Citi
Citi Strata Elite
Citi Strata Elite costs $595 annual fee and earns up to 3× on dining. It also carries $500 of statement credits a year, which is where a lot of its real value sits. Everything below comes from the card catalog we check against issuer terms, with the arithmetic spelled out.
Enter a typical month of spending to see what the Citi Strata Elite returns after its fee next to three cards it is usually compared with, then take those numbers to the full credit card rewards calculator to weigh up everything else in your wallet. No signup, and it runs in your browser.
- Annual fee
- $595 annual fee
- Best earn rate
- 3× dining
- Points value
- 1.8500000000000003¢ a point
- Used when you transfer to a travel partner. Cash back is worth 1¢.
- Welcome bonus
- 80,000 points
- About $1,850 if you redeem at 1.8500000000000003¢ a point, and only if you clear the spending requirement.
- Credits a year
- $500
- What the calculator counts, after discounts for perks most people do not use in full.
- Foreign transaction fee
- none
What the Citi Strata Elite earns
Hotels and rental cars through the issuer's travel site
12×
Only through the issuer's portal
Flights through the issuer's travel site
6×
Only through the issuer's portal
Dining
3×
| Category | Rate | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels and rental cars through the issuer's travel site | 12× | Only through the issuer's portal |
| Flights through the issuer's travel site | 6× | Only through the issuer's portal |
| Dining | 3× |
Rates checked with the issuer in October 2026. Spending outside these categories earns 1.5×. Confirm current terms with the issuer before you apply.
Is the Citi Strata Elite right for you?
Enter a typical month. You will see what the Citi Strata Elite returns after its annual fee, next to three cards it is usually compared with, and the full credit card rewards calculator weighs up everything else you spend.
Estimated rewards per year, after the annual fee
Citi Strata Premier Top for your numbers
3× dining, 3× groceries; 1× everything else. $95 annual fee.
Rewards $983 · Fee −$95
+$888
+$828
+$234
14× travel booked direct, 7× dining; 1× everything else. $550 annual fee.
Rewards $571 · Fee −$550
+$21
How we estimate
- Every rate on this page comes from the card catalog. Citi Strata Elite pays 1.5× on spending outside the bonus categories listed above, and up to 3× on dining.
- We value this card's points at 1.8500000000000003¢ each. Cash back is valued at 1¢.
- Net is a year of rewards minus the annual fee. Credits count only when you tick the box.
- Welcome bonuses are left out of the tool so the numbers read as an ordinary year.
- Rent is not in the boxes: most landlords charge a fee that cancels out the rewards, and only a few cards earn on rent at all. Add rent in the full calculator, where those rules are modelled.
- Travel-portal bookings are not in the boxes, because portal prices differ from booking direct. The portal rates are in the table above.
- Rates checked with issuers in October 2026. Terms change, so confirm with the issuer before you apply. Educational estimate, not financial advice.
One category doesn’t pick a wallet. Add the rest of your monthly spending to see which cards win across everything, fees included.
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Welcome bonus
80,000 points to 100,000 points
About $1,850 if you redeem at 1.8500000000000003¢ a point, and only if you clear the spending requirement.
Points and partners
Citi ThankYou
Transferable to airline and hotel partners.
Airlines
Aeromexico, Air France-KLM, Avianca, Cathay Pacific, Emirates (1000:800), Etihad, EVA Air, JetBlue, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantichttps://thriftytraveler.com/guides/points/credit-card-transfer-partners/#:~:text=Program%20Type%20Transfer%20Ratio%20Transfer,Instant%20Accor%20Hotel%201%2C000%3A500%20TBD
Hotels
Accor (1000:500), Choice (1:2), Wyndham, Leading Hotels of the World, Preferred Hotelshttps://thriftytraveler.com/guides/points/credit-card-transfer-partners/#:~:text=Program%20Type%20Transfer%20Ratio%20Transfer,Instant%20Accor%20Hotel%201%2C000%3A500%20TBD
Credits and perks
| Credit | Sticker value | Counted |
|---|---|---|
| Splurge credit Up to $200 a calendar year at up to two of 1stDibs, American Airlines, Best Buy, Future Personal Training and Live Nation. | $200 | $200 |
| Blacklane credit Up to $100 from January to June and up to $100 from July to December. | $200 | $200 |
| Priority Pass lounge membership Counted at $100 because most people do not use the full $469. Priority Pass costs up to $469 a year on its own, but most people visit a few lounges a year and many already hold another card with it, so it counts as $100 and only once per wallet. | $469 | $100 |
Sticker value is the full face amount. Counted is what the calculator credits, which is lower where most people do not use the perk in full.
Where this data came from
Checked citi.com 2026-10-05. $595 annual fee plus a $75 authorized user fee, and no foreign transaction fee. 12x points on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked through Citi Travel; 6x on flights booked through Citi Travel; 6x at restaurants on Friday and Saturday from 6pm to midnight ET through Citi Nights and 3x at restaurants at all other times, so the everyday restaurant rate is used here; 1.5x other. Up to $300 off a single hotel stay of two nights or more booked on cititravel.com, which the row described as a cruise credit. Unverified: the welcome offer. The row says 80,000 to 100,000 points after $4,000 in 3 months, Citi renders its own figure client-side and never publishes it, and a third-party tracker currently shows 75,000 after $6,000. Left unchanged pending a human check.
FAQ
The Citi Strata Elite charges $595 a year. Earning back $595 means about $1,787 a month on dining, where it earns 2.7750000000000004¢ more per dollar than the base rate. Credits and the welcome bonus can cover the rest.
3× on dining, and 1.5× on spending outside its bonus categories.
It depends on your mix, not the card. Earning back $595 means about $1,787 a month on dining, where it earns 2.7750000000000004¢ more per dollar than the base rate. Credits and the welcome bonus can cover the rest. It also carries $500 of credits we can count, but only count them if you would spend that money anyway. Run your own numbers in the calculator above to see where it lands against the rest of the catalog.
The listed welcome offer is 80,000 points, and offers at these cards change often, so confirm the current terms and the spending requirement with the issuer before you apply. At 1.8500000000000003¢ a point that is about $1,850, before you count the annual fee and whether you would clear the spending requirement for it.
Yes. It earns Citi ThankYou, which you can transfer to the partners below. Airlines: Aeromexico, Air France-KLM, Avianca, Cathay Pacific, Emirates (1000:800), Etihad, EVA Air, JetBlue, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantichttps://thriftytraveler.com/guides/points/credit-card-transfer-partners/#:~:text=Program%20Type%20Transfer%20Ratio%20Transfer,Instant%20Accor%20Hotel%201%2C000%3A500%20TBD. Hotels: Accor (1000:500), Choice (1:2), Wyndham, Leading Hotels of the World, Preferred Hotelshttps://thriftytraveler.com/guides/points/credit-card-transfer-partners/#:~:text=Program%20Type%20Transfer%20Ratio%20Transfer,Instant%20Accor%20Hotel%201%2C000%3A500%20TBD. Transfers are what make a 1.8500000000000003¢ valuation reachable; using the points for cash back is worth far less.
No. The Citi Strata Elite charges no foreign transaction fee, so spending abroad earns at the same rate as at home, minus what the merchant adds.