$95/yrCiti ThankYou PointsNo foreign feeMastercardUsually needs 670+
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Citi Strata Premier vs. Strata Elite
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Short answer: for most people the Premier is the better value, because the Elite’s $500 higher fee buys portal multipliers and credits that need specific bookings. The Premier costs $95 and we count none of its credits, so $95 is its cost. The Elite costs $595, or about $565 after Global Entry, the only credit we count; its $300 hotel benefit, $200 Splurge credit, $200 Blacklane credit, and Citigold relationship credit count for $0. Choose the Premier if your spending is dining, groceries, gas, and flights and hotels booked directly, all at 3x. Choose the Elite if you book heavily through Citi Travel, where it earns 12x on hotels, rental cars, and attractions and 6x on flights (the Premier earns 10x on the first three and 3x on flights), and you want 1.5x on everything else. Hand-calculated at 1.5 cents per ThankYou point, the Elite’s two extra points per dollar are worth 3%, so closing the $470 net-fee gap on hotels, rental cars, and attractions alone takes about $15,700 a year of Citi Travel bookings. The head-to-head run below solves both cards against your own spending.
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Overview
$595/yrCiti ThankYou PointsNo foreign feeMastercardUsually needs 750+
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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
Dining
- Citi Strata Premier
- 3x
- Citi Strata Elite
- 3x
EV Charging
- Citi Strata Premier
- 3xHighest
- Citi Strata Elite
- 1.5x
Everything Else
- Citi Strata Premier
- 1x
- Citi Strata Elite
- 1.5xHighest
Flights outside issuer portals
- Citi Strata Premier
- 3xHighest
- Citi Strata Elite
- 1.5x
Gas stations (excluding Costco Gas)
- Citi Strata Premier
- 3xHighest
- Citi Strata Elite
- 1.5x
Groceries — in store
- Citi Strata Premier
- 3xHighest
- Citi Strata Elite
- 1.5x
Groceries — online
- Citi Strata Premier
- 3xHighest
- Citi Strata Elite
- 1.5x
Hotels outside issuer portals
- Citi Strata Premier
- 3xHighest
- Citi Strata Elite
- 1.5x
Other travel outside issuer portals
- Citi Strata Premier
- 1x
- Citi Strata Elite
- 1.5xHighest
Travel - Car Rentals / Agencies / Cruises
- Citi Strata Premier
- 1x
- Citi Strata Elite
- 1.5xHighest
Everything else
- Citi Strata Premier
- 1x
- Citi Strata Elite
- 1.5xHighest
| Category | Citi Strata Premier | Citi Strata Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Dining | 3x | 3x |
| EV Charging | 3xHighest | 1.5x |
| Everything Else | 1x | 1.5xHighest |
| Flights outside issuer portals | 3xHighest | 1.5x |
| Gas stations (excluding Costco Gas) | 3xHighest | 1.5x |
| Groceries — in store | 3xHighest | 1.5x |
| Groceries — online | 3xHighest | 1.5x |
| Hotels outside issuer portals | 3xHighest | 1.5x |
| Other travel outside issuer portals | 1x | 1.5xHighest |
| Travel - Car Rentals / Agencies / Cruises | 1x | 1.5xHighest |
| Everything else | 1x | 1.5xHighest |
Issuer travel portals 8 categories — only earned when you book through that issuer’s portal
Amex Travel - Flights
- Citi Strata Premier
- 3xHighest
- Citi Strata Elite
- 1.5x
Amex Travel - Hotels
- Citi Strata Premier
- 3xHighest
- Citi Strata Elite
- 1.5x
Bilt Travel - Flights
- Citi Strata Premier
- 3xHighest
- Citi Strata Elite
- 1.5x
Bilt Travel - Hotels
- Citi Strata Premier
- 3xHighest
- Citi Strata Elite
- 1.5x
Citi Travel - Attractions
- Citi Strata Premier
- 10x
- Citi Strata Elite
- 12xHighest
Citi Travel - Flights
- Citi Strata Premier
- 3x
- Citi Strata Elite
- 6xHighest
Citi Travel - Hotels
- Citi Strata Premier
- 10x
- Citi Strata Elite
- 12xHighest
Citi Travel - Rental Cars
- Citi Strata Premier
- 10x
- Citi Strata Elite
- 12xHighest
| Category | Citi Strata Premier | Citi Strata Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Amex Travel - Flights | 3xHighest | 1.5x |
| Amex Travel - Hotels | 3xHighest | 1.5x |
| Bilt Travel - Flights | 3xHighest | 1.5x |
| Bilt Travel - Hotels | 3xHighest | 1.5x |
| Citi Travel - Attractions | 10x | 12xHighest |
| Citi Travel - Flights | 3x | 6xHighest |
| Citi Travel - Hotels | 10x | 12xHighest |
| Citi Travel - Rental Cars | 10x | 12xHighest |
Highest marks the highest listed rate, on each card that ties for it; a row where every card ties is not marked. Muted figures are base rates. Listed rates can still be subject to portal, spending-cap, or category-selection rules; review each card's details before deciding.
Credits and benefits
Annual Hotel Savings
- Citi Strata Premier
- $0/yr estimated usableUp to $100/yrConditional
- Citi Strata Elite
- —
Annual Hotel Benefit
- Citi Strata Premier
- —
- Citi Strata Elite
- $0/yr estimated usableUp to $300/yrConditional
Annual Splurge Credit
- Citi Strata Premier
- —
- Citi Strata Elite
- $0/yr estimated usableUp to $200/yrConditional
Blacklane Credit
- Citi Strata Premier
- —
- Citi Strata Elite
- $0/yr estimated usableUp to $200/yrConditional
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck
- Citi Strata Premier
- —
- Citi Strata Elite
- $30/yr estimated usableEasy to use
Citigold Relationship Credit
- Citi Strata Premier
- —
- Citi Strata Elite
- $0/yr estimated usableUp to $145/yrConditional
Estimated usable credit value
- Citi Strata Premier
- $0/yr
- Citi Strata Elite
- $30/yr
Maximum face value
- Citi Strata Premier
- $100/yr
- Citi Strata Elite
- $875/yr
| Credit | Citi Strata Premier | Citi Strata Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Hotel Savings | $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 | $0/yr | $30/yr |
| Maximum face value | $100/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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