Why the Citi Strata Premier and the Strata are an excellent pair

Some issues in life are higher in twos — and that is completely the case with the Citi Strata Premier® Card (see charges and charges) and the Citi Strata℠ Card (see charges and charges).

Whereas the Citi Strata Premier is a good stand-alone journey bank card, it’s best to contemplate including the Citi Strata to earn one other welcome bonus and extra factors on on a regular basis spending.

This is the within scoop on how this duo works.

Associated: Greatest Citi playing cards

Earn 2 welcome bonuses

The Citi Strata Premier encompasses a welcome supply of 60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.

In the meantime, the Citi Strata affords 30,000 bonus factors after spending $1,000 on purchases inside three months of account opening.

Based mostly on TPG’s September 2025 valuations, these welcome affords are price $1,140 and $570, respectively — netting you as much as $1,710 in worth in case you get each playing cards.

Simply do not forget that Citi has an utility restriction on these playing cards. You will not obtain the welcome bonus on the Strata or the Strata Elite in case you beforehand obtained a bonus on the cardboard (or a card that you just transformed to it) prior to now 48 months.

Low mixed annual charges

This card duo has a low mixed annual charge of simply $95. The Citi Strata Premier has a $95 annual charge, and the Citi Strata has no annual charge in any respect.

Even after you have earned the welcome bonus, the playing cards’ low mixed annual charge makes this duo price holding in your pockets yr after yr.

Associated: The 7 finest bank cards with annual charges below $100

Enhance your points-earning

The following promoting level of holding each playing cards is their complementary incomes charges.

Use the Citi Strata Premier for almost all of your bonused spending, together with:

(Since each playing cards overlap on Citi Journey portal purchases, supermarkets, gasoline and EV charging, it is easier to only use the Strata Premier for these purchases, because it has fewer bonus classes to recollect.)

Then, you will need to use the Citi Strata for:

• Choose transit (3 factors per greenback spent)
• An eligible self-select class* that you would be able to change every quarter (3 factors per greenback spent)

*Self-select classes embody barber outlets, beauty shops and hair salons, health golf equipment, stay leisure, pet provide shops and choose streaming providers.

So, the Strata needs to be your go-to card for purchases corresponding to these from ride-hailing providers, fitness center memberships and sports activities and live performance tickets.

Each playing cards earn 1 level per greenback spent on all nonbonus spending. Collectively, the Strata and the Strata Premier cowl most bonus class spending, incomes a minimum of 2 factors per greenback spent on most purchases.

Nonetheless, if you wish to make sure you earn a minimum of 2 factors per greenback spent on each buy, contemplate including the no-annual-fee Citi Double Money® Card (see charges and charges) to earn 2% money again (1% once you purchase and 1% once you pay). That money again will be transformed to Citi ThankYou Rewards factors and helps create the Citi Trifecta.

Associated: Have all the favored bank cards? Listed here are 10 choices in your subsequent utility

Entry Citi’s switch companions

All of the factors you earn from the Citi Strata will be transferred to 22 loyalty applications — simply at a diminished ratio of 1:0.7 for many. Nonetheless, by holding the Strata Premier, you’ll be able to switch your factors at a greater ratio of 1:1 (for many companions). So, 100,000 Citi factors can flip into 100,000 airline or resort factors or miles (for many companions).

Citi additionally affords frequent switch bonuses of as much as 50% with choose loyalty companions.

When you can learn our intensive information on maximizing Citi ThankYou Rewards factors for journey, here is a preview of a few of our favourite methods to redeem them.

Associated: Bank card switch bonuses

Maximize your redemptions

You get poor worth out of your ThankYou Rewards factors in case you redeem them for money again at solely 0.5 and 0.75 cents per level on the Citi Strata and Strata Premier, respectively.

Nonetheless, you’ll be able to enhance your redemption worth by transferring them to Citi’s airline and resort switch companions, corresponding to American Airways AAdvantage, Avianca LifeMiles and Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership. Listed here are some examples.

Qatar Airways Qsuite to Doha for 70,000 Citi factors one-way

One other Citi switch companion that may supply nice worth is Qatar Airways Privilege Membership. For 70,000 Avios one-way (plus about $200 in taxes), you’ll be able to fly Qsuite, the provider’s flagship business-class product, from any U.S. gateway to Doha. You should utilize instruments like Seats.aero that can assist you discover availability.

And you are not restricted to Qatar Airways bookings with Avios. After transferring your ThankYou Rewards factors to the Qatar Airways Privilege Membership program, you should use them to e-book flights with airways like British Airways and Aer Lingus.

Associated: Qatar Airways Qsuite assessment: Nonetheless setting the usual for enterprise class (and a mileage candy spot)

American Airways premium financial system to Japan for 45,000 Citi factors one-way

You may switch your Citi ThankYou Rewards factors to American Airways AAdvantage to attain a premium financial system seat to Tokyo for as few as 45,000 American miles (plus taxes and charges of simply $5.60).

You could find availability at this value even from East Coast airports like New York’s John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK).

Associated: Journey to Japan with factors and miles: Greatest methods to redeem your rewards for flights and inns

United Airways financial system flights throughout the US for 10,000 Citi factors one-way

You may stretch the worth of your factors by reserving quick financial system flights with United Airways.

By transferring simply 10,000 Citi ThankYou Rewards factors to Avianca LifeMiles, you’ll be able to fly quick hops like Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) to Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA) or from Orlando Worldwide Airport (MCO) to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

For those who have been to e-book these flights on United straight, you’ll usually pay 12,500 to fifteen,000 miles.

This will also be an effective way to avoid wasting on home flights when money costs are excessive throughout busy journey intervals like summer time or the winter vacation season. You probably have a small variety of ThankYou Rewards factors, it is a good way to make use of them.

Associated: United MileagePlus: Information to incomes and redeeming miles, elite standing and extra

Boutique or unbiased resort stays

For those who’re seeking to keep at a novel resort, you’ll be able to switch your Citi factors to I Favor Lodge Rewards at a ratio of 1:4 (1,000 Citi factors for 4,000 I Favor factors). I Favor Lodge Rewards is a group of unbiased and boutique inns that you just usually would not be capable of e-book with factors. You may see the complete listing of inns bookable with factors right here.

I Favor makes use of a hard and fast fee for award nights priced between 15,000 and 150,000 factors per evening. For the reason that switch ratio is 1:4, divide the full variety of factors wanted per evening by 4 to get the variety of factors that you must switch.

For instance, you can keep on the Lodge Grand Pacific, a boutique resort within the coronary heart of Victoria, British Columbia, in the summertime — it is a beautiful summer time vacation spot — for both $234 or 30,000 I Favor Lodge Rewards factors an evening. Nonetheless, you’d solely must switch 7,500 Citi factors per evening to e-book this resort, netting you a price of three.1 cents per level.

Backside line

The Citi ThankYou Rewards program affords an in depth roster of switch companions, with worldwide companions spanning each main airline alliance and a few profitable resort redemptions.

Holding each the Citi Strata Premier and the Strata covers most of your spending, permitting you to maximise earnings and providing you with full entry to Citi’s loyalty companions at the most effective switch ratio — all for simply $95 in mixed annual charges.

Now might be a good time to leverage this card duo as you look to plan future journeys.

To be taught extra, take a look at our full opinions of the Citi Strata and the Citi Strata Premier.

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