Is the Citi Strata Premier Card Worth Its Annual Fee?

The Citi Strata Premier® Card has a modest $95 annual fee, but packs in several benefits that help cardholders extract more value than the annual fee — especially if you use this card in the right places at the right times.

It has some premium travel perks, earns Citi ThankYou® Points and has excellent bonus categories in everyday spending categories, where extra points get tacked onto your balance. These points are valuable because you can redeem them through Citi's travel portal at a value of 1 cent per point or transfer to partner loyalty programs, including American Airlines' AAdvantage® program.

Is the card worth its annual fee? Here’s what you need to know to decide.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

Travel, even infrequently

Even if you don’t travel regularly, the Citi Strata Premier® Card can deliver perks for the occasional traveler. The card earns 3x ThankYou points per dollar spent on air travel and hotels booked directly, and if you use the card overseas, there are no foreign transaction fees.

While other travel cards offer more substantial perks like lounge access or hotel elite status that benefit true frequent flyers, this card is ideal for those who like to travel from time to time and still earn travel rewards.

» Learn more: 11 benefits of the Citi Strata Premier Card

Spend frequently in its bonus categories

As a Citi Strata Premier® Card holder, you’ll earn 3x points on many travel and food-related purchases, including restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations.

Those are some powerful spending categories that can triple the speed at which you earn points to redeem for travel or gift cards via Citi's travel portal or transfer them to other programs.

Reserve travel through Citi's travel portal

When you book hotels, rental cars and attractions using the card through Citi's travel portal, you'll earn 10 ThankYou points per dollar spent.

This comes with a caveat, though. Despite the 10x rate being a huge boost in earnings, you sacrifice other perks that you would get for booking direct. For instance, booking at hotels through a third party like Citi's travel portal means giving up the chance to earn hotel loyalty points or elite status benefits.

However, this card could rake in enormous earnings when staying at independent hotels or paying with points and cash, for example.

Use the $100 hotel credit

Another bonus for booking a single hotel stay of at least $500 (not including taxes and fees) through Citi's travel portal is that the card provides an annual $100 discount.

Just that one benefit covers the cost of the annual fee, though it requires shelling out at least $500 for the privilege.

Want a card with travel insurance

For a modest annual fee, the card comes with protections for trip disruptions, luggage and car rentals. This can save you from purchasing additional coverage out of pocket from companies like Allianz or World Nomads if the card's limits fit your needs.

» Learn more: 10 cards with travel insurance

Enjoy bonus perks at luxury hotels

When booking a stay at Reserve hotels through Citi's travel portal, cardholders receive exclusive benefits like breakfast for two, complimentary Wi-Fi, a $100 experience credit and additional perks such as late checkout or room upgrades.

Can meet the minimum amount required for the sign-up bonus and pay it immediately

If you’re new to this card, there’s a 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.

This can be a helpful windfall of points if you can responsibly meet the spending requirement that can cover the annual fee for several years.

» Learn more: How to spend $4,000 in 3 months

Want to transfer points to other programs, including American AAdvantage

Often, redeeming miles or points within a particular loyalty program can be a better value than redeeming points directly through the travel portal. That’s because you can achieve outsized value when the price in points isn't tied to the actual cost of the ticket.

Citi's travel portal lets you purchase flights, hotel stays or gift cards. You’ll find the most value when transferring points to other programs when redeeming miles and points for expensive trips, like those in a premium flight cabin or luxury hotel.

Plus, Citi ThankYou introduced American AAdvantage as a transfer partner in July 2025. That's a big deal, because American miles are considered among the most valuable airline miles out there. No other major transferable rewards currency has AAdvantage as a partner.

Want different transfer options

Citi has done a commendable job of adding more transfer partners for its ThankYou Points, but different programs offer different partners (even if there is significant overlap). Some other popular programs include Chase Ultimate Rewards® and American Express Membership Rewards.

This means that if your preferred program isn't in Citi’s network, then the annual fee may be less valuable for you.

» Learn more: Chase vs. AmEx transfer partners

Value airport lounge access

The Citi Strata Premier® Card doesn't come with lounge access. If this is an important perk for you, consider cards that come with airport access.

Don’t typically use points and miles to book travel

The best use of ThankYou points is for travel where you can achieve the most outsized value and get more than one penny in value per point.

Transferring points to other programs can help you do that, especially when booking business or first class tickets that can cost thousands in cash but perhaps only a fraction of the cost in points. If you aren't using points for travel, consider a cash-back card or other all-purpose card.

The Citi Strata Premier® Card annual fee of $95 isn't as hefty as what other premium cards require each year (although that is often in exchange for a weighty list of benefits) and this card can deliver strong value.

Everyday spending categories like gas, dining and supermarkets are eligible for bonus ThankYou points with the Citi Strata Premier® Card.

Those who book travel through Citi's travel portal are in for even bigger bonuses, sometimes in exchange for other benefits. Each person has their own threshold for what brings value, but if you travel even occasionally, this card packs a solid punch with the chance to earn more than the annual fee each year.