Citi Strata Premier Card vs. Capital One Venture Card [Detailed Comparison]

Are you looking for a travel rewards card but are not sure about paying the high annual fees that come with premium travel rewards cards? You might want to consider a midrange card that has a lower annual fee, yet still provides good earning potential, flexible travel redemptions, and travel/shopping benefits and protections.

Today we’ve selected 2 very popular cards that each fit that description perfectly. The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card both offer plenty of earning potential, flexible redemption options, and additional travel/shopping benefits.

And, while the cards are very similar, you’ll find that one may be a better fit for you due to a combination of your spending mix, redemption preferences, and the card benefits you find valuable.

Look closely at each of these midtier rewards cards to compare all the key features and benefits.

Summary

We’ll expand on the features and benefits of the Citi Strata Premier card and Capital One Venture card shortly but first, let’s look at a high-level overview of the 2 cards side-by-side.

Welcome Offer Comparison

Welcome offers allow you the opportunity to accumulate a large number of rewards in a short period of time. Both the Citi Strata Premier card and Capital One Venture card have generous welcome bonuses you can earn by meeting minimum spending requirements within the first 3 months after card approval.

Regardless of which card you select, you can earn a welcome offer that can exceed $1,000 in value. Here’s a snapshot of the cards’ current offers.

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

Welcome Offer

For a limited time: Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $750 in gift cards or travel rewards on thankyou.com.

75,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,200

Annual Fee

$95

APR

20.49% to 28.49% Variable APR

Why We Like This Card

The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is a great all-around travel rewards card that allows you to earn big rewards on a variety of purchases like air travel, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and more, along with flexible redemption options, all for a modest annual fee.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 10x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
• 3x points on air travel, other hotel purchases, restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and EV charging stations
• $100 annual hotel benefit

Cons

• $95 annual fee

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• For a limited time: Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $750 in gift cards or travel rewards on thankyou.com.
• Earn 10X points per $1 spent on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
• Earn 3X points per $1 on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations.
• Earn 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
• No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card.
• No foreign transaction fees on purchases.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.49% to 28.49% Variable APR
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!

Welcome Offer

Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

75,000 miles

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,350

Annual Fee

$95

APR

19.99% - 29.74% (Variable)

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent Credit (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great welcome offer, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.

Frequent travelers with excellent credit may benefit from this credit card that offers a lot of bells and whistles. And it offers easy-to-understand rewards earning and redemption.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x miles per $1 on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases
• Up to a $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit

Cons

• $95 annual fee (rates & fees)
• Limited elite benefits

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
• Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck^®
• Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
• Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
• Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.99% - 29.74% (Variable)
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Capital One Miles

We value Citi ThankYou Points at 1.6 cents each and Capital One miles at 1.8 cents each, which results in current welcome offers having similar values. Welcome offers change, though, so be sure to compare the most current offers before applying for either card.

Bottom Line: Both the Citi Strata Premier card and Capital One Venture card have generous welcome offers, worth hundreds of dollars, that can be earned after meeting spending requirements in the first 3 months after card approval. 

Earning and Redeeming Points vs. Miles

Citi ThankYou Points and Capital One miles are very similar. One reason is that Capital One miles are not really miles, as in frequent flyer miles, but actually function just like Citi ThankYou Points when it comes to either earning or redeeming.

Here’s how the 2 cards compare when we look at how points and miles are earned on each card and the options at redemption time.

Earning Potential Comparison

Travelers will like earning rewards on their travel purchases, but also enjoy accumulating rewards quickly via everyday purchases.

In addition, the Citi Strata Premier card earns 3x on EV charging stations.

To illustrate how points and miles are earned on our 2 featured cards, let’s look at a modest and simple annual spending mix sample to see how spending translates into rewards for each card:

• $3,000 on flights
• $2,000 on hotels (not booked through a card travel portal)
• $6,000 at the supermarket, on gas, and at restaurants
• $10,000 for all other spending

The points/miles earnings on each card would be as follows:

• Citi Strata Premier card — 9,000 ($3,000 x 3x), 6,000 ($2,000 x 3x), 18,000 ($6,000 x 3x), and 10,000 ($10,000 x 1x), for a total of 43,000 points
• Capital One Venture card — 6,000 ($3,000 x 2x), 10,000 ($2,000 x 5x miles via Capital One Travel), 12,000 ($6,000 x 2x), and 20,000 ($10,000 x 2x) for a total of 48,000 miles

With an estimated value of 1.6 cents per point, the Citi Strata Premier card would generate $688 in estimated value, while the Capital One Venture card at 1.8 cents per point, would generate an estimated $864 in value.

Of course, the actual value you receive will depend on how you redeem your rewards. If you redeemed points/miles via the card’s associated travel portal for 1 cent each, for example, you’d realize $433 in value with the Citi Strata Premier card and $480 with the Capital One Venture card.

Your actual results will also differ depending on your spending mix. It can be helpful to do the math on a sample scenario using your own estimated spending numbers before you select a card.

Bottom Line: The Citi Strata Premier card and Capital One Venture card are similar when it comes to earning rewards on travel and on everyday spending. The better earning card for you will depend on your spending mix and how you prefer to redeem your rewards. 

Redemption Options

You’ve accumulated a lot of points and now it’s time to reap the benefits and redeem your rewards for something special.

Fortunately, both the Citi Strata Premier card and Capital One Venture card earn valuable flexible rewards that offer several options at redemption time.

Let’s look at how the cards compare when you’re ready to redeem your points.

Redeeming rewards for travel purchases via your card’s associated travel portal results in a value of 1 cent per point but you’ll have the potential for greater value when you transfer points to hotel or airline partners.

The number of transfer partners differs by card, but the cards have several in common. If transfer partners are a key redemption priority, you’ll want to review these before selecting a card.

Other redemption options may result in a value of less than 1 cent per point and therefore not a good deal.

Bottom Line: Both the Citi Strata Premier card and Capital One Venture card earn flexible rewards that offer several redemption options including an opportunity for a value greater than 1 cent per point in value by transferring rewards to hotel and airline partners. 

Travel Protection and Benefits Comparison

The Citi Strata Premier card and Capital One Venture card both come with several travel protections and benefits.

Let’s start with the protections and benefits that are offered on both of our featured cards:

• No Foreign Transaction Fees — Neither of our featured cards charges foreign transaction fees. See Capital One Venture card rates and fees.
• Travel Assistance Services — Receive 24/7 assistance with just one phone call should you need English-speaking medical or legal referrals, assistance with emergency transport, help to replace a lost passport, and more. There is no charge for referral or assistance services, however, cardholders are responsible for actual services received from the vendors.
• Concierge — Receive assistance with travel, dining, shopping, entertainment, events, and everyday needs.
• MasterRental Insurance* – Use your card to rent an eligible vehicle and you may be covered for physical damage and theft of the rental vehicle
• Lost or Damaged Luggage* – Reimbursement for the actual cost of repairing or replacing your checked or carry-on luggage and personal property contained therein that is lost or damaged

Citi Strata Premier Card

• $100 Annual Hotel Savings Benefit — Book your stay via the Citi Travel Center and spend $500 or more (not including taxes and fees) to receive a statement credit of $100.
• Mastercard Luxury Hotels and Resorts Benefits — Receive complimentary daily breakfast, a $100 onsite amenity, a room upgrade when available, and early check-in/late checkout.

Capital One Venture Card

Here are the additional travel protections and benefits that can be found on the Capital One Venture card:

• Master RoadAssist®* – Take advantage of 24 hour toll-free assistance to help with services like towing, gas delivery, jumpstarts, and tire changes. Customer is responsible for any and all costs incurred
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Fee Reimbursement — Pay your application or renewal fee with your card and receive up to a $120 statement credit as reimbursement.

Bottom Line: Both the Citi Strata Premier card and Capital One Venture card come with a collection of travel protections and benefits.

Shopping Protection and Benefits Comparison

Now, let’s look at the additional shopping benefits that come with each card.

Citi Strata Premier Card

• Citi Merchant Offers — Log in to your online Citi Strata Premier card account, select the Citi Merchant Offers you’re interested in, make your purchase, and receive rebates in the form of a statement credit. You’ll find offers on travel, dining, retail shopping, and more.

Capital One Venture Card

• Capital One Offers — Operating more like a shopping portal, cardholders log into their account, select their desired offer, and earn a fixed amount or percentage of their online shopping trip back as a statement credit.
• Purchase Assurance* — Eligible purchases made with your card are covered if damaged or stolen within the first 90 days of purchase

Please note that all travel and shopping protections and benefits are not listed, only key ones were selected for comparison purposes. We’ve also abbreviated the descriptions and not included complete terms and conditions that may apply.

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

Premium travel rewards cards come with premium travel benefits — and high annual fees. The Citi Strata Premier card and Capital One Venture card keep costs down with a lower annual fee and the ability to add authorized users without spending a lot to do so.

• Annual Fee — The Citi Strata Premier card’s annual fee of $95 and Capital One Venture card’s annual fee of $95 (rates and fees) make it an easy comparison.
• Authorized Users — Neither card charges a fee to add authorized users (rates and fees).

For information on how to add an authorized user to the Citi Strata Premier card and the benefits of doing so, check out our related article.

Qualifying for Our Featured Cards

It’s recommended that you shoot for an excellent credit score, generally considered 740 or better, to be considered for the Citi Strata Premier card.

Similarly, an excellent credit score gives you the best chance of being approved for the Capital One Venture card. Additionally, Capital One states that a successful applicant “must never have declared bankruptcy or defaulted on a loan, or medical bill, and has had a loan or credit card for $5,000 or more in the last 3 years.“

You can find out risk-free if you have Citi credit card offers available to you by using the CardMatch Tool, as Citi is one of the participating issuers. You’ll need to provide minimal information and no credit pull is done so there is no effect on your credit.

Capital One has its own preapproval tool, but you’ll have to provide more information than the CardMatch Tool. However, it’s also risk-free and no credit pull is performed.

For more information on finding preapproved and prequalified offers without affecting your credit score, this article can help.

Final Thoughts

It’s a tough call to determine which of our featured cards is a better card, as either card could be an excellent pick for the right consumer.

If you’re spending a lot on flights, at the grocery store, on gas, and dining, those are sweet earning spots for earning on the Citi Strata Premier card. If you have heavy spending in nonbonus categories such as a major home remodel, for example, you may be better off with the Capital One Venture card, as it earns 2x miles on every purchase versus the Citi Strata Premier card at 1x on all other purchases.

All in all, selecting the card that best matches your spending, redemption preferences, and useable benefits, will make the most sense.