Should I get the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express or the Citi Strata Premier Card?

Both cards have the same $95/yr fee. Choose based on which bonus categories match your spending — check the earn rate comparison above.

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express vs Citi Strata Premier Card

Both cards cost $95/yr. The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express leads on streaming; the Citi Strata Premier Card on hotels.

Card data as of November 13, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express American Express · $95/yr	Citi Strata Premier Card Citi · $95/yr
Annual fee	$95 Waived first year	$95
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	$250 cash back	60,000 points
Rewards	Cash back	Citi ThankYou Rewards
Foreign transaction fee	2.7%	None Lowest
Network	American Express	Mastercard World Elite
Earn ratesPer $1 spent · points and cash back aren’t ranked against each other
Grocery Stores	6%	3x
Streaming	6%	1x
Dining	1%	3x
Electric Vehicle Charging	1%	3x
Flights	1%	3x
Gas Stations	3%	3x
Hotels	1%	3x
Ridesharing	3%	1x
Transit	3%	1x
Everything else	1%	1x
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Travel	—	$100 hotel credit
Entertainment & streaming	$10 monthly Disney Bundle credit available · $10 monthly	—
Perks & access— means none on record
Hotel status & programs	Amex Travel Best Price Guarantee for hotels	The Reserve by Citi Travel Luxury Hotel Program
Airline perks	—	ThankYou Points Transfer Partners Airlines and Hotels
Other perks	Amex Offers Early access to concerts and events Global Assist Hotline available 24/7 worldwide	Citi Entertainment Presale Tickets and Exclusive Access No Foreign Transaction Fees on International Purchases
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Trip insurance	—	Five Thousand Dollar Trip Cancellation and Interruption · up to $5,000 Five Hundred Dollar Trip Delay Protection Coverage · up to $500 Travel Protection Benefits
Baggage	—	Three Thousand Dollar Lost or Damaged Luggage Insurance · up to $3,000
Rental car	Hertz Car Rental Benefits with upgrades $50,000 car rental loss and damage insurance	MasterRental Car Insurance Coverage
Purchase & returns	$1,000 purchase protection for eligible items $300 return protection per eligible item	Ten Thousand Dollar Purchase Protection Theft and Damage · up to $10,000
Extended warranty	Extended Warranty up to one year	Extended Warranty Protection Up to Twenty Four Months
Other protections	Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges	Comprehensive identity theft monitoring Free FICO Score Access Through Your Citi Account
Pros & cons
Pros	6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000/year ($360 max annual value) 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming services with no annual cap $120 annual Disney Bundle credit effectively reduces fee to net-negative 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit with no spending cap 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers	3X points on dining, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations, air travel and other hotel purchases 10X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions through Citi Travel portal $95 annual fee with no foreign transaction fees Transfer to 18+ airline and hotel partners including American Airlines, JetBlue and Virgin Atlantic No foreign transaction fees for international purchases
Cons	$95 annual fee after first year (offset by $120 Disney credit if used) 2.7% foreign transaction fee makes it poor for international use 6% grocery cap at $6,000/year limits high-spending households Warehouse clubs (Costco, Sam's Club) do not code as supermarkets 1% back on non-category purchases is below average	No airport lounge access included Transfer partners weaker than Chase or Amex (no United, Delta, or Hyatt) 10X portal bonus requires booking through Citi Travel, limiting flexibility Welcome bonus lower than competing premium cards (60K vs 75K-90K) Points worth 0.75 cent each when redeemed for cash back, less than the 1 cent they get through Citi Travel
	Card details	Card details

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
American Express · $95/yr
Citi Strata Premier Card
Citi · $95/yr

Overview

Annual fee: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$95
Waived first year
Citi Strata Premier Card
$95
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$250 cash back
Citi Strata Premier Card
60,000 points
Rewards: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Cash back
Citi Strata Premier Card
Citi ThankYou Rewards
Foreign transaction fee: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
2.7%
Citi Strata Premier Card
None
Lowest
Network: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
American Express
Citi Strata Premier Card
Mastercard World Elite

Earn ratesPer $1 spent · points and cash back aren’t ranked against each other

Grocery Stores: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
6%
Citi Strata Premier Card
3x
Streaming: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
6%
Citi Strata Premier Card
1x
Dining: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
1%
Citi Strata Premier Card
3x
Electric Vehicle Charging: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
1%
Citi Strata Premier Card
3x
Flights: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
1%
Citi Strata Premier Card
3x
Gas Stations: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
3%
Citi Strata Premier Card
3x
Hotels: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
1%
Citi Strata Premier Card
3x
Ridesharing: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
3%
Citi Strata Premier Card
1x
Transit: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
3%
Citi Strata Premier Card
1x
Everything else: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
1%
Citi Strata Premier Card
1x

Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record

Travel: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
—
Citi Strata Premier Card
$100 hotel credit
Entertainment & streaming: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$10 monthly Disney Bundle credit available · $10 monthly
Citi Strata Premier Card
—

Perks & access— means none on record

Hotel status & programs: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Amex Travel Best Price Guarantee for hotels
Citi Strata Premier Card
The Reserve by Citi Travel Luxury Hotel Program
Airline perks: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
—
Citi Strata Premier Card
ThankYou Points Transfer Partners Airlines and Hotels
Other perks: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Amex Offers
Early access to concerts and events
Global Assist Hotline available 24/7 worldwide
Citi Strata Premier Card
Citi Entertainment Presale Tickets and Exclusive Access
No Foreign Transaction Fees on International Purchases

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
—
Citi Strata Premier Card
Five Thousand Dollar Trip Cancellation and Interruption · up to $5,000
Five Hundred Dollar Trip Delay Protection Coverage · up to $500
Travel Protection Benefits
Baggage: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
—
Citi Strata Premier Card
Three Thousand Dollar Lost or Damaged Luggage Insurance · up to $3,000
Rental car: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Hertz Car Rental Benefits with upgrades
$50,000 car rental loss and damage insurance
Citi Strata Premier Card
MasterRental Car Insurance Coverage
Purchase & returns: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$1,000 purchase protection for eligible items
$300 return protection per eligible item
Citi Strata Premier Card
Ten Thousand Dollar Purchase Protection Theft and Damage · up to $10,000
Extended warranty: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Extended Warranty up to one year
Citi Strata Premier Card
Extended Warranty Protection Up to Twenty Four Months
Other protections: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges
Citi Strata Premier Card
Comprehensive identity theft monitoring
Free FICO Score Access Through Your Citi Account

Pros & cons

Pros: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000/year ($360 max annual value)
6% cash back on select U.S. streaming services with no annual cap
$120 annual Disney Bundle credit effectively reduces fee to net-negative
3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit with no spending cap
0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers
Citi Strata Premier Card
3X points on dining, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations, air travel and other hotel purchases
10X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions through Citi Travel portal
$95 annual fee with no foreign transaction fees
Transfer to 18+ airline and hotel partners including American Airlines, JetBlue and Virgin Atlantic
No foreign transaction fees for international purchases
Cons: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
$95 annual fee after first year (offset by $120 Disney credit if used)
2.7% foreign transaction fee makes it poor for international use
6% grocery cap at $6,000/year limits high-spending households
Warehouse clubs (Costco, Sam's Club) do not code as supermarkets
1% back on non-category purchases is below average
Citi Strata Premier Card
No airport lounge access included
Transfer partners weaker than Chase or Amex (no United, Delta, or Hyatt)
10X portal bonus requires booking through Citi Travel, limiting flexibility
Welcome bonus lower than competing premium cards (60K vs 75K-90K)
Points worth 0.75 cent each when redeemed for cash back, less than the 1 cent they get through Citi Travel

Card details

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Category-by-Category Winner

The Citi Strata Premier Card wins in 4 of 7 categories. The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express leads in 3. 3 more categories depend on booking channel or caps.

Streaming

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 6X vs 1X

Transit

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 3X vs 1X

Grocery Stores

Depends: up to $6,000/yr

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 6X when conditions are met; Citi Strata Premier Card earns 3X (3X without restrictions)

Ridesharing

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 3X vs 1X

Hotels

Citi Strata Premier Card earns 10X vs 1X

10X via issuer travel portal

Car Rentals

Depends: via issuer travel portal

Citi Strata Premier Card earns 10X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Attractions

Depends: via issuer travel portal

Citi Strata Premier Card earns 10X when conditions are met; Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Dining

Citi Strata Premier Card earns 3X vs 1X

Electric Vehicle Charging

Citi Strata Premier Card earns 3X vs 1X

Flights

Citi Strata Premier Card earns 3X vs 1X

Year One vs Ongoing Value

Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.

Both scenarios favor the Citi Strata Premier Card on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).

Scenario	Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express	Citi Strata Premier Card	Ongoing winner	Year-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month	Rewards: $144 Credits (our usable estimate): $24 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $73 Year one: $418	Rewards: $367 Credits (our usable estimate): $60 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $332 Year one: $1,352	Citi Strata Premier Card	Citi Strata Premier Card
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $576 Credits (our usable estimate): $24 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $505 Year one: $850	Rewards: $1,469 Credits (our usable estimate): $60 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $1,434 Year one: $2,454	Citi Strata Premier Card	Citi Strata Premier Card

Which Card Is Right for You?

Get the Citi Strata Premier Card if you:

+Spend $300+/month on restaurants and dining out

The Bottom Line

Both scenarios favor the Citi Strata Premier Card on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).

Frequently Asked Questions

Which card earns more rewards, the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express or Citi Strata Premier Card?: Both cards earn 1X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.
Should I get the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express or the Citi Strata Premier Card?: Both cards have the same $95/yr fee. Choose based on which bonus categories match your spending — check the earn rate comparison above.

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Official issuer pages: American Express cards · Citi cards

Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published November 13, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.