6 Reasons Why We Like the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card
Citi is a partner of Travel Freely.
If you’ve been eyeing an ultra-premium card but feel hesitant about high annual fees or complicated redemptions, the Citi Strata Elite℠ makes a strong case. This card has quickly become one of our favorites, especially if you fly American Airlines or love dining out on weekends.
The current welcome offer – 100,000 bonus ThankYou® points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months — is worth approximately $1,375 when transferred to travel partners (using our valuation of 1.45 cents per point). But what really makes this card shine is its unique combination of sky-high earning rates through Citi Travel® and access to American Airlines – something you won’t find with most other transferable points cards.
Yes, $595 is a significant annual fee. But with up to $700 in annual credits and perks that are actually usable, this card can more than pay for itself. Let’s dive into why this card deserves serious consideration.
Offer snapshot
Here’s the current offer:
- Estimated first-year value: $1,375 at our conservative 1.45 cents valuation
- Annual fee: $595 ($75 per authorized user)
- Ease factor: Multiple credits offset the fee; straightforward earning rate of 1.5x everywhere on non-bonus categories
- Great fit if you: Want premium travel perks, easy statement credits, and flexible airline transfer options
Here’s why the card is worth it:
1) A Welcome Bonus Worth Over $1,300
a) Earn huge value when transferring your points to one of Citi’s transfer partners for business class to Europe. It takes some research, but it’s very possible. This is on my mind because I’ve had success myself booking $10,000 worth of business and first class tickets for Europe via Citi partners.
In the past, I booked a $6,200 business class flight on Air France for 72,000 miles and a $4,120 first class suite on Emirates for 85,000 miles. Other people have been able to book Delta business class for as little as 50,000 miles when using Citi partner Virgin Atlantic to book Delta flights via Virgin’s website. Now that Citi transfers to American Airlines AAdvantage®, you’ll also have access to some of the world’s best premium cabins, including Qatar Airways Qsuites, Cathay Pacific business class, and Etihad First Class.
b) Earn free travel when using the travel portal or redeem for statement credits. For beginners, if you decide that you don’t want to transfer your points to one of Citi’s transfer partners, we recommend either redeeming your points in the Citi Travel® portal or cashing in the points for statement credits to directly book flights and hotels.
Both options give you the same value of 1 cent per point, so it’s worth weighing them carefully. Cashing out for a statement credit and booking directly with the airline or hotel lets you access elite benefits, while booking through CitiTravel.com earns you 12x on hotels, car rentals, and attractions, and 6x on flights with your Strata Elite card.
2) American Airlines as a Transfer Partner
Here’s what sets the Citi Strata Elite apart from almost every other premium card: it transfers to American Airlines AAdvantage at a 1:1 ratio.
Why does this matter so much? American Airlines has the most extensive domestic network of any U.S. carrier. While Chase transfers to United and Amex transfers to Delta, only Citi gives you access to American — and that opens up significantly more redemption options, especially if you live near an American hub like Dallas, Charlotte, Phoenix, or Miami.
The best parts?
- Low taxes & fees: The taxes and fees on AA award flights are low compared to carriers like British Airways who charge fuel surcharges. These surcharges can cost as much as several hundred dollars per ticket, so if you can avoid paying them, that’s a huge bonus. Who doesn’t love paying less? =)
- Free cancellations/changes: AA allows you to freely cancel your award flight booking and get all of your miles redeposited up until the time of departure. No questions asked! They also don’t charge change fees. Some airlines charge $100+ for these options, so the value plus flexibility of AA miles makes them some of our favorites.
- 4 American Airlines Admirals Club® passes per year: These day passes normally cost $79 each, so that’s over $300 in value if you use them all. Bonus: Each pass admits you plus up to 3 children — perfect for family travel days when you want to escape the terminal chaos. Note that these can only be used when flying AA.
3) Great Value with Transfer Partners
Beyond American Airlines, the Citi Strata Elite connects you to an impressive array of transfer partners. Here are some of our favorite redemptions.
Airlines partners include:
- American Airlines for domestic flights on AA and Alaska Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic for short nonstop Delta flights
- Virgin Atlantic for nonstop Delta flights to Europe in business class
- Cathay Pacific for oneworld flights (AA, Alaska, British Airways, etc.)
- JetBlue for flights domestically or to Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean
- Emirates for first class
- Air France for business class to Europe
- Avianca for United and other Star Alliance flights
Hotel partners include:
- Choice Hotels (transfers at 1:2 ratio — double other programs!)
- Wyndham (perfect for road trips)
4) Easy-to-Use Credits That Offset the Fee
The annual credits are both valuable and easy to use:
- $300 Hotel Credit — Get up to $300 back each year on a prepaid hotel stay of 2+ nights booked through Citi Travel. Unlike many restricted credits, this works on virtually any hotel in the portal — just be sure to compare prices since rates may differ from booking direct. (Since Citi’s portal functions like an online travel agency, you generally won’t see hotel loyalty member rates, elite perks, or discounts like AAA.)
- $200 “Splurge” Credit — Each year, you can choose up to 2 merchants from the following list: American Airlines, Best Buy, 1stDibs, Future Personal Training, or Live Nation. Then, simply make purchases directly with your chosen merchants and earn up to $200 total in statement credits. We love the flexibility here — whether you want to offset flight costs or upgrade your home theater. (Exclusions apply for American Airlines and Live Nation.)
- $200 Chauffeur Credit — Split into $100 from January-June and $100 from July-December with Blacklane. Perfect for airport transfers or special occasions.
That’s $700 in potential credits, not counting the Admirals Club passes. Even if you only use the hotel and splurge credits, you’re getting $500 back against your $595 annual fee.
5) Solid Everyday Earning
Apart from the welcome bonus, the spending categories on this card rival those of some of the top travel rewards cards out there. From your everyday spending to your travel expenses and dining out, you’ll quickly rack up points on purchases with the Citi Strata Elite Card.
- 12x on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through the Citi Travel portal
- 6x on air travel booked through the Citi Travel portal
- 6x on restaurants including restaurant delivery services on CitiNights℠ purchases every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET only.
- 3x on restaurants any other time
- 1.5x on everything else
Let’s put those rates in perspective: booking $2,000 worth of hotel, rental car and attraction expenses through Citi Travel would earn you 24,000 points — worth $348 in travel based on our valuation of Citi ThankYou points. That’s a 17.4% return on your spending!
The weekend 6x dining bonus is quirky but can be valuable. Date nights and weekend dinners out suddenly become even more rewarding. Just remember it’s based on Eastern Time, so adjust accordingly if you live outside of that time zone.
6) Lounge Access + Premium Travel Perks
- Priority Pass Select™ membership offering complimentary lounge access for the cardholder and up to 2 guests
- 4 American Airlines Admirals Club passes each calendar year
- Global Entry/TSA PreCheck® credit every 4 years
- Basic trip delay/cancellation coverage and rental car protection (though not as broad as Amex or Chase premium cards)
Citi Strata Elite Application Tips
a) 48 Month Rule (ThankYou Cards): For Citi, ThankYou cards don’t have a strict family rule. If you’ve never had this card before, you’re eligible to apply. To receive the bonus offer on this new card, it must be 48 months since you received a new account bonus on this card. Additionally, if you converted another Citi credit card account into a Citi Strata Elite℠ account, it must be 48 months since you received a new account bonus on the original Citi credit card.
b) Velocity Rules: Citi will approve 1 personal card per 8 days and 2 personal cards per 65 days.
Want to apply?
Please consider using our link below to support us (thank you!):
To check on your application status, call 800-763-9795 (personal card application status) 7am-midnight EST 7 days a week.
If denied, call reconsideration here: 800-695-5171 (personal), and consider using our article on Strategy for Denied or Pending Applications for help.
Want to do more research or need more help? Check out the following articles:
Citi Strata Elite Card: Complete Guide (coming soon)
Citi ThankYou® Points Sweet Spots
