When its Strata Elite credit card launched in late July, Citibank joined Chase, American Express and others in the pursuit of luxury travelers.
The card’s $595 annual fee is lower than the American Express Platinum card ($695, soon to be updated) and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card ($795) but higher than the Capital One Venture X card ($395).
The new Citi card touts a number of perks, including the opportunity to earn $1,500 each year in various rewards categories, including six times the points on hotel bookings, a $200 Blacklane credit, a $200 splurge credit and access to airport lounges. Loyalty within Citibank is also rewarded: Customers enrolled in Citigold, a banking and wealth management service, receive a $145 credit after the first year, while Citigold private clients receive an additional $595 credit, effectively covering the Strata Elite card’s annual fee.
For travelers weighing their options, here’s how the Citi Strata Elite card stacks up against its top competitors.
Airport Lounges
Access to airport lounges has become a top attraction for high-end cards. Amex, Chase, Capital One and Citi all include a Priority Pass membership with access to thousands of airport lounges worldwide. But the quality of the experience at Priority Pass lounges can vary.
Some premium cards also offer access to branded lounges: Centurion Lounges (Amex), the Chase Sapphire Reserve lounges, Capital One lounges. The Strata Elite card does not offer access to a bank-branded lounge, but it does include four annual passes to the American Airlines Admirals Club lounges.
“Capital One, Chase and Amex have gone after the bank-branded lounges for an ultra premium experience,” said Jess Bohorquez, a points and miles enthusiast. “The Citi Strata Elite card is unique in the sense that it gets you into an airport lounge, but not all of them. It’s still premium, but a slightly lower tier of luxury.”
Hotels and Air Travel
Every card has its own rewards matrix, but a consistent theme among premium cards are their perks around dining and travel. The Strata Elite card offers an annual $300 hotel credit and 12 times the points if cardholders book through Citi’s travel portal. By comparison, the Amex Platinum card offers five times the points for hotels; the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers eight times the points for car rentals, flights and hotels; and the Capital One Venture X card offers 10 times the points on hotels and car rentals.
The Strata Elite card might also stand out for frequent fliers, since it offers six times the points for flights booked through Citi’s portal — less than Chase (eight times the points for flights) but more than Amex and Capital One (both five times the points for flights).
Rules for transferring points also vary among the cards. Amex allows customers to transfer points to Delta’s Sky Miles and other partnering airlines. Chase cardholders have a handful of options to transfer points at a one-to-one ratio, including with JetBlue, Southwest, United, Air Canada, British Airways and Emirates. Strata Elite partnered with American Airlines, allowing customers to transfer their points for AAdvantage Bonus Miles at the same one-to-one ratio.
Hazel Chan, 30, an existing Citi Strata Premier cardholder, recently reviewed the new travel card in a TikTok video. Aside from the American Airlines partnership, which the New York-based creator called “a game changer,” she thought many of the perks, including the sign-up bonus, did not make the card a standout among its competitors.
The Welcome Bonus
Welcome bonuses generally offer customers a large number of points or miles if they meet certain spending requirements within the first few months. With Strata Elite, customers can receive 100,000 bonus points if they apply in person at a local branch (or 80,000 bonus points if they apply online) and if they spend at least $4,000 in the first three months. That’s less than customers are required to spend for the welcome bonuses for Chase Sapphire Reserve ($5,000 in the first three months) and Amex Platinum ($8,000 in the first six months).
Other Premium Perks
What else can you expect from the Strata Elite card? The usual travel offerings — such as consumer protections for theft, no foreign transaction fees, car rental (and other) insurance, and a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit.
In line with Amex Platinum, the Citi card includes a $200 splurge spend credit, with some restrictions. Capital One and Chase both offer a similar $300 travel credit, though with Capital One the credit is restricted to travel bookings made through their booking site.
Another perk: Citi offers 1.5 times the points on all other purchases, as compared with the standard one-to-one points rate from Amex and Chase. Strata Elite cardholders can also earn six times the points at select restaurants and delivery services every Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
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