Citi has introduced a new low-fee credit card that comes with significant travel perks and a generous welcome bonus.

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Citi has recently unveiled its new travel credit card, the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, boasting one of the quickest points accumulation rates in the credit card industry, all while maintaining a low annual fee of $95 and offering extensive travel protections. This card enhances the previous Citi Premier® Card, positioning itself as a more premium option with improved benefits but the same annual fee.

“We have envisioned refreshing our Citi rewards credit card lineup for quite some time,” states Pam Habner, head of U.S. branded cards and lending at Citi, during an interview with Dinogo. “This has been a multi-year journey that initially focused on enhancing our ThankYou program and creating a Citi travel portal powered by booking.com.” She asserts that Citi now offers “a groundbreaking premier card” with rewards and benefits that resonate with the needs of today’s travelers. The executive, recognized for her role in the success of the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, draws comparisons between the Strata and the Reserve, emphasizing that both are founded on “deeply understanding customer needs, creating exceptional value propositions, and providing outstanding acquisition offers.”

To mark its debut, the Citi Strata Premier Card is attracting potential cardholders with an impressive welcome bonus: Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou points after spending $4,000 within the first three months of opening the account. These points can be redeemed for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards through Citi’s booking platform, or transferred to 14 airline partners and 3 hotel partners.

Discover more reasons to consider the new Citi Strata Premier Card, from its earning rates to its travel perks and, of course, the enticing welcome bonus.

A card that enables quick point accumulation

The Citi Strata Premier Card allows you to accumulate points swiftly by providing additional points in several popular spending categories favored by travelers. “In 2023, travel spending surged by 13 percent, making it the fastest growing category in the credit card landscape,” remarks Habner. “Travel is here to stay, and we aimed for our new card to embody that with its earning and redemption features.” Accordingly, cardholders earn 10 ThankYou Points for bookings made through CitiTravel.com. Additionally, you’ll receive three points for every dollar spent on air travel, hotels (outside of Citi’s travel site), restaurants, EV charging stations, gas stations, and supermarkets. All other purchases will earn you one point per dollar.

Here’s how these earning rates stack up against other popular low-fee travel credit cards, as well as those with higher annual fees.

*Receive four points for every dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then one point per dollar).

For those aiming to earn points with a low annual fee card, the Citi Strata Premier stands out. It provides superior earning rates compared to its $95 rivals, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. To put it in perspective, the $95 annual fee Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers three points per dollar on dining, but only two points on travel, and one point at gas stations and traditional supermarkets. The triple points on dining and travel match the lucrative structure of the Chase Sapphire Reserve, making that feature a significant selling point for the Reserve.

However, earning just one point per dollar on other everyday purchases with the Strata is less appealing compared to the two points per dollar offered by Capital One cards, regardless of the category. Additionally, the popular American Express® Gold Card remains unmatched in the restaurant and supermarket categories, providing four points per dollar spent.

Discover more about these top travel credit cards here.

Travel advantages

The Citi Strata Card offers a wealth of travel benefits. Each year, you can enjoy a $100 credit on a single-stay prepaid hotel booking of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when you reserve through the Citi Travel site. Similar to AmEx, Capital One, and Chase, Citi provides additional perks at select luxury hotels booked through its site. On-property benefits may include complimentary breakfast for two, free Wi-Fi, a $100 resort credit, as well as early check-in, late check-out, and room upgrades based on availability.

Unlike the Citi Premier, which lacked travel protections, the new Strata Card includes four: Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption (Common Carrier), Trip Delay, Lost or Damaged Luggage, and MasterRental Coverage (Car Rental).

Additionally, as a Mastercard World Elite credit card, the Strata comes with the typical perks associated with this Mastercard tier. Notable features include a complimentary 24/7 concierge service, discounts and credits for Lyft rides until September 30, 2025 (earn a $5 credit after taking three Lyft rides each month and save 10 percent on all scheduled rides to U.S. airports), and access to Priceless Experiences, offering Mastercard holders unique opportunities to enjoy exclusive, curated events and activities.

An impressive welcome bonus and optimal ways to utilize it

The Citi Strata Premier Card greets new cardholders with a generous 70,000-point welcome bonus. This bonus is awarded in Citi ThankYou points, which can be redeemed in various ways. One of our preferred options is for gift cards at a rate of 1,000 points for $10 (for example, a 70,000-point welcome bonus equals $700 in gift cards). Over 100 retailers are part of this gift card program, including Apple, Starbucks, CVS Pharmacy, Target, and DoorDash.

Another great way to redeem ThankYou points is by transferring them to airline and hotel partners. You can transfer ThankYou points to 14 airline partners at a 1:1 ratio, allowing you to maximize the value of your points through these partnerships. For instance, JetBlue TrueBlue is one of the partners; TrueBlue points are linked to ticket dollar values and are worth approximately 1.5 cents each. So, if you do the math, the 70,000-point welcome bonus translates to $1,050 in JetBlue tickets.

Here’s the complete list of airline transfer partners.

• Aeromexico Club Premier
• Air France–KLM Flying Blue
• Avianca LifeMiles
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Guest
• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Points can also be transferred to three hotel partners at the following ratios:

• ALL - Accor Live Limitless at a 1:0.5 ratio
• Choice Privileges at a 1:2 ratio
• Wyndham Rewards at a 1:1 ratio

Additionally, points can be redeemed for travel through the Citi Travel portal at a value of 1 cent per point (for example, 70,000 points equals $700). According to Habner, customers can choose from "an expansive set of options, including 1.4 million hotels available on the site." They can also book flights, attractions, and unique experiences, such as hot-air balloon rides and cooking classes, she adds.

For current Premier cardholders

For those who hold the Citi Premier Card, the advantages of the new Strata Card will take effect right away. Upon card renewal, cardholders will receive a new card featuring the stylish design of the Strata. However, if you’re hoping to earn the Premier bonus again, you should reconsider. If you’ve received a new account bonus on the Premier card within the last 48 months, you won’t qualify for the welcome bonus on the Strata. This rule is strictly enforced.

Key Takeaways

The newly launched Citi Premier Strata Card offers a welcome bonus of 70,000 points. The card enables users to earn points swiftly and provides ample flexibility for redeeming those points. Overall, anyone seeking a versatile credit card should contemplate this option, though it's important to recognize that other competitive cards are available in the market. Choose the one that best suits your needs.

Although the offers listed above are accurate at the time of writing, they are subject to change at any moment and may have already changed or may no longer be available.