Episode Description

If a $595 annual fee premium credit card hits the market, should it automatically earn a place in your wallet?

In this episode, I take a detailed look at Citi’s newest addition to the transferable points landscape: the Citi Strata Elite Card. From its standard 80,000-point welcome bonus to the elevated 100,000-point offer available through certain channels, we’ll walk through exactly what you get when you open this card. You’ll hear how its bonus categories actually work, why the time-restricted “Citi Nights” dining perk is so unusual, and what makes its non-category 1.5x earning stand out—or not—compared to other cards.

We’ll also dig into the real value of the credits, including the split Blacklane credit, the merchant-specific Splurge credit, and the 2-night minimum hotel portal credit—plus where this card shines with American Airlines lounge passes and where it falls flat next to Citi’s own mid-tier options and the retired Prestige card. Before you sign up for the welcome bonus, I’ll share the points expiration rules that can cost you big if you cancel after a year, and what I think this launch reveals about the next wave of premium rewards cards.

Turn your expenses into points and save tens of thousands of dollars a year on your wishlist travel. Don’t miss out! Click here to know more about my comprehensive online program, Points Made Easy.

What You’ll Learn from this Episode

• Understand the Citi Strata Elite Card’s welcome bonus and elevated offer options
• Learn how its bonus categories compare to other Citi cards and premium competitors
• Discover the real-world value (and limitations) of the included travel credits
• See where the card shines — and where it falls flat — in a rewards portfolio
• Identify when the card makes sense for short-term use vs. long-term holding
• Find out how Citi’s points expiration policy could cost you if you cancel
• Explore what this launch might reveal about the future of premium rewards cards

Featured on the Show:

• Follow me on Instagram
• Get on the waitlist for the Points Made Easy Course here!
• Get My Cash-Back Credit Card Cheat Sheet!
• If you have any questions or you want me to dive deeper into a specific topic, email me here: podcast@pointmetofirstclass.com
• Ep: 125 Maximizing Citi Points Ecosystem
• Citi Strata Elite Card

Click here to download full episode transcript

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