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The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card is one of the newest entrants in the world of premium travel credit cards, and like its competitors, it comes with a valuable perk that can save cardholders money when their travel plans go awry: travel insurance benefits. This benefit can reimburse you for nonrefundable trip expenses if your plans are disrupted by a covered emergency.
Here’s a closer look at the travel insurance benefits that come with the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card.
Important considerations
To qualify for insurance, your trip must be considered a covered trip. This generally means round-trip travel, which can be booked as several one-way tickets, to destinations that are more than 100 miles from your home. The trip must be 365 days or less and paid entirely with the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card, points, vouchers or any combination of these payment methods.
Keep in mind that these benefits are secondary, meaning they only kick in after reimbursement from your travel provider, home insurance or any other policy protecting your trip.
» Learn more: How to find the best travel insurance
1. Trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage
These two benefits are some of the most important financial protections you can have against losing your prepaid nonrefundable trip costs.
Trip cancellation coverage protects you before your trip begins. If a covered event prevents you from traveling, this benefit will reimburse nonrefundable expenses paid to a travel supplier, such as a tour operator, airline, cruise line, train or hotel.
For example, you’re going to Italy for 10 days and you’ve booked round-trip flights and a hotel. The night before your trip, you slip and fall, and break your leg. You need to cancel the trip but the deadline for a refund has already passed. A medical emergency qualifies as a covered reason, and you will be reimbursed for the nonrefundable portion of your trip. Keep in mind, once your doctor advises you not to travel, you must notify your travel suppliers within 48 hours, or your expenses will not be covered.
Trip interruption insurance works a bit differently as it begins once your trip is underway.
Let’s use the same 10-day trip to Italy as an example, but in this case, you get injured three days into the trip. Because of the injury, you cannot continue the trip and need to fly home. Trip interruption coverage will reimburse you for the original return flight that you can no longer take, a new return flight home in economy and the unused portion of your hotel stay (seven days).
For trip cancellation and trip interruption, each benefit has a limit of $5,000 per covered trip and $10,000 per 12-month period. Covered reasons can include:
- Medical emergencies or sickness of an immediate family member.
- Inclement weather that prevents travel.
- Military orders for the covered traveler or spouse.
- Terrorist event.
- Jury duty or subpoena.
- Financial insolvency of the travel agency or tour operator.
The primary cardmember, family members and traveling companions are protected under this benefit. Like with most travel insurance policies, you won't be covered in all situations. Some common exclusions are pre-existing medical conditions, engaging in illegal activity, self-inflicted harm, war and hazardous activities.
» Learn more: 11 credit cards that provide travel Insurance
2. Trip delay insurance
If you’re delayed by more than six hours due to a covered reason, this benefit can reimburse unexpected expenses like meals, lodging, medicine or toiletries. Coverage is up to $500 per trip with a limit of two claims per 12-month period. This benefit is secondary and only applies after any compensation from the airline or other travel provider.
Let’s say you’re at the airport and you find out that your 8 p.m. flight is delayed until 10 a.m. the next morning. The airline provides a hotel for the overnight stay and gives you a $20 voucher to spend on food. Any costs for food, toiletries and other out-of-pocket expenses over $20 can be submitted for reimbursement.
» Learn more: Trip delay insurance explained
3. Lost luggage reimbursement
This benefit will provide reimbursement for checked or carry-on luggage that is permanently lost or damaged during a covered trip. Reimbursement is based on the lower of three values: the item’s original purchase price, its current cash value (minus depreciation) or the cost to replace it.
The maximum reimbursement amount is $5,000 per trip and there is a limit of two claims per 12-month period. There is no sublimit for high-value items, but certain items, including electronics, jewelry, eyeglasses and documents are excluded from coverage. In general, it's best to carry valuables with you or leave expensive jewelry at home.
For checked luggage, protection starts once the luggage is handed over to the airline, cruise line or other travel provider. For carry-on bags, coverage begins once you bring your luggage onboard.
If your bag is lost or damaged, the policy requires you to notify the travel provider and complete its claim process within 24 hours of the loss.
» Learn more: The guide to baggage delay or loss insurance
4. Auto rental coverage
The policy provides insurance for any losses due to an accident, vandalism, theft or other damage to the vehicle. There is no specific policy maximum, and reimbursement is limited to the lower of the following amounts:
- Contractual liability of the rental agreement.
- The vehicle’s actual cash value.
- Actual repair cost.
- Reasonable charges for repair or replacement.
- Market value less salvage and depreciation.
- The rental agency’s purchase invoice less salvage depreciation.
Rentals up to 31 days in length are eligible.
Additional reimbursable expenses include:
- Up to two towing charges.
- Up to $500 of valid loss-of-use fees charged by the rental car company.
- Rental charges while the car is being repaired (for a reasonable period).
Coverage is secondary in the renter’s country of residence, and primary in a foreign country. So if the cardholder is a U.S. resident and the rental car is in an accident while in the U.S., the cardholder will first need to submit the claim to their primary insurance. The benefit applies to the primary renter (the cardholder) and any additional drivers listed on the rental agreement.
Notably, if you purchase the collision damage waiver coverage offered by the car rental company, you will not be covered by this benefit.
There are many vehicles that are not eligible for coverage, including:
- Antique cars.
- Trucks, campers and trailers.
- Mopeds, motorcycles or any vehicle that contain less than four wheels.
- Exotic or luxury cars.
- Vehicles with an open cargo bed, including sports utility trucks.
- Vans built to transport more than nine people.
- Limousines.
How to file a claim
To file a claim, visit mycardbenefits.com or call 1-833-251-6404. The claim must be filed within 60 days of the loss, and all written proof, along with any required supporting documentation, will need to be supplied to the insurer within 180 days.
If a loss involves theft, vandalism or an accident requiring a police report, you’ll need to submit it with your claim. In general, it's best to keep all your receipts and documents in case you are asked for them when filing a claim.
» Learn more: How do travel insurance claims work?
What if coverage is insufficient?
Although the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card offers some travel insurance protections, it lacks other important benefits like baggage delay, travel accident coverage, emergency evacuation, travel and emergency assistance, roadside assistance and medical coverage. Furthermore, the card’s protections may not fully cover every trip, especially if your trip is expensive or you’re participating in adventure sports.
If you’re looking for additional benefits or higher limits, consider getting a comprehensive travel insurance policy to ensure that your trip is covered. If you’re undecided about which insurance company to choose, you can review different policies on a travel insurance comparison site like Squaremouth.
Many comprehensive plans also allow you to choose add-ons, like Cancel For Any Reason insurance or pre-existing medical condition coverage, so that you can customize a policy that best fits your needs.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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