Is the Citi Strata Elite Card Actually Simple? A Deep Dive
Hey everyone, Philip here, and today we're diving into the new Citi Strata Elite card. I saw an interesting interview with Gonzalo Luchetti from Citi on CNBC, where he was pitching this card to "savvy affluent customers," emphasizing its simplicity and flexibility. He even said you don't need a PhD to understand the benefits!
This got me thinking: how accurate is that claim? Let's break down the card and see if it lives up to the hype.
Quick Overview: Citi Strata Elite Card
Annual Fee: $595
Authorized User Fee: $75 (lower than Amex Platinum & Chase Sapphire Reserve)
Sign-Up Bonus: 80,000 points after spending $4,000 in 3 months (Ho-hum). Keep an eye out for a potential 100,000 point bonus by calling a physical Citi branch!
Travel "Elite"?
The card is marketed as an "elite travel card," but here's the catch: you only earn travel multipliers through the Citi Travel portal.
12 points per dollar: Hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on cititravel.com
6 points per dollar: Airfare booked on cititravel.com
That's it for travel multipliers. Frustrating, right? While it's a Mastercard with no foreign transaction fees, limiting bonus categories to their portal is a significant drawback compared to other premium travel cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Simplicity... or Complexity?
Remember that "simplicity" Luchetti was talking about? Let's examine the bonus categories:
6 points per dollar: Restaurants on "Citi Nights" (Friday 6 PM ET - Saturday 6 AM ET)
3 points per dollar: All other dining purchases
1.5 points per dollar: All other purchases
The Citi Nights perk seems overly complicated. Having to calculate New York time while you're in Hawaii to maximize your points? Not exactly simple!
On the other hand, you get a dining card and a catch-all card, and it could match the Chase Freedom Unlimited and the Chase Sapphire Reserve, but only if you made purchases through City Travel
Credits: Are They Easier to Use?
Luchetti seemed to be taking a shot at the American Express Platinum card with its numerous credits. Let's see how the City Strata Elite stacks up:
$300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Valid for stays of two nights or more booked through cititravel.com. (In line with industry standards)
$200 Annual Splurge Credit: Choose up to two of the following: First Dibs, American Airlines (exclusions apply), Best Buy, Future Personal Training, Live Nation. (Potentially easy to use if you have planned expenses)
$200 Annual Blacklane Credit: $100 for the first and second six months of the year. (Might be harder to use, depending on your needs.)
Priority Pass Select Membership: Standard for cards at this price point.
American Airlines Admirals Club Lounge Access: Four passes per year. (Potentially limiting compared to other lounge access programs.)
$120 Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check Credit: Solid perk.
Important Note: All credits are based on the calendar year, not the cardmember year. This means you could potentially double-dip on these benefits if you open and close the card strategically.
The Verdict: Is It Simple?
The credits themselves aren't overly complicated, and they're arguably less convoluted than some of Amex's or Chase's offerings. However, the Citi Nights dining bonus is a miss, and the fact that you must use cititravel.com to earn travel multipliers is a major drawback for a card marketed to frequent travelers.
What do you think? Is the Citi Strata Elite card truly simple? Let me know in the comments below!