When You Should (And Shouldn’t) Book Rental Cars Through Citi Travel

I generally avoid booking travel through credit card portals, as it can be more challenging to change these reservations. Typically, you have to contact the portal, not the operator, to process changes or cancellations.

However, Citi Travel makes things a bit easier. Rental cars are usually flexible until pickup, and most changes can be processed online when you book with Citi Travel.

As such, I’ve started using my Citi Strata Elite℠ Card to book some of my car rentals. Its most interesting — and lucrative — bonus category is earning 12 points per $1 on hotels, attractions, and rental cars booked through Citi Travel.

These bonus points are so good that sometimes I even book through the portal, even when it’s slightly more expensive than booking directly. Here’s when you should (and shouldn’t) use the Citi Travel portal to book rental cars.

Citi Strata Elite Card Overview

The Citi Strata Elite card launched earlier this year as Citi’s reentry into an increasingly competitive premium credit card market. The card has a lower annual fee than some of its competition at $595.

The card includes a Priority Pass™ Select airport lounge membership and 4 American Airlines Admirals Club passes per year. Plus, it offers a suite of benefits and statement credits, including a $300 annual hotel benefit, a $200 Splurge Credit that can be used at various merchants, and $200 in annual Blacklane statement credits for premium limousine rides in major cities worldwide.

The card also shines in its earning rates. You can earn up to 12 Citi ThankYou Points per $1 on Citi Travel bookings, 6 points per $1 when you dine between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Eastern time on Fridays and Saturdays (3 points per $1 all other times), and 1.5 points per $1 on all other purchases. This makes it easy to earn ThankYou Points toward your next big redemption.

Right now, the Citi Strata Elite card is offering a huge welcome bonus offer that’s worth up to $1,600:

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 100,000 bonus ThankYou Points after spending $6,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.

100,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $1,600

Annual Fee

$595

APR

20.74% to 28.74%

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

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 100,000 bonus ThankYou Points after spending $6,000 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: 20.74% to 28.74%
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Earning Bonus Points on Rental Cars

There are 2 other cards in the Citi Strata portfolio if you don’t want to pay a large annual fee. The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card has a $95 and earns a respectable 10 points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel, while the $0-annual-fee Citi Strata℠ Card earns 5 points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel.

With my Citi Strata Elite card, I effectively earn a 19.2% rebate on rental cars based on our Citi ThankYou Point valuation of 1.6 cents per point. However, it’s possible to get even more value if you redeem for business class flights and other expensive travel, such as last-minute airfare, by leveraging Citi’s suite of airline and hotel transfer partners.

I’ve largely stayed away from booking hotel stays through Citi Travel because they aren’t usually eligible to earn hotel points or elite nights. However, rental cars are more intriguing for me, as I can often earn rental car points and utilize elite benefits when booking through a third-party provider. Additionally, bookings are usually flexible until pickup, so I can change or cancel them online without issue.

The Sweet Spot: Booking Rental Cars Abroad

It’s also worth noting that the Citi Strata Elite card includes a variety of travel insurance benefits, including MasterRental car rental coverage. This coverage is secondary for cars rented in your country of residence and primary for cars rented abroad.

In other words, if you damage a rental car at home, you’d have to claim on your personal car insurance policy first. Abroad, you can first claim damage charges on your Citi Strata Elite card’s MasterRental rental car coverage. This coverage applies when you charge your rental car to your Citi Strata Elite card and decline the loss and damage waiver offered by the rental car company.

With these benefits in mind, I’ve started exclusively booking rental cars on international trips through Citi Travel with the Citi Strata Elite card. This way, I can earn 12 points per $1 spent on my rentals and still travel with peace of mind knowing that the card’s rental car insurance offers primary coverage.

These earnings can add up quickly. For example, in September, I rented a car with Budget in Toulouse, France. I booked the car through Citi Travel, prepaying $215.76 for the 4-day rental and earning 2,589 ThankYou Points. Given our ThankYou Point valuation of 1.6 cents per point, that’s like getting a $41.42 rebate.

That said, when traveling in the U.S., I still rent cars directly and charge my rentals to other credit cards that offer primary rental car coverage. It would be better to claim my card’s insurance if I damage a rental car, since it won’t affect my car insurance premiums.

Living in New York City — which has some of the highest car insurance premiums in the country — makes this critical, as my premium is already high, even with a clean driving record.

How Does Citi Travel’s Rental Car Pricing Compare?

A downside to renting a car through Citi Travel is that you cannot use corporate rates offered by your employer, professional association, or alumni organization when you book. However, setting aside these rates, I’ve found that Citi Travel often prices similarly to booking rental cars directly.

For example, the cheapest 4-day round-trip rental car at Owen Roberts International Airport in Grand Cayman (GCM) costs $167.32 when booked directly with Europcar.

The price remains the same, $167.32, through Citi Travel, and offers a nice haul of 2,008 Citi ThankYou Points when prepaid with the Citi Strata Elite card. Both bookings are flexible and can be refunded with no fee.

Likewise, this weeklong economy rental with a manual transmission from Zurich Airport (ZRH) costs $362.38 when booked directly with Enterprise.

The cost is $364.92 for the same rental car when booked through Citi Travel. This is $2.54 more expensive than the direct booking, but the 4,379 ThankYou Points (worth $70) more than offset this minor price discrepancy.

Of course, Citi Travel’s rental car rates may not always match the direct rates. Likewise, corporate codes or other discounts may offer additional savings when booking directly. Ultimately, it’s always worth comparing prices and factoring in the value of the ThankYou Points you’d earn before you book. Even if it’s a bit more through Citi Travel, getting an effective 19.2% rebate in the form of ThankYou Points is nothing to scoff at.

Final Thoughts

Earning 12 points per $1 on rental cars booked through Citi Travel with the Citi Strata Elite card can make your next rental car even more rewarding. Based on our valuation of 1.6 cents per ThankYou Point, this is worth at least 19.2% back on your rentals. It’s so rewarding that I’ve changed how I book rental cars when I’m traveling on international vacations.

But since the card only provides primary rental car coverage for rentals outside of your home country, those with a personal auto insurance policy may want to charge their domestic rental cars to a different card. An insurance claim for a damaged rental vehicle could raise your insurance premium and, in turn, negate your earnings.