Citi Strata Premier vs. Strata Elite: Is the extra $500 annual fee worth it?
Editor's Note
Seven years in, my Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees) continues to punch above its weight class and is often overlooked among other mid-tier travel rewards credit cards.
It's a staple in my wallet that consistently rewards my gas and grocery store purchases.
However, 2025 has been a busy year for Citi with a card refresh and the highly anticipated release of a new premium card, the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (see rates and fees).
The Strata Premier provides straightforward value with impeccable earning rates for a low annual fee of $95. On the other hand, the new Strata Elite layers on statement credits and lounge access, including Admirals Club passes, for a $595 annual fee.
The annual fee gap is wide, but is the higher annual fee for the Strata Elite a worthwhile investment?
I'm the type of traveler who'll pay for the high annual fee if I'm certain I'll use the card's benefits.
If you travel frequently, like I do, we'll explore where the Strata Premier gets the edge and where the Strata Elite pulls ahead.
Strata Premier vs. Strata Elite comparison
| Card | Strata Premier | Strata Elite |
|---|---|---|
Annual fee | $95 | $595 |
Welcome bonus | Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening. | Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 in the first three months from account opening. |
Earning rates |
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Key benefits |
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Related: Strata, Premier or Elite: How to choose a Citi Strata credit card
Strata Premier vs. Strata Elite welcome offer
New cardholders of the Strata Premier can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening. Based on TPG's October 2025 valuations, the welcome offer is worth $1,140.
In the past, the Strata Premier has offered up to 80,000 bonus points (no longer available).
The Strata Elite has a much more enticing welcome offer. For a limited time, new cardholders can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 in the first three months after opening an account. Based on TPG's October 2025 valuations, this welcome offer is worth $1,900.
This is the highest online points offer we've seen on the card since launch, although the spend requirement is $2,000 higher than before.
Before deciding which card to choose, keep in mind you won't be eligible for the Strata Premier welcome bonus if you've opened a new account for a Citi Premier® Card or Citi Strata Premier within the last 48 months or converted another Citi card that earned a welcome bonus in the last 48 months into one of those two cards.
Because the Strata Elite is new, most people are eligible. And it's important to note that Citi does not have family restrictions on earning welcome bonuses on multiple "Strata" cards, so if you're looking to double down in the Citi ThankYou Rewards ecosystem, it's a good move to apply for both.
The information for the Citi Premier Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Winner: Strata Elite. The card's welcome offer is worth nearly $2,000 and potentially more if transferred to Citi travel partners.
Related: Are you eligible for the Citi Strata Elite's 100,000-point welcome bonus?
Strata Premier vs. Strata Elite benefits
The Strata Premier keeps it simple, and with a $95 annual fee, you shouldn't expect a laundry list of benefits.
The easiest way to recoup the annual fee is to take advantage of the card's $100 annual hotel credit on hotel bookings of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) made through Citi Travel.
At face value, this sounds great, but it may not yield the $100 in savings you expect. Citi Travel doesn't always have the lowest hotel rates, and the $100 discount may not be a solid deal.
Both cards also have access to benefits from Mastercard. Strata Premier cardholders can take advantage of World Elite Mastercard benefits, and Strata Elite cardholders have World Legend Mastercard benefits.
The Strata Premier and the Strata Elite have two overlapping benefits: no foreign transaction fees and access to The Reserve by Citi Travel, a premium hotel program that offers elitelike perks such as a $100 experience credit, complimentary daily breakfast and room upgrades (based on availability).
However, the Strata Elite offers much more in terms of benefits.
Strata Elite annual fee discount
Strata Elite cardholders are rewarded if they do their banking with Citi as well, in the form of:
- A $595 credit for the annual fee in the first year and a $145 credit each subsequent year for qualifying Citigold® Private Clients
- A $145 credit yearly for the annual fee for qualifying Citigold account holders
Related: Is the Citi Strata Elite worth the annual fee?
Strata Elite statement credits
This is where the Strata Elite differentiates from its lower annual fee counterpart.
The statement credits give cardholders $820 in direct value ($700 annually and $120 every four years for the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit). That's enough reason to apply for the card because you can recoup the annual fee if you use all the credits.
What I like about the Strata Elite is that the hotel credit can be applied to any hotel on Citi Travel as long as you book at least two nights. I recommend using this credit on The Reserve properties so you can save big on luxury hotels while also enjoying perks like free daily breakfast.
As a frequent traveler, I love the up to $200 annual Blacklane credit (up to $100 biannually) because I use the service often. However, if you don't travel as frequently or prefer using ride-hailing services such as Uber or renting a car, this credit provides very little value.
It's a pricey service most of the time, and I recommend using it in destinations like the Middle East or Asia, where rides to and from the airport are typically less than $120. I recently paid $105 for a ride from Istanbul Airport (IST) to Taksim Square.
The up to $200 annual Splurge credit is a unique approach to lifestyle credits. I find the credit easy to use and would rank American Airlines and Best Buy as the top merchants that would benefit frequent travelers. For example, purchasing AirTags or noise-canceling headphones for your next flight is a good way to maximize the credit.
Finally, the up to $120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit is a great perk, but it's commonly found on many travel cards.
Related: Citi Strata Elite statement credits: How to maximize your benefits
Strata Elite lounge access
The Strata Elite pulls ahead with lounge access, but with one major drawback. Citi has no issuer-branded lounges at airports, and when you're paying more than $500 for a premium travel card, it can be a point of contention.
Instead, you'll have to settle for the complimentary Priority Pass Select membership with the ability to bring up to two guests.
Citi has a close relationship with American Airlines, and the four annual Admirals Club passes are a better value proposition for cardholders, especially if you're a frequent American Airlines flyer. Although it's nothing to write home about, you can use the Splurge credit to buy more Admirals Club passes.
Winner: Strata Elite. The card offers over $800 in statement credits, along with lounge access perks.
Earning points with the Strata Premier vs. Strata Elite
There's quite a variation between the Strata Premier and the Strata Elite when it comes to earning points.
The Strata Premier offers broad bonus categories and earns:
- 10 points per dollar spent on attractions, car rentals and hotels booked through Citi Travel
- 3 points per dollar spent on airfare, electric vehicle charging stations, gas stations, hotels, supermarkets and restaurants (including takeout)
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
The Strata Elite has niche rates and earns:
- 12 points per dollar spent on attractions, car rentals and hotels booked through Citi Travel
- 6 points per dollar spent on airfare booked through Citi Travel
- 6 points per dollar spent at restaurants, including restaurant delivery services on Citi Nights purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Eastern time (earn 3 points per dollar spent on restaurant purchases outside of this window)
- 1.5 points per dollar spent on all other purchases
I'm not a big fan of booking through Citi Travel due to higher pricing and the hassle of dealing with both Citi Travel's customer service and the merchant's if there are travel changes or disruptions. Unless I'm using the Strata Elite's hotel statement credit, I won't use the portal for hotel purchases or anything else.
The card's approach to earning bonus points on dining purchases within a specific time frame is innovative, but unless you're spending hundreds of dollars on Friday and Saturday nights, an up to 11.4% (based on TPG's October 2025 valuations) return isn't as realistic or rewarding as it claims to be.
The Strata Premier takes the edge here with its wide range of bonus-earning categories, making it an excellent card for everyday spending.
Earning 3 points per dollar spent in popular categories, no matter the time, is a more practical approach to earning bonus points. I use my Strata Premier strictly for EV charging, gas stations and supermarket purchases, and I earn more ThankYou Rewards points than if I were a Strata Elite Card holder.
Winner: Strata Premier. The bonus-earning categories make it an excellent card for everyday spending, and it's more rewarding than earning on Citi Travel purchases.
Related: Maximizing credit cards to become points-rich without spending a ton
Redeeming points with the Strata Premier vs. Strata Elite
ThankYou Rewards points earned on the Strata Premier and the Strata Elite can be redeemed for cash back, Citi Travel purchases, gift cards and statement credits.
When redeeming points for Citi Travel purchases, expect your redemption to be 1 cent per point, well below TPG's October 2025 valuations. I've gotten slightly better value in the past of 1.1 cents per point when redeeming for a Lululemon gift card, but that was during a sale.
The best way to redeem your hard-earned points is to transfer them to Citi's airline and hotel partners.
Winner: Tie. Both allow cardholders to redeem points through several methods, including transferring them to valuable hotel and airline partners.
Related: How (and why) you should earn transferable credit card points
Transferring points with the Strata Premier vs. Strata Elite
The ThankYou Rewards program has the most transfer partners of any major credit card issuer. It includes 16 airline transfer partners, five hotel partners and one shopping partner. Some great transfer partners include Air France-KLM Flying Blue, American Airlines AAdvantage and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
The majority of transfers have a 1:1 transfer ratio, and it's the best way to get the most value from your points as a holder of the Strata Premier or the Strata Elite.
I recently transferred 70,000 points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club for a one-way business-class flight in my all-time favorite, the Qsuite, from Doha's Hamad International Airport (DOH) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). This flight averages around $4,400, and my redemption was worth 6.4 cents per point, far more than TPG's October 2025 valuations of 1.9 cents for Citi ThankYou Rewards points.
If you transfer your points during a transfer bonus, you can stretch your points even further for better value.
Winner: Tie. Both cards have access to the same transfer partners at the same ratios.
Related: Best ways to redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards points
Should I get the Strata Premier or Strata Elite?
If your focus is on maximizing bonus categories, transferring points and paying a modest annual fee, the Strata Premier is more than enough.
If booking travel through Citi Travel is your preference and you are looking for premium offerings like statement credits and lounge access, the Strata Elite makes sense. This card requires organization, and if you aren't maximizing the statement credits or the Citi Nights earning rate, there's no reason to pay $595, and you should set your sights on the lower-lift Strata Premier.
Related: I'm not sold on the Strata Elite — but the Strata Premier might become my new wallet staple
Bottom line
Before the release of the Strata Elite, I was excited to speculate what Citi had been planning based on my love of the easy-to-use Strata Premier. As a frequent traveler, you can get good use out of the Strata Elite with its statement credits and Admirals Club passes, but the trade-off is niche earning rates.
On the other hand, the Strata Premier's $95 annual fee is a great deal, considering the excellent earning rates, and if you already have another premium card that provides statement credits and lounge access, the case for the Strata Elite is moot.
To learn more, check out our full review of the Strata Premier and our full review of the Strata Elite.
Apply here: Citi Strata Premier Card
Apply here: Citi Strata Elite Card