Citi Strata Elite
Issued by Citi
$1589/year in trackable credits — never leave money on the table
Earning Categories
Current Welcome Bonus
Earn 100,000 bonus ThankYou Points after spending $6,000 within 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $1,000 in gift cards or travel rewards
Year 1 net value: $-580 (bonus − annual fee)
Statement Credits
Up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com (once per calendar year)
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, and Live Nation (exclusions apply)
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 Blacklane purchases January through June and up to $100 July through December
Priority Pass™ Select membership Enjoy complimentary access to 1,500+ airport lounges worldwide. Annual membership fee valued at $469
Every calendar year, receive 4 Admirals Club® Citi Strata Elite℠ Passes for access to nearly 50 Admirals Club® lounges (over $300 in value). Inside each of the nearly 50 lounges, you can enjoy a selection of snacks, complimentary cocktails, personal travel assistance and more.
Additionally, Up to $120 Global Entry® or TSA PreCheck® Application Fee Credit Receive a statement credit, up to $120 every four years, as reimbursement for your application fee for Global Entry® or TSA PreCheck
Card Perks
Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership with access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide
Complimentary Hertz Five Star status
Get 25% more value when redeeming ThankYou points for travel through Citi Travel portal
Maximize Your Citi ThankYou Points Points
Program Overview
Citi ThankYou Points is a transferable points currency earned through Citi credit cards. It competes directly with Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards as one of the three major bank transferable currencies. Points are earned on the Strata Elite, Strata Premier, Strata, Custom Cash, Double Cash, and older Prestige cards, and pool together when a premium card is held. Key strengths: strong airline transfer partner roster (15 airlines) including Turkish Miles&Smiles, Singapore KrisFlyer, Virgin Atlantic, and Flying Blue; competitive flat-rate earning via Double Cash (2x everywhere); powerful category earning on Strata Premier (3x on flights, hotels, restaurants, groceries, gas, EV charging); points never expire as long as the account remains open. Key weaknesses: transfer partners are thinner than Amex MR and Chase UR on the hotel side; no domestic US airline partner (no United, Delta, Southwest, or Alaska); non-premium card holders transfer at a 10:7 ratio (70%) rather than 1:1, which significantly reduces value if you don't hold Strata Premier or Strata Elite. Best for: cardholders who value Turkish Miles&Smiles for Star Alliance redemptions, Singapore KrisFlyer for premium Asia-Pacific itineraries, or Virgin Atlantic for ANA first class. TPG values ThankYou Points at 1.9¢ per point as of February 2026.
Earning Tips
Card stack for maximum ThankYou point earning: Premium tier: - Citi Strata Elite: 10x on hotels/car rentals via Citi Travel, 4x on airlines/restaurants/supermarkets/gas/EV charging, 1x else — top card for travel and dining - Citi Strata Premier: 3x on flights, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, gas, EV charging, 1x else — workhorse for everyday categories Everyday earning: - Citi Double Cash: 2x on all purchases (1% purchase + 1% payment) — best flat-rate backup - Citi Custom Cash: 5x on your single highest eligible spend category each month (up to $500/billing cycle); eligible categories include restaurants, gas, groceries, select travel, home improvement, live entertainment, drugstores Optimal stack: - Strata Elite or Strata Premier for flights, hotels, restaurants, groceries, gas - Custom Cash for whichever category you spend most in (up to $500/mo) - Double Cash for all other spend Key rules: - Must hold Strata Elite, Strata Premier, or Prestige to transfer at 1:1; others transfer at 10:7 - Points pool automatically across all ThankYou cards when a premium card is held - Citi application rules: max 1 card per 8 days, max 2 cards per 65 days - No welcome bonus if same card held within past 24 months
Redemption Tips
Best redemptions (target 1.9¢+ per point, TPG Feb 2026 valuation): Turkish Miles&Smiles (1:1 transfer): - 7,500 miles one-way domestic US economy — best domestic rate available anywhere - 45,000 miles one-way business class to Europe - 32,500 miles one-way business class to Middle East/Africa - Book on Turkish website; call center sometimes finds availability missing online Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1 transfer): - 55,000 miles one-way ANA first class US to Japan (~5¢/pt value) - 47,500 miles one-way ANA business class US to Japan - Book 355 days out; ANA first class also releases ~21 days before departure Air France/KLM Flying Blue: - Monthly promo awards: 25–50% off specific routes; Europe business class can be ~50K one-way - Check Promo Rewards section of Flying Blue website each month Qatar Privilege Club (Avios, 1:1 transfer): - Oneworld partner business class; Japan Airlines and Cathay Pacific are strong targets - ~70,000 Avios for Cathay business class one-way to Asia Citi Travel portal: - 1 cent per point baseline — use when transfers don't improve value Avoid: - Cash back, gift cards, merchandise (0.5–1¢/pt) - Non-Choice hotel transfers generally offer weak value - Transferring to non-premium rate (10:7) erodes value significantly
Transfer Strategy
Transfer structure: - Premium card holders (Strata Elite, Strata Premier, Prestige): 1:1 to all partners - Non-premium card holders (Strata, Double Cash, Custom Cash): 10:7 ratio (70% value) - You must hold at least one premium card to unlock 1:1 transfers Outbound airline partners (1:1 premium / 10:7 non-premium): - Turkish Miles&Smiles: best Star Alliance sweet spots (7,500 domestic economy, 45K business to Europe) - Singapore KrisFlyer: premium cabin awards on Singapore metal - Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: ANA first class (55K one-way US–Japan) — best-in-class redemption - Air France/KLM Flying Blue: monthly promo awards to Europe, often 25–50% off - Avianca LifeMiles: United flights without fuel surcharges - Qatar Privilege Club (Avios): Oneworld business class - Cathay Pacific Asia Miles: Asia-Pacific premium routes - American Airlines AAdvantage: 1:1 for AA metal and oneworld partners - Emirates Skywards: 5:4 ratio (not 1:1) — factor into calculations - JetBlue TrueBlue: 1:1 for JetBlue flights - Etihad Guest, EVA Air, Qantas, Thai Royal Orchid Plus, Aeromexico: niche use cases Hotel partners: - Choice Privileges: 1:2 (good for fixed-rate properties) - Wyndham Rewards: 1:1 - Accor Live Limitless: 2:1 (useful for European Accor properties) - I Prefer / Leaders Club: boutique hotel programs, limited value When to transfer: only for a specific confirmed booking — points are one-way and lose optionality once transferred. Flying Blue monthly promos and Turkish sweet spots are the most consistent high-value targets.
Citi ThankYou Points Program
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Related guide: Why I Applied for the Citi Strata Elite: 100K Points + Double-Dip Strategy
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