Comparison brief

Capital One Venture X vs. Citi Strata Elite

Short answer: the Venture X is the cheaper card to hold by a wide margin. Its $395 fee is more than covered by the $430 a year in credits and anniversary miles we count as usable (the $300 travel credit on Capital One Travel bookings, 10,000 anniversary miles at $100, and about $30 for Global Entry), so the optimizer counts its net fee as $0. The Elite costs $595, or about $565 after Global Entry, the only one of its five credits we count; the $300 hotel benefit, $200 Splurge credit, $200 Blacklane credit, and Citigold relationship credit need specific bookings, merchants, or a banking relationship. Choose the Venture X if your spending is spread out, since it earns 2x outside its portal and Capital One Entertainment (5x there) against the Elite’s 1.5x (3x on dining). Choose the Elite if you book heavily through Citi Travel, where it pays 12x on hotels, rental cars, and attractions and 6x on flights, against the Venture X’s 10x on hotels and rental cars at Capital One Travel. Both cards include lounge access, which is not counted here. The head-to-head run below solves both cards against your own spending.

2/4 selected

Overview

Capital One Venture X

Capital One

$395/yrCapital One MilesNo foreign feeVisaUsually needs 750+

View issuer offer

Citi Strata Elite

Citi

$595/yrCiti ThankYou PointsNo foreign feeMastercardUsually needs 750+

View issuer offer

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Which wins on my spending?

Runs the optimizer on these two cards alone, one card allowed, against your own monthly spending.

Earn rates

Everyday categories

Capital One Entertainment

Capital One Venture X: 5x
Citi Strata Elite: 1.5x

Dining

Capital One Venture X: 2x
Citi Strata Elite: 3x

Everything Else

Capital One Venture X: 2x
Citi Strata Elite: 1.5x

Everything else

Capital One Venture X: 2x
Citi Strata Elite: 1.5x

Everyday earn rate comparison table
Category	Capital One Venture X	Citi Strata Elite
Capital One Entertainment	5x	1.5x
Dining	2x	3x
Everything Else	2x	1.5x
Everything else	2x	1.5x

Issuer travel portals 9 categories — only earned when you book through that issuer’s portal

Capital One Travel - Activities

Capital One Venture X: 5x
Citi Strata Elite: —

Capital One Travel - Flights

Capital One Venture X: 5x
Citi Strata Elite: —

Capital One Travel - Hotels

Capital One Venture X: 10x
Citi Strata Elite: —

Capital One Travel - Rental Cars

Capital One Venture X: 10x
Citi Strata Elite: —

Capital One Travel - Vacation Rentals

Capital One Venture X: 5x
Citi Strata Elite: —

Citi Travel - Attractions

Capital One Venture X: —
Citi Strata Elite: 12x

Citi Travel - Flights

Capital One Venture X: —
Citi Strata Elite: 6x

Citi Travel - Hotels

Capital One Venture X: —
Citi Strata Elite: 12x

Citi Travel - Rental Cars

Capital One Venture X: —
Citi Strata Elite: 12x

Issuer travel portal earn rate comparison table
Category	Capital One Venture X	Citi Strata Elite
Capital One Travel - Activities	5x	—
Capital One Travel - Flights	5x	—
Capital One Travel - Hotels	10x	—
Capital One Travel - Rental Cars	10x	—
Capital One Travel - Vacation Rentals	5x	—
Citi Travel - Attractions	—	12x
Citi Travel - Flights	—	6x
Citi Travel - Hotels	—	12x
Citi Travel - Rental Cars	—	12x

These cards earn different reward currencies, so no highest rate is labeled; a larger multiplier does not necessarily mean more value. Listed rates can still be subject to portal, spending-cap, or category-selection rules; review each card's details before deciding.

Credits and benefits

Travel Credit

Capital One Venture X: $300/yr estimated usableEasy to use
Citi Strata Elite: —

Anniversary Bonus

Capital One Venture X: $100/yr estimated usableEasy to use
Citi Strata Elite: —

Global Entry / TSA PreCheck

Capital One Venture X: $30/yr estimated usableEasy to use
Citi Strata Elite: —

Premier Collection Experience Credit

Capital One Venture X: $0/yr estimated usableUp to $100/yrConditional
Citi Strata Elite: —

Annual Hotel Benefit

Capital One Venture X: —
Citi Strata Elite: $0/yr estimated usableUp to $300/yrConditional

Annual Splurge Credit

Capital One Venture X: —
Citi Strata Elite: $0/yr estimated usableUp to $200/yrConditional

Blacklane Credit

Capital One Venture X: —
Citi Strata Elite: $0/yr estimated usableUp to $200/yrConditional

Global Entry / TSA PreCheck

Capital One Venture X: —
Citi Strata Elite: $30/yr estimated usableEasy to use

Citigold Relationship Credit

Capital One Venture X: —
Citi Strata Elite: $0/yr estimated usableUp to $145/yrConditional

Estimated usable credit value

Capital One Venture X: $430/yr
Citi Strata Elite: $30/yr

Maximum face value

Capital One Venture X: $530/yr
Citi Strata Elite: $875/yr

Annual credits and benefits for the selected cards
Credit	Capital One Venture X	Citi Strata Elite
Travel Credit	$300/yr estimated usable Easy to use	—
Anniversary Bonus	$100/yr estimated usable Easy to use	—
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck	$30/yr estimated usable Easy to use	—
Premier Collection Experience Credit	$0/yr estimated usable Up to $100/yr Conditional	—
Annual Hotel Benefit	—	$0/yr estimated usable Up to $300/yr Conditional
Annual Splurge Credit	—	$0/yr estimated usable Up to $200/yr Conditional
Blacklane Credit	—	$0/yr estimated usable Up to $200/yr Conditional
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck	—	$30/yr estimated usable Easy to use
Citigold Relationship Credit	—	$0/yr estimated usable Up to $145/yr Conditional
Estimated usable credit value	$430/yr	$30/yr
Maximum face value	$530/yr	$875/yr

Estimated usable value applies the same conservative assumptions used by the optimizer. Maximum face value assumes every listed credit is used in full.

Find your modeled setup

The optimizer searches eligible portfolios against your stated spending—not just two cards at a time—and reports whether the result was proven within the selected catalog and run inputs.

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