The
Citi Strata Premier® Card is a good credit card to apply for if you have
good credit or better and you want to earn lots of bonus points. You can get an initial bonus worth up to
$600 and bonus points on airfare, hotels, gas, restaurants, and supermarkets, making the card easily worth the
$95 annual fee.
What I Like About the Citi Strata Premier Card
Big initial bonus
Citi Strata Premier shows its appreciation for new cardholders who spend at least
$4,000 within
3 months of opening account by doling out a bonus of
60,000 points.
That bounty is redeemable for
$600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com. It's one of the bigger initial bonuses available right now.
Excellent travel rewards
Strata Premier gives 3 points per $1 spent on travel-related purchases. That includes airfare, hotel reservations, gas and travel agency purchases.
That earning rate is roughly triple the
market average for a rewards card. Plus, you can earn a total of 10 points per $1 spent on hotel stays, car rentals, and attractions booked on the Citi Travel portal.
On top of all the bonus points, you can get a $100 hotel credit if you book a stay for $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) through Citi Travel. You can get that deal once per calendar year.
Solid rewards on food
Citi Strata Premier provides triple the market average in rewards supermarket purchases and dining at restaurants, giving 3 points per $1 spent. This makes it good for foodies and families alike.
Transferrable points
Citi Strata Premier cardholders can
transfer rewards points to some notable frequent flyer programs, including JetBlue TrueBlue and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. This can help you get more value for your points in some cases.
What I Don’t Like About the Citi Strata Premier Card
$95 annual fee
At
$95, the Citi Strata Premier Card’s annual fee is about 3 times higher than what the average credit card charges. That average is based on the 1,500+ cards in WalletHub’s database.
Standard base rewards rate
You’ll get 1 point per $1 spent on purchases that don’t qualify for the bonus categories. That’s normal for a card with extra rewards on certain purchases. But it could be better.
Limited redemption options
You’ll only get 1 cent in value per 1 point redeemed when you trade in your earnings for gift cards or Citi Travel bookings. Other redemption options may not get you as much in return, and not everyone wants gift cards or is planning a trip.
Not built for carrying a balance
Citi Strata Premier doesn’t offer 0% intro rates, so its high regular APR means you’re probably going to overpay on interest if you carry a balance from month to month.
Good credit required
The Citi Strata Premier Card requires
good credit or better for approval, so make sure to
check your credit score for free here on WalletHub before applying.
Bottom Line: Is the Citi Strata Premier Card Worth It?
Yes, the Citi Strata Premier Card is worth it as long as you have a good enough credit score to qualify, you plan to spend enough to earn the initial bonus, and you want extra rewards on travel, dining and groceries in particular. You also need to pay the bill in full every month to avoid expensive interest charges.
If you don’t want to pay an annual fee, you should consider the
Citi Strata℠ Card. It’s still plenty rewarding.
On the other hand, big spenders might want to consider the
Citi Strata Elite℠ Card. It has a large annual fee but provides some extra perks.
Note: This review is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. Opinions and ratings are our own.
