Which card is better, the Citi Strata card or the Citi Double Cash?

The Citi Strata card and Citi Double Cash card are great cards for everyday spending and earning well on select travel purchases through Citi Travel. Both cards have flexible redemption options and access to Citi’s airline and hotel transfer partners. The Citi Double Cash card is a good choice for those who want a simple earning structure, while the Citi Strata card may be a better choice for those who prefer bonus category earnings.

Does the Citi Strata card have an annual fee?

No, the Citi Strata card has a annual fee and also fees for authorized users.

How does the Citi Double Cash card work?

The Citi Double Cash card is a -annual-fee card that earns rewards on every purchase in the form of ThankYou Points, which can be redeemed for cash back. You earn 1% back when you make the purchase, and 1% back when you pay off the purchase. You can transfer rewards to Citi airline and hotel partners; redeem for a statement credit, a check, or shopping; transfer to an eligible Citi account; and redeem for travel through Citi Travel.

How does the introductory 0% APR period work for purchases or balance transfers?

Eligible purchases made with your card during the 0% APR period will not incur interest charges. Once the specified APR period expires, a variable interest rate will be applied. This can be beneficial if you have large purchases that you would like to pay off over time without incurring interest charges. The 0% APR on balance transfers allows you to transfer high interest balances from non-Citi credit cards and pay that balance off without interest charges during a specified period. There are, however, transfer fees that apply to the balance transferred. After the 0% APR period expires, a variable interest rate is applied.

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Citi Strata Card vs. Citi Double Cash Card [Detailed Comparison]

Updated: September 10, 2025, 3:00pm CDT

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Table of Contents

Key Takeaways
Overview
Comparing Welcome Offers
Earning Potential
Redemption Options
Travel Protections and Benefits
Shopping Protections and Benefits
Annual Fees and Authorized Users
Final Thoughts

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Key Takeaways

The Citi Strata℠ Card and Citi Double Cash^® Card are no-annual-fee cards that offer bonus earnings on select travel purchased through the Citi Travel portal and everyday purchases.
The Citi Strata card offers additional 3x points-earning categories, including supermarkets, select transit, gas, and EV charging stations. It also offers an eligible self-select category of your choice every quarter, plus 2x points at restaurants.
Both cards allow you to transfer points to Citi airline and hotel partners and redeem rewards for travel through Citi Travel.
The Citi Double Cash card is a good choice for those who want simple flat-rate earnings on every purchase.

No-annual-fee rewards cards often lack the earning and flexible redemption features of premium travel rewards cards. That’s not the case with the Citi Strata card and Citi Double Cash card.

Both have earning structures that reward every purchase you make, flexible redemption options that allow you to use your points for travel, and a few additional benefits to enhance the value.

You won’t get the bells and whistles of lounge access, hundreds of dollars in statement credits, or airline and hotel benefits with these cards. However, these no-annual-fee cards deliver enough value to keep for the long term.

Here’s how the Citi Strata card and Citi Double Cash card compare.

Overview

Before we discuss the details of the Citi Strata card and the Citi Double Cash card, here’s a quick side-by-side comparison of their features and benefits.

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Feature or Benefit	Citi Strata℠ Card	Citi Double Cash^® Card
Welcome offer	Earn 30,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.	Earn $200 cash-back after spending $1,500 in the first 6 months.
Earning potential	5x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions purchased through Citi Travel 3x points on supermarkets, select transit, gas, and EV charging stations, and an eligible self-select category of your choice every quarter 2x points at restaurants 1x points all other purchases	5% cash-back on hotel, car rental, and attractions, excluding air travel, purchased through Citi Travel 2% cash-back on all other purchases (1% back when you buy and 1% back when you pay)
Top redemption options	Redeem points for 1 cent each for travel through Citi Travel Transfer points to airline and hotel partners
Key travel protections and benefits	World Elite Mastercard benefits	World or World Elite Mastercard benefits
Key shopping protections and benefits	Extended warranty Citi Merchant Offers
Additional benefits	0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, and then a variable APR 19.24%-29.24%.	0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 18.24% - 28.24%
Annual fee and authorized users	$0 annual fee $0 to add authorized users	$0 annual fee $0 to add authorized users

Comparing Welcome Offers

Immediately following approval for either the Citi Strata card or Citi Double Cash card, you’ll have the opportunity to earn a welcome bonus offer after meeting minimum spending requirements within the specified period.

This minimum spending period is an excellent time to learn how your card works and quickly boost your earnings.

Citi Strata℠ Card

U.P. Rating

Citi Strata℠ Card

Welcome OfferEarn 30,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
30,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:
$480

Annual Fee

APR

0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, and then a variable APR 19.24%-29.24%.

Credit Recommended

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

The Citi Strata card offers a fresh way to earn Citi ThankYou Points with a $0 annual fee, allowing you to maximize your spend at gas stations, supermarkets, and more.

Pros & Cons

Pros

5x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com
3x points at supermarkets, select transit, gas and EV charging stations, and an eligible self-select category of your choice (fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores/barber shops/hair salon or pet supply stores)
2x points at restaurants

Cons

Doesn’t offer the best transfer ratio to Citi’s airline and hotel partners
Charges foreign transaction fees

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
Earn 5x points per $1 spent on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
Earn 3x points per $1 on supermarkets, select transit, gas, and EV charging stations, and an eligible self-select category of your choice every quarter (fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores/barber shops/hair salons, or pet supply stores).
Earn 2x points per $1 at restaurants.
Earn 1x point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card.

Financial Snapshot

APR: 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, and then a variable APR 19.24%-29.24%.
Foreign Transaction Fees: 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each purchase

Rewards Center

Citi ThankYou Rewards

Citi Double Cash^® Card

U.P. Rating

Great card for the average spender with no specific focus category; worry-free cash-back earning on everything!

Citi Double Cash^® Card

Great card for the average spender with no specific focus category; worry-free cash-back earning on everything!

Welcome OfferEarn $200 cash-back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening.
$200 cash-back

Annual Fee

APR

18.24% to 28.24% Variable

Credit Recommended

Fair to Excellent (580-850)

Why We Like This Card

The Citi Double Cash^® Card has long been one of the top cash-back credit cards on the market, and the card now has the ability to earn Citi ThankYou Points!

This means that cardholders of the Double Cash card will now earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. Cash back is earned in the form of ThankYou Points. This means each billing cycle, you will earn 1 ThankYou point per $1 spent on purchases and an additional ThankYou point for every $1 paid on your purchase balance as long as there is a corresponding balance in your Purchase Tracker.

Citi has turned the Double Cash card into a top choice for those who are looking for an everyday, no-fuss credit card.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Uncapped 2% for every $1 spent (1% when you buy and another 1% when you pay)
Flexible redemption options
No annual fee

Cons

No bonus categories
3% foreign transaction fees

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou^® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
Earn a total of 5 ThankYou^® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rental, and attractions, excluding air travel, when booked through the Citi Travel^® portal.
To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% Intro APR for 18 months on balance transfers; after that, the variable APR will be 18.24% – 28.24%, based on your creditworthiness. Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
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, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).

Financial Snapshot

APR: 18.24% to 28.24% Variable
Foreign Transaction Fees: 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each purchase

Rewards Center

Citi ThankYou Rewards

Earning Potential

The Citi Strata card earns ThankYou Points, and the Citi Double Cash card earns cash-back in the form of ThankYou Points.

Here’s how you can earn rewards on each of our featured cards:

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Earning Category	Citi Strata℠ Card	Citi Double Cash^® Card
Travel	5x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions purchased through Citi Travel 1x points on all other travel	5% cash-back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions purchased through Citi Travel 2% cash-back on all other travel purchases (1% back when you buy, 1% back when you pay)
Supermarkets, transit, gas, EV charging stations	3x points	2% cash-back
Restaurants	2x points	2% cash-back
Additional earning categories	3x points on 1 eligible self-select category of your choice every quarter	N/A
All other purchases	1x points	2% cash-back

The Citi Strata card has the advantage of bonus-earning categories that can help you earn more rewards. However, there is value in not having to remember bonus categories and knowing you’re receiving 2% cash-back on every purchase.

The Citi Double Cash card may be a good choice if your expenditures include tuition, medical bills, home or car repairs, and other non-bonused categories. It offers 2% cash-back compared to the Citi Strata card’s 1 point per dollar spent on these purchases.

The Citi Strata card has a unique earning feature. You can select your preferred category each quarter to earn 3x points. Self-select categories include fitness clubs; select streaming services; live entertainment; cosmetic stores, barber shops, and hair salons (all 1 category); and pet supply stores.

One drawback of the cards is that they do not have strong earnings on airfare, although the Citi Double Cash card earns 2% cash-back on airfare and all other travel purchases.

Redemption Options

Air France 777 Business Class Silverware — Enjoying the little touches that make business class special. Air France 777 business class. Image Credit: Nick Ellis

Once you’ve accumulated a stash of rewards, you can look forward to redeeming them. Fortunately, the Citi Strata card and Citi Double Cash card have several options.

Here are the options you’ll have at redemption time with either of our featured cards:

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Redemption Option	Citi Strata℠ Card	Citi Double Cash^® Card
Transfer points to airline and hotel partners	15 airline and 5 hotel partners, transfer at non-premium rates
Redeem for travel through Citi Travel	Redeem points for 1 cent each for travel
Statement credit	Redeem points for 1 cent each
Additional redemption options	Transfer to eligible Citi accounts, shopping at participating online retailers, gift cards, Shop Your Way, charitable contributions

As Citi enhances its card lineup, redeeming ThankYou Points is easier. The Citi Strata card and Citi Double Cash card now have full transfer access to Citi’s airline and hotel partners. Points transfer at a non-premium card ratio that is less than the transfer ratio for Citi premium cards, including the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card and Citi Strata Elite℠ Card.

Still, our featured cards can access several sweet spots, including booking business class flights to Europe with Air France-KLM Flying Blue or hotels in the Nordic countries with Choice Privileges.

When redeeming points through Citi Travel, you can expect a base value of 1 cent per point. When transferring to airline or hotel partners, we estimate the value of ThankYou Points to be 1.6 cents each. Even greater value is possible.

Hot Tip:

Citi ThankYou Points can be shared with others who have Citi ThankYou Points accounts.

Travel Protections and Benefits

Travel protections and benefits will vary depending on whether your card is issued as a World Mastercard or a World Elite Mastercard.

Some protections that may be included are MasterRental car rental insurance, trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip delay, or baggage insurance.

When you receive your card, a guide to protection benefits provides descriptions of the coverage and the applicable terms and conditions.

Shopping Protections and Benefits

The Citi Strata card and Citi Double Cash card offer the following benefits, which protect eligible items purchased with your card and provide savings on qualifying purchases:

Extended warranty coverage: Citi removed most of the travel and shopping protections from many of its cards, but the Citi Strata card and Citi Double Cash card have extended warranty coverage that adds 24 months to eligible items with a manufacturer’s warranty, up to a maximum of 7 years in total coverage.
Citi Merchant Offers: The Citi Strata card and Citi Double Cash card offer exclusive savings on select retail and service providers. You can find the offers in your online card account. Add the offers to your card, make the required purchase, and receive a statement credit.

Additional Mastercard lifestyle benefits may include Lyft credits, luxury hotel benefits, Priceless experiences, shopping discounts, ResortPass, and more.

Citi Strata Card

Introductory 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers: If you have upcoming purchases, you could save on interest rate charges with the Citi Strata card. The card has a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, and then a variable APR 19.24%-29.24%. Fees of 3% or $5 (whichever is greater) apply to balance transfers, and terms apply.

Citi Double Cash Card

Introductory 0% APR on balance transfers: If you have high-interest credit card balances (non-Citi cards), you may save money on interest charges by transferring your balances to the Citi Double Cash card. The card has a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 18.24% - 28.24%. There are fees associated with the balance transfer, and terms apply.

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

The Citi Strata card has a $0 annual fee for primary cardholders and a $0 annual fee for adding authorized users. The Citi Double Cash card also has a $0 annual fee and no fees for authorized users.

Purchases made by authorized users help you earn rewards faster, but primary cardholders are also responsible for any purchases authorized users make.

Final Thoughts

Earning flexible travel rewards is a key element that adds value to these no-annual-fee cards. ThankYou Points earned on the Citi Strata card and Citi Double Cash card can also be transferred to the Citi Strata Premier card, Citi Strata Elite card, or the Citi Prestige^® Card (closed to new applicants). Once transferred, points can be redeemed for even greater potential value.

The Citi Strata card offers bonus categories that help you build rewards quickly with everyday spend, while the Citi Double Cash card makes earning easy with its simplified flat-rate earnings.

The Citi Strata card and Citi Double Cash card are excellent options for learning how flexible rewards work without incurring an annual fee. If you add a Citi premium card to your portfolio in the future, you’ll still receive sufficient value to hold on to either of these cards for the long term.