Is the Citi Strata Elite worth the annual fee?

The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (see rates and fees) is Citi‘s latest premium journey rewards card.

Launched in late July, it comes with a $595 annual payment, which places it in the course of its premium card competitors.

With a robust welcome bonus, beneficial incomes potential and a set of assertion credit and lounge perks, the cardboard can ship strong worth. However after the primary 12 months of getting it, you will must run the numbers to determine if it deserves a long-term spot in your pockets.

So, let’s do the maths to work out whether or not it’s best to apply for (and hold) the Citi Strata Elite.

New cardholders can get optimistic worth out of the Strata Elite if they’re accepted and meet the minimum spending requirement.

For a restricted time, new applicants can earn 100,000 bonus factors after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.

These 100,000 factors are value $1,900 per TPG’s October 2025 valuations‚ greater than 3 times the $595 annual payment.

Associated: Are you eligible for the Citi Strata Elite’s 100,000-point welcome bonus?

Nonetheless, if you wish to earn Citi ThankYou Rewards factors at a decrease price, the Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees) is a more sensible choice. For a $95 annual payment, it presents 60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening — 60% of the Strata Elite’s bonus for a fraction of the value.

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Associated: The best credit card welcome bonuses this month

The Strata Elite is greatest suited to those that are completely happy to book travel through a portal and dine out on weekend evenings.

You may earn 12 factors per greenback spent on accommodations, automotive leases and points of interest booked by means of cititravel.com (a 22.8% return per TPG’s October 2025 valuations); flights earn 6 factors per greenback by means of cititravel.com (11.4%).

Nonetheless, booking through a portal has its downsides, together with:

This card has a singular dining bonus class.

On Friday and Saturday evenings (between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Japanese time), you will earn 6 factors per greenback spent at eating places, together with on supply. Outdoors of these occasions, you will earn half the speed (3 factors per greenback). That represents an 11.4% and 5.7% return on these purchases, respectively.

This bonus class is greatest for many who exit (or order in) for dinner on weekend evenings. Nonetheless, the fastened Japanese time window will be awkward when touring internationally, particularly in Asia and Europe.

Against this, the Strata Premier presents an easier construction, incomes 3 factors per greenback spent on:

• Electrical automobile charging and fuel station purchases
• Flights
• Lodge stays
• Restaurant purchases
• Grocery store purchases

Associated: Citi Strata Premier vs. Strata Elite: Is the extra $500 annual fee worth it?

Citi has adopted American Express and Chase‘s lead within the “couponization” of its top-tier playing cards. So, it should not come as a shock that the Strata Elite has suffered the identical destiny.

Having stated that, this card has a decrease annual payment than the 2 different issuers’ premium playing cards and a shorter listing of credit. Plus, the credit are divided up into annual or biannual increments, moderately than month-to-month, making them easier to keep track of.

The Strata Elite’s $595 annual payment will be decreased considerably in the event you maximize its assertion credit:

Maxing out the Strata Elite’s $300 resort credit score instantly drops your efficient payment to $295. Add half the worth of the $200 Splurge credit score, one $100 Blacklane credit score and the $30 annualized World Entry credit score, and your efficient payment falls to simply $65.

Whereas not everybody will extract this full worth, even partial credit score utilization can deliver the cardboard’s actual price effectively beneath its $595 sticker value.

The Strata Elite features a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, granting you and two company entry to greater than 1,700 lounges worldwide. It additionally presents 4 American Airlines Admirals Club passes per 12 months, every legitimate for twenty-four hours, which means one cross can cowl a number of lounge visits on a single itinerary.

Whereas Admirals Membership day passes usually price $79 every, I would personally worth them nearer to $35 per go to. Should you take two home journeys and one worldwide journey every year, you might simply get round $140 in worth from these advantages alone.

You too can get 4 Admirals Membership day passes with the brand new Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® (see rates and fees) for a decrease $350 annual payment.

For frequent American Airways flyers who need limitless Admirals Membership entry, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees) is the higher choice. However for infrequent vacationers, these included passes add significant worth to the Strata Elite’s annual payment.

Associated: 3 reasons why this is the best card for Admirals Club lounge access

That is an space the place the Strata Elite shines.

It’s one in every of solely three Citi playing cards — the others being the Strata Premier and the Citi Prestige® Card — that provides entry to Citi’s 5 resort and 15 airline transfer partners (together with American Airlines AAdvantage) on the most favorable switch charges.

The data for the Citi Status has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer. This card is just not accessible to new candidates.

Put $1,000 a month in nonbonused spending on the Strata Elite and you may earn 18,000 factors yearly. They’re value roughly $342 when transferred to companions or $180 when redeemed by means of Citi Journey. That is sufficient for a one-way economy-class flight to Europe when transferring to Air France-KLM Flying Blue or Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (plus taxes and charges). And you need to use even fewer factors when benefiting from a transfer bonus.

If you need entry to the total suite of switch companions at one of the best charges — however wish to pay a decrease annual payment — then the Strata Premier is, once more, my advice.

Associated: 10 of the best ways to redeem 100,000 Citi ThankYou Rewards points

As the primary Mastercard World Legend card, the Strata Elite contains strong shopping and travel protections, resembling prolonged guarantee, buy safety and journey delay reimbursement. These advantages add peace of thoughts, however they don’t seem to be industry-leading.

If complete protections are a precedence, competing premium cards from Amex and Chase supply broader protection and better reimbursement limits. Nonetheless, the Strata Elite’s protections are a helpful security web that helps justify the cardboard’s premium positioning.

Because of its welcome bonus and assertion credit, the Strata Elite delivers glorious first-year worth. Nonetheless, its long-term enchantment relies on how effectively its perks match your spending and journey habits.

Should you often ebook flights and accommodations by means of Citi Journey, dine out (or in) on weekend evenings and might totally leverage the resort credit score and at the least among the Blacklane and Splurge credit, this card will be value preserving past the primary 12 months.

In any other case, the Strata Premier presents a decrease $95 annual payment, a robust incomes construction and entry to the identical beneficial switch companions, making it the extra sensible long-term alternative for a lot of.

Finally, the Strata Elite is just not a “set-it-and-forget it” card. Run the numbers, think about your individual journey patterns and be sure you’re snug with the $595 price ticket earlier than making use of.

To study extra, learn our full review of the Citi Strata Elite.

Apply right here: Citi Strata Elite Card