Better Together: Why the Citi Strata Premier and Rewards+ cards are a great pair

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Some things in life are better shared in half – and that’s absolutely true Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (see exchange rates and fees) and Citi Rewards+® Card (see exchange rates and fees).

While the Citi Strata Premier is a great standalone vehicle travel credit cardYou should consider adding Citi Rewards+ to earn more sign up bonus and more points above daily expenses.

This also works in reverse. If you already have Citi Rewards+, multiply your earnings by adding Citi Strata Premier to your wallet and make your points more valuable. Citi ThankYou points are worth 1.8 cents each when you have a Citi Strata Premier, based TPG’s valuation. Here’s the scoop on how the duo works.

Related: Why Citi Rewards+ is great for college students

For a limited time, Citi Strata Premier has a public welcome offer of 75,000 ThankYou points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. On the other hand, Citi Rewards+ offers 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,500 in purchases with your card within three months of account opening.

Just remember that Citi does application restrictions on the ThankYou rewards card. Opening or closing a Citi ThankYou loyalty card will disqualify you from receiving the welcome bonus on another ThankYou loyalty card for at least 24 months.

If it’s been more than 24 months since you applied for a Strata Premier or Rewards+ card, you may be eligible to apply for the remaining card and receive a sign-up bonus.

Related: How to use the CardMatch tool to get a better welcome offer

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Particularly the above points Citi Rewards+ are worth 1 cent each when you redeem a gift card. They’re worth even less if you redeem your points at Amazon or Best Buy (which we strongly advise against).

However, transferring your points to Citi Strata Premier will unlock all-new redemption possibilities of significantly more value. Value increases from 1 coin to 1.8 coins (based on TPG valuation) as you will now have access to Citi’s airline and hotel partner groupsuch as AviancaMiles Life And Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

Plus, having both cards can make your redemptions more valuable in another way: The Citi Rewards+ card offers 10% points on the first 100,000 points you redeem each year. Reports from online users show that if you have a Citi Rewards+ Card, you’ll also get 10% points back when redeeming ThankYou Points from the linked card. The two cards must be linked to the same ThankYou account for this feature to work.

If you have both cards, you can link your accounts and get the best of both worlds: get 10% points back and access to multiple transfer partners.

Related: Better Together: The Ultimate Guide to the Best Ways to Pair Credit Cards

With Citi Strata PremierYou’ll earn 3 points per dollar when:

You’ll also earn 10 points per dollar above many hotelscar rentals and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com and 1 point per dollar on other qualifying purchases.

The Citi Rewards+ Earn 2 ThankYou points per dollar at supermarkets and gas stations on the first $6,000 per year (after that 1 point) and 1 point per dollar on other qualifying purchases. Additionally, Rewards+ cardholders can earn 5 points per dollar on hotels, car rentals, and qualifying attractions (excluding air travel) through the Citi Travel portal through the 31st. December 2025.

In general, you should use Citi Strata Premier at supermarkets and gas stations (3 points vs. 2 points per dollar) – but there are some notable exceptions. That’s because Citi Rewards+ comes with an interesting value proposition: Every purchase you make is automatically rounded up to the nearest 10 points.

That means Citi Rewards+ is a better card for smaller purchases — like a $2 bar of chocolate or a pack of gum at a convenience store — or purchases that don’t earn rewards points with Citi Strata Premier. Below is a table that illustrates how this benefits you:

If the math is too hard to manage, keep it simple and use Citi Strata Premier to earn 3 points per dollar on bonus category purchases and Citi Rewards+ to earn extra points on non-bonus spending.

Related: The best credit cards have points you can combine

As discussed earlier, all the points you earn from Citi+ Rewards can be seamlessly combined with Strata Premier BALANCE. You can then transfer your points to 19 airline and hotel loyalty programs. Most of Citi’s transfer partners transfer at a 1:1 ratio — so 100,000 ThankYou points can translate into 100,000 points or miles.

Although you can read our extensive guide on Maximize your Citi ThankYou points for travel, here’s a preview of some of our favorite ways to redeem gifts. Award tickets are subject to availability and may fluctuate in price throughout the year.

Delta One suite to Europe 50,000 miles one way

Transfer your Citi ThankYou points to Virgin Atlantic Fly Club to score a Delta One suite to Europe for 50,000 Virgin Atlantic miles and just $5.60 in taxes and fees. Availability is often very limited, but if you’re flexible on dates and can plan ahead, you can win great prizes.

This is almost always a significantly better deal than booking a similar Delta One suite directly through Delta using SkyMiles. The cost of a one-way Delta One award ticket to Europe booked directly through Delta can be up to 375,000 miles. With 375,000 Virgin Atlantic miles, you can book seven Delta One tickets to Europe.

Related: When and how to book Delta award tickets with Virgin Atlantic Flight Club

Qatar QSuite to Doha 70,000 miles one way

Another Citi transfer partner that can provide great value is Qatar Airways’ Privilege Club program. One-way flights in QSuite (the airline’s business class product) from any U.S. gateway to Doha, Qatar (DOH) require just 70,000 Avios, the loyalty program’s currency. You can also add connecting flights to other destinations for more Avios. The number of Avios needed will depend on award date, availability and destination.

You are not limited to booking Qatar Airways tickets with Avios. After transferring your ThankYou points to the Perks Club program, you can use them to book flights with airlines like British Airways and Aer Lingus. This is a great way to find even more great award flights.

Related: Everything you need to know about Qatar Airways Privilege Club

Domestic flight in unified economy 7,500 miles one-way

Increase the value of your points by booking budget trips. Transfer your Citi ThankYou points to AviancaMiles Life lets you book United domestic flights for as little as 7,500 miles one-way. If you have a small amount of ThankYou points, this is a great way to use them.

You can also use Avianca LifeMiles to book a one-way business flight to Europe on Lufthansa for just 63,000 miles. If you can’t get a Delta One suite through Virgin Atlantic, here’s another way to get to Europe with reasonably priced award tickets.

Related: Your guide to United Airlines MileagePlus

To learn more, check out our full reviews Citi Rewards+ and Citi Strata Premier.

Register here: Citi Rewards+ card

Related: Best Citi credit card