Citi launches Strata Elite premium travel credit card. Should you add it to your wallet?

Citi is launching a new premium rewards credit card: the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card. With a $595 annual fee, this card joins other luxury credit cards in catering to jetsetters looking to maximize travel savings and perks.

But a unique bonus rewards structure and specific benefits for American Airlines — including the ability to transfer Citi ThankYou points to AAdvantage miles — helps the Citi Strata Elite Card stand out for some frequent flyers.

The Citi Strata Elite has a $595 annual fee, which is steep for any cardholder. However, it is in line with other premium travel cards on the market today. It’s also a step up from the issuer’s former top-tier travel card, the $495 Citi Prestige Card. That card hasn’t accepted new applications since 2021, but if you’ve been a longtime Citi cardholder, you may want to compare it to Citi’s new premium option.

Here are the details:

You can get a lot of value as a new cardholder with the Citi Strata Elite’s welcome offer. But how much you earn depends on how you apply.

When you apply online and get approved, you can earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou points after spending $4,000 within the first three months of account opening. If you decide to go in-branch to a Citi location and get approved, you can earn an even higher 100,000 bonus points after spending the same $4,000 within the first three months.

Related: Best credit card sign-up bonuses

• 12x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com

• 6x points on air travel booked on CitiTravel.com

• 6x points at restaurants every Friday and Saturday night

• 3x points at restaurants any other time

• 1.5x points on all other purchases

These rewards categories can help you rack up Citi ThankYou points toward future travel, but there are some restrictions. First, you’ll only earn bonus points on travel booked through the Citi Travel portal — up to 12x points (or 6x for flights) is a solid multiplier, but if you prefer to book directly or through another third-party service, you’ll only get the minimum 1.5x on your travel spending.

Dining at restaurants is another common category you’ll find among travel rewards cards, but the Strata Elite works a little differently. You’ll get a standard 3x at restaurants, which increases to 6x every weekend between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. ET on both Friday and Saturday. If you eat out a lot on the weekends, this can be a great boost, but all other daytime and weeknight meals will only earn the regular 3x points.

Related: Best credit cards for restaurants

A common way to make up for a card’s steep annual fee cost is through annual benefits, and the Citi Strata Elite is no exception. Here are a few benefits to expect with this card:

• Up to $300 annual hotel credit for stays of two nights or more booked through Citi Travel each calendar year

• Up to $200 annual Splurge Credit, which applies to purchases at your choice of up to two eligible brands each calendar year: American Airlines, Live Nation, Best Buy, 1stDibs, and Future Personal Training

• Up to $200 annual Blacklane credit for global chauffeur service (up to $100 from January through June and another $100 from July through December)

• Up to $120 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee every four years

• Four American Airlines Admirals Club passes each calendar year

• Transfer Citi ThankYou points to American Airlines AAdvantage miles

• Complimentary Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership

• No foreign transaction fees

These benefits may be especially lucrative for frequent American Airlines flyers. You’ll get four passes per year to American Airlines Admirals Club lounges. American Airlines sells one-day passes to its lounges for $79, so if you fly the airline enough to use all four passes, that’s already worth $316 each year. And with the ability to transfer the points you earn to American Airlines miles, you’ll have extra flexibility when you’re ready to book award flights.

Annual credit card perks like this can add up to major savings each year, but only if you actually use them. It always pays to compare your spending and travel preferences to any card’s benefits to make sure you can keep maximizing your value year-after-year.

Related: Complete list of credit card perks that reset each calendar year

If you’re already a Citi cardholder, you may benefit from using this card in combination with other Citi points-earning cards. For example, you can use the Strata Elite to maximize travel spending through Citi Travel and at restaurants (especially on weekends) while using the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card to earn 3x points on everyday purchases at supermarkets and gas stations. Then, combine the points from both cards when you want to book a trip.

In addition to redeeming ThankYou points for travel through the issuer, Citi has a number of airline and hotel partners you can transfer your points to, including Air France KLM Flying Blue, JetBlue TrueBlue, Avianca LifeMiles, Choice Privileges, Wyndham Rewards, and more.

While the American Airlines AAdvantage program wasn’t previously a Citi transfer partner, you can now transfer your Citi Strata Elite points to the airline. If you’re a regular American Airlines flyer or already have elite status within the program, this can be a great way to make the most of your ThankYou points.

However, there are some potential drawbacks to keep in mind. Like we mentioned above, you’re limited to booking travel through Citi Travel if you want to earn the highest rewards rate offered. Other travel credit cards often have more flexibility to earn points and miles with other booking options.

The value you’ll gain from the card’s benefits will also depend a lot on your spending. If you often fly with American Airlines, you can nearly recoup the annual fee cost just from the Admirals Club lounge passes and choosing American Airlines for your annual Splurge Credit. But other credits may be more difficult to maximize if the eligible brands aren’t already in your regular budget, for example, or you already get airport lounge access with another card.

Related: Best airline credit cards

Today’s credit card market has multiple great options for maximizing rewards on travel while getting great benefits. If you travel often and don’t mind paying a steep annual fee for perks like lounge access, travel credits, status perks, and more, make sure to consider these cards as well:

Why we like it: After its recent overhaul, the Chase Sapphire Reserve now carries the highest annual fee among the cards on this list. It also has one of the most flexible annual travel credits available today, offering up to $300 in statement credits for any travel purchases charged to your card. Like the Citi Strata Elite, this card also has airport lounge access perks, a fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, hotel credits, and more.

While its highest 8x rewards category also requires booking travel through the issuer’s Chase Travel portal, you can still earn 4x points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve when you book directly with hotels and airlines.

Read our full Chase Sapphire Reserve review.

Why we like it: The Platinum Card is also expected to undergo a refresh later this year, but current cardholders can get plenty of benefits while traveling for a $695 annual fee (see rates & fees). These include airport lounge access, up to $200 in airline fee credits for incidental charges with your choice airline, up to $200 in statement credits for select prepaid hotel bookings through Amex Travel, Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and Hilton Honors Gold status, and many more.

Like the Citi Strata Elite, you’ll get the best Amex Platinum rewards when you book through the issuer — 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel. But you can earn the same rate on flights booked directly with airlines, too (up to $500,000 spent on combined flight purchases each year).

Read our full review of The Platinum Card from American Express.

Why we like it: Among premium travel card options, the Capital One Venture X has the lowest annual fee — but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in value. You can earn boosted rewards for booking travel through Capital One Travel on top of a flat 2x miles on every purchase. As for benefits, there’s a $300 annual travel credit you can also use on Capital One Travel purchases, plus airport lounge access, a 10,000-mile bonus every year starting on your first anniversary, and more.

Read our full review of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

This article was edited by Alicia Hahn.

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