Citi Strata Elite Credit Card Review (New Card Launched: 80k Offer)

physixfan 2025-07-27 2025-07-27

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Benefits

80k Welcome Bonus: Earn 80,000 ThankYou Points (TYP) after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.

We value TYP at 1.6 cents/point, making the welcome bonus worth approximately $1,280!

Points Transfer: Points earned from this card can be transferred to airline and hotel partners.You can also redeem them for cash at a fixed 1 cent/point rate.

Points Earning Structures:

12x TYP on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through Citi Travel

6x TYP on Flights booked via Citi Travel

6x TYP on Dining during “Citi Nights” (Fridays & Saturdays, 6 PM – 6 AM ET)

3x TYP on Dining (regular hours)

1.5x TYP on all other purchases

$300 Hotel Credit: Up to $300 per calendar year in statement credits for hotel bookings of 2 nights or more through Citi Travel.

$200 Splurge Credit: Get up to $200 in annual credits at up to 2 chosen partner merchants.Current merchants include Ticketmaster, Live Nation, and American Airlines.(Gift card purchases may qualify based on data points.)

$200 Blacklane Credit: Receive $100 credit every 6 months for Blacklane airport transfer services.

4 Admirals Club Passes: Four American Airlines Admirals Club passes per calendar year.

Priority Pass Select: Cardholders receive a separate Priority Pass Select membership for lounge access worldwide.

Cardholder can bring up to 2 guests for free.

No Foreign Transaction Fees.

Disadvantages

$595 Annual Fee: Not waived the first year.Note: Annual fees do not count toward the welcome bonus spending requirement.

Recommended Application Time

You’re ineligible for the bonus if you’ve opened or converted to this card and received a bonus within the past 48 months.

[8/65 Rule] You can apply for at most 1 Citi cards every 8 days, and at most 2 Citi cards every 65 days, no matter approved or not.

Best to apply with fewer than 3 hard inquiries in the last 6 months (even though Citi’s limit is 6).

Citi values the number of recent hard pulls a lot, we recommend you apply when there’s less than 3 hard pulls in the past 6 months (Citi generally requires less than 6 hard pulls, but this card is different).

We recommend you apply for this card after you have a credit history of at least one year.

Summary

This card is not very compelling, with a $595 annual fee and only 80k limited-time welcome offer.The statement credits are relatively easy to use (not monthly like other cards), but even if you maximize the $300 hotel and $200 Splurge credits, it barely offsets the fee.

Unless you book a lot through CitiTravel, it’s hard to justify this card.If your main goal is to transfer TYP to travel partners, the Citi Strata Premier ($95 annual fee) is more than enough.

Related Cards

Recommended Downgrade Options

Citi Strata: Best downgrade path to preserve TYP.

Downgrading to non-TYP cards like Citi Double Cash or Custom Cash may cause existing TYP to expire in 60 days.

Historical Offers Chart

Note 1: The offer before 2015.4 is: earn 20k TYP after spending $2000 in the first 3 months, and another 30k after spending $3000 in the first 3 months of next year.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Certainly. Unlike personal loans, you won't face any penalties for settling your balance ahead of schedule. However, it's crucial to keep in mind that if your credit card comes with a 0% introductory offer, it's essential to clear your balance completely before the 0% promotion expires and interest charges apply.

However, you can include additional cardholders, each with their own card. While sharing the single credit limit, the primary cardholder remains responsible for settling the debt.

Potentially, yes. Credit card APRs are typically variable, allowing lenders to change rates, impacting your monthly payments. Additionally, be mindful that introductory 0% offers can lead to higher interest rates once they expire. So, it's wise to clear your balance before that happens, if feasible.

Indeed, credit builder cards exist for those with less-than-ideal credit scores. These cards offer lower credit limits (typically £150 to £1,200) and higher interest rates. Responsible use, including full and on-time payments, can gradually boost your creditworthiness, potentially opening doors to better credit card offers down the line.