CitiStrata Premier

5559 6364 5551 8795

VALID THRU 07/32SAM RIVERA

A person in a blue suit walking with luggage past airport carts — Photo: Yanhao Fang / Unsplash

Travel Rewards · United States

Citi Strata Premier Card

4.5 / 5 editorial rating

Best for: Broad 3x earning on one mid-tier card

Reviewed by the CreditCardCompare editorial team · Fees and rates checked September 2026 — confirm on the issuer's site before you apply

Annual fee$95/yr

IssuerCiti

NetworkMastercard

Purchase APR20.24%–28.24% variable

Foreign transaction feeNone

Credit neededGood to Excellent (700+)

Pros

A large spread of categories earn at the 3x rate
Charges nothing extra on purchases made outside the U.S.
ThankYou Points you can move to travel partners

Cons

Carries a yearly fee
Does not include entry to airport lounges
Its premium transfer-partner roster is shorter than competing cards

Compare USA cards

Rates and offers change. Confirm today's terms on the issuer's official site before applying. Independent comparison — not financial advice.

Our take on the Citi Strata Premier Card

The Citi Strata Premier is the best choice for someone who wants 3x on the widest set of everyday categories from a $95 card, because as of September 2026 it earns 3x at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations, on air travel and on other hotel purchases. That list covers most of a typical household's big recurring costs, and hotels, car rentals and attractions booked through Citi Travel earn 10x.

The annual hotel benefit is the fee offset, with conditions: $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, booked through Citi Travel. If you take one such trip a year, the card effectively costs nothing. If you don't, measure it against a no-fee 2% card: at a conservative 1 cent per point, 3x gains 1 cent per dollar, so you need about $9,500 a year in 3x categories to cover the $95.

Where it falls short is the 1x rate on everything else and the absence of lounge access. It is a strong everyday points card rather than a premium travel card, and it has no foreign transaction fee, which makes it usable abroad.

Good fit if

You spend across groceries, dining and gas and want one card that earns 3x on all three
You book at least one hotel stay of $500 or more a year and can do it through Citi Travel
You want transferable points from a card with no foreign transaction fee

Skip it if

Your hotel stays are short and cheap, so the $500 minimum for the $100 benefit won't apply
You want airport lounge access included

Worked example

Suppose you spend $500 a month at supermarkets, $300 at restaurants, $150 on gas and $900 on everything else. The three bonus categories total $950 a month, or $11,400 a year, earning 34,200 points at 3x. Other spending of $10,800 earns 10,800 points. That is 45,000 points, worth $450 at a conservative 1 cent each. Subtract the $95 fee for $355, or $455 in a year when you use the $100 hotel benefit.

How it stacks up

The Chase Sapphire Preferred costs the same $95 and matches 3x on dining and gas, but pays 3x only on online grocery rather than supermarket purchases, and its hotel credit is tied to Chase Travel bookings. The Capital One Venture, also $95, suits people whose spending isn't concentrated in these categories, with 2x on everything. Of the three, only the Strata Premier pays 3x at in-store supermarkets.

Pick the Strata Premier if you want one $95 card that earns 3x on a genuinely wide net (air travel, restaurants, supermarkets, gas, EV charging) instead of juggling category cards. The catch versus a Chase Sapphire Preferred is the thinner transfer-partner list, so if you're chasing premium-cabin awards through, say, a top airline alliance, you'll get less mileage here. Quick math: $1,500/month across those 3x categories is about 54,000 points a year, and the $100 hotel credit on a $500-plus stay basically covers the fee if you book one trip. Confirm the current 70,000-point offer on Citi's site, since welcome bonuses move around.