Citi Strata Elite℠ Card Launch

If you keep up with the recent credit card news, you might be aware that Citi will be launching a brand new travel-rewards credit card very soon. This credit card is called the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card, and it falls into the space of premium travel credit cards, coming with a high annual fee and other luxury travel benefits.

Most of the information regarding the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card in this article has been confirmed as of July 21, 2025. However, some information is still unconfirmed as the card hasn’t been released for public applications yet.

At first look, the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card doesn’t seem too much of a powerful travel credit card compared to other cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card, but it does come with a host of benefits that could be very useful.

Interesting Introductory Offer

According to the most recent information, the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card is rumored to offer a public welcome offer of 80,000 Citi ThankYou points after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.

There is an elevated welcome offer of 100,000 points for the same spending requirement, but this reported to be either an in branch only offer, or an offer only available for CitiGold® relationship customers.

Citi points can take you across the world, especially when you have the flexibility to dig deep for a variety of dates and destinations that work for you.

For example, since JetBlue TrueBlue® is a transfer partner of Citi, you can transfer your points from Citi to JetBlue. You could book a Japan Airlines flight in Economy from Osaka (KIX) to Los Angeles (LAX) for 34,900 points, and this is also true for the opposite direction.

With an 80,000-point welcome offer, you could cover the cost of a round-trip flight from the U.S. to Japan with your points.

If you’re patient and lucky enough, you could even score a seat in Japan Airline’s business class when booking with JetBlue TrueBlue! However, these business class redemptions are very rare and sell out quickly. If you see one available, don’t hesitate to book it!

Earning More Points

On top of the points from the introductory offer, the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card will also earn additional Citi points across a select variety of earning categories. This makes it easier for cardholders to accrue points to redeem, and some categories are interesting and make the Strata Elite a possibly useful card to have. Here’s how the earning rate breaks down:

• 12x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel®
• 6x points on air travel booked on Citi Travel®
• 6x points on restaurants on Citi Nights (every Friday and Saturday from 6 pm to 6 am ET), including restaurant delivery services
• 3x points on restaurants, including restaurant delivery services, any other time
• 1.5x points on all other purchases

These earning rates are pretty good for the categories that do earn bonus points, but the bonus categories aren’t as broad as many other cards out there.

For example, when I go grocery shopping, I’d rather use my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which earns 3x points on online grocery purchases, or my Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card, which earns 3% cash back on all grocery store purchases.

When dining out, I’d swipe my Citi Strata Elite℠ Card if I was going out to eat during a Citi Night promotion. The 6x point rate is a very unique and powerful earning rate for dining, and I’ve yet to see it on a credit card thus far.

Otherwise, I’d rather use my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to pay for my dining purchases. Even though both the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earn 3x points on dining purchases, I prefer earning Chase points over Citi points. I already have a lot of Chase points, and I find Chase’s transfer partner selection more valuable than Citi’s, especially World of Hyatt.

I usually dislike using travel portals, but one instance that I’d use a travel portal is to book attractions via Citi Travel®. Citi has partnered with booking.com to launch Citi Travel®, meaning that you can use Citi’s travel portal to book anything that is available via booking.com.

I see myself taking advantage of the 12x point bonus rate to book attractions via Citi Travel®. Whenever I travel to new destinations, I occasionally like to purchase tickets for attractions, such as museums or theme parks.

Since attraction tickets are often safe to book on third-party sites, I would definitely pay for my attraction tickets using my Citi Strata Elite℠ Card on the Citi travel portal.

Many credit cards will consider booking.com as a simple travel category purchase, and other cards may not earn any bonus points on booking.com purchases at all. The 12x point rate for attractions is one of the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card’s standout features, making it a unique card to consider getting.

Annual $300 Citi Travel® Hotel Credit

Every calendar year, cardhlders can enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more booked through Citi Travel®. This could be a useful credit, especially when considering how Citi Travel® works.

Most other credit card travel portals such as Chase Travel℠ and Capital One Travel allow you to book hotel stays at established hotel chains, such as World of Hyatt and Marriott Bonvoy. However, since Citi Travel® is powered by booking.com, you can book stays with a variety of different types of accommodations, including hotels, beds and breakfasts, cabins, apartments, etc.

For my trip to Japan this summer, I’ve booked stays at two different traditional Japanese ryokans in Hakone and Nikko using booking.com. I wanted to experience traditional Japanese accommodation and hospitality, and paying with cash was the only viable option for me.

If I had the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card, I definitely would’ve been able to make use of the hotel credit by booking my ryokan stays via Citi Travel®, allowing me to save a couple hundreds of dollars on my vacation.

If you’re ever in a similar situation, you could definitely find value out of the hotel credit, especially when booking accommodation in remote and less populated places where established hotel chains aren’t available.

Up to $200 in Annual Private Chauffeur Credit with Blacklane®

Every calendar year, cardholders can enjoy up to $200 in statement credits toward booking chauffeur services with Blacklane.

The $200 credit comes in the form of two $100 semi-annual statement credits:

• Up to $100 in statement credits from January through June
• Up to $100 in statement credits from July through December

Blacklane allows you to book premier, luxury, and private transportation services with a professional chauffeur. I could see myself using this credit, as it’d be nice to book private driving services every once in a while.

If I didn’t have a car, and I needed to get from a city to a location without public transportation options available, I’d see myself taking advantage of the Blacklane credit to book transportation. For example, when I attend Coachella in the future, I’d definitely find use in the credit to book transportation from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Palm Springs.

On the downside, I wouldn’t use Blacklane services often, and this credit would only be useful in particular, niche situations. Usability of this credit will vary from person to person.

Annual $200 Splurge Credit℠

Every calendar year, earn up to $200 in statement credits on your choice of up to 2 of the following brands:

• 1stDibs
• American Airlines (exclusions apply)
• Best Buy
• Future Personal Training
• Live Nation (exclusions apply)

Depending on the rules and exclusions, I could see myself finding use out of this credit with American Airlines and Live Nation.

I would use the credit with American Airlines to book flights and pay for any baggage fees, and I’d use the credit with Live Nation to purchase concert tickets on Live Nation or Ticketmaster since I go to concerts pretty often.

However, I don’t really purchase anything with the other three brands. If the exclusions are too restrictive, I might not be able to find any use out of this credit.

Quadrennial $120 Trusted Traveler Program Credit

You will receive one statement credit every four years (up to $120) for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS. This can be very useful in streamlining your travel experience and making it faster.

As a frequent traveler, I definitely see myself making use of this credit to apply for Global Entry and to renew it.

American Airlines Admirals Club® Access

Every year, cardholders will be given four American Airlines Admirals Club® Citi Strata Elite℠ passes. These passes will allow you to gain access to an Admirals Club lounge location, allowing you to relax and enjoy a variety of premium benefits available at these lounges.

For example, you can enjoy complimentary amenities and services such as snacks, house drinks, made-to-order specialities, personal travel assistance, shower suites, business centers, cocktails, etc.

These lounge passes are part of Citi’s budding relationship with American Airlines, as Citi is on its way to becoming the exclusive issuer of American Airlines co-branded credit cards. Citi is rumored to offer more benefits with American Airlines in the coming years, and these lounge passes are just the beginning.

Priority Pass™ Select Membership

As a travel-rewards oriented credit card, the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card offers complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership. Your complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership will allow you to access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide.

The Priority Pass membership will likely be similar to the tier that Chase and American Express offer with their credit cards, meaning that Priority Pass restaurants will not be included with your Priority Pass membership provided by your Citi Strata Elite℠ Card.

Additional Information

Before you decide that the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card could be a fit for you, there are some additional information points about the card to consider. Some important information to consider includes:

• $595 annual fee ($145 discount if you are a Citigold® relationship customer; first year waived + $145 discount each year thereafter if you are a Citigold® Private Client)
• Authorized user fee of $75
• Limits of Priority Pass™ Select membership
• Admirals Club access rules
• Future transfer availability of Citi ThankYou points to American Airlines AAdvantage Miles

The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card does come with a hefty annual fee that can be offputting to many casual card users. However, if you are able to make use of the card’s credits and find use in making purchases that fall within the bonus categories, you might find it useful to save a spot in your wallet for the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card.

In my opinion, one of the biggest perks that could make the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card a gamechanger is if it unlocks the ability to transfer Citi ThankYou points to American Airlines AAadvantage. AAdvantage miles are well regarded for their high value redemptions, as you can book redemptions such as a Japan Airlines flight from the U.S. to Japan in business class for 60,000 AAdvantage miles.

American Airlines AAdvantage also currently has no credit card transfer partners, making their miles even more lucrative to obtain. Citi used to be a transfer partner in the past, but their partnership ended a few years ago in 2021. The introduction of Admirals Club lounge access passes with the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card could mark a turning point in the relationship between Citi and American Airlines.

Final Remarks

While the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card is still surrounded by rumors, the early information paints a compelling picture for premium travelers looking to maximize Citi ThankYou points. With a rumored 80,000-point welcome offer, 12x points earnings on select Citi Travel® bookings, and generous annual credits on hotels, Blacklane rides, and select “splurge” brands, the card could offer significant value if used strategically.

The inclusion of Admirals Club lounge passes and Priority Pass membership reinforces its premium positioning. However, the high annual fee and niche bonus categories may limit its appeal for more casual users. If Citi revives point transfers to American Airlines AAdvantage, the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card could become a gamechanger for travel redemptions. As always, consider your spending habits and travel preferences before adding this card to your wallet.