Citi Strata Credit Card vs United Quest Card
Annual fees: Citi Strata Credit Card $0/yr, United Quest Card $350/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Citi Strata Credit Card on hotels, United Quest Card on hotels.
Card data as of October 12, 2026.
Citi Strata Credit CardCiti · No annual fee
United Quest CardChase · $350/yr
Overview
- Annual fee
- Citi Strata Credit Card$0LowestUnited Quest Card$350
- Welcome offerCurrent public offer
- Citi Strata Credit Card20,000 pointsUnited Quest CardUp to 90,000 miles
- Rewards
- Citi Strata Credit CardCiti ThankYou RewardsUnited Quest CardUnited MileagePlus
- Foreign transaction fee
- Citi Strata Credit Card3%United Quest CardNoneLowest
- Network
- Citi Strata Credit CardMastercardUnited Quest CardVisa Signature
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
- Beauty
- Citi Strata Credit Card3xHighestUnited Quest Card1x
- Fitness
- Citi Strata Credit Card3xHighestUnited Quest Card1x
- Gas Stations
- Citi Strata Credit Card3xHighestUnited Quest Card1x
- Grocery Stores
- Citi Strata Credit Card3xHighestUnited Quest Card1x
- Live Entertainment
- Citi Strata Credit Card3xHighestUnited Quest Card1x
- Pet
- Citi Strata Credit Card3xHighestUnited Quest Card1x
- Streaming
- Citi Strata Credit Card3xHighestUnited Quest Card2x
- Top Spend Category
- Citi Strata Credit Card3xHighestUnited Quest Card1x
- Transit
- Citi Strata Credit Card3xHighestUnited Quest Card1x
- Dining
- Citi Strata Credit Card2xUnited Quest Card2x
- Travel
- Citi Strata Credit Card1xUnited Quest Card2xHighest
- Everything else
- Citi Strata Credit Card1xUnited Quest Card1x
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
- Travel
- Citi Strata Credit Card—United Quest Card
- $200 United travel
- $150 Renowned Hotels
- $80 Avis/Budget travel
- $120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS
- 25% United inflight
- $150/yr JSX credit
- Rideshare & transit
- Citi Strata Credit Card—United Quest Card
- $100/yr rideshare · $8 monthly
- Dining & delivery
- Citi Strata Credit Card—United Quest Card
- $15/mo Instacart+ · $15 monthly
- 3 months Instacart+
Perks & access— means none on record
- Airline perks
- Citi Strata Credit Card—United Quest Card
- Annual 10,000-mile award flight discount
- Free first and second checked bags for you plus companion
- 2 Economy Plus upgrades after $40K annual spend
- Priority boarding on all United flights
- Other perks
- Citi Strata Credit Card
- Citi Entertainment
- Points transfer
United Quest Card- No foreign transaction fees
- Premier upgrades on award tickets
- Earn 10,000-mile award discount after $20K annual spend
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
- Trip insurance
- Citi Strata Credit Card—United Quest Card
- Trip cancellation coverage up to $6,000 per trip
- Trip delay coverage up to $500 per person after 12 hours
- Baggage
- Citi Strata Credit Card—United Quest Card
- Baggage delay coverage up to $100/day for 3 days
- Lost luggage coverage up to $3,000 per person
- Rental car
- Citi Strata Credit Card—United Quest Card
- Primary rental car insurance up to $60,000
- Purchase & returns
- Citi Strata Credit Card
- Mastercard® ID Theft Protection
- Zero Liability on unauthorized transactions
- Purchase Protection up to $1,000 per claim
United Quest Card- Purchase protection up to $10,000 per item for 120 days
- Extended warranty
- Citi Strata Credit Card—United Quest Card
- Extended warranty adds 1 year to manufacturer warranty
- Other protections
- Citi Strata Credit Card
- Citi Travel®
- FICO score monitoring
- 24/7 lost/stolen card assistance worldwide
United Quest Card—
Pros & cons
- Pros
- Citi Strata Credit Card
- No annual fee
- 20,000 point welcome bonus
- 5X points on travel booked via Citi Travel
- 3X points on groceries, transit, gas, and Self-Select category
- Self-Select category flexibility (change quarterly)
United Quest Card- Two free checked bags for cardholder plus companion (up to $440 per roundtrip)
- $200 annual TravelBank credit effectively reduces fee to $150
- $180/year in Instacart credits ($15/month through 2027)
- 10,000-mile award discount annually plus another 10K after $20K spend
- Earns 1 PQP per $20 spent (up to 18,000 PQP/year) plus 1,000 bonus PQPs
- Cons
- Citi Strata Credit Card
- 3% foreign transaction fee
- 5X rate requires booking through Citi Travel portal
- Self-Select category can only change quarterly
- Lower transfer value compared to premium ThankYou cards
United Quest Card- $350 annual fee is substantial without lounge access
- TravelBank credits only work on United/United Express flights
- PQP earning cap of 18,000 limits status acceleration potential
- 2x on non-United travel is lower than some competitors
- Instacart credits expire December 2027
Category-by-Category Winner
The Citi Strata Credit Card wins in 3 of 4 categories. The United Quest Card leads in 1. 8 more categories depend on booking channel or caps.
Car Rentals
Depends: via issuer travel portal
Citi Strata Credit Card earns 5X when conditions are met; United Quest Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Attractions
Depends: via issuer travel portal
Citi Strata Credit Card earns 5X when conditions are met; United Quest Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Grocery Stores
Citi Strata Credit Card earns 3X vs 1X
Gas Stations
Citi Strata Credit Card earns 3X vs 1X
Transit
Citi Strata Credit Card earns 3X vs 1X
Top Spend Category
Depends: Must select category at citi.com/selfselect
Citi Strata Credit Card earns 3X when conditions are met; United Quest Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Beauty
Depends: 3X applies only if cosmetic stores/barber shops/hair salons is chosen as the one Self-Select Category (fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores/barber shops/hair salons, or pet supply stores), changeable once each calendar quarter; the default is Select Streaming Services.
Citi Strata Credit Card earns 3X when conditions are met; United Quest Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Fitness
Depends: 3X applies only if fitness clubs is chosen as the one Self-Select Category (fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores/barber shops/hair salons, or pet supply stores), changeable once each calendar quarter; the default is Select Streaming Services.
Citi Strata Credit Card earns 3X when conditions are met; United Quest Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Live Entertainment
Depends: 3X applies only if live entertainment is chosen as the one Self-Select Category (fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores/barber shops/hair salons, or pet supply stores), changeable once each calendar quarter; the default is Select Streaming Services.
Citi Strata Credit Card earns 3X when conditions are met; United Quest Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Pet
Depends: 3X applies only if pet supply stores is chosen as the one Self-Select Category (fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores/barber shops/hair salons, or pet supply stores), changeable once each calendar quarter; the default is Select Streaming Services.
Citi Strata Credit Card earns 3X when conditions are met; United Quest Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)
Streaming
Depends: 3X applies while Select Streaming Services is the one Self-Select Category (fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores/barber shops/hair salons, or pet supply stores), changeable once each calendar quarter; it is the default at account opening.
Citi Strata Credit Card earns 3X when conditions are met; United Quest Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Travel
United Quest Card earns 2X 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.
Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.
| Scenario | Citi Strata Credit Card | United Quest Card | Ongoing winner | Year-one winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light spender: $1,000/month | Rewards: $317 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $317 Year one: $637 | Rewards: $180 Credits (our usable estimate): $437 − Annual fee ($350) Ongoing: $267 Year one: $1,227 | Close — depends on how much of the credits you use | United Quest Card |
| Heavy spender: $4,000/month | Rewards: $1,267 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $1,267 Year one: $1,587 | Rewards: $720 Credits (our usable estimate): $437 − Annual fee ($350) Ongoing: $807 Year one: $1,767 | Citi Strata Credit Card | Close — depends on how much of the credits you use |
Is the Fee Difference Worth It?
The United Quest Card costs $350/yr — that's $350 more than the Citi Strata Credit Card (no annual fee). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $350 in annual value from the card's higher earn rates and benefits.
The United Quest Card includes travel credits, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, free checked bags. Those perks are not included in the earn-rate scenario table above — compare their dollar value to the $350 fee gap for your own usage.
Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $350 fee gap means the United Quest Card needs roughly $350 more in annual rewards (or credits you will use) to break even on hotels and dining and everyday spend.
What You Give Up
Choosing one card means missing out on these benefits from the other.
Choosing Citi Strata Credit Card means losing:
- -Free checked bags
- -Global Entry credit
Which Card Is Right for You?
Get the Citi Strata Credit Card if you:
- +Do most of your spending at grocery stores
The Bottom Line
Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.
Published annual fees: Citi Strata Credit Card $0/yr, United Quest Card $350/yr — a $350 difference before welcome offers and credits.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is the United Quest Card worth the higher annual fee?
- The United Quest Card costs $350/yr vs $0/yr for the Citi Strata Credit Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $350 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the United Quest Card also lists travel credits).
- Which card earns more rewards, the Citi Strata Credit Card or United Quest Card?
- Both cards earn 1X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.
- What benefits does the Citi Strata Credit Card have that the United Quest Card doesn't?
- The Citi Strata Credit Card focuses on earn rates, while the United Quest Card offers travel credits.
- Should I get the Citi Strata Credit Card or the United Quest Card?
- Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Citi Strata Credit Card has a lower $0/yr fee; the United Quest Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $350/yr.
Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published October 12, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.