NEW Citi Strata Premier - The Best All-Around Credit Card?

Рет қаралды 20,005

Күн бұрын

The Citi Strata Premier card might be the best credit card on the market with its many features and benefits. However, there’s also a few features that are a bit overrated and not as valuable as advertised, so this Citi Strata Premier review video is going to break down everything you need to know about this travel credit card.
This Citi credit card is the updated version of the old Citi Premier card, and with this update we’ve seen a higher limited-time welcome offer as well as some nice changes. There’s plenty of 3x points multipliers, a 10x multiplier, as well as a $100 hotel credit on the Strata Premier card, but these might not be as great as advertised when we look a little deeper.
There’s no doubt that the Citi Strata Premier is one of the top travel credit cards. However, you’ll need to run the numbers for yourself to see if the Citi Strata Premier is worth it for you.
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
0:32 - Bonus & Annual Fee
2:14 - Benefits and Hotel Credit
3:57 - 10X Points Multiplier
5:37 - 3X Points Multipliers
6:47 - Travel Protections
8:15 - Bad Customer Service?
9:28 - Citi Trifecta
10:46 - Downgrade Options
11:42 - Transferring Points
CHECK OUT SOME OF MY OTHER VIDEOS:
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▶️ I Ranked Every Credit Card (Here’s What’s ACTUALLY Good): • I Ranked Every Credit ...
▶️ The 7 BEST Credit Cards of 2024: • The 7 BEST Credit Card...
▶️ The Citi Trifecta is ALMOST Perfect (Here’s Why): • The Citi Trifecta is A...
DISCLAIMER: Some of the card links and other products that appear on this website are from companies which Daniel Braun will earn an affiliate commission or referral bonus. Daniel Braun is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers.
The content in this video is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available.

Пікірлер: 113

@RSquared-travel-rewards 9 күн бұрын

Welcome aboard Daniel. The Strata Premier is the real CSP. I've been getting tons of value with this card. It is always in my wallet when I travel abroad. I can't talk about this card enough.

@caribdude8151 9 күн бұрын

Yes Sir! 👍

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Thanks Richard! Yeah I think there's a ton of value packed into this card so I've been a fan of it so far. Citi has a ton of great things going on!

@PharaohofVibes Күн бұрын

10:37 love the animations here from your editor. simple visual guides often make it easier for information to be absorbed by those of us who are more, visual learners. bravo

@JakeVanderPloeg 9 күн бұрын

The animations when you were talking about the Citi Trifecta were beautiful. Well done my friend!

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Thanks so much Jake, much appreciated man! Yeah my editor does an amazing job with those animations, so I'll pass this along to him 👍

@randyhernandez5469 7 күн бұрын

Now this is a good in-depth review 👍

@Just_Stevo 10 күн бұрын

It can be done. I found a booking on the portal in New Orleans that was cheaper than booking directly. I got the $100 dollar credit plus 11750 points.

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Perfect! Yeah I think it's just a case by case thing where sometimes the price is lower and sometimes it's not. For me with my quick sample size of 4 hotels though, I thought it was at least mentioning the concern. Glad to hear you found a good deal!

@ron1061 10 күн бұрын

Great video, Daniel, and congrats on your engagement! New ring 💍 and new credit card! Makes sense! 😂🎈🎈

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Thanks Ron! Haha yeah lots of new things in my life!

@ron1061 9 күн бұрын

@@Daniel_Braun I will continue to enjoy my Citi Custom Cash card.

@filpaul 9 күн бұрын

In terms of Customer Service… we have no Customer Service.

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

😂

@gregduncan1611 10 күн бұрын

Congrats on one of the best credit card channels out there. It's good to see how the channel has grown over time. Any idea of how long the elevated welcome offer is likely to be around? Does Citi typically announce when a limited time SUB is about to end?

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Thank you so much Greg! Sometimes I'll hear about when certain credit card offers end and then I try to make a community post about it. I don't always know when every offer will end though, and I haven't heard anything about the 75K offer on the Strata Premier yet

@RampageMaximum 10 күн бұрын

If Citi were to add Hyatt and/or Marriott as transfer partners, I’m all in. I love using my points for hotel stays rather than flight tickets.

@Themighty10000 9 күн бұрын

Same

@SuubUWU 9 күн бұрын

You can buy points directly from Hyatt multiple times throughout the year. I usually stash my premier and custom cash points and cash them out for hyatt

@Themighty10000 9 күн бұрын

@@SuubUWU so not a transfer partner but u can sometimes buy hyatt points with citi points. If so ill definitely think of adding a citi card to my rotation

@RampageMaximum 9 күн бұрын

@@SuubUWU if you don’t mind me asking, how does this work? Cause if that’s the case, this could be my second trifecta setup lol

@gregb5876 9 күн бұрын

If Bilt can add Hyatt, why can't Citi?

@joshuagutierrez1 9 күн бұрын

We just booked our Hyatt hotel for Korea next year all on our Chase points! Saved almost $2,600. Thank you for your videos!🙌

@De_Guatemala 10 күн бұрын

We used the Strata last month in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. Primary CDW outside the US, 3X car rentals, gas, groceries...we buy local groceries...and we used the $100 hotel credit for a 3 night stay in Iguazú, Argentina at the Mercure, for a lower price than the Accor app.

@druiz012 9 күн бұрын

Good to know about the primary CDW outside the U.S.!

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Very good to know, thanks for adding that about primary CDW outside of the US!! And thanks for the data point about the hotel credit being valuable for that stay. I definitely think it's a case by case basis as to whether the price in the Citi portal will be lower than elsewhere 👍

@carloshidalgo3298 6 күн бұрын

Did you have to book rental thru citi or you just paid at rental company?

@Dankflamio 9 күн бұрын

Would love to get a detailed video on Citi strata premier vs Chase sapphire proffered! Great vids, Dan!

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Thank you! And yeah I've definitely got a video planned for something like that very soon 👍

@chrisv4920 10 күн бұрын

Personally I find Citi way better than Chase in regards to its multipliers. Chase without Hyatt would not be worth it in 2024. Chase needs an update on their classic trifecta to be more competitive.

@erronwhite8771 9 күн бұрын

Also southwest

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Couldn't agree more! The main reason why I still include Chase in my setup is because of Hyatt transfers. If they lose them as a transfer partner, then I would value them much less than I do now. I think it's time that Chase updated cards to get more competitive with multipliers. At the very lease, make the CFU 2X

@culman13121121 10 күн бұрын

Only card with 1:1 points transfer to EVA Air as well. Solid card all around in terms of point accrual.

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Yeah, it's one of my favorite cards for earning points!

@khurananikhil21 10 күн бұрын

Was discussing about this card with my friend 2 days back

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

I think it's a great card overall! Definitely fits in well with other $95 options

@Sakurasan2023 10 күн бұрын

Love it ❤

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Thanks as always!

@Sakurasan2023 9 күн бұрын

@@Daniel_Braun you're welcome

@joshuameier6030 10 күн бұрын

Great video! The citi strata premier is an amazing card, but I’d rather just use the US Bank Altitude reserve as my all around card. 3% back on all mobile wallet purchases with guaranteed 1.5CPP redemption with real time rewards regardless of the time/place of travel and 8 priority pass lounge visits per year for $75 eff. Annual fee.

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Thanks Joshua! Yeah I'm really starting to see why more and more people are liking the Altitude Reserve for it's effective 4.5% back on mobile wallet earnings redeemed for travel with RTR. Going to be talking a bit more about that card in an upcoming video!

@druiz012 9 күн бұрын

Citi is a great 3rd ecosystem. I love how these banks are going hard after chase.

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

I love that more cards are stepping up their game! The competition will hopefully keep benefitting consumers with better features and sign up bonuses 👍

@divnbum1308 4 күн бұрын

How do you swap cards to continue getting benefits. Do you close a card and then come back for bonus?

@Adiscretefirm 10 күн бұрын

Did the Citi portal and the hotel's sites apply taxes and fees evenly? Or is one final price and one pre tax?

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

I actually ended up just showing the final prices in the example numbers shown in this video. But the taxes and fees were mostly consistent from what I was looking at with Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton. Maybe a few dollars difference, but nothing major

@liz1185 3 күн бұрын

Hii, do you think you can do a review on the Citi Simplicity card? I'm interested in a balance transfer card.

@Boxerexp 9 күн бұрын

so with restaurants, is that only in person swipes/over the phone purchases? or is it like Amex gold card/savor one where door dash and uber eats are game for the multiplier ? has my interest, I'm trying to get into all big 3 eco systems. however, if the restaurants are only in person.. I might try with US bank.

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

So here's what I found on Citi's website for what counts as restaurants: "Includes purchases at cafes, bars, lounges, fast-food restaurants, restaurant delivery services, and take out restaurants. Excludes purchases at bakeries, caterers, and restaurants located inside another business (such as hotels, stores, stadiums, grocery stores, or warehouse clubs). You will not earn 3 ThankYou Points on restaurant gift card purchases if the merchant does not use the restaurant merchant category code."

@seanc6699 9 күн бұрын

Good overview. In my situation, can't justify using the portal leaving just the 3% categories. 3% categories will be covered once I get the Robinhood gold card (curious to know how long that will last). If I traveled more, I think I would be looking at the newer WF autograph journey.

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Those are all good options! I think the Robinhood Gold card is fine, but it's limited to cash back and there is a fee for Robinhood Gold. WF Autograph Journey is also a solid card, and so is this Citi Strata Premier

@seanc6699 9 күн бұрын

@@Daniel_Braun yeah... I'm team cash back. Perhaps it's because I'm not points savey but I just don't find using points for travel being worth it vs getting 1 cpp cash back (excluding Hyatt points). Agree you could essentially get multiple no AF cards to cover all your other 3% categories but think it's with $50 AF to consolidate 3+ cards and not have to do any guess work what card I need to use. Just going to put the one off 3% cards on the back burner and put a light reoccurring charge on them just to keep them active.

@Anthonyjones-pq4ff 3 күн бұрын

Which is more expensive Hotel stays or plane tickets .. Stayed in NYC for 6Days Hotel stay $4K

@PharaohofVibes Күн бұрын

since youre swapping out your AMEX Gold, what would be the main function of the gold? I have all and trying to balance

@themariogreiner 9 күн бұрын

I mostly use points to travel between Europe and the US. Is Citi here still gonna be as useful as Chase? This card’s multipliers seem fantastic

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

I would say that it definitely can be - as long as you know how to redeem for award travel with transfer partners. Chase is more beginner-friendly with it's redemption options that include Hyatt transfers and a 25% or 50% points boost (depending on what Sapphire card you have) - but Citi still has very good airline partners that can get you to and from Europe while using points

@gregb5876 9 күн бұрын

The Curve card is the perfect companion to the Citi trifecta... especially when you have a player 2. Hopefully they bring it back quickly.

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

We'll see if the Curve card comes back!

@gregb5876 9 күн бұрын

@@Daniel_Braun I think Curve is the underlying tech used in the Samsung wallet. I don't know if that's been impacted.

@betsavallejo9929 8 күн бұрын

Does anyone know if Citi honors the MLA waived annual fee for military like chase and AMEX does?

@TheRealMattHerdman 10 күн бұрын

I found the Citi travel portal to be a great value when making cash bookings for hotels in Portugal and Switzerland. Rooms were either slightly cheaper, the same price, or included a room upgrade(lake view, balcony, etc) for only a bit more than a standard room when booking direct. A bit disappointing to see not so great value for domestic hotel bookings though. At least in my experience, the Citi Premier has gotten me great value on international trips through their transfer partners and using the Citi travel portal to make cash bookings for hotels.

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

That seems to be a common theme that I'm learning from a few comments here - that international hotel bookings through Citi are a bit better with prices in the portal. Definitely a good thing to know! But yeah in my quick search of domestic hotel stays, it was more expensive for sure. Thanks for the comment! I definitely wanna check out Switzerland soon

@jeancarloferreira9770 9 күн бұрын

My sign up bonus points haven't been credited to my account yet even tho I already went over my spend amount. I believe they said they will post after the 1st or 2nd billing cycle. Does it matter if I buy my flight and request to get credit once I get the points or is that not an option?

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

So you will definitely need the points to hit your account before they can be used. I would give Citi a call if it's been over a month since you hit you minimum spend requirement. I think it took me just a few weeks in between spending $4,000 and receiving my 75,000 points

@FiftyCal 9 күн бұрын

I notice you claimed the custom cash offers 5X back but the reward on the website is 5% back. I just wanted to know if I’m missing something.

@FictitiousCreed 9 күн бұрын

As far as I know, Citi rewards you in their "Thank You Point" currency similar to Chase's Ultimate rewards.

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

So if you read the terms of the Citi Custom Cash, it says: "You will earn: 5 ThankYou Points for each $1 you spend in your highest spend category each billing cycle up to the first $500 spent in that category. After the first $500 spent in that category during the billing cycle, you will earn 1 ThankYou Point for each additional $1 you spend. (See below for more information on the highest spend category.)" I also have the card myself and can confirm that as you earn rewards on this card, it accrues in the account as points. These points can be redeemed for cash back at a value of 1 cent per point (which is why 5X points = 5% back)

@FiftyCal 9 күн бұрын

@@Daniel_Braun ok thanks for clarifying, kinda confusing the way they advertise it on the website

@densnow4816 9 күн бұрын

Do the 5X points on groceries include overseas or just in U.S?

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

The Custom Cash is not necessarily only 5X on groceries, but 5X on the highest spend category you spend on each billing cycle. But yes, as long as it codes as a supermarket, it should count anywhere 👍

@flubberghosted2472 8 күн бұрын

I couldn’t pass up the Strata Premier bonus, but I think I am going for the Citi quadfecta, which includes the Rewards+ card for the 10% refund on points redemption! 🥳🎉🎈🎊

@arvinjacobmusic 9 күн бұрын

I think that the Citi Strata Premier offer primary rental car insurance while abroad.

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

It looks like it does! I was mostly focused on the US because that's where I've only every rented cars, but outside of the US it appears to offer primary coverage which is good. Still not as good as the Chase Sapphire Preferred that doesn't have this restriction for US car rentals though, so I wish Citi offered better primary coverage

@TheRitualChannel 9 күн бұрын

Being that the hotel prices on their travel portal are quite inflated. It makes the $100 hotel credit and the 10X multiplier on hotels almost meaningless 😢

@MrScubastevemb2 7 күн бұрын

I just did this i use Expedia many times over the years. My booking to Thailand Expedia was $170 cheaper same flight and hotel. Ok Expedia pays me bonus back $34 cash back... And my chase card value of using the Preferred to pay. Gives me also $34 bonus points... OK that 2% Expedia 2% Chase,,,thats 4% return Not bad and $170 cheaper on Expedia. What you think ????

@gbear8207 8 күн бұрын

I don't mind having to book directly with the airlines, but I will never get a card that locks me to their travel site. The biggest issue other than cost, is the number of flights are limited.

@Milkinporsche 9 күн бұрын

Strata has the best earning categories, but the car rental insurance isn't primary like Chase sapphire, if i remember correctly.

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Correct, yeah the Citi Strata Premier has secondary coverage for US car rentals. A few people have commented that car rental coverage on the Strata Premier in primary for rentals outside of the US though - but still the Sapphire Preferred is better overall for this

@sungjeh 10 күн бұрын

They sure do take a long time to get the card shipped out…

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

I think my card took about a week to arrive. I like when issuers are able to ship overnight though

@xder345 8 күн бұрын

Seriously: add Marriott and it's a golden card..... Also, I've had the Citi Costco card for almost a decade now and I've never had an issue with customer service on the Citi side. Not sure if the customer service portal for that card is specific to Costco or not, but that's an indicator, for me at least.

@duganfr 2 күн бұрын

Chase has Marriott.

@caribdude8151 9 күн бұрын

So you're telling me that the Citi Strata Premier is the ONLY Citi card with travel/retail and insurance protections? As the Chase counterpart of the CCC and CDC which would be the CFF and CFU would have travel/retail and insurance protections for the no annual fee?

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Yeah it appears to be the case here. CFF and CFU have limited protections, but CCC and CDC don't appear to have much for travel protections at the moment.

@DavidGonzalez-n7p 9 күн бұрын

Is there a travel portal that doesn't play with prices across all credit card issuers?

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Capital One at least has price matching if you find a better price somewhere else. I'd say that Chase and Amex are also decent for prices, but it all depends on the situation and you always have to run the numbers for yourself to get the best deal

@soapa4279 10 күн бұрын

Any comment on the Citi travel portal being 10% overinflated?

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Yeah I talked about it in the video - I found a few examples of this and addressed it

@soapa4279 9 күн бұрын

@@Daniel_Braun my bad, I always derp and comment too fast before finishing videos. lol!

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

@@soapa4279 😂 lol I figured that was probably the case - no worries! But yeah the portal pricing is definitely a concern for any credit card issuer, including Citi here 👍

@BOOYACKAA100 9 күн бұрын

I find it hard how people justify having to book travel on the portals to get points. Aren’t the travel portals terrible and basicly act as 3p travel agencies which are bad for airfare anyways?

@HspncAt7heDisco 9 күн бұрын

I've heard Citi's travel portal isn't very good. Personally, I really like Capital One's though. It's thoughtfully designed and easy to navigate. And since they offer price-matching and 10x on purchases (with Venture X), we pretty much only use their portal to do any kind of travel booking.

@Daniel_Braun 9 күн бұрын

Yeah the Capital One portal seems to be the most user friendly and has the best prices (thanks to the features and price matching). Citi's portal seems to be overpriced more than others, at least for domestic travel. A few people have commented that international hotel prices were actually better in the Citi portal than elsewhere. So like always, I think it's all about doing research every time to find the best deals because sometimes the portals are worth it - and then other times they are just a waste of money haha