EDITOR'S NOTE: Details about the $0-annual-fee Citi Strata℠ Card's transfer partners have changed since this story was first published. We've updated those sections below with the new information.
Following the debut of the $0-annual-fee Citi Strata℠ Card, the issuer is launching a premium version: the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card.
The card, which has a substantial $595 annual fee, focuses its rewards and benefits on travel, along with high-end experiences and purchases. There's a sizable welcome offer, too.
Beyond that, the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card earns the following ongoing rewards:
- 12 points per $1 on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6 points per $1 on air travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6 points per $1 at restaurants (including food delivery services on “Citi Nights”) on Fridays and Saturdays between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Eastern Time. Outside of this timeframe, you’ll earn 3 points per $1 in this category.
- 1.5 points per $1 on all other purchases.
Rewards are in the form of ThankYou points, which you can redeem for cash back, travel, gift cards, purchases at participating retailers and more. Another option is to transfer your points to one of Citi’s transfer partners, but there’s a feature that sets the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card apart: You can also transfer your points to American Airlines’ AAdvantage loyalty program at a 1:1 ratio. That’s big news because American hasn’t been a permanent transfer partner for any other card issuer’s rewards programs, including Citi, which issues multiple co-branded cards with the airline.
If you carry multiple Citi-issued cards that are connected to one ThankYou rewards account, you could transfer points from another card to the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card and then transfer those points to American.
Regardless, redeeming your points for travel with the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card will represent the best value. Points redeemed for cash back with the card are worth only 0.75 cent each.
Full list of Citi transfer partners
Transfer ratios will vary depending on which card you have.
Airlines
- Aeromexico (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- American Airlines (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Air France/KLM (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Asia Miles (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Avianca (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Emirates (1:0.8 or 1:0.56 ratio).
- Etihad (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Eva Air (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- JetBlue (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Qantas (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Qatar Airways (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Singapore Airlines (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Thai Airways (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Turkish Airlines (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Virgin Atlantic (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Hotels
- Accor Live Limitless (2:1 or 2:0.7 ratio).
- Choice Hotels (1:1.5 or 1:1.05 ratio).
- The Leading Hotels of the World (5:1 or 5:0.7 ratio).
- Preferred Hotels & Resorts (1:2 or 1:1.4 ratio).
- Wyndham (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Events
- Virgin Red (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
(The similarly named but less expensive Citi Strata Premier® Card will also now allow 1:1 point transfers to American Airlines. The $0-annual-fee Citi Strata℠ Card features American Airlines as a transfer option, but at a less favorable ratio.)
Additional travel and lifestyle perks
Like other premium cards, the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card offers a coupon book of benefits that could help offset its annual fee if you’re able to make use of them. They include:
- An up to $300 annual hotel credit for stays of two nights or more that are booked through cititravel.com.
- A $200 annual Splurge Credit for purchases with your choice of two of these brands: 1stDibs, American Airlines, Best Buy, Future Personal Training and Live Nation.
- A $200 annual credit (in the form of two $100 credits) for bookings with Blacklane, a chauffeur service.
- A credit of up to $120 every four years to reimburse the fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.
- Airport lounge access, which includes four passes per year to American Airlines Admirals Clubs and a free Priority Pass Select membership.
Cardholders can also access:
- The Reserve by Citi Travel, a selection of high-end hotels you can book through Citi. You’ll also get free breakfast and Wi-Fi at these properties, along with a $100 experience credit, room upgrades, and early check-in/late checkout.
- Ticket sales and presales for concerts, sporting events and more through Citi Entertainment.
- Cocktail tutorials, videos and courses through the Death & Co lifestyle platform (for those ages 21 and up).
- Mastercard Collection benefits, such as priority reservations at restaurants, and tickets to live events. The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card is the first card in the new high-end Mastercard World Legend benefits tier.
How the Citi Strata cards compare
The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card card joins a Strata "family" of two other products in the issuer's portfolio: the Citi Strata℠ Card and the Citi Strata Premier® Card, Here’s a breakdown of what each card offers:
| Citi Strata℠ Card | Citi Strata Premier® Card | Citi Strata Elite℠ Card | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0. | $95. | $595. |
| Welcome bonus | Earn 20,000 bonus Points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. | 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. | Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. |
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