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Earn 12X on hotels and 6X Citi Nights dining with $700 in annual credits
The first Mastercard World Legend card earns 12X on hotels, cars, and attractions booked through Citi Travel, plus 6X dining on Friday and Saturday nights. Combined with $700 in annual statement credits ($300 hotel, $200 Splurge, $200 Blacklane) and Priority Pass Select plus 4 AA Admirals Club passes, this card delivers $1,100+ in annual value. ThankYou points transfer to American Airlines, JetBlue and other partners. After $595 annual fee, realistic first-year value exceeds $500.
75,000
Annual Fee
$595
Authorized User Fee
$75
Foreign Transaction Fee
$0
Network
Mastercard World Elite
Rewards Currency
Citi ThankYou Rewards
Point Value (Transfer Estimate)
1.3–1.9 cpp (mid: 1.6)
Credit Required
Good to Excellent
Welcome Offer
75,000
ThankYou Points
Spend $6,000 in the first 3 months
Redeemed through Citi Travel at 1 cent per point, the 75,000-point bonus is worth $750 toward flights, hotels, car rentals and attractions. Transferred to airline or hotel partners such as American Airlines or JetBlue, it can be worth more or less than that: the value depends on the partner and the award, and Citi does not publish a fixed rate. The $6,000 minimum spend in the first 3 months works out to $2,000 a month.
Benefits & Perks
Program & Transfers
Exclusive access to American Airlines awards
Citi ThankYou Points offer a unique position in the transferable currency landscape as the only program with American Airlines as a transfer partner. With 15 airline partners spanning all three major alliances and 5 hotel programs, ThankYou Points provide solid flexibility for award travel. The program requires a premium card (Strata Premier, Strata Elite, or Prestige) to unlock full 1:1 transfer ratios. Other ThankYou-earning cards receive reduced 0.7:1 ratios, making the premium cards essential for maximizing value. Transfers are instant to most partners, with a 1,000-point minimum in 1,000-point increments. While Citi offers fewer transfer bonuses than competitors, the exclusive American Airlines partnership and strong Star Alliance coverage make ThankYou Points valuable for specific redemption strategies, particularly for travelers based near American Airlines hubs.
Reviews & Analysis
Details & Terms
| Rule | Details |
|---|---|
| Citi 2/65 | You'll be declined if you apply for a third Citi card within 65 days |
| Citi 6/6 | You'll be declined if there are 6 or more hard inquiries on your credit report the past 6 months |
| 48 From Bonus | You will not be eligible for a signup bonus on the same card if you’ve received one for THAT card in the previous 48 months. |
| No 5/24 | Card approval not subject to 5-personal-cards-in-24-months rule |
| Citi 1/8 | You'll be declined if you apply for a second Citi card (business and/or personal) within 8 days |
| Citi 5 Day Rule | You may be rejected when applying for a Citi credit card if your credit has been pulled within the last five days (by any bank). |
| Purchase APR | 20.74%–28.74% (Variable) |
| Cash Advance APR | 29.99% (Variable) |
ThankYou Points · Welcome Bonus
Up to 12X (Citi Travel)
Highest rate (conditional)
Up to
$1,031
in recurring credits (annual)
Plus $450 first-year / eligibility-dependent
$595 Citigold credit
$595
Annual
Qualifying Citigold Private Clients receive a $595 first year banking relationship credit and a $145 credit each year thereafter if the primary
$300 hotel credit
$300
Annual
Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of 2 nights or more when booked through cititravel.com
$200 Splurge credit
$200
Annual
Up to $200/year in credits at your choice of 2 brands including AA, Best Buy, and Live Nation
$200 Blacklane credit
$200
Annual
Every calendar year, earn up to $200 in statement credits when you book with Blacklane, a premium global chauffeur service. Earn up to $100 on
$120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck
$120
Receive a statement credit, up to $120 every four years, as reimbursement for your application fee for Global Entry® or TSA PreCheck®
$10/mo Instacart+
—
Annual
Get 3 free months of Instacart+ plus $10 off monthly orders when paid with card.
$3/mo Peacock
—
Annual
Save $3/month on Peacock Premium or Premium Plus with automatic statement credit.
$2.50/mo transit
—
Annual
Earn $2.50/month when spending $10+ on contactless transit in select U.S. cities.
Covers repair/replacement cost for damage or theft (no fixed cap) plus up to $500 in loss-of-use charges when you decline the agency's CDW.
Complimentary HealthLock membership monitors for medical identity fraud, prescription fraud, and unauthorized insurance claims.
Monitor surface and dark web for compromised credentials with real-time alerts and resolution services included.
Six insurances: Trip Delay, Trip Cancellation, Lost Luggage, MasterRental, Extended Warranty, Purchase Assurance Plus — see description for limits.
Get free access to your FICO® Score online to review your credit history
Transfer your ThankYou Points to 23 leading loyalty programs for maximum value.
Most partners accept ThankYou Points at a 1:1 ratio with instant or near-instant transfers.
| Partner | Ratio | Transfer Time | Value Retained | Point Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1 | up to 2 weeks | — | 1.3 cpp | |
| 1:1 | instant | — | 0.8 cpp | |
| 5:4 | up to 2 weeks | — | 1.2 cpp | |
| 1:1 | up to 2 weeks | — | 1.3 cpp | |
| 1:1 | up to 2 weeks | — | — | |
| Route / Property | Points | Book With | Cabin/Type | Value / Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic US in Economy | 4,600 | — | economy | united_states |
| Domestic US in Economy on American | 5,000 | — | economy | united_states |
| US to Europe in Economy | 6,000 | — | economy | europe |
| Carribean | 7,100 | — | — | — |
| US to South America in Economy | 7,100 | — | economy | south_america |
| Intra-Europe in Economy | 7,500 | — | economy | europe |
| Domestic US in Economy on a Partner | 7,500 | — | economy | united_states |
| Intra-Europe in Business | 8,000 | — | business | europe |
| US to Mexico in Economy on a Partner | 11,500 | — | economy | central_america |
| The Setai Hotel Miami Beach | 15,000 | — | — | united_states |
| Domestic US in First Class | 16,500 | — | first | united_states |
| Fifth Avenue Hotel | 16,500 | — | — | united_states |
| US to Iceland in Economy on a Partner | 17,000 | — | economy | europe |
| US to Hawaii in Economy | 20,000 | — | economy | united_states |
| US to Hawaii in Economy on a Partner | 20,500 | — | economy | united_states |
| Domestic US in Business | 22,000 | — | business | united_states |
| US to South America in Business | 22,500 | — | business | south_america |
| US to Japan in Economy | 25,000 | — | economy | asia |
| US to Northern Africa in Economy | 25,000 | — | economy | africa |
| US to Mexico in Business on a Partner | 30,000 | — | business | central_america |
Showing top 20 of 50 sweet spots
The Citi Strata Elite is the world's first Mastercard World Legend card and the highest-earning hotel card available (12X through Citi Travel). It combines premium lounge access, $700 in annual statement credits, and a strong airline partnership with American Airlines. ThankYou points transfer to airline and hotel partners, including American Airlines, offering more flexibility than co-branded cards. Best for weekend diners and Citi Travel portal bookers.
Citi’s new Strata Elite card enters the premium space with a $595 fee, strong first-year value, and credits you’ll need to use regularly to justify keeping it long term
Citi is the latest issuer to get in the premium credit card game with the Citi Strata Elite. The annual fee is the highest of all Citi cards at $595, and they have tried to incentivize customers with coupons, as all premium cards seem to be doing these days. The **generous welcome offer makes the card valuable in the first year**, but you’ll only want to keep it around if you find value in the various credits offered to offset that high annual fee.
The signup bonus in Citi’s current offer (shown in the welcome offer on this page) is a good start for Citi’s newest premium card. If you are a Citi Gold customer, you earn a $145 rebate on the $595 annual fee, and if you are a Citi Private Client, you earn a rebate on the entire annual fee in the first year and a $145 rebate after that.
Citi tries to make up for that high annual by offering a slew of coupon style credits, discounts, and benefits:
- $300 annual hotel discount when booking through Citi Travel (on stays of 2 nights or more; doesn’t have to be used in one transaction)
- $200 annual Splurge credit (LiveNation and American Airlines are among the merchants for this credit)
- $200 in annual Private Chauffer Credit with Blacklane (two separate $100 credits; one January through June and one July through December)
- Priority Pass Select Membership (with 2 free guests)
- Four American Airlines Admirals Club passes each year (up to 3 children under 18 who are traveling with an adult who redeemed the pass can also enter the lounge)*
- Up to $120 Global Entry or TSA Precheck credit
- $100 experience credit, room upgrade, daily breakfast for two, complimentary wi-fi, and early check-in/late check-out on The Reserve by Citi Travel hotels
- Daily breakfast for two, complimentary wi-fi, and early check-in/late check-out on Hotel Collection hotels
There are also a variety of spending multipliers to help build even more points as you’re working towards your welcome offer:
- 12x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through Citi Travel
- 6x points on airfare booked through Citi Travel
- 6x points on restaurant purchases (including delivery) authorized between 6pm Friday - 6AM Saturday and 6pm Saturday - 6AM Sunday
- 3x on all other restaurant purchases
- 1.5x on all other purchases
_*_ _Note that American Airlines is now a transfer partner of Citi_
This card might not be a right fit if:
- You don’t like the coupon book style of credit to offset the high annual fee, and you won’t take advantage of enough to make up for the fee
- You already have Priority Pass and/or Global Entry/TSA Precheck
- You don’t fly on American Airlines or live near a hub so won’t take advantage of those related perks
**Citi points are increasing in value with the addition of American Airlines as a transfer partner, though limited partner-transfer cards still hold them back.**
- Only the Strata Premier and Strata Elite are worth it; they’re the only Citi cards with transferable miles to all partners and a large points signup bonus.
- You can combine cash back points from other Citi cards with Strata Premier or Elite and then transfer to partners, but none of the cash back cards offer strong bonuses.
- Citi has expanded its transfer partner network, adding several high-value options it once lacked.
- Points are flexible with many airline partners, and Citi is the only credit card system that transfers to American Airlines.
Credit Utilization (60%)
Excludes earning value, lounge access, insurance, and elite status
Total Value Captured
$888.60
Annual Fee
-$595
Net Annual Value
+$23.60
| Foreign Transaction Fee |
| $0 |
| Authorized User Fee | $75 |
Citi Strata family
| Card | Tier | Annual Fee | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citi Strata Premier | premium | $95 | |
| Citi Strata | entry | $0 |
Product changes available between family members without a new credit inquiry.
Yes. ThankYou points are Citi’s rewards currency. You can redeem them for cash back, at a rate that depends on your card: Citi’s points calculator shows 1 cent per point on the Double Cash and Custom Cash, 0.75 cent on the Strata Premier and Strata Elite, and 0.5 cent on the Strata. If you have a card that earns transferable points, you can move them to an airline or hotel partner and redeem them for much more value.
They can be. Cash or statement credit redemptions give you 0.5¢ to 1¢ per point depending on the card (0.75¢ on the Strata Premier and Strata Elite). Transferring points to an airline or hotel partner can unlock redemptions worth more, especially when you take advantage of partner sweet spots.
Yes. You can book flights through the Citi Travel Portal, but that’s usually poor value. If your card allows transfers, moving points to an airline partner typically gives you a much better return than booking through the portal at 1 cent per point.
Yes. You can redeem points for a statement credit to help pay your bill. We only recommend this if you can’t pay your balance in full and would otherwise incur interest. Otherwise, transferring to an airline or hotel partner will give you better value.
The Citi Travel portal gives a flat 1 cent per point for flights, hotels, car rentals and attractions on every current ThankYou card. Citi publishes no value for transfers: what a transferred point is worth depends on the partner and the award you book, and it can be more or less than 1 cent. Transfer to partners when an award costs fewer points than the portal price, which is most common on premium cabin flights and sweet spot awards. Use the portal for simple bookings where partner awards don't beat 1 cent per point.
Only the Citi Strata Premier ($95/year), Citi Strata Elite ($595/year), and Citi Prestige ($495/year, no longer available to new applicants) unlock 1:1 transfer ratios. Other ThankYou-earning cards like the Double Cash, Custom Cash, and Strata transfer at a reduced 0.7:1 ratio.
Yes. You can combine all ThankYou points into one account, either on the ThankYou website or by calling. If you combine points into a Strata Premier, Strata Elite, or Prestige account, all combined points unlock 1:1 transfer ratios to airline and hotel partners.
No, ThankYou points do not expire as long as your account is open and in good standing. However, if you transfer points to another ThankYou member (up to 100,000 per calendar year), the received points expire 90 days after transfer.
The Citi quadfecta maximizes earning across categories: Strata Premier (3x dining, gas, groceries, airfare, hotels), Strata card (3x transit + 3x self-select category), Custom Cash (5x on top category up to $500/month), and Double Cash (2x on everything). All points pool to the premium card for 1:1 transfers at minimal annual fees.
Citi periodically offers transfer bonuses of 15-30% to select airline and hotel partners. These are limited-time promotions that give you extra miles or points when transferring. Common bonus partners include Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, and Wyndham Rewards.
Comprehensive TPG review covering the $595 annual fee, 12X earning via Citi Travel, $700 in annual credits, Priority Pass and AA Admirals Club access. Rates the card 3.5/5 with strong first-year value but questions long-term appeal.
OMAAT guide covering 10 reasons to get the card including 75K bonus, 12X Citi Travel earning, Priority Pass, AA Admirals Club passes, $300 hotel credit, $200 Splurge Credit, $200 Blacklane credit, transfer partners, and first-year double dipping opportunities.
Detailed 2026 review highlighting $1,490+ in annual statement credits, eye-popping earn rates via Citi Travel portal, and exclusive travel perks. Covers the card's positioning as a premium competitor to CSR and Amex Platinum.
Detailed annual fee value analysis by TPG breaking down earn rates, statement credits, lounge access, and redemption options. Calculates effective fee as low as $65 when maximizing all credits. Recommends Strata Premier for lower-cost alternative.
Head-to-head comparison of Citi's two premium cards with Admirals Club access. Compares the Strata Elite's 4 annual passes vs the AAdvantage Executive's unlimited access, different earn structures, and which card suits different traveler profiles.
US News review covering the Strata Elite's generous sign-up bonus, no foreign transaction fees, and annual hotel credit. Rates the card 4.1/5 and evaluates its competitiveness in the premium travel card space.
Guide to maximizing the Strata Elite's $700+ in statement credits. Covers practical tips for the hotel credit, Splurge Credit merchant selection, Blacklane booking strategies, and how to make each credit work for your spending patterns.
Personal experience review showing $2,300+ in value earned from the card. Covers welcome bonus, credit maximization strategies, and real-world earn rate examples. First-hand account of Splurge Credit and Blacklane usage.
| Source | Verified | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Citi | Citi: Earn rates | |
| Citi | — | Citi |
| CardRatings | — | CardRatings |
| CardRatings | — | CardRatings: Welcome offer |
| RewardsCC API | RewardsCC API: Multiple card facts | |
| Citi | Citi: Multiple card facts | |
| Citi | Citi: Pros | |
| Citi | Citi: Multiple card facts | |
| Citi | Citi: Multiple card facts |
| 1:1 |
| up to 2 weeks |
| — |
| — |
| 1:1 | up to 2 weeks | 88% | — |
| 1:1 | up to 2 weeks | 81% | 1.3 cpp |
| 1:1 | up to 2 weeks | 81% | 1.3 cpp |
| 1:1 | up to 2 weeks | 81% | 1.35 cpp |
| 1:1 | up to 2 weeks | 75% | 1.25 cpp |
| 1:1 | up to 2 weeks | 75% | — |
| 1:1 | up to 2 weeks | 69% | 1.2 cpp |
| 1:1 | up to 2 weeks | 63% | — |
| Partner | Ratio | Transfer Time | Value Retained | Point Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1 | up to 2 weeks | — | 0.7 cpp | |
| 1:2 | up to 2 weeks | — | 0.5 cpp | |
| 5:1 | up to 2 weeks | 100% | — | |
| 2:3 | up to 2 weeks | 88% | 0.8 cpp | |
| 2:1 | up to 2 weeks | 69% | 2.3 cpp |
| Partner | Ratio | Transfer Time | Value Retained | Point Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1 | instant | — | — | |
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 1:1 | up to 2 weeks | — | — |
Turkish Miles And Smiles | 1:1 | up to 2 weeks | — | — |
Air France Klm Flying Blue | 1:1 | up to 2 weeks | 81% | — |
The Citi Strata Elite is the premium card offered by Citi to compete with the Chase Sapphire Reserve and American Express Platinum card. If you’re looking for a premium card, those two cards have comparable benefits and annual fees. You’ll have to compare the details of each to decide which is best for your situation (if you’re only choosing one).
When it comes to the Citi ecosystem, there are four other Citi cards offered. The Citi Strata Premier is the only other one with an annual fee ($95), and it comes with its own points signup bonus. It offers a $100 hotel credit but it can only be redeemed when you spend $500 or more. It is the only other Citi card that offers transferable miles at a 1:1 ratio to Citi’s hotel and airline partners, which is the best way to gain maximum value out of your points. The Citi Strata card is the no annual fee option within this family. You can transfer to partners with this card, but at a reduced rate of 1:0.7. It has its own signup bonus and several noteworthy spending multipliers.
The other two cards do not earn transferable miles, and neither have an annual fee. Both also have much lower signup bonuses - $200 cash back for the Citi Double Cash and Citi Custom Cash cards, respectively. The spending multipliers can be nice - 2x points on all purchases with no limits for the Double Cash and 5x points on your top eligible spending category each billing cycle. We only recommend these as supplements to one of the Strata cards that earn transferable miles, as you can combine your points from these to then transfer to partners.
Merchants this card gives you a statement credit or membership at. Unlike the brands above, this isn't about earn rate — it's money the card hands back when you spend there.
Brands where this card's earn-rate structure makes it a strong choice. Open a brand for the full ranked list.
