Citi Strata Elite Card
Best for: ThankYou points collectors wanting a premium card below $600
Pros
- Cheaper than Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum
- 1.5x base earn on everything
- Admirals Club passes
Cons
- Highest earn rates require booking via Citi Travel
- Citi Nights dining bonus is time-restricted
- Fewer lounge options than Amex/Chase
Rates and offers change. Confirm today's terms on the issuer's official site before applying. Independent comparison — not financial advice.
This card launched recently (July 28, 2025). A new ultra-premium tier for Citi's ThankYou program, launched July 2025 to compete with Chase and Amex premium cards.
Citi Strata Elite Card at a glance
| Issuer | Citi |
| Card network | Mastercard |
| Annual fee | $595 |
| Rewards rate | 12x hotels, car rentals and attractions via Citi Travel; 6x air via Citi Travel; 6x restaurants Fri-Sat 6pm-6am ET (Citi Nights), 3x other times; 1.5x other |
| Welcome bonus | At launch: 75,000 ThankYou points after $6,000 spend in 3 months |
| Intro APR | None |
| Regular APR | See issuer |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
| Credit needed | Good to Excellent (typical for tier; not issuer-stated) |
| Best for | ThankYou points collectors wanting a premium card below $600 |
Key features
- Up to $300 hotel credit and $200 Splurge credit (AA, Best Buy, Live Nation, etc.)
- Up to $200 Blacklane chauffeur credit
- Priority Pass Select plus four Admirals Club passes per year
- Up to $120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit
- Mastercard World Legend tier; $75 authorized user fee
Pros
- Cheaper than Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum
- 1.5x base earn on everything
- Admirals Club passes
Cons
- Highest earn rates require booking via Citi Travel
- Citi Nights dining bonus is time-restricted
- Fewer lounge options than Amex/Chase
Before you apply: terms for new cards change quickly. Confirm the current annual fee, rates, rewards and welcome offer on the issuer's official site. CreditCardCompare is an independent comparison resource, not the card issuer, and this is not financial advice.
Sources: citigroup.com · onemileatatime.com
How it compares with similar USA cards
| Card | Annual fee | Rewards | Intro APR | Foreign fee | Credit needed | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Citi Strata Elite CardThankYou points collectors wanting a premium card below $600 |
$595/yr | 12x hotels, car rentals and attractions via Citi Travel; 6x air via Ci… | None | None | Good to Excellent (typical for… | — |
Capital One Venture X RewardsTravelers wanting premium perks at a lower net cost |
$395/yr | 10x hotels & cars via Capital One Travel, 5x flights via portal, 2x ev… | None | None | Excellent (740+) | |
The Platinum Card from American ExpressFrequent flyers who'll exhaust the lounge access and statement credits |
$895/yr | 5x flights booked with airlines or Amex Travel; 5x prepaid hotels via… | None | None | Excellent (740+) | |
U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa InfiniteMobile-wallet-first spenders who want premium travel perks |
$400/yr | 3x on travel and mobile-wallet purchases, 1x other; points worth 1.5¢… | None | None | Excellent (740+) |
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet. Have this card? Share how it has worked for you.
Write a review
Reviews appear after moderation.
Comments & Questions (0)
No comments yet — be the first to ask. Comments appear after review.
Leave a comment
Your comment appears after our team approves it. Or sign in to post faster.