Citi Strata Card Review: High Rewards Rates With No Annual Fee

Citi Strata Benefits

Welcome Bonus

For a limited time, new Citi Strata cardholders can earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. That’s redeemable for up to $300 in travel booked through Citi, or potentially more if you transfer points to airline and hotel partners for award flights. (This valuation is an estimate that was made by CardCritics™ and results may vary.)

This is a generous bonus for a no-annual-fee credit card, and the spending requirement is relatively easy to reach.

Generous Rewards

As an existing cardholder, I’m very happy with the improvements to the Strata, especially the boost in earning rates. The card features a significantly expanded earning structure compared to the old Rewards+ Card. You can earn:

• 5 points per dollar on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked through Citi Travel℠
• 3 points per dollar at supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations, and on select transit purchases
• 3 points per dollar in your self-select category (choose from select streaming services, fitness clubs, pet supply stores, cosmetic stores/hair salons/barber shops, or live entertainment)
• 2 points per dollar at restaurants
• 1 point per dollar on all other purchases

All categories are uncapped, so there’s no limit to the number of Citi ThankYou points you can earn. I’m particularly thrilled by the self-select category, which you can change once per quarter to tailor rewards earning to your spending habits. I already spend a ton at pet supply stores for my dog, Benji, so earning 3x points in this category is a nice bonus.

To compare, the old Rewards+ Card only earned 2x points at supermarkets and gas stations (on the first $6,000 spent per year, then 1x). So the Strata Card’s earning rates are a massive improvement that make it ideal for common everyday expenses.

Intro APR

New Citi Strata cardholders can take advantage of a 0% intro APR for 15 months on Purchases and Balance Transfers, then 19.24% – 29.24% (Variable). This is competitive with other top cards with 0% APR offers, and can give you the breathing room you need if you have big purchases coming up or want to consolidate credit card debt.

If you decide to use the card for a balance transfer, keep the balance transfer fee in mind: You’ll pay 3% (minimum $5) of the amount of each transfer completed within the first four months of account opening, and 5% thereafter.

Transfer Partners

The most lucrative way to use Citi ThankYou points is by transferring them to Citi’s airline and hotel partners. Citi Strata cardholders can now transfer points to Citi’s partners, including:

• Accor Live Limitless
• Aeromexico Club Premier
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• American Airlines AAdvantage
• Avianca LifeMiles
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Choice Privileges
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Guest
• Eva Air Infinity MileageLands
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Leading Hotels of the World Leaders Club
• Preferred Hotels and Resorts I Prefer
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
• Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• Wyndham Rewards

Previously, Rewards+ Card members only had access to a handful of these partners, so this feature is an improvement. However, there are some major caveats we’ll get into later.

Other Benefits

When you use your Citi Strata Card to pay for an eligible item, you’ll receive coverage that can protect your purchase and potentially save you money:

• Purchase protection: If an eligible item is damaged or stolen within 90 days of purchase, you can be reimbursed up to $1,000 per incident and up to $50,000 per year.
• Extended warranty: You can have 24 months added to the manufacturer’s warranty on eligible items paid for with your card — which will extend qualifying warranties to up to seven years total. If the item breaks, you can be covered up to $10,000 to repair, replace or reimburse the purchase price.

You’ll also receive standard credit card perks such as access to your free FICO score, $0 liability on unauthorized charges, ID theft protection and virtual account numbers. In addition, cardholders can take advantage of Citi’s proprietary travel portal and concierge, and get access to exclusive events and presale tickets through the Citi Entertainment platform.

Citi Strata Drawbacks

A Poor Choice for Cash Back

Some Citi credit cards that earn ThankYou points, such as the Citi Double Cash® Card (an advertising partner), allow you to redeem your rewards for cash back at a rate of 1 cent per point. Unfortunately, the Citi Strata Card shaves this rate in half, with each point worth just 0.5 cents when redeemed for cash back.

This makes the card less than ideal for those who prefer flexibility in how they redeem rewards. To get the biggest bang for your Strata points, you’ll want to redeem them through Citi Travel or by transferring to partners.

Transfer Partner Limitations

Expanded transfer partner access for Citi Strata cardholders is a positive development, but it’s not without its drawbacks. You’ll need to pair your card with another eligible Citi ThankYou card to get the best deals. The best transfer ratios (usually 1:1) are reserved for those who have the Citi Prestige® Credit Card (no longer available to new applicants), or the Citi Strata Premier® Card or Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (both advertising partners). Without them, you’ll get a poorer ratio in most cases (usually 1:0.7 with a few exceptions).

For example, if you have the Strata Premier Card, you can transfer points to Air France-KLM Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio (1,000 Citi points becomes 1,000 Flying Blue miles). With only the Strata Card, that ratio becomes 1:0.7 (1,000 Citi points becomes 700 Flying Blue miles). So while having more redemption options is handy, you’ll want to carefully crunch the numbers on any points transfers to make sure you’re getting good value.

I have both the Strata and Strata Premier Card and have my ThankYou accounts combined. That way, I can take advantage of the better transfer ratios and partners with the Strata Premier Card using any of the points I earn from both cards.

Few Travel Benefits

For a card with a travel bent, the Citi Strata falls short on benefits. It doesn’t offer travel insurance like car rental coverage or trip delay protection, and apart from its redemption options, it doesn’t come with a lot of other perks for travelers.

Most of the best travel credit cards offer some form of coverage, so if that’s important to you, you should consider a different credit card with travel insurance.

Foreign Transaction Fee

In the same vein, the Citi Strata Card adds a foreign transaction fee of 3% to international purchases. So this isn’t the card to pack if you’re traveling overseas or making purchases in other currencies. You can find plenty of other top cards with no foreign transaction fees that can save you money, including several no-annual-fee options.

Self-Select Category Requires Action

The card’s new self-select category is a handy and novel feature if you’re focused on maximizing credit card rewards, but it might not be appealing if you prefer a hands-off approach. You’ll need to activate your category through your online account (if you don’t activate, the self-select category defaults to select streaming services).

And you’ll have to remember to activate if you want to switch your category, which you can do once per calendar quarter. This might not be a dealbreaker for those who are already in the habit of using rotating-category credit cards, but it’s an extra step to be mindful of.

Loss of Key Rewards+ Card Benefits

This will only matter to existing cardholders who were converted to the Strata Card from the Rewards+ Card, but it’s important. Previously, the Rewards+ Card rounded up rewards on each purchase to the nearest 10 points. It also offered a 10% rebate on the first 100,000 points redeemed each calendar year.

These features have disappeared for new and existing cardholders, with one exception. If you opened the Citi Rewards+ Card between July 20, 2024, and July 19, 2025, you’ll still have access to these benefits on the Strata until July 19, 2026.

Who Is the Citi Strata Best For?

The Citi Strata Card is worth considering if you already collect Citi ThankYou points and want a no-annual-fee card to help you max out rewards. With its impressive 3x categories and welcome bonus, the card can boost your points balance quickly.

Is It the Right Card for You?

The Citi Strata could also be a good option if you:

• Are looking to finance a large purchase or move debt from a high-interest credit card
• Want to get started with the Citi ThankYou program, but don’t want to commit to an annual fee
• Have high spending in any of the card’s self-select categories, many of which don’t often earn bonus rewards with other cards (such as beauty salons, fitness memberships and pet supplies)

Alternatives to the Citi Strata

If the Citi Strata’s earning rates appeal to you, especially the self-select category, you may want to consider other cards that allow you to customize your rewards:

• Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card: New cardholders can earn up to 6% back in their first year (3% cash back plus a first-year 3% cash back bonus) in an eligible category they can change each month, plus earn automatic 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs. These earnings are capped at a combined $2,500 per quarter, after which you’ll earn 1% back. Eligible category choices are gas, online shopping, travel, dining, drugstores and home improvement, making this card a versatile option. But after the first year, the choice category only earns 3% back, up to spending limits.
• Citi Custom Cash® Card : This card takes the legwork out of maximizing rewards, because it automatically earns 5% cash back on the first $500 spent (then 1%) on your top eligible spending category each month, from restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment. It also earns 5% cash back on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked via the Citi Travel portal, and 1% back on everything else.