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Citi Strata welcome bonus: Easy 20,000 points

The Citi Strata℠ Card offers an easy-to-earn welcome bonus. But be aware that the points you earn are not redeemable for 1 cent of cash back each unless you have another ThankYou rewards card. Continue reading for all of the details on the Strata’s current welcome offer:

My take: Easy bonus, great card… but be sure to understand how you’ll redeem your points

Photo of Aaron Hurd, credit card and travel rewards expert.
Aaron Hurd, Executive Editor of Cards and Points

20,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first three months is a decent bonus for a mainstream no-annual-fee card. You can get a larger bonus, sure. And you can certainly get a bonus that requires less in the way of spending. But the bonus on this card is fair.

But you’ll want to make sure that this isn’t the only Citi ThankYou Card you have.

However you choose to redeem points, your points will be more valuable if you have another Citi card. Having either the Citi Custom Cash or the Citi Double Cash and combining your ThankYou Points accounts will enable you to get a full 1 cent per point from cash back redemptions. And having either the Strata Premier or Strata Elite cards will enable you to transfer to Citi’s ThankYou Points transfer partners at the best rates if you want to go that route.

As part of a Citi ThankYou Rewards wallet with one of these other cards, the Strata card is an underrated rewards-earning powerhouse. Earning 3x points, uncapped, at Supermarkets and on Gas/EV charging (among other categories) is huge.

Bonus eligibility: Are you eligible to earn the sign-up bonus?

Like the other cards offering ThankYou® Points for welcome bonuses, you can only receive a welcome bonus for opening a new Citi Strata℠ Card once every 48 months.

Citi also references the Citi Rewards+® Card in its restrictions, since the Rewards+ card was the predecessor card to the no-annual-fee Strata card. Here are the terms of the Strata bonus:

Offer available to new Citi Strata℠ Card cardmembers approved through this offer. Bonus ThankYou® Points are not available if you received a new account bonus for a Citi Strata℠, Citi Strata Student, Citi Rewards+® or Citi Rewards+ Student account in the past 48 months or if you converted another Citi credit card account on which you earned a new account bonus in the last 48 months into a Citi Strata℠, Citi Strata Student, Citi Rewards+® or Citi Rewards+ Student account.

Citi Citi Strata℠ Card bonus terms

About the Citi Strata℠ Card

The Citi Strata℠ Card offers 3x ThankYou® Points in several useful categories like groceries and gas/EV charging. But to get maximum value for your points, you’ll want to pair it with at least one other ThankYou Rewards credit card..

Rewards

  • 5x on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com.
  • 3x at supermarkets
  • 3x on select transit
  • 3x at gas stations and EV charging stations
  • 3x in a self-select category of your choice
  • 2x at restaurants
  • 1x on all other purchases.

Rewards are earned Citi ThankYou® points.

Be aware that you won’t be able to redeem your points for cash back at 1 cent per point if you have only the Citi Strata card. Pair the card with a Citi Custom Cash or a Citi Double Cash and combined your ThankYou Points accounts to access 1 cent per point cash back redemptions. Or pair the card with a Strata Premier or Strata Elite card to access point transfers at the best rates.

Self-select category options

Here are the options you have for your self-select 3x category:

  • Fitness Clubs
  • Select Streaming Services
  • Live Entertainment
  • Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons
  • Pet Supply Stores

When your account is opened, the default self-select category is select streaming services. You may change your self-select category once each calendar quarter.

Benefits

Consumer insurance benefits
  • Damage and theft purchase protection.
  • Extended warranty.

Rates and fees

  • Annual fee: $0
  • Foreign transaction fee: 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each purchase.

About the author

  • Photo of Aaron Hurd, credit card and travel rewards expert.

    Aaron Hurd is the Executive Editor of Cards and Points. He is a credit card and travel rewards expert whose contributions have been featured in WSJ, TIME, Forbes, NerdWallet, and many other outlets.

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