5 and 0.75 cents per level on the Citi Strata and Strata Premier, respectively.
Nonetheless, you may enhance your redemption worth by transferring them to Citi’s airline and resort switch companions, resembling American Airways AAdvantage, Avianca LifeMiles and Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership. Listed below are some examples.
Qatar Airways Qsuite to Doha for 70,000 Citi factors one-way
One other Citi switch companion that may supply nice worth is Qatar Airways Privilege Membership. For 70,000 Avios one-way (plus about $200 in taxes), you may fly Qsuite, the provider’s flagship business-class product, from any U.S. gateway to Doha. You should utilize instruments like Seats.aero that will help you discover availability.
And you are not restricted to Qatar Airways bookings with Avios. After transferring your ThankYou Rewards factors to the Qatar Airways Privilege Membership program, you should use them to ebook flights with airways like British Airways and Aer Lingus.
Associated: Qatar Airways Qsuite evaluate: Nonetheless setting the usual for enterprise class (and a mileage candy spot)
American Airways premium economic system to Japan for 45,000 Citi factors one-way
You possibly can switch your Citi ThankYou Rewards factors to American Airways AAdvantage to attain a premium economic system seat to Tokyo for as few as 45,000 American miles (plus taxes and charges of simply $5.60).
You will discover availability at this worth even from East Coast airports like New York’s John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK).
Associated: Journey to Japan with factors and miles: Greatest methods to redeem your rewards for flights and motels
United Airways economic system flights inside the US for 10,000 Citi factors one-way
You possibly can stretch the worth of your factors by reserving brief economic system flights with United Airways.
By transferring simply 10,000 Citi ThankYou Rewards factors to Avianca LifeMiles, you may fly brief hops like Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) to Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA) or from Orlando Worldwide Airport (MCO) to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).
When you have been to ebook these flights on United instantly, you’d usually pay 12,500 to fifteen,000 miles.
This can be an effective way to save lots of on home flights when money costs are excessive throughout busy journey durations like summer time or the winter vacation season. In case you have a small variety of ThankYou Rewards factors, this can be a smart way to make use of them.
Associated: United MileagePlus: Information to incomes and redeeming miles, elite standing and extra
Boutique or unbiased resort stays
When you’re trying to keep at a novel resort, you may switch your Citi factors to I Favor Resort Rewards at a ratio of 1:4 (1,000 Citi factors for 4,000 I Favor factors). I Favor Resort Rewards is a group of unbiased and boutique motels that you simply usually would not have the ability to ebook with factors. You possibly can see the total listing of motels bookable with factors right here.
I Favor makes use of a set fee for award nights priced between 15,000 and 150,000 factors per night time. Because the switch ratio is 1:4, divide the full variety of factors wanted per night time by 4 to get the variety of factors you might want to switch.
For instance, you might keep on the Resort Grand Pacific, a boutique resort within the coronary heart of Victoria, British Columbia, in the summertime — it is a pretty summer time vacation spot — for both $234 or 30,000 I Favor Resort Rewards factors an evening. Nonetheless, you’d solely must switch 7,500 Citi factors per night time to ebook this resort, netting you a worth of three.1 cents per level.
Backside line
The Citi ThankYou Rewards program gives an intensive roster of switch companions, with worldwide companions spanning each main airline alliance and a few profitable resort redemptions.
Holding each the Citi Strata Premier and the Strata covers most of your spending, permitting you to maximise earnings and supplying you with full entry to Citi’s loyalty companions at the perfect switch ratio — all for simply $95 in mixed annual charges.
Now could possibly be a good time to leverage this card duo as you look to plan future journeys.
To study extra, try our full critiques of the Citi Strata and the Citi Strata Premier.
Apply right here: Citi Strata Card
Apply right here: Citi Strata Premier Card
