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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
I'm not sold on the Strata Elite — but the Strata Premier might become my new wallet staple
Madison Blancaflor is the managing editor for TPG's content operations team. She focuses on helping TPG's broader editorial team bring news, features and advice to readers. She has nearly six years of experience covering the credit cards and travel industries.
August 18, 2025 • 7 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Editorial note: Citi is a TPG advertising partner.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
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TPG featured card
Quick summary
A major transferable points program now allows 1:1 transfers to American Airlines, increasing its appeal for frequent flyers seeking more flexible redemption options.
The mid-tier card in this program offers strong earning potential at hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, air travel, gas stations and EV charging stations, making it a versatile choice for many travelers.
Premium-tier cards in this ecosystem may provide additional perks like lounge access or credits, but their benefits are best suited for those who frequently use the issuer's travel portal or value luxury travel extras.
Combining a mid-tier card with a no-annual-fee option can further maximize points earning and transfer flexibility.
What to consider
The new American Airlines transfer partnership is available only on select cards within the program, not all products.
Some benefits, such as hotel credits, require bookings through the issuer's travel portal and may have minimum spend thresholds.
American Airlines miles are valued at 1.55 cents each as of August 2025 per TPG's valuations.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison of mid-tier versus premium cards in this ecosystem and guidance on choosing the best fit for your travel and spending habits.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
Now that certain Citi credit cards allow you to transfer ThankYou Rewards points to American Airlines at a 1:1 ratio, I'm planning to add the Citi Strata Premier® Card (see ) to my wallet — and I think it just might become one of my most-used cards.
Why not the Citi Strata Elite?
Some of you may be wondering: Why apply for the mid-tier Citi Strata Premier instead of the new Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (see )? While the Strata Elite does have a solid sign-up bonus and some interesting perks, the card as a whole just doesn't make sense for me.
The highest tiers of the card's earning structure and multiple benefits are geared toward spending in Citi's travel portal, which isn't my preferred way to book travel.
Earn 10 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions when you book through the Citi Travel portal
Earn 3 points per dollar spent at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations and on air travel and other hotel purchases
Enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, once per calendar year when you book through cititravel.com
Get trip delay protection, trip cancellation and interruption protection, lost or damaged luggage protection and MasterRental coverage for car rentals when you use your card for eligible purchases
Cons
$95 annual fee
It can be difficult to get good value from the $100 annual hotel benefit
More details
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
$100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Pros
Earn 10 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions when you book through the Citi Travel portal
Earn 3 points per dollar spent at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations and on air travel and other hotel purchases
Enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, once per calendar year when you book through cititravel.com
Get trip delay protection, trip cancellation and interruption protection, lost or damaged luggage protection and MasterRental coverage for car rentals when you use your card for eligible purchases
Cons
$95 annual fee
It can be difficult to get good value from the $100 annual hotel benefit
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
$100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Citi Strata Premier® Card
TPG editor's rating4
TPG editor's rating
Pros + cons
Pros
Earn 10 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions when you book through the Citi Travel portal
Earn 3 points per dollar spent at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations and on air travel and other hotel purchases
Enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, once per calendar year when you book through cititravel.com
Get trip delay protection, trip cancellation and interruption protection, lost or damaged luggage protection and MasterRental coverage for car rentals when you use your card for eligible purchases
Cons
$95 annual fee
It can be difficult to get good value from the $100 annual hotel benefit
More details
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
$100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Pros
Earn 10 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions when you book through the Citi Travel portal
Earn 3 points per dollar spent at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations and on air travel and other hotel purchases
Enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, once per calendar year when you book through cititravel.com
Get trip delay protection, trip cancellation and interruption protection, lost or damaged luggage protection and MasterRental coverage for car rentals when you use your card for eligible purchases
Cons
$95 annual fee
It can be difficult to get good value from the $100 annual hotel benefit
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
$100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Citi Strata Premier® Card
TPG editor's rating4
TPG editor's rating
Pros + cons
Pros
Earn 10 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions when you book through the Citi Travel portal
Earn 3 points per dollar spent at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations and on air travel and other hotel purchases
Enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, once per calendar year when you book through cititravel.com
Get trip delay protection, trip cancellation and interruption protection, lost or damaged luggage protection and MasterRental coverage for car rentals when you use your card for eligible purchases
Cons
$95 annual fee
It can be difficult to get good value from the $100 annual hotel benefit
More details
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
$100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Pros
Earn 10 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions when you book through the Citi Travel portal
Earn 3 points per dollar spent at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations and on air travel and other hotel purchases
Enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, once per calendar year when you book through cititravel.com
Get trip delay protection, trip cancellation and interruption protection, lost or damaged luggage protection and MasterRental coverage for car rentals when you use your card for eligible purchases
Cons
$95 annual fee
It can be difficult to get good value from the $100 annual hotel benefit
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
$100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Citi Strata Premier® Card
TPG editor's rating4
TPG editor's rating
Pros + cons
Pros
Earn 10 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions when you book through the Citi Travel portal
Earn 3 points per dollar spent at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations and on air travel and other hotel purchases
Enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, once per calendar year when you book through cititravel.com
Get trip delay protection, trip cancellation and interruption protection, lost or damaged luggage protection and MasterRental coverage for car rentals when you use your card for eligible purchases
Cons
$95 annual fee
It can be difficult to get good value from the $100 annual hotel benefit
More details
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
$100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Pros
Earn 10 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions when you book through the Citi Travel portal
Earn 3 points per dollar spent at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations and on air travel and other hotel purchases
Enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, once per calendar year when you book through cititravel.com
Get trip delay protection, trip cancellation and interruption protection, lost or damaged luggage protection and MasterRental coverage for car rentals when you use your card for eligible purchases
Cons
$95 annual fee
It can be difficult to get good value from the $100 annual hotel benefit
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
$100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
Candidly, I just wouldn't use the Blacklane credit.
For someone with different spending habits and a different existing card lineup, the Citi Strata Elite might be a solid premium card option. But I know I wouldn't get enough value out of the benefits to justify a $595 annual fee.
The $95-annual-fee Citi Strata Premier, however, is a perfect gateway for me to start banking more American Airlines miles.
Why the Citi Strata Premier makes sense for me
The Citi Strata Premier is a sometimes-overlooked credit card (I know I've certainly overlooked it in the past).
THE POINTS GUY
Earning rates
It has some of the strongest earning rates available on a mid-tier card. Cardholders earn 3 points per dollar spent on:
Air travel
EV charging stations
Gas stations
Hotels
Restaurants (including takeout)
Supermarkets
I don't currently have a card that earns on gas or EV charging stations (I don't have a car at home, but I rent cars often when I travel), and it outearns my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) and American Express® Gold Card on hotels not booked via the issuer portals.
My Amex Gold offers 4 points per dollar spent on dining worldwide (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) and at U.S. supermarkets (on the first $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar), so I already have a large stash of Amex Membership Rewards points built up.
I'll also continue to earn via online spending thanks to Amex's partnership with Rakuten — so moving some of that spending over to the Strata Premier for the benefit of American Airlines miles wouldn't be the worst idea.
I'm based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and I prefer flying out of Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) Terminal A with American Airlines for domestic travel since I get Admirals Club lounge access.
However, AAdvantage miles are not the easiest to come by since I'm not the primary cardholder on any cobranded American Airlines cards, and no card issuer has had a transfer relationship with American since the end of the Bilt partnership in mid-2024.
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Because of that, I've actually flown Delta Air Lines more than American over the past year since I can easily transfer my Amex points to Delta (and I get a 15% discount on redemptions as a Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card cardholder). But that usually means trekking from downtown Jersey City to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on public transit and forgoing lounge access.
With the Strata Premier in my wallet, I'll now have a solid stash of AAdvantage miles that I can use throughout the year. Here's to taking a quick Lyft instead of transit to the airport and enjoying a preflight drink at the Admirals Club once again.
Beyond the earning structure, the Strata Premier also comes with a low annual fee and a solid sign-up bonus of 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months from account opening.
I may or may not use the annual $100 hotel credit, given that it requires booking a single stay for $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) through the Citi Travel portal.
ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY
However, I will get value out of Citi Entertainment access for concert presales. And ultimately, I'm not as worried about maximizing every single benefit on the card, given its low annual fee.
All in all, the Strata Premier will be a great addition to my wallet that will give me more freedom when deciding how to book travel. I'm a free agent when it comes to the loyalty game as I don't currently have elite status with any hotel or airline, so more flexibility in my redemption options is always music to my ears.
While the Citi Strata Card doesn't offer direct transfers to American Airlines, you can transfer your Strata ThankYou points to the Premier to get access to the American transfer partnership.
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
The no-annual-fee Citi Strata Card is currently offering a 20,000-point, welcome bonus after you spend $1,000 in the first three months from account opening, and it earns 3 points per dollar spent on a self-selected category of your choice (fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores/barber shops/hair salons or pet supply stores).
American Airlines miles can be hard to earn unless you have a cobranded card, and TPG values them at 1.55 cents per mile as of August 2025. If you're a frequent American Airlines flyer, Citi ThankYou Rewards points just became the one transferable currency you shouldn't ignore.
Because the new American Airlines transfer partnership applies to the Citi Strata Elite, Citi Strata Premier and Citi Prestige Card (no longer available to new applicants), you have options when deciding which card you should add to your lineup. If the Elite doesn't make sense for you, which is the case for me, the Premier is a great alternative. I'm excited to add it to my wallet.
The information for the Citi Prestige 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.
