6 Citi Strata Benefits You Didn’t Know About 

• Written by Dia Adams
  

  Dia Adams

  Credit cards, travel rewards, travel, personal finance

  Dia Adams has been featured on national television, radio, print, and online media as an expert in the realm of credit cards, travel rewards, and family travel. She has acted as a senior staff editor on the personal finance team at Fortune and as a managing editor at Forbes Advisor. Dia has been writing about credit cards and travel rewards for over a decade, and has also written a best-selling guidebook on Disney World. She created, organized, and hosted Family Travel for Real Life (FT4RL), a successful travel rewards-focused conference that ran for six years. Outside of work, Dia is a mom of two residing in the DC Metro area. Between growing up in foreign service and working in consulting, she built up a serious love of travel that includes visiting over 50 countries and living in Thailand, China, and Ireland, where her son was born.

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• Edited by Emily Gadd
  

  Emily Gadd

  Credit Cards, Personal Finance, Health & Wellness

  Emily Gadd is an editor, responsible for writing about personal finance and credit cards. She got her start writing and editing at Healthline. She is passionate about creating educational content that makes complex topics accessible. Emily lives in Seattle with her husband and two cats.

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• Reviewed by Jasmin Baron
  

  Jasmin Baron

  Credit Cards, Travel Rewards, Loyalty Programs, Family Travel, Credit Building, Credit Scores

  Jasmin Baron is CardCritics’ senior editor, responsible for editing and writing credit cards, travel rewards, loyalty program, and other credit-related content. She is passionate about personal finance education and enjoys sharing tips and tricks for making the most credit card points and miles with her readers. Her expertise in maximizing credit card travel rewards originated from over two decades of aviation industry experience, including 18 years working as a pilot and college professor/flight instructor in her native Canada. Her work has appeared on sites such as CNN Underscored Money, Business Insider, The Points Guy, and point.me. When she’s not planning her next trip with credit card rewards, you’ll probably find her tinkering around in the kitchen, hanging out with her three kids, or playing with her dog, Benji.

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• Last Updated Sep 29, 2025

Premium credit cards grab headlines with flashy perks and annual fees that can make your jaw drop. But not everyone wants — or needs — a card that costs close to a thousand dollars each year just to sit in their wallet. The Citi Strata℠ Card, an advertising partner, takes a different approach, quietly offering solid rewards without charging an annual fee. It’s a no-frills option that rewards your real-world spending while keeping things simple and cost-effective.

If you’re focused on earning points that actually matter and want a card that bends to your lifestyle without stressing your budget, the Citi Strata Card is worth a closer look. From customizable bonus categories to generous points on everyday essentials and even points you can use on travel, this Citi credit card quietly packs more power than its price tag suggests. Here are six Citi Strata benefits you probably didn’t know about — until now.

1. Customize Your Bonus Category Every Three Months 

This is the real standout feature of the Citi Strata Card. Each quarter, you get to pick one eligible self-select category where you earn 3 points on every dollar spent. Unlike typical rigid bonus categories, you get flexible control to tailor rewards where it suits you best. 

Best of all, there’s no opt-in or lose nonsense like with other bonus category cards; you’ll start off with 3x on streaming services until you update it. As someone who has missed out on quarterly bonuses more than once for failing to register, I really appreciate the Strata’s approach to bonus points. There are also no quarterly limits on how much you can earn. 

Your options include:

• Fitness clubs
• Select streaming services
• Live entertainment (think concerts, pro sports or shows)
• Pet supply stores
• Cosmetic stores, barber shops and hair salons

Don’t like your category this quarter? Change it when the next one starts. This kind of personalized bonus is rare and can supercharge your points where you actually spend money.

2. Generous Earning Where You Spend Most 

The Strata offers a well-rounded package of bonus categories covering daily essentials and travel, so points pile up in all the places that actually matter. Supermarkets, gas stations, EV charging stations and select transit rides (like taxis and rideshares) earn you 3x points. Dining out gets a respectable 2x points. And when you book hotels, car rentals or attractions through Citi Travel, you earn 5x points. 

3. Intro 0% APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers

The Citi Strata Card offers a commendable 0% intro APR for 15 months on Purchases and Balance Transfers, then 18.99% - 28.99% (Variable) APR. This means you can buy something big or move existing balances to this card and pay no interest for over a year. 

The Strata’s interest-free window can be a financial lifesaver when managing a big expense or consolidating debt. Just be mindful of the standard APR that kicks in afterward, and use this time to make the most of the interest-free stretch.

4. One of the Few No-Annual-Fee Cards That Let You Transfer Points 

The Citi Strata Card lets you transfer ThankYou points to Citi’s airline and hotel partners even without an annual fee — a rare feature among no-annual-fee travel credit cards. However, the transfer ratios are lower than the premium Citi cards with fees. For most partners, you’ll get 0.7 points for every 1 Citi point transferred (a 30% reduction compared to premium cards).

Here are the main Citi ThankYou transfer partners with their no annual fee card transfer ratios of 1 to 0.7:

• American Airlines AAdvantage
• Avianca Lifemiles 
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Etihad Guest
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club 
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer 
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
• Wyndham Rewards

Some partners, like Accor Live Limitless and Emirates, have distinct lower ratios, but Choice Privileges has a higher rate of 1 to 1.4, making this program a good deal for transfers. Transfer ratios and partner access can vary, so always check current terms. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a transfer bonus for extra value. 

I get tremendous value out of transferring ThankYou points to Choice Privileges. From Panama Canal-view suites to historic Williamsburg, Virginia, estates, Choice has many more options than roadside motels (though they have a ton of them, too).  

If you also hold the Citi Strata Premier® Card or Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (advertising partners), you can combine your ThankYou points across these accounts. This synergy unlocks full 1:1 transfer ratios and access to the complete roster of partners, significantly expanding the value and flexibility of your points.

5. Flexible Point Redemption With ThankYou Points

If transferring points to travel partners is too complicated, you’re not out of luck. The Citi Strata Card earns ThankYou points, which come with a wide range of redemption options to fit different spending styles and preferences. You can use your points to:

• Book travel directly through the Citi Travel portal, including flights, hotels, car rentals and activities
• Redeem points for gift cards from popular retailers and brands
• Shop with points, using points at checkout at retailers such as Amazon
• Convert points to statement credits to offset recent purchases on your card or a direct deposit

Just keep in mind that redemption values can vary depending on how and where you redeem. For instance, booking travel through Citi Travel usually offers better value than shopping with Citi points or redeeming them for statement credits, so it’s worth exploring the portal or other options when making decisions.

Citi Travel doesn’t just have plane and hotel options. Attraction tickets are available as well for a redemption rate of 1 cent per point, making Citi ThankYou a great option if you are trying to redeem points for Disney or Universal tickets. Disney is notoriously hard to visit on points, so the Strata could be worth getting for that benefit alone. 

Gift cards go on sale from time to time, making them another decent redemption option if you know you’ll use them. 

6. Access to Citi Entertainment Presale Tickets 

Another often overlooked perk is Citi Entertainment. Strata cardholders get presale ticket opportunities and preferred access to concerts, theater, sports and other live events. Scoring early access means fewer sold-out nights and more chances to catch popular shows or games without the last-minute scramble. There’s a massive list of performers with Citi Entertainment as varied as Mariah Carey, Cardi B and Larry the Cable Guy. 

Pro tip: If you have a big concert ticket purchase coming up, be sure to select “live entertainment” as your 3x earnings category. 

Bottom Line

The Citi Strata Card doesn’t flash loud or offer high-profile perks, but it’s quietly smart. With thoughtful bonus categories, strong everyday earnings, meaningful travel points, and the rare luxury of transferable points on a no-annual-fee card, it delivers value without an annual fee weighing you down. If you want a straightforward rewards card that works for real life — not just premium marketing — Citi Strata should be high on your list.