My latest credit card approval!

The year is coming to a close, but I managed to squeeze in one more credit card application to earn miles and points for free travel. My family has a few international trips planned for 2026-2027, so I need all the miles I can get. See my Beginner’s Guide: 7 Steps to Free Travel with Miles and Points.

Citi Strata Elite

I applied for and was approved for the Citi Strata Elite card (non-affiliate link). In the past 24 months, I’ve opened 2 personal credit cards and 2 business credit cards. I was instantly approved for this Citi Strata Elite card.

The annual fee is $595, which I’m not thrilled about. However, the perks during the first year of having this card more than make up for that high fee.

• 100,000 bonus points after spending $6000 in the first 3 months
• 12X points on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on cititravel.com
• 6X points on flights booked through cititravel.com
• 6X points on Restaurants on Citi Nights on Fridays and Saturdays
• 1.5X points on all other purchases
• $300 annual hotel credit on stays of 2+ nights booked on cititravel.com
• $200 annual Splurge Credit, which can be used on American Airlines, Best Buy and more
• $200 annual Blacklane credit
• Priority Pass Select Membership
• 4 Admirals Club passes
• $120 Global Entry/TSA Precheck credit
• $595 annual fee

The hotel and splurge credits go by calendar year, so I can use those before December 31, 2025 and again in 2026. Using those alone is worth $1000 against my first year’s $595 card fee. One Mile at a Time has more detailed info about the hotel credit and the Splurge Credit for the Citi Strata Elite.

My Plans for the Points and Perks

There’s a good chance I’ll transfer the points to American Airlines for flights. However, Citi has a good amount of transfer partners, including:

Author: Nancy

Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.