I Got the Citi Strata Elite Card and Atmos Rewards Summit Card — Here’s the One I’m Keeping

Last summer was a busy one for premium credit cards. The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card arrived in July 2025, followed by the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite^® card in August. As a credit card junkie who frequently flies American Airlines and the other Oneworld carriers, I was interested in both.

The Citi Strata Elite card and Atmos Rewards Summit card both caught my attention for different reasons, particularly because of how well they fit with the way I travel and use points and miles.

I applied for both around the same time and spent the past year putting them to the test. Now that the annual fees are due, I’ve made my decision. Here’s which card is staying in my wallet and which one is going.

Quick Look at Both Cards

Before I get into which card I’m keeping and which one I’m closing, here’s a quick look at what each card offers.

Citi Strata Elite Card

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

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.

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Citi Strata Elite℠ Card

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

Welcome Offer

Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.

75,000 Points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $1,200

Annual Fee

$595

APR

20.74% to 28.74% 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 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
• Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com
• Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time
• Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
• 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.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.74% to 28.74% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

The Citi Strata Elite card⁠ has a $595 annual fee and earns Citi ThankYou Points, which eligible cardholders can transfer to American Airlines and other travel partners.

Its earning rates include 12x on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through Citi Travel, 6x on airfare booked through the portal, and 6x at restaurants during Citi Nights (Friday and Saturday evenings from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Eastern time). Restaurant purchases outside those windows earn 3x, while other eligible purchases earn 1.5x.

A few standout benefits include an up to $300 annual hotel benefit for eligible Citi Travel stays of at least 2 nights, up to $200 in annual Splurge Credit with certain brands, and up to $200 in annual Blacklane credit (split into $100 from January through June and $100 from July through December). It also includes Priority Pass Select membership and 4 American Airlines Admirals Club passes per calendar year.

Atmos Rewards Summit Card

Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite^® 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 Atmos Rewards Summit card is the perfect companion for Alaska Airlines loyalists.

Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite^® card

The Atmos Rewards Summit card is the perfect companion for Alaska Airlines loyalists.

Welcome Offer

Earn 100,000 points and a 25,000-point Global Companion Award after spending $6,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.

100,000 points + 25K Global Companion Award

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$1,600

Annual Fee

$395

APR

19.74% to 27.74% Variable

Why We Like This Card

The Atmos Rewards Summit card is perfect for any frequent Alaska or Hawaiian flyer who wants a card loaded with great benefits, such as an annual Global Companion Award, Alaska Lounge passes, free checked bags, and a fast-track toward Atmos Rewards elite status.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 3x points on Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines purchases
• 3x points on dining and foreign purchases made overseas
• 1x points on all other purchases

Cons

• $395 annual fee
• Points aren’t as flexible as other transferable reward programs

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Card Highlights

• Earn 100,000 points and a 25,000-point Global Companion Award after spending $6,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
• 3x points on Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines purchases
• 3x points on dining and foreign purchases made overseas
• 1x points on all other purchases
• Receive 10,000 status points each year and 1 status point for every $2 of card spend
• 10% rewards bonus on all points earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America account.
• 25,000-point Global Companion Award annually
• 100,000-point Global Companion Award (after spending $60,000 or more on purchases in a card anniversary year)
• $395 annual fee

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.74% to 27.74% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: 

The Atmos Rewards Summit card⁠ has a $395 annual fee and earns 3x Atmos Rewards points on eligible dining, foreign purchases, and Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines purchases. Other purchases earn 1x, and the card has no foreign transaction fees.

Its standout benefit for me is the 25,000-point Global Companion Award issued each account anniversary, which can reduce the points needed for a companion’s award ticket. Cardholders can also earn a 100,000-point Global Companion Award after $60,000 in purchases during a card anniversary year.

Other perks include 8 Alaska Lounge passes per calendar year, dispersed as 2 passes issued per quarter, and waived partner award booking fees on eligible redemptions.

Atmos Rewards Points Are More Valuable to Me

The big reason I’m leaning toward keeping the Atmos Rewards Summit card? It really comes down to the points.

Living in South Florida, I fly American Airlines almost monthly and rarely, if ever, fly Alaska Airlines. So why would I prioritize earning Atmos Rewards points over Citi ThankYou Points, which I can transfer directly to American AAdvantage?

When American releases award space to partners, I can often book the exact same American flight by redeeming Atmos Rewards points for less than what AAdvantage charges. That’s where Atmos points shine for me.

To put that into perspective, here’s a real-world example. This American Airlines business class flight from Miami (MIA) to Barcelona (BCN) costs 90,500 AAdvantage miles plus $5.60 when booked through American.

The exact same flight costs just 55,000 Atmos Rewards points plus $26 through Alaska. That’s 35,500 fewer points for the exact same seat.

This is exactly why Atmos Rewards points are so valuable to me — and, honestly, why the Atmos Rewards Summit card is my favorite airline card.

Earning 3x Abroad Makes the Atmos Rewards Summit Card Even More Useful

The value I get from Atmos points is a big reason I’m keeping the Atmos Rewards Summit card. But just as important is how easy the card makes it for me to earn more of them. The benefit I’ve come to appreciate most is 3x points on eligible foreign purchases.

I travel internationally about a dozen times a year, so that category gets plenty of use. Whether I’m shopping at a department store in Tokyo, buying tickets for a local tour in Mallorca, paying for public transportation in Paris, or sitting down for a meal in Bogotá, the Atmos Rewards Summit card is usually the one I pull out.

On other cards, those purchases could fall into several different bonus categories. With the Atmos Rewards Summit card, eligible foreign purchases earn at the same 3x rate, so I don’t have to think much about which card to use.

That simplicity matters when I’m traveling. I can just pay and move on, knowing I’m earning 3x toward a balance of Atmos Rewards points that, as I showed above, I know I can redeem for excellent value.

Atmos Rewards Summit Card’s Companion Award Is Another Reason I’m Keeping It

The Atmos Rewards Summit card’s annual 25,000-point Global Companion Award is another benefit that works well for me, especially since I often travel with my wife and daughters. It can cover up to 25,000 points of a companion’s eligible award ticket when we travel together on the same itinerary.

For example, if I found 2 one-way business-class awards for my daughter and me from Miami to Buenos Aires (EZE) for 50,000 Atmos points each, I’d pay 50,000 points for my ticket and just 25,000 points for one of my daughter’s tickets after applying the award.

What I like most is that I don’t have to go out of my way to use it. The award works with partner airlines, including American, so it fits naturally with how I already redeem Atmos points. That, earning 3x abroad, and how much value I get from Atmos Rewards points makes keeping the card for another year an easy decision.

Citi Strata Elite Card Took More Effort To Maximize

I really wanted the Citi Strata Elite card to be a keeper. But the more I looked at how I actually used the card over a year, the harder it became to justify another $595 annual fee.

Citi Nights is a good example. As a Citi Strata Elite cardholder, I can earn 6x ThankYou Points at restaurants on Friday and Saturday nights from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Eastern time. That’s a strong return — when my meals happen to fall within that window. For me, they usually don’t.

With 3 kids and a busy travel schedule and lifestyle, meals happen whenever they happen. I don’t want to think about the time when deciding which card to use at a restaurant.

The card’s credits were a similar story. I redeemed the full amount of the up-to-$200 annual Blacklane credit and up-to-$200 annual Splurge Credit. Those benefits helped make the first year worthwhile, but renewing means signing up for another year of tracking when and where I could use them.

I already have premium cards with luxury benefits that reset monthly, quarterly, or twice a year, or that require purchases from specific merchants or bookings through specific portals. I spend enough time keeping track of those credits and benefits to make their hefty annual fees worthwhile. At this point, I’m happy to have one less card to keep track of.

Final Thoughts

The 25,000-point companion award, the points I earn abroad, and how valuable Atmos Rewards points are to me for booking American Airlines and other Oneworld flights mean I’m keeping the Atmos Rewards Summit card and canceling the Citi Strata Elite card at renewal.

The $200 difference in annual fees helps, too, but the bigger factor is how naturally the Atmos Rewards Summit card fits into my travel.

After a year with both cards, that’s ultimately what matters most to me: which benefits and earning categories I actually use, not just which ones look good on paper.