Citi Adds Two More Layers To Its Strata Family Of Cards
Citibank, a Forbes Advisor partner, is shaking up its credit card portfolio. Why launch one new card when two are twice as nice? The issuer is releasing both the $0-annual fee Citi Strata℠ Card and the premium Citi Strata Elite℠ Card which has a $595 annual price tag.
The two new cards bookend the $95-annual-fee Citi Strata Premier® Card , which launched in May 2024 and was a refresh of the former Citi Premier Card (No longer available to new applicants). Here's the skinny on the two latest editions to the Strata family.
Attributes of the Citi Strata℠ Card include: Annual fee : $0
: $0 Welcome offer: Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.
Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 within the first 3 months of account opening. Rewards: 5 ThankYou® Points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked through Citi Travel®, 3 points on supermarkets, select transit and gas and EV charging stations purchases, 3 points on an eligible self-select category of your choice, including fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores or pet stores, 2 points at restaurants and 1 point on all other eligible purchases. Transfer to Citi's travel transfer partners (except American Airlines), most at a 1,000:700 ratio. Cash redemptions are worth 0.5 cents per point.
Intro APR offer: 0% intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months, then a variable APR of 19.24% to 29.24% applies. There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, a fee of 5% of each transfer (minimum $5) applies.
0% intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months, then a variable APR of 19.24% to 29.24% applies. There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, a fee of 5% of each transfer (minimum $5) applies. Recommended credit score: Good, Excellent. This typically means a 670 FICO Score or higher.
Cardholders of the Citi Rewards+ had their cards converted to the new Citi Strata℠ Card on July 20, 2025, and applications opened for new cardholders on July 27, 2025.
Earn 30,000 bonus Points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of account opening
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Attributes of the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card include: Annual fee: $595
$595 Welcome offer: Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. Rewards : 12 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on cititravel.com, 6 points per dollar spent on air travel booked on cititravel.com, 6 points per dollar spent at restaurants, including restaurant delivery services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET (3 points per dollar spent any other time) and 1.5 points per dollar spent on other purchases. Transfer to Citi's travel transfer partners, most at a 1,000:1,000 ratio. Cash redemptions are worth 0.75 cents per point.
Recommended credit score: Good, Excellent. This typically means a 670 FICO Score or higher.
Good, Excellent. This typically means a 670 FICO Score or higher. Other perks: Up to $300 annual hotel benefit. Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com . Four American Airlines Admirals Club® Citi Strata Elite passes. Every calendar year, receive four Admirals Club® Citi Strata Elite℠ Passes for access to nearly 50 Admirals Club® lounges worldwide. Points transfer. Ability to transfer Citi ThankYou® Points into American Airlines AAdvantage® miles at a 1:1 ratio as well as Citi's other hotel and airline loyalty partners. Priority Pass™ Select membership. Both the primary cardholder and authorized users can each have their own Priority Pass membership which includes up to two guests. Up to $200 Annual Splurge Credit SM . Every calendar year, earn up to $200 in statement credits on your choice of up to two of the following brands: 1stDibs, American Airlines, Best Buy®, Future Personal Training and Live Nation. Up to $200 annual Blacklane® credit. Every calendar year, enjoy up to $200 in statement credits when booking with Blacklane, a global chauffeur service. Earn up to $100 on Blacklane purchases January through June and up to $100 July through December. Up to $120 Global Entry® or TSA PreCheck® application fee credit. Receive a statement credit, up to $120 every four years, as reimbursement for the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®.
Earn 80,000 bonus Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed. Are the New Citi Strata Cards Any Good?
For fans of Citi's Thank You Points travel transfer partners, which include JetBlue's TrueBlue , Wyndham Rewards and Choice Privileges , either card could potentially help you amass a stash of rewards if the rewards structure matches your spending patterns.
When it comes to top no-annual-fee cards , the Citi Strata Card holds its own when it comes to generous and unlimited rewards in everyday categories. Being able to choose an eligible self-select category to earn 3X rewards and change it every quarter can be helpful when you know in advance when you have a big purchase coming up, especially when it's in categories not commonly bonused like fitness clubs, hair salons or live entertainment. Someone could easily choose fitness clubs to pay for a gym initiation fee and then change it the following quarter to live entertainment to buy tickets for the summer concert season.
For the Citi Strata Elite, the standout perks are the up to 12X multiplier on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked through Citi Travel and the ability to transfer rewards at a 1:1 ratio to American Airlines Advantage .
The new Strata Elite's attributes rival some of the best premium cards at this price point and the card is notably free of the coupon-book style credits popping up like mushrooms on competing cards.
No single credit card is the best option for every family, every purchase or every budget. We've picked the best credit cards in a way designed to be the most helpful to the widest variety of readers.
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