7 Citi Strata Elite Benefits You Didn’t Know About

• Written by Andrew Kunesh
  

  Andrew Kunesh

  Award travel and travel credit cards

  Andrew Kunesh has written about award travel and credit cards for nearly 10 years. He was previously a Senior Editor at The Points Guy and CNN Underscored, and is now a freelance writer and editor who contributes to top travel publications. His work has appeared on The Points Guy, CNN, Upgraded Points, CreditKarma, Travel + Leisure, and various other publications. Andrew grew up in the Chicago suburbs and moved to New York City in 2018 after graduating from DePaul University's College of Computing and Digital Media. His credit card portfolio spans most major transferable points currencies, but his favorite currencies to earn and redeem are American Express Membership Rewards and Bilt Rewards points. This is thanks to many ways to redeem these points for high-end travel. He estimates he's redeemed over 2 million points and miles since he got his first travel credit card in 2014. He travels over 100,000 miles annually, primarily funded with credit card, airline, and hotel rewards. His favorite places to travel are Prague, Hong Kong, London, Penang, and Tokyo, but he's always searching for the next hot destination. When he's not traveling (or writing about it), you'll find Andrew in New York City searching for the best new restaurant.

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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 30, 2025

The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card, an advertising partner, is the newest addition to the ever-growing luxury travel credit card market. The card offers a suite of benefits, including airport lounge access, high earning rates on select purchases and travel-friendly statement credits. Many of the benefits are unique to the Citi Strata Elite and are not found on other premium credit cards.

Let’s look at the Citi Strata Elite’s main benefits and how to use them. Use this article as a reference point when deciding whether or not to open the card — after all, it has a $595 annual fee, so if the benefits don’t work for you, it’s worth looking at another credit card.

1. Priority Pass Select Airport Lounge Membership

Priority Pass is a collection of over 1,700 airport lounges worldwide. You’ll find them at many major US airports, including Miami (MIA), New York-JFK, San Francisco (SFO) and Washington-Dulles (IAD). In my experience, they tend to be more common in Asia and Europe, with almost every major airport in these regions having at least one Priority Pass lounge.

The quality of Priority Pass lounges varies greatly by location. Priority Pass is a network of airport lounges, ranging from airline-sponsored lounges to non-affiliated, independent lounge networks, such as The Club. I’ve had mixed experiences at Priority Pass lounges over the years.

For example, the Concordia Lounge at Densapar (DPS) airport in Bali, Indonesia, is one of the worst lounges I’ve visited in terms of food and drink quality and comfort. Meanwhile, The Club at San Francisco (SFO) is one of my favorite airport lounges, offering locally sourced food and drink, as well as a modern look.

The Priority Pass Select membership included with the Citi Strata Elite provides unlimited access to Priority Pass lounges worldwide for you and up to two guests. You can bring more guests for $35 per person. Note that this membership doesn’t include access to Priority Pass restaurants or other non-lounge experiences. Access rules will vary by lounge.

2. American Airlines Admirals Club Lounge Passes

Citi Strata Elite cardmembers also receive four American Airlines Admirals Club lounge passes per year. One pass admits one adult and up to three children under 18, and you can use your passes for other guests. Unfortunately, authorized users do not receive Admirals Club passes.

You must be traveling with American Airlines or a Oneworld partner to use these passes. Once activated, you can access as many Admirals Clubs as you’d like within a 24-hour window. So if you’re flying from Atlanta (ATL) to London (LHR) via Philadelphia (PHL), you can access the Admirals Club at Atlanta before your first flight and in Philadelphia during your connection. You can view these passes in the American Airlines app — be prepared to show the lounge agent a QR code for your pass upon entry.

You’ll find Admirals Clubs at all American Airlines hubs — including Dallas (DFW), Chicago (ORD), New York-JFK and others — and at various other major airports around the country. Check American Airlines’ website to see if your home airport has an Admirals Club.

3. Earn at Least 1.5 Points per Dollar

One standout feature of the Citi Strata Elite Card is its earning rates on everyday and travel purchases. The card earns Citi ThankYou® points, which you can redeem in various ways. For instance, you can transfer points to Citi’s partner airline and hotel loyalty programs, including American Airlines AAdvantage, JetBlue TrueBlue, Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards.

The card earns points at the following rates:

• 12x points: Hotels, car rentals and attractions booked via CitiTravel.com
• 6x points: Air travel booked via CitiTravel.com
• 6x points: Restaurants on Citi Nights (Fridays and Saturdays, 6  p.m. to 6 a.m Eastern Time)
• 3x points: Restaurants (all other times)
• 1.5x points: All other purchases

These are solid earn rates — especially if you book hotel and rental cars through Citi Travel. Likewise, earning 6 points per dollar on dining on Friday and Saturday nights is industry-leading. However, note that the time is always pegged to Eastern Time and does not change if you’re in another time zone.

Further, earning 1.5 points per dollar on everything else is a great way to earn more than 1 point per dollar on the rest of your purchases. This makes the Citi Strata Elite an excellent contender for a one-card wallet, since you’ll always earn at least 1.5x points on every eligible purchase.

4. $200 Annual Splurge Statement Credit To Use at Various Merchants

The card includes an annual $200 Splurge Credit that you can use towards purchases at a handful of merchants. You’ll receive up to $200 in statement credits when you select up to two preferred merchants before you make a purchase, so you can use $100 of your credit at merchant A and $100 at merchant B if you’d like.

Eligible merchants include:

• 1stDibs
• American Airlines
• Best Buy
• Future Personal Training
• Live Nation / Ticketmaster

With a broad range of merchants, it should be easy for most cardmembers to take advantage of this perk. For example, earlier this year, I used my Splurge Credit toward a new iPad at Best Buy. But you might choose to book airfare with American Airlines or buy new furniture with 1stDibs.

5. $200 Annual Blacklane Ride Statement Credit

The card also includes up to $200 in annual statement credits toward Blacklane rides. This is a chauffeur service that operates in most cities around the world, providing high-end rides to or from the airport or elsewhere in the city.

The credit is split into two: up to $100 is provided January through June, and up to $100 is provided July through December. To use the credit, enroll on Citi’s website, make a reservation through Blacklane’s website, and use your Strata Elite Card to pay for your ride.

I used this credit for a ride from the Brussels (BRU) airport to my hotel in the city center over the summer. The credit was posted quickly and covered most of my ride. I was greeted at the airport with a BMW i5 and had a comfortable ride to my hotel.

6. $300 Annual Citi Travel Hotel Credit

Further, the card includes up to a $300 credit each year toward any hotel booked on Citi Travel, provided it’s prepaid and for at least two nights. Unlike the other credits on this list, this is an immediate discount. When you pay for your room on Citi Travel, you’ll see an option to redeem the credit.

I used this credit for a stay in Kalispell, Montana, earlier this month. I just booked through Citi Travel, and it worked exactly as expected. That said, hotels that are a part of a major chain — for example, Hyatt or Marriott — that are booked through Citi Travel will not earn hotel points or be eligible to use elite status benefits, if applicable.

7. Purchase and Travel Protection Benefits

Finally, the Citi Strata Elite Card has a handful of purchase and travel protections. These apply to any eligible purchase that you charge to your card, but you should refer to your cardmember guide for any restrictions.

Coverage includes:

• Purchase protection: New purchases are covered from theft or damage for 90 days of purchase or delivery, up to $10,000 per item, and $50,000 per 12-month period.
• Extended warranty: This adds up to 24 months to the manufacturer’s warranty or extended warranty (if purchased) on eligible purchases charged to the card. It will repair or reimburse you for a replacement for these items, up to $10,000 per item
• Trip delay coverage: Be reimbursed for up to $500 in expenses when a flight charged to your card is delayed by six hours or longer. You can be reimbursed for lodging and essential items. You can claim up to two times per 12-month period.
• Trip cancellation and interruption coverage: If you need to cancel or cut your trip short due to a covered reason, you can be reimbursed for up to $5,000 in nonrefundable expenses, up to two claims per 12-month period.
• Rental car insurance: Rental cars charged to your card are covered against damage and theft. Note that this coverage is secondary, and some vehicle types are excluded.
• Lost or damaged luggage: You can be reimbursed for items in your checked luggage if your bag is lost or damaged, provided you charged your ticket to your card.