19 Benefits and Perks of the Citi Strata Elite Card [2025]

The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card is the new kid on the block, with Citi having just launched the premium credit card in July 2025. 

Cardholders seeking travel and lifestyle benefits, along with enhanced ThankYou Points earnings on categories such as restaurants, need look no further. The card also comes with hundreds of dollars worth of statement credits on a variety of benefits, such as application fees and luxury ride-shares.

But should you add the Citi Strata Elite card to your wallet? Here’s an in-depth look at the most important benefits and perks of the Citi Strata Elite card.

Card Overview

Citi Strata Elite℠ Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs 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.

The Citi Strata Elite card is Citi's most premium card built for frequent travelers and foodies.

Citi Strata Elite℠ Card

The Citi Strata Elite card is Citi's most premium card built for frequent travelers and foodies.

Welcome Offer

Earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou Points after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.

80,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $1,280

Annual Fee

$595

APR

21.24% to 29.24% Variable

Why We Like This Card

The Citi Strata Elite card is a great option for frequent travelers, foodies, and those who are fans of the Citi ThankYou Rewards ecosystem thanks to its combination of bonus categories, perks, and annual credits.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 12x points on hotels, rental cars, and attractions booked through Citi Travel
• 6x points on airfare through Citi Travel
• 6x points on dining on Citi Nights (Friday and Saturday nights from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.) and 3x points on dining at all other times

Cons

• $595 annual fee
• Boosted dining rewards are limited to 2 nights per week

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Card Highlights

• Earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou Points after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months of account opening
• 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, including restaurant delivery services, every Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. ET, and 3x points any other time
• 1.5x points on all other purchases
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
• Up to $300 annual hotel benefit
• Up to $200 annual splurge credit
• Up to $200 annual Blacklane credit
• 4 American Airlines Admirals Club passes every calendar year
• Transfer Citi ThankYou Points to partners like American Airlines
• Complimentary Priority Pass membership
• No foreign transaction fees

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 21.24% to 29.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

ThankYou Points Earning Potential

1. Great Welcome Bonus, With Potential for Higher Earnings

The Citi Strata Elite card comes with a fantastic welcome bonus that you’ll earn after meeting the minimum spending requirement. The card’s current welcome bonus offer is:

• Earn 80,000 points after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.
• Earn 100,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months when signing up in a Citi branch.

According to our most recent valuation of Citi ThankYou Points, the 80,000-point offer is worth $1,280, while the 100,000-point offer is worth $1,600.

Hot Tip:

If you’re near a Citi branch — you can check locations using this link — it’s worth visiting your neighborhood location to take advantage of the higher welcome offer.

2. Fantastic Earnings on Travel

The Citi Strata Elite card offers absolutely fantastic earnings on travel, especially when booked through Citi Travel. With your card, you’ll earn a whopping 12 points per $1 spent on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel. Additionally, you’ll earn 6 points per $1 spent on air travel booked on Citi Travel.

3. Good Earnings at Restaurants — Even Late at Night

The Citi Strata Elite card earns 6 points per $1 spent at restaurants, including restaurant delivery services, every Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. ET.

What makes this benefit even more exciting is when you can earn 6x points. You’ll earn 6 points per $1 on the Citi Strata Elite card between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. ET, so if you’re a night owl, up early studying, or made a midnight reservation at a hard-to-get restaurant, this is a benefit you can easily take advantage of.

Outside of that time frame, you’ll earn 3 points per $1 spent on restaurants, including restaurant delivery services. 

4. Elevated Earnings on Everyday Purchases

The Citi Strata Elite card earns 1.5x points per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases. This offers a higher earning rate on everyday purchases than most other credit cards, which typically cap rewards at 1 point per $1 spent. This means you’ll earn elevated rewards on your purchases no matter where or how you’re spending.

Redeeming Citi ThankYou Points

5. Transfer Partners

Your Citi Strata Elite card unlocks Citi ThankYou Rewards‘ full suite of transfer partners. This is a contrast to some of Citi’s non-premium credit cards, which only offer limited transfer partners.

Citi ThankYou Points can be transferred to various airline partners, covering all 3 airline alliances and a handful of hotel partners. Here’s a list of Citi’s hotel and airline transfer partners:

Citi Strata Elite Card Travel Benefits

6. Annual Hotel Benefit

The Citi Strata Elite card is establishing itself as the go-to travel card, offering several travel-specific statement credits. One such credit is an annual hotel benefit of up to $300 off a hotel stay of 2 nights or more when booked through Citi Travel. You’ll receive this benefit every calendar year, serving as an incentive to keep your card open.

7. Annual Blacklane Credit

Blacklane is a premium chauffeur company offering door-to-door service worldwide. Your Citi Strata Elite card includes up to $200 in statement credits when booking with Blacklane. You’ll receive this benefit twice yearly — up to $100 on Blacklane purchases from January through June and up to $100 from July through December.

8. Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Application Fee Credit

Many premium travel rewards cards offer statement credits for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck application fees, making it logical that the Citi Strata Elite card would also include this benefit. 

You’ll receive up to $120 in statement credits every 4 years on your application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. 

Hot Tip:

Because a TSA PreCheck membership is included with a Global Entry membership, we recommend using this credit on a Global Entry application.

9. Complimentary Priority Pass Membership 

Similar to Global Entry and TSA PreCheck application credits, many premium credit cards offer complimentary Priority Pass Select access. Priority Pass is one of the largest airport lounge networks in the world, with over 1,500 locations.

The Citi Strata Elite card offers Priority Pass Select membership for primary cardmembers and authorized users, as well as up to 2 guests. However, note that not all lounges admit guests.

10. The Reserve by Citi Travel Benefits 

The Reserve by Citi is a collection of participating 4.5- to 5-star hotels on the Citi Travel platform that offer on-property benefits. This benefit is similar to American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR), The Edit by Chase Travel, and Capital One Premier Collection.

Here are the benefits you’ll receive with a The Reserve by Citi booking:

• Daily complimentary breakfast for 2
• Free Wi-Fi
• A $100 experience credit (varies by property) 
• Early check-in, late checkout, and room upgrades (subject to availability)

11. No Foreign Transaction Fees

Anyone who travels regularly knows that foreign transaction fees can easily add up when traveling internationally. Fortunately, your Citi Strata Elite card has no foreign transaction fees, so you can use your card abroad with confidence.

American Airlines Perks

12. Admirals Club Passes

Citi has a longstanding partnership with American Airlines, and it’s bringing some of those benefits to its new premium credit card.

Citi Strata Elite cardmembers receive 4 Admirals Club passes each calendar year, which will get you access to dozens of Admirals Club lounges worldwide. These passes are useful to have, especially if you don’t get Admirals Club through American Airlines elite status or co-branded credit cards.

13. Transfer Points to American Airlines

In addition to having access to Citi ThankYou’s many transfer partners, your Citi Strata Elite card gives you the ability to transfer Citi ThankYou Points at a 1:1 ratio into American Airlines AAdvantage miles.

Lifestyle Benefits

14. Annual Splurge Credit

If you love to shop, you’re in luck because the Citi Strata Elite card comes with up to $200 in Splurge Credits each calendar year. You can choose up to 2 of the following brands: 1stDibs, American Airlines, Best Buy, Future Personal Training, and Live Nation. 

15. Access to Citi Entertainment

Your Citi Strata Elite card comes with access to Citi Entertainment. If you aren’t familiar with it, Citi Entertainment allows cardholders to use their card to access presale tickets and exclusive experiences to music, sports, arts, and other events.

16. Access to Mixology Platform

Cardmembers 21 and over will receive access to the Death & Co. lifestyle platform “Fashioned.” Here, you’ll find cocktail tutorials, videos, and mixology courses.

17. Mastercard Collection Benefits

The Citi Strata Elite card offers premium benefits, including priority reservations at sought-after restaurants and ticketing access to global music, theater, and sporting events.

Travel Protections

18. Travel and Shopping Protections

The Citi Strata Elite card comes with a handful of travel and shopping protections, including trip delay protection, enhanced trip cancellation and trip interruption protection, lost or damaged luggage protection, MasterRental coverage, and extended warranty and purchase assurance.

Other Benefits

19. Rewards for Citi Wealth Clients

If you’re a Citi Wealth client and have an open and current Citi Strata Elite card, you’ll have access to the following benefits:

• Citigold Private Client Relationship Tier credit: Eligible Citigold Private Clients receive a $595 first-year banking relationship credit (and $145 annual credit each year thereafter)
• Citigold Relationship Tier credit: Qualifying Citigold clients receive a $145 banking relationship annual credit

Final Thoughts

Citi’s new premium credit card, the Citi Strata Elite card, is not just a travel card — it’s a lifestyle card.

The card offers hundreds of dollars in value in travel benefits, such as application fees and hotel statement credits, and comes with some fantastic lifestyle benefits. While the card does come with a hefty $595 annual fee, anyone looking for a solid travel rewards card wouldn’t go wrong with the Citi Strata Elite card.