CashFreely is all about maximizing your cash back in the easiest way possible. This is why we like the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card.
Here’s the current offer:
I talk a lot about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card as our favorite overall card, and if you don’t have the “CSP”—stop reading this post and go here! But, it’s time to meet another top ranked card: Citi Strata Premier℠ Card.
If you are familiar with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, then think of the Citi Strata Premier as Citi’s version. It is VERY similar. The Citi Premier acts as an Uno Wildcard that earns Citi ThankYou® points that can be used for lots of different types of rewards, including cash back. However, the card also earns valuable rewards towards travel, so there’s flexibility with the card. If you prefer a travel rewards card, or might prefer to use the points earned towards travel at some point down the road, our sister site, Travel Freely, can give you all the details of this card in terms of travel rewards.
Here’s why the card is worth it:
1. Redeeming for cash back
With this card, you can redeem at a rate where 1 point = 1 cent. That means every 10,000 from the current welcome offer is worth $100 cash back. With this money in your pocket, you can then use the cash for anything you desire — and redeeming your points is incredibly easy.
Note: While you can also redeem your points for travel directly through the portal, it’s at the same ratio. If travel is where you are looking to use your cash, we actually recommend opting for the cash back option instead. When redeeming your points through their travel portal, there’s no upside and instead you are locked into the options they are offering — which could even be more expensive. The real way to redeem your points for travel is to transfer them to one of Citi’s partner sites, which you can read more about at Travel Freely.
2. Earn 3x points on lots of expenses
Apart from the signup bonus, the spending categories on this card rival those of some of the top cards out there. From your everyday spending to your travel expenses and dining out, you’ll quickly rack up points on purchases with this card.
With this card you earn points, however, since you can redeem 1 point for 1 cent cash back, you can also think of this as a cash back percentage.
- 3x points (worth 3% cash back) on Dining
- 3x points (worth 3% cash back) on Gas
- 3x points (worth 3% cash back) on Groceries
- 3x points (worth 3% cash back) Airfare and Hotels
- 1x point (worth 1% cash back) on everything else
3. Purchase protections:
a) Extended Warranty: This card has been my go-to card when we buy our cell phones and computers. We’ve gotten 2 cell phones replaced because we were still under warranty. Citi extends the manufacturer’s warranty by 24 months on items with a manufacturer’s warranty of 5 years or less. This is the best extended warranty coverage of any issuer. Extra tip: I also bought our Macbook with this card at Costco. Citi’s extra 24 months will kick in after Costco’s extra warranty.
b) Damage and Theft Protection: Covers your new purchases for 90 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per calendar year.
4. Extra value: $100 hotel credit
Once per year you can apply a coupon for $100 off on an after-tax hotel booking of $500 or more. Unfortunately, you have to book through Citi’s ThankYou portal, which is notoriously overpriced and does not allow access to hotel member rates, AAA rates, or other discounted rates. In other words, this perk won’t save you a full $100 in many situations.
Zac’s Advice: What would I do?
I would absolutely get this card. It’s one of the best offers available and incredibly easy to redeem your points for cash back. With a relatively low minimum spend requirement, this is a quick and easy way to put a large sum of cash in your pocket.
Citi Strata Premier Application Tips
a) 48 Month Rule (ThankYou Cards): To get bonus on any ThankYou card, it must be 48 months since you last received a new account bonus for that card. This applies to ThankYou Preferred (no longer available), Strata Premier, Prestige (no longer available), and Rewards+.
b) Velocity Rules: Citi will approve 1 personal card per 8 days and 2 personal cards per 65 days.
c) Already have the Citi Strata Premier? Citi allows you to get this card again (even if the card is still open). To get this card, you must not have received a new cardmember bonus for the Citi Strata Premier in the past 48 months.
Want to apply?
Please consider using our link below:
To check on your application status, call 800-763-9795 (personal card application status) 7am-midnight EST 7 days a week
If denied, call reconsideration here: 800-695-5171 (personal), and consider using our article for help: https://cashfreely.net/strategy-for-denied-or-pending-applications/
Want to do more research? Check out our Citi Strata Premier Complete Guide.
