Citi Strata℠ Credit Card Review

• Type of card: cash back, balance transfer 
• Purchase APR: Variable 19.24% to 29.24%
• Annual fee: $0
• Intro APR: 0% interest for the first 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
• Base rewards: 5x points on hotels, car rentals, attractions, 3x points on supermarkets, gas, and EV charging stations, 3x points on an eligible category of your choice; 2x points on restaurants, and 1x points on everything else 
• Sign-up bonus: 30,000 bonus points if you spend $1,000 within the first three months of account opening 

Disclosure: This content is not provided by Citibank. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone and have not been endorsed by Citibank.

Earning Rewards

Unlike some cash-back or travel rewards cards, which are clearly in one bucket or another, the Citi Strata℠ card straddles both worlds. You can scoop up 5x points per dollar when you book travel (hotel stays, car rentals, and attractions) through Citi’s travel portal. The other bucket for cash back rewards you with 3x points per dollar on supermarkets, gas, and EV charging stations as well as select streaming subscriptions. 

You can also earn 3x points on eligible categories of your choice. There’s also 2x points on restaurants – so you’re covered on eating in and eating out. On all other purchases, you can earn 1x points.

While the Citi Strata℠ does give you the option of choosing a select category of your choice, it’s missing a few golden features from the Citi Rewards+ – the ability to get a 10% Points Back rebate up to 100,000 points in the first year. Plus, cardholders won’t be able to round up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase. For instance, if you spend $4 on a donut, it will round up to 10 points.

Redeeming Rewards

There are four main ways you can redeem points: You can shop online with your points, swap them for gift cards or cash back, use points to book travel on CitiTravel.com, or transfer points to one of Citi’s partners.

Another perk? You have the option to share your earned points with a fellow ThankYou® Rewards member – so you can spread the cheer! Once these points are moved, the other ThankYou® member has 90 days to redeem those points.

While the Citi cardholders club might be mourning the loss of some of Citi Rewards+ former benefits, it’s a good idea to take note that ThankYou® Points transfer partners include JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, Cathay Pacific, Eva Air, and Choice Hotels (i.e., Radisson, EconoLodge, and Rodeway Inn), and Wyndham Rewards. If you want to make the most of your rewards points, it’s helpful to know the value of the transfer ratio before you move over points.

It’s certainly advantageous to transfer points to a Citi partner where the transfer ratio is in your power. So stay current on the latest transfer partners to make the most of your earned points. 

Related: Compare our top recommended rewards credit cards. 

Rates and Fees

For a card that offers an attractive, complex, and rich rewards program, one of the standout features of the Citi Strata℠ is that it has no annual fee. 

The rates can veer toward the high end though. Currently, this card has a 19.24% to 29.24% variable APR on purchases and balance transfer based on your creditworthiness. If you apply and are approved for the card, your interest rate will hinge on your creditworthiness, or ability to pay back the loan.

If you’re looking for a no-fee balance transfer card, the Citi Strata℠ features a 15-month no-interest period from the date of account opening. As the average balance transfer introductory period ranges typically from 6 to 18 months, Citi Strata℠ falls on the generous end. If you do want to go ahead with a balance transfer, note that the intro balance transfer fee is 3% or a minimum of $5 within the first four months of account opening. After that, it’s 5% of each transfer or a minimum of $5. This fee usually gets folded into your new balance. So if you move $1,000 from an existing card, the fee will be $50. 

The card’s APR for cash advances hovers at 29.49%, which is typical. That’s because interest rates for cash advances are usually on the higher end – and higher – than the standard APR. There’s also a cash advance fee, which is $10 or 5%, whichever is greater. 

Lastly, if you plan to use this card overseas, a 3% foreign transaction fee will apply. One way to save money is by making travel-related purchases on your card, such as flights, hotel stays, and car rentals, and using a travel card with no foreign transaction fee when you are at an out-of-country destination.

If you make a late payment or have a payment returned, you will be charged a late payment fee of $41. Plus, you might get dinged with a penalty APR, which currently is at 29.99%. To avoid getting hit with a penalty APR, aim to stay on top of your monthly payments. You can request a change to your due date to align it more closely with your cash flow and paychecks. 

Features and Benefits

The main draw of the Citi Strata℠ credit card is its robust bonus categories. 

• 5x points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals, and attractions through the Citi Travel portal
• 3x points per dollar spent on supermarkets 
• 3x points per dollar spent on select transit, gas, and EV charging stations 
• 2x points per dollar spent on restaurants 
• 1x points per dollar spent on everything else

A standout feature is that you can rack up 3x points on a spending category of your choice. This may include fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores, hair salons, barber shops, and pet supply stores. 

If you want to save on your online shopping, as a cardholder, you can install Citi Shop®, Citi’s browser extension. In turn, you’ll scoop up offers, coupons, and other discounts on over 5,000 online merchants. It might be worth installing and checking out what deals pop up, as well as what promos get applied automatically. 

However, Citi’s travel perks are a bit barebones. While you can book travel on Citi’s travel site, CitiTravel.com, you can transfer points to some of the travel partners – JetBlue, Choice® Hotels, and Wyndham rewards. Note that the minimum number of points you’ll need to transfer is set at 1,000. 

Security

Citi offers standard features like 24-hour fraud protection and Mastercard® ID Theft Protection to safeguard your financial and personal information. As a cardholder, you’ll get alerted to any fraudulent activities on your account. Plus, if you lose or misplace your card, you can lock your account, which means new charges won’t go through. However, recurring charges – think autopay – will go without a hitch. 

And to further protect your information, you can set account alerts that get sent to your phone or email. This might include balance and statement updates, payment reminders, and balance levels. What’s particularly nice about this feature from Citi is that you can add up to two email addresses and two phone numbers. 

User Experience

The Citi website makes it easy to poke around and do side-by-side comparisons of its different credit card categories, including cards designed for balance transfers, business, no-fee, cash back, and travel rewards. You can compare up to three cards at the same time, and you can look at everything from fees, perks, and interest rates. 

Based on user reviews, the Citi Mobile app on Google Play boasts 4.8 out of 5 stars and over 10 million reviews, while it has 4.9 out of 5 stars based on 3.9 million ratings on the AppStore. The Citi app on Google Play mentions that it’s pretty easy to navigate and use. However, 1-star reviews paint a different story: that the app is full of bugs, glitches, and reviewers have run into trouble making payments. Reviews on the Apple Store include the app not working and navigation issues. 

Customer Service

Do you want to apply for the Citi Strata℠ card and would prefer to speak to a live rep? If so, you can reach out to Citi’s consumer line at 1-800-950-5114.

Here’s the kicker: Currently, there’s no way to send an email to Citi’s credit card division directly. That said, if you’re a potential customer with an inquiry, you can fill out an online form to send them a short message.  

We tried out these different channels: 

• When inquiring over the phone to see if we could apply for a new card, the automated voice messaging service reminded us that applications generally take seven business days to be processed. It also suggested we apply online and ended the call. 
• Calling the consumer line was somewhat of a head-scratcher. We weren’t sure if it was a phone number for current cardholders or existing customers.

Citi as a whole has a 1.2 Trustpilot score out of 170 reviews and a 1.04 BBB score out of over 600 reviews. Common complaints include billing snafus, poor customer service, and closing accounts without explanation or due cause. On the other side of the spectrum, five-star reviews highlight their superior customer service, speedy responsiveness, and quick at remedying situations. 

Toss a stone in any direction in Reddit-land, and you’ll find that Redditors are enthusiastic about the Citi Rewards+ (the precursor to the Citi Strata℠) to get high cash back on everyday purchases or low-value, small transactions.

Redditors also recommend downgrading from a Citi card with an annual fee to a no-annual-fee member of the Citi card suite – such as the Citi Strata℠.

One thing about credit cards with no annual fees and some travel perks is that they’re easy to keep track of the rewards, explains Julian Merrick, a credit card enthusiast and founder and CEO of Supertrader.  “You don’t need to sit down with a spreadsheet to figure out if you’re getting your money’s worth,” he points out. 

Plus, there’s no need to keep track of hotel credits or remember which portal to book through. “You just use the card, earn some points, and move on,” he says. “It works well for someone who wants travel rewards but doesn’t want to spend time thinking about it every week. Not everyone wants to turn their credit card into a full-time project.”

“A no-annual-fee travel card can be a great fit for someone who travels occasionally but wants to earn rewards without committing to a high yearly cost,” says Dominick Leuzzi, an investment advisor and financial planner at Walsh & Nicholson Financial Group.

“If you’re not consistently using travel perks like lounge access or priority boarding, a no-fee card can still provide value through points, cashback, or airline miles – without the pressure of needing to ‘earn back’ an annual fee,” says Leuzzi.

While you won’t have to worry about accruing enough points to offset the annual fee, a no-annual card usually won’t come loaded with trip insurance or lounge access. 

Another way to look at it: “No-annual-fee travel cards can be a strategic part of a larger credit card portfolio,” points out Leuzzi. This rings true especially for younger professionals or new travelers. “If you pair them with a cashback or points-earning card for everyday spending, you can start building a rewards strategy without incurring significant costs,” says Leuzzi. 

We thoroughly analyzed and rated credit cards in the following categories. Here’s a detailed, play-by-play on the ins and outs of how our review process works: 

• Rates and fees: We carefully examined the main credit card rates, including the purchase and promotional APR. We also assessed the main fees: the annual fee, balance transfer fee, foreign transaction fee, late fee, and over-limit fee. 
• Features and benefits: We analyzed the features and perks that would most stand out for this particular card. This includes benefits such as ancillary benefits and a rewards structure. The base rewards program, sign-on bonus, travel, and entertainment perks are also folded in. We also looked at points or miles redemption options. 
• Security: Considerations included security measures like fraud detection services, sophisticated security measures, and card freezes. Comprehensive ways to safeguard sensitive card and personal data—think card alerts—are also part of our analysis. 
• User experience: User experience goes beyond the website and app navigation. We also considered several factors, including the ease of applying for the card, the speed of card receipt, the usability of the card, the simplicity of utilizing its features and benefits, as well as the process of closing your account. 
• Customer service: We compare the credit card issuer’s Trustpilot score, BBB ratings, its competitors, and industry averages. We also integrated the company’s various customer service channels (i.e., telephone, chat, and email) and evaluated response times and the overall quality of experience.

The Citi Strata℠ credit card can be a good fit if you’re looking for a no-hassle, straightforward rewards credit card that doesn’t have an annual fee. Plus, you can enjoy bonus spending categories – including a spending category of your choice – without fretting over whether you’ll put enough on your card to offset ongoing fees.

However, if you want to enjoy more travel perks and have greater opportunities to earn points faster, you might want to look at other travel cards – maybe one that comes with an annual fee. 

Does Citi Strata℠ have lounge access?

The Citi Strata℠ does not have airport lounge access. The travel perks for this credit card are light, and include the option to book travel through the CitiTravel.com portal and to transfer points to Citi’s transfer partners. 

Does the Citi Strata℠ have purchase protection?

The Citi Strata℠ does not have purchase protection. That said, some of its perks are $0 liability on unauthorized purchases, Mastercard ID Theft Protection, and a low intro APR on purchases and balance transfers. 

What is the most exclusive Citi credit card?

The most exclusive Citi credit card is likely the Citi Strata Elite℠ card. It has a $595 annual fee and offers numerous rewards. Note that you’ll need a strong credit score to get approved for the Citi Strata Elite℠ – not to mention your debt-to-income ratio and your recent credit card applications.