The Citi Strata Card earns Citi ThankYou Points and charges a $0 annual fee. It is the no-fee card in the Strata lineup, next to the $95 Citi Strata Premier. The under-$100 travel-card roundup places this card outside that $95 set.
What the product is structurally
The Citi Strata Card is a consumer Mastercard that posts ThankYou Points. Citi lists a $0 annual fee and a $0 authorized-user fee. Points can book travel on cititravel.com, move to partner programs, or redeem through thankyou.com.
The card is distinct from Strata Premier and Strata Elite. Those cards publish annual fees. This card does not.
How it works in practice
Earn rates on the product page are:
- 5 points per dollar on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on cititravel.com
- 3 points per dollar at supermarkets
- 3 points per dollar at gas and EV charging stations and on select transit
- 3 points per dollar in one self-selected category
- 2 points per dollar at restaurants
- 1 point per dollar on other purchases
The self-selected choices are fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores, barber shops, hair salons, or pet supply stores. When the account opens, the default category is select streaming services. The primary cardmember can change the category once each calendar quarter at citi.com/selfselect or by phone.
ThankYou Points transfer to American Airlines, JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, Cathay, Eva Air, Choice Hotels, The Leading Hotels of the World, and other partners. The minimum transfer is 1,000 points. The product-page summary does not publish a transfer ratio.
Fees and pricing mechanics
The annual fee is $0. Adding an authorized user also lists a $0 fee.
Citi’s pricing information states an introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR. It also states a balance-transfer fee for transfers in the first 4 months and a fee after that period. Those percentages are on the pricing table rather than fixed in the marketing summary.
Limits, eligibility, and availability
The new-account bonus is not available if the applicant currently has, or previously had, a Citi Strata or Citi Strata Student account. Citi also says bonus eligibility can depend on the history of opening, closing, and using credit cards.
The 5-point rate applies to hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on cititravel.com. The same trip booked outside that site falls to the other published rates. The 3-point self-select rate applies to one category at a time.
Tradeoffs, risks, and limitations
The $0 annual fee removes a yearly charge. The 5-point rate is limited to named bookings on cititravel.com. Supermarkets, gas, EV charging, and select transit earn 3 points. Restaurants earn 2 points. Other purchases earn 1 point.
Only one self-selected category earns 3 points, and it can change once per calendar quarter. The default is select streaming services until the primary cardmember switches it.
