3 Perks You Only Get With the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is the newest Citi card. Since it's a travel rewards card, it has some of the typical travel card perks: No foreign transaction fees and points you can use to save money on your trips. It only charges a $95 annual fee, which is much less than what many travel cards cost.

On top of the usual perks, this Citi card also has a few benefits you won't find on other credit cards. Here's what makes it stand out.

1. $100 annual hotel benefit

Once per calendar year, you get $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when you book it through CitiTravel.com. If you use this every year, you're already coming out ahead on the $95 annual fee.

For frequent travelers, this benefit is easy to use. It's also applied instantly when you make the booking -- you don't need to wait months to get a credit.

Credit card travel portals don't always have the best deals, but Citi Travel gets good reviews on Reddit. Travelers have reported that it has competitive hotel prices, in some cases even offering better rates than booking directly with the hotel.

2. 70,000 ThankYou® Points

The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card has a welcome offer of 70,000 ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. This is one of the larger welcome offers available with travel credit cards.

If you haven't used Citi ThankYou® Points before, there are several redemption options. You can always get $0.01 per point for them, either for gift cards or booking travel through Citi. Based on those options, 70,000 ThankYou® Points are worth $700.

They could also be worth even more if you go with a different redemption option: Transfers to Citi travel partners. Citi lets you transfer your points to over 15 airline and hotel loyalty programs. If you do, your points become points/miles in that partner's loyalty program.

For example, you could transfer your points to the Air France/KLM Flying Blue program or the Avianca LifeMiles program, turning them into miles. Then, you could use your miles to book business-class airfare. It's possible to get $0.03 per point or more in value this way -- and more importantly, to fly business class while only paying taxes and fees.

3. 3X points across travel categories and everyday spending

You won't just earn bonus points with this card's welcome offer. You'll also be earning extra in multiple spending categories.

Like many travel cards, the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card rewards you for using its travel portal. It earns 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com.

But what sets this card apart are the rest of its bonus categories. It earns 3X points per $1 on:

• Air travel
• Other hotel purchases (other than those booked in CitiTravel.com)
• Restaurants
• Supermarkets
• Gas stations
• EV charging stations

Lots of credit cards earn bonus rewards on either travel-type spending (air travel, hotels) or everyday spending (gas and groceries). The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is the only card I've found that earns extra across all those categories listed above. You should have no problem earning bonus points with it, and more points means more travel savings.

An excellent travel card with an affordable price tag

When you look at all it has to offer, the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card's $95 annual fee is a bargain. If you earn 50,000 ThankYou® Points per year, that's at least $500 in travel savings. You can also get $100 in hotel savings every year. And when you first open an account, you'll be eligible for the welcome offer, worth at least $700 in travel rewards.