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Why improve from the Citi Strata to Citi Strata Premier?

The Citi Strata℠ Card (see charges and charges) is a well-liked starter card with no annual price and a great entry level into the Citi ThankYou Rewards ecosystem.

Paying the annual price on the Citi Strata Premier® Card (see charges and charges) will be price it if you wish to elevate your journey. The cardboard presents greater incomes charges in key bonus classes and higher entry to Citi’s airline switch companions.

Think about the next causes as to why you need to improve from the Citi Strata to the Strata Premier.

Earn extra ThankYou Rewards factors

As a no-annual-fee card, the Citi Strata earns:

  • 5 factors per greenback spent on points of interest, automobile leases and inns booked by means of Citi Journey
  • 3 factors per greenback spent on electrical car charging stations, gasoline stations, choose transit and supermarkets
  • 3 factors per greenback spent on an eligible self-selected class (which you’ll change quarterly)
  • 2 factors per greenback spent at eating places
ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Nevertheless, the Strata Premier presents greater incomes charges and barely totally different bonus classes. They embody the next:

  • 10 factors per greenback spent on points of interest, automobile leases and inns booked by means of Citi Journey
  • 3 factors per greenback spent on air journey, EV charging stations, gasoline purchases, inns (booked outdoors of Citi Journey), eating places and supermarkets

The Strata Premier is a extra travel-centric card. It earns extra on choose Citi Journey purchases, plus airfares and inns booked outdoors of Citi Journey. Frequent vacationers might discover the Citi Strata much more rewarding.

Upgrading additionally bumps up bonus-earning on eating places to three factors per greenback spent from 2 factors per greenback spent, which might add up over the 12 months.

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Associated: Must you e book inns by means of Citi Journey?

Your ThankYou factors are extra helpful

By upgrading the Citi Strata, you’ll be able to earn extra ThankYou factors and unlock higher worth on your hard-earned factors.

Each playing cards can switch ThankYou factors to Citi’s 22 switch companions, together with high-value choices like American Airways AAdvantage, Qatar Airways Privilege Membership and Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership. The Strata Premier has a slight benefit; it will possibly switch factors to most companions at a ratio of 1:1.

Virgin Atlantic A350 Upper Class
ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

The Citi Strata can solely switch at a ratio of 1:0.7 for many companions. Whatever the accomplice you are contemplating, the Strata card will at all times have a worse switch ratio than the Strata Premier.

This makes a giant distinction when contemplating transferring tens of 1000’s of factors to safe a sought-after business-class ticket.

When leveraging switch companions with the Strata Premier, you may get greater than 1.9 cents per level (primarily based on TPG’s September 2025 valuations). I persistently get between 4 and 9 cents per level when transferring factors to a accomplice airline for a business-class redemption.

Associated: Strata, Premier or Elite: How to decide on a Citi Strata bank card

Extra helpful advantages

Even with the $95 annual price, the Strata Premier presents extra advantages that assist justify its price yearly. Two vital advantages you’ll be able to maximize are:

  • $100 annual lodge credit score: A $100 credit score as soon as per 12 months for single-stay lodge bookings of $500 or extra (excluding taxes and charges) made by means of Citi Journey
  • World Elite Mastercard advantages: The Citi Strata Premier presents a number of travel-related perks, together with a $5 month-to-month Lyft credit score after taking three rides in a calendar month (provide ends Jan. 31, 2026), a three-month trial of Instacart+ with a brand new subscription and $10 off your second eligible Instacart buy every month (provide ends Jan. 31, 2027) and entry to the Mastercard luxurious inns and resorts portfolio for on-property perks like complimentary breakfast and room upgrades (upon availability)
Newark Airport travelers face delays
An airport flight departures board at Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport (EWR).

Because the Strata Premier is a extra premium card than the Citi Strata, you additionally get entry to Citi’s curated assortment of inns and can obtain elitelike advantages when reserving by means of Citi Journey.

As a Strata Premier cardholder, you will obtain the next journey protections:

  • Automobile rental protection
  • Misplaced or broken baggage safety
  • Journey cancellation and interruption insurance coverage
  • Journey delay protection

That is extra complete protection than you will obtain from the no-annual-fee Strata card.

Associated: Citi’s Resort Assortment and The Reserve: Get free breakfast and premium perks

Think about making use of moderately than upgrading

If you happen to really wish to maximize your points-earning, think about making use of for the Strata Premier as an alternative of upgrading from the Citi Strata card.

For starters, new Strata Premier cardholders earn 60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 within the first three months of account opening. Primarily based on TPG’s valuations, the welcome provide is price $1,140.

If you happen to improve a Citi Strata card, you’ll not earn a welcome provide. This card’s welcome bonus can be not out there if you happen to’ve acquired a brand new account bonus for a Citi Premier or Citi Strata Premier account up to now 48 months.

You additionally will not be capable to earn it if you happen to’ve transformed one other Citi bank card account on which you earned a brand new account bonus within the final 48 months right into a Premier or Strata Premier card.

Man with shaved head talking to woman while refueling car while at gas station
MASKOT/GETTY IMAGES

So long as you’ll be able to qualify for the Strata Premier’s welcome bonus, it is price contemplating whether or not making use of for the cardboard is a greater technique than getting it by means of an improve.

By maintaining the Strata card as an alternative of upgrading it, you should use the Strata and Strata Premier collectively to maximise points-earning throughout extra classes.

For instance, you’ll be able to put choose transit and eligible self-selected class purchases on the Citi Strata and all different journey and restaurant purchases on the Strata Premier card.

Backside line

The advantages and incomes potential of the Strata Premier will most definitely outweigh the price of the annual price and current higher long-term worth than the Citi Strata card.

Normally, the perfect advantages you will obtain are the flexibility to switch factors to the vast majority of companions at a 1:1 ratio and travel-focused bonus classes.

Consider what’s in your pockets to make sure that you are at all times getting the utmost worth potential, which can imply an improve is on the horizon.

To study extra, learn our full assessment of the Citi Strata and Strata Premier.


Apply right here: Strata Premier



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