Key takeaways
- Citi Strata offers a significantly higher welcome bonus and more opportunities for cardholders to earn rewards.
- Citi Rewards+ doesn’t charge annual fees and provides a unique round-up feature for point earning.
- Citi Strata offers more valuable benefits, but the $95 annual fee and lack of intro APR offer make it a pricier option.
Citi is an advertising partner
If you’re looking for an everyday rewards card to add to your wallet, the Citi Rewards+® Card and the Citi Strata Card might both be on your radar. Both cards are low-maintenance options that offer rewards in popular categories, as well as flexible redemptions. Still, they target rather different types of cardholders.
In this guide, we’ll compare the cards’ terms, benefits, redemption options and more. Learn what each card offers to determine whether you should apply for the Citi Rewards+ or the Citi Strata.
Main details
| Cards | Citi Rewards+ | Citi Strata |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening | 70,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening |
| Rewards rate |
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| Intro APR | 0% intro APR for 15 months (from the date of account opening) on purchases and balance transfers (18.74% to 28.74% variable APR after) | None; 21.24% to 29.24% variable APR |
| Annual fee | $0 | $95 |
Citi Rewards+ vs. Citi Strata highlights
To choose between two cards, it’s a good idea to compare each of their aspects side by side. Let’s start with rewards and some common fees.
Welcome bonus winner
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The Citi Strata is a winner in this round as it offers a significantly more valuable intro bonus. You can earn 70,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months with the card. That’s $700 in value with redemptions options like gift cards and travel booked through Citi. You can stretch the value of your points further if you transfer them to the issuer’s airline or hotel partners. According to Bankrate valuations, Citi ThankYou points are worth [shortcode points and miles 46] apiece on average when transferred. That means 70,000 points could be worth a whopping $1,120 in travel.
To compare, the Citi Rewards+ offers 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in purchases within the first three months of account opening. This bonus, unlike the points earned with the Strata card, are “Basic ThankYou points” that can’t be transferred to Citi’s full slate of travel partners; therefore, this bonus is worth about $200 given the card’s redemption options.
That said, you want to consider whether you can meet the spending requirement. To earn the welcome bonus on the Citi Strata, you need to spend around $1,333 each month for three months. The intro bonus on the Citi Rewards+ is much easier to earn — you’ll only need to spend $500 monthly for three months.
Rewards rate winner
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Again, the Citi Strata is a winner, thanks to its variety of 3X rewards categories. With this card, you can earn an unlimited 3X points in everyday spending categories, including restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations, hotels and on air travel.
The Citi Rewards+, on the other hand, only earns 2X points at supermarkets and gas stations, for up to $6,000 in purchases per year (1X points thereafter).
Still, its round-up feature makes the Citi Rewards+ a solid card for everyday spending. It rounds up each purchase you make to the nearest 10 points. For instance, if you spend $11, you’ll earn 20 points. Plus, you’ll get 10 percent of your points back on the first 100,000 points you redeem annually (up to 10,000 points).
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The best annual fee is no annual fee, and the Citi Rewards+ takes the prize here. The Citi Strata charges $95 per year.
Still, it’s wise to look beyond annual fees. A good credit card will give you ample opportunity to offset them. For example, once per calendar year, the Citi Strata gives you $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booking through CitiTravel.com. That annual credit alone is enough to offset the $95 annual fee.
Foreign transaction fee winner
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Like most travel credit cards, the Citi Strata doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees on purchases made in foreign currency, whether you’re traveling abroad or shopping online with a non-U.S. based merchant. The Citi Rewards+, on the other hand, charges a 3 percent fee on all foreign transactions. If you need a card you can take on international trips, the Citi Strata is a better option.
Which card earns the most?
With such diverse bonus categories, the Citi Strata provides more opportunities for cardholders to earn rewards compared to the Citi Rewards+.
Citi Strata vs. Citi Rewards+ spending example
As an example, let’s use the following monthly budget:
- $500 on groceries
- $200 at restaurants
- $350 on flights
- $150 on gas
- $100 on miscellaneous purchases
The Citi Rewards+ will earn you 1,000 points at supermarkets, 200 points on dining, 350 points on flights, 300 points on gas and 100 points on other purchases. In total, you’ll get 1,950 points for the month redeemable for $19.50 in gift cards. Of course, this example doesn’t consider the “round up” feature since it depends on the actual cost of your purchases. To account for it, let’s say you earn an extra 550 points from rounding up, which brings your total points for the month to 2,500 worth $25 in gift cards.
In the same scenario, the Citi Strata will earn you 1,500 points at supermarkets, 600 points on dining, 1,050 points on air travel, 450 points on gas and 100 points on other eligible purchases. That’s a total of 3,700 points per month valued at $37 in gift cards and perhaps more if you transfer those points to a travel partner.
Here’s a chart to help you visualize this spending scenario and the rewards:
| Category | Monthly spending | Citi Rewards+ | Citi Strata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groceries | $500 | 1,000 points | 1,500 points |
| Restaurants | $200 | 200 points | 600 points |
| Flights | $350 | 350 points | 1,050 points |
| Gas | $150 | 300 points | 450 points |
| Miscellaneous | $100 | 100 points | 100 points |
| Monthly total | $1,300 | 2,500 points (1,950 points plus 550 “round up” points) | 3,700 points |
Why should you get the Citi Strata?
If you’re an occasional traveler and want the flexibility to redeem points for cash back, the Citi Strata can be a good choice.
Additional benefits
One of the most prominent Citi Strata benefits is its annual $100 hotel savings perk. You can use this discount on a single hotel stay of $500 or more per year (excluding taxes and fees) when you use your Citi Strata card and book through CitiTravel.com.
Additionally, the Citi Strata offers a few travel insurance benefits. These include trip cancellation/interruption coverage, trip delay and lost or damaged luggage insurance, and car rental insurance. The card provides a couple of shopping protection perks, including extended warranty and purchase protection.
Finally, as a cardholder, you also receive access to World Elite Mastercard benefits, such as:
- ShopRunner membership
- $5 Lyft credit (once per month) if you take at least three rides a month
- Three free months of DoorDash DashPass and $5 off your first order each month (terms apply)
- World Elite Concierge
- Zero liability protection
- Mastercard ID Theft Protection
Redemption options
As is the case with many travel cards, you’re likely to get the best redemption value (shortcode Points and miles 46) if you transfer ThankYou points to one of Citi’s travel partners. You can aso redeem your points as cash back at 1 cent per point in the form of gift cards, statement credits, direct deposit or a check.
Additional options may vary in value and include:
- Payment credits on mortgages, student loans or online bill pay
- Shopping with Amazon and Best Buy
- Charity contributions
Recommended credit score
Most travel credit cards require good to excellent credit, and Citi Strata is no exception. That means to qualify for the card, you want a credit score of at least 670.
Why should you get the Citi Rewards+?
If you don’t travel often or would prefer a card without annual fees, the Citi Rewards+ might be a better option.
Additional benefits
With the card’s round-up feature, it’s easy to maximize the Citi Rewards+ value. You’ll also get 10 percent points back when you redeem (up to the first 100,000 points redeemed annually).
Further, the card provides a 0 percent intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers. After that, the variable APR of 18.74 to 28.74 percent kicks in. For balance transfers, you’ll pay an introductory balance transfer fee of 3 percent per transfer ($5 minimum) completed within the first four months of account opening. After that, the fee jumps to 5 percent of each transfer ($5 minimum). Note that you must complete balance transfers in the first four months of account opening.
Redemption options
The Citi Rewards+ gets you similar redemptions options as with the Citi Strata, including:
- Cash back and statement credits
- Gift cards
- Payment credits, including mortgages, student loans or online bill pay
- Shopping with Amazon and Best Buy
- Charity contributions
- Travel through Citi
The point value ranges from 0.5 to 1 cent apiece. Note that while you can transfer your points to a limited number of partners including JetBlue TrueBlue, Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards, the transfer ratios on the Citi Rewards+ make this redemption option less valuable. For example, 1,000 ThankYou points only yield you 800 points with Wyndham Rewards or JetBlue TrueBlue with this card (compared to the 1:1 ratio with the Citi Strata). And 1,000 ThankYou points get you 1,500 Choice Privileges points. With the Citi Strata, you’d get 2,000 points.
Recommended credit score
Like with the Citi Strata, you’ll need a good to excellent credit score (at least 670) to qualify for the Citi Rewards+.
The bottom line
As far as travel cards go, the Citi Strata has more to offer than the Citi Rewards+. With the Citi Strata, you’ll get better rewards rates and redemption options, as well as more benefits. Still, if you’re not ready to commit to a card with annual fees, the Citi Rewards+ may be a solid alternative.
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