Citi Strata Elite
75,000 points welcome · 12x on hotels & car rentals (via portal) · $595/yr
The Strata Elite is built for travelers who book through Citi Travel: 12 points per dollar on hotels, car rentals, and attractions and 6 per dollar on flights booked there, plus 3x on dining (6x during Citi Nights, Friday and Saturday 6PM to 6AM ET) and 1.5x on everything else. The 75,000-point bonus after $6,000 in spend within 3 months gives it a strong first year. The tradeoff is a $595 annual fee, and recovering it depends on using a stack of specific credits: up to $300 on a 2+ night hotel stay booked through Citi Travel, up to $200 at two of five Splurge Credit brands, and up to $200 in Blacklane chauffeur credit split across two halves of the year. Priority Pass Select, four Admirals Club passes a year, and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit round out the package. If you would not naturally use most of those credits, the math gets hard to justify.
Earn rates & credits
| Category | Rate |
|---|---|
Hotels & Car Rentals (via Portal) On hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through Citi Travel | 12x |
Flights (via Portal) On air travel booked through Citi Travel | 6x |
Dining 6x on Citi Nights (Fri-Sat 6PM-6AM ET) | 3x |
Everything Else | 1.5x |
| Benefit | Value |
|---|---|
Annual Hotel Credit Up to $300 off a single hotel stay of 2 or more nights booked through cititravel.com, once per calendar year | $300 /yr |
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Credit Up to $120 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee | $120 every 4 yr |
Annual Splurge Credit Up to $200 annual statement credit on your choice of up to 2 of these 5 brands: 1stDibs, American Airlines, Best Buy, Future Personal Training, and Live Nation. | $200 /yr |
Annual Blacklane Credit Up to $200 annual statement credit when booking with Blacklane premium chauffeur service ($100 Jan-Jun, $100 Jul-Dec). | $200 /yr |
| Total annual credits | $730 |
Card details
Regular APR | 20.49%–28.49% variable |
Foreign transaction fee | None |