11 Benefits of the Citi Strata Premier Card

For frequent travelers, the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card can be a valuable card. Previously called the Citi Premier® Card , it was relaunched as the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card in May 2024 with new benefits. It features a sizable welcome bonus, lucrative rewards earning rates and an appealing list of transfer partners. Here are its most notable benefits.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

1. New cardmember bonus

Eligible new Citi Strata Premier℠ Card holders can earn the following sign-up bonus: 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..

You can get even more value from those points by strategically transferring them to airline and hotel transfer partners.

Note that this welcome offer isn’t available to people who have received another welcome bonus for a Citi Premier® Card or Citi Strata Premier℠ Card account in the past 48 months.

2. Generous bonus spending categories

Aside from the welcome bonus, the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card earns a points multiplier in the following spending categories:

• 10 points per $1 spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com.

• 3 points per $1 spent on air travel.

• 3 points per $1 spent on hotel purchases.

• 3 points per $1 spent at restaurants.

• 3 points per $1 spent at supermarkets.

• 3 points per $1 spent at gas stations.

• 3 points per $1 spent at electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.

• 1 point per $1 spent on all other categories.

With so many bonus-earning categories, points add up fast.

» Learn more: Citi ThankYou points — How to earn and use them

3. Access to transfer partners

One of the main Citi Strata Premier℠ Card benefits is the opportunity to transfer points to airline and hotel loyalty programs. By wisely transferring points to these partners, you should be able to leverage points for more than the base redemption rate of 1 cent per point.

Points transfer to most Citi transfer partners at a 1:1 ratio with a minimum increment of 1,000 points. However, points transfer to a handful of Citi transfer partners at a different rate. Here are the exceptions:

• ALL - Accor Live Limitless – 2:1.

• Choice Privileges – 1:2.

• Leaders Club – 5:1.

• Shop Your Way – 1:10.

If you're planning to build up a massive points balance, note that Citi caps points transfers at 500,000 ThankYou points per transfer. That’s a limitation many cardholders shouldn’t have to worry about.

» Learn more: The 6 best Citi ThankYou partners

4. Reasonable points cash-out rate

While Citi's airline and hotel transfer partners are going to provide the best value for your ThankYou points, Citi Strata Premier℠ Card holders have the option of cashing out points at a very reasonable 1 cent per point.

You have the option to get a statement credit, bank account direct deposit or even a check in the mail. Only the check option has a minimum redemption requirement — just 500 points for $5.

Alternatively, Citi Strata Premier℠ Card holders can redeem ThankYou points through Citi's travel portal at a rate of 1 cent per point. However, it's arguably better to redeem your points for a statement credit and purchase travel outright in the travel portal. That way you'll earn 10 points per dollar spent on these travel purchases.

5. Points sharing

Besides transferring rewards to loyalty programs, it’s possible to transfer rewards to another Citi card member. This option comes in handy when you’re short on points for a specific redemption, and your friend or family member has some points they can send you so you can complete a redemption.

Each calendar year you can share up to 100,000 ThankYou points with other Citi cardholders and receive up to 100,000 shared points from other cardholders. Just note that shared points expire 90 days after a transfer, so plan to have an immediate use of these points before transferring them between accounts.

6. $100 annual hotel savings benefits

Another Citi Strata Premier℠ Card travel benefit is the opportunity to save $100 on a hotel stay once per year. For the credit to apply, you must book a single stay through the travel portal totaling at least $500. As long as you prepay your stay with the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, the savings will apply at the time of booking. You'll earn a whopping 10 points per $1 spent on the remaining balance.

7. No foreign transaction fees

The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. These fees can tack on up to an additional 3% charge on other cards.

8. Purchase protections

While the least sexy of the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card benefits, shopping protections can come in handy when things don't go as planned with a purchase. Cardholders automatically get damage and theft purchase protection and extended warranty when using their Citi Strata Premier℠ Card to make a purchase.

Damage and theft protection covers if a new item is damaged or stolen within 90 days of purchase or delivery, whichever is first. Your purchase is covered up to $10,000 per incident and up to $50,000 per year per card.

Extended warranty protection adds up to an extra 24 months to your manufacturer's warranty, up to a cap of seven years from the purchase date. If your purchased item breaks, Citi's benefits provider will repair, reimburse or replace that item, up to the amount charged or $10,000 per item.

9. World Elite Mastercard benefits

The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is a World Elite Mastercard, unlocking an entire list of additional benefits such as:

• $5 Lyft credit every month you take three rides with Lyft. Plus, 10% off scheduled rides to U.S. airports. Valid through Sept. 30, 2025.

• Two free months of Instacart+ membership and $10 off the second order each month. Expires March 31, 2025.

• $3 off Peacock Premium or $5 off Peacock Premium Plus every month when you use the card to subscribe. Offer expires March 31, 2025.

• Complimentary membership to ShopRunner, which provides free two-day shipping. Valid through Sept. 30, 2025.

• Access to Priceless Experiences.

10. Access to Citi Entertainment

Looking for tickets to see your favorite performer or watch your team play? Citi Strata Premier℠ Card holders get access to Citi Entertainment, which boasts special access to "thousands of events, including presale tickets and exclusive experiences."

At the time of writing, Citi cardholders have special exclusive access to tickets to Justin Timberlake's The Forget Tomorrow World Tour.

» Learn more: What Is Citi Entertainment?

11. Travel protections

Although a great travel card in many other aspects, the Citi Premier® Card lacked travel protections. Citi slashed all travel protections from the Citi Premier® Card in 2019. Now Citi has reversed course with its launch of the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, adding back some key travel protections.

The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card travel protections now include:

• Trip cancellation and interruption: Coverage for prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs if your trip is canceled or interrupted due to covered reasons.

• Trip delay: Reimbursement for expenses incurred due to covered trip delays.

• Lost or damaged luggage: Compensation for lost, stolen or damaged luggage.

• Rental car insurance: Coverage for rental car damage or theft, often with specific terms and conditions.

Several other cards come with travel insurance, so it is a welcome change for Citi to offer a mid-tier card with these built-in benefits.

» Learn more: How much is travel insurance when you buy it out of pocket?