Is the Citi Strata Premier worth the annual fee?

The Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees) is Citi’s mid-tier journey card. The Strata Premier earns bonus factors on on a regular basis spending classes and unlocks full-value entry to switch companions.

However with so many different good choices, is the Strata Premier well worth the $95 annual charge? Under, we break down the vital facets of the cardboard so you possibly can determine whether it is for you.

The Strata Premier is presently providing 60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 inside the first three months from account opening.

Citi ThankYou factors are price 1.9 cents every in response to TPG’s September 2025 valuations, making this bonus price $1,140.

We advocate making use of for the cardboard when a higher welcome offer of no less than 70,000 factors is obtainable to maximise your preliminary funding in opening the cardboard and paying the annual charge.

Earlier than making use of, take into account your eligibility as properly. Based on Citi:

Bonus ThankYou® Factors will not be obtainable in case you acquired a brand new account bonus for a Citi Premier® or Citi Strata Premier® account prior to now 48 months or in case you transformed one other Citi bank card account on which you earned a brand new account bonus within the final 48 months right into a Citi Premier® or Citi Strata Premier® account.

Associated: Best ways to redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards points

For those who ask folks what they like in regards to the Strata Premier, the most typical reply is probably going that it earns factors in well-liked spending classes.

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The cardboard earns 10 factors per greenback spent on sights, automotive leases and motels booked via the Citi Travel portal.

As well as, the Strata Premier earns 3 factors per greenback spent within the following classes (no caps or annual limits):

• Air journey
• Electrical car charging stations
• Gasoline stations
• Inns (non-Citi Journey purchases)
• Eating places (together with takeout)
• Supermarkets

All different purchases earn 1 level per greenback spent.

TPG bank cards author Danyal Ahmed usually makes use of his Strata Premier card to pay for fuel and groceries, which helps him accumulate ThankYou factors shortly. Incomes bonus factors on on a regular basis spending and Strata Premier’s spectacular switch companions motivated him to use for the cardboard.

Plus, the Strata Premier’s bonus classes apply worldwide, not like some playing cards that solely supply bonus factors on purchases within the U.S.

Associated: Should you book hotels through Citi Travel?

When figuring out if the Strata Premier’s $95 annual charge is price it, take into account which airline frequent flyer applications you possibly can entry. Citi has some nice switch companions like Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Air France-KLM Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, however probably the most notable is the recently-added American Airlines AAdvantage.

Though no-annual-fee Citi cards also transfer to AAdvantage, the ratio is unfavorable at 1:0.7. The Strata Premier is probably the most inexpensive annual charge card to switch factors at a 1:1 ratio, making it a worthwhile funding.

Danyal is a large fan of the AAdvantage program, and the power to switch ThankYou factors to this system is sufficient cause for him to maintain paying the annual charge yr after yr.

Resort credit score

As a cardholder, you may get an annual good thing about $100 off a single resort keep of $500 or extra (excluding taxes and costs) if you e-book via Citi Journey.

Nonetheless, whereas this profit sounds promising and could be nice when staying at boutique, impartial properties, it might not yield the $100 in financial savings you anticipate.

Earlier than making a resort reservation on Citi Journey, test the worth of the resort when reserving instantly to check whether or not you are getting the most effective price. Citi Journey does not all the time have the bottom price, so your $100 low cost could not really be a stable deal.

Bookings via journey portals like Citi Journey sometimes don’t earn hotel points or honor elite benefits, so issue that into the $100 low cost.

Associated: What you need to know about direct versus third-party travel bookings

The Strata Premier supplies the next journey protections:

Extra details about coverage limits and exclusions may be discovered here.

Purchasing protections embody:

As a World Elite Mastercard cardholder, you possibly can take pleasure in further perks like World Emergency Companies, a $5 Lyft credit score if you take no less than three rides in a month (supply ends Jan. 31, 2026) and $10 off your second Instacart order every month, together with three months of complimentary Instacart+ (supply ends Jan. 31, 2027).

Anybody with a Citi bank card, together with the Strata Premier, can entry Citi Entertainment.

This supplies entry to unique occasions and precedence entry for advance ticket gross sales to live shows, movie festivals, performances and reveals.

For those who can maximize the bonus classes and get good worth from Citi’s switch companions, it’s possible you’ll discover that to be a worthwhile return properly past the annual charge. Nonetheless, if you need extra tangible worth from assertion credit and different perks, you may possible need to go along with a different credit card, just like the extra premium Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (see rates and fees).

To be taught extra, learn our full review of the Strata Premier.

Apply right here: Strata Premier