5 Reasons to Apply for the New Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

Citi recently launched the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, a refresh of the Citi Premier® Card. The features haven't changed that much, to be honest. But the Citi Premier® Card was already one of the better travel credit cards, and Citi did make some worthwhile improvements to it.

Between the new and old benefits it offers, there's a lot to like about this card. Read on to see the top reasons to apply for it.

1. A limited-time welcome offer of 70,000 ThankYou® Points

Citi may not have changed much with this refresh, but it did raise the welcome offer. You earn 70,000 ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

That alone is a good reason to open the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card. Rewards are worth $0.01 per point when used for travel bookings on thankyou.com. You can also get the same value if you redeem them for gift cards. At that value, 70,000 ThankYou® Points are worth $700.

2. Big gas and grocery rewards (3X points per $1)

I had the Citi Premier® Card, and one of my favorite perks with it was its gas and grocery rewards. Fortunately, the updated version still offers these benefits. The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card earns 3X points per $1 at supermarkets, gas stations, and EV charging stations (a new addition).

Those aren't the only places where it earns bonus points, either. Here's what it earns everywhere else:

• 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
• 3X points per $1 on air travel, other hotel purchases, and restaurants
• 1X point per $1 on other purchases

3. Transferable travel points

As I mentioned earlier, you can always redeem your Citi ThankYou points at $0.01 per point toward travel points on thankyou.com. This is a quick, convenient way to use your points.

But what I really love about Citi points is that they're transferable. Citi is partnered with over 15 airlines and hotels, and you can transfer your Citi points to any of them. Its travel partners include:

• Avianca LifeMiles
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Choice Privileges
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Most of Citi's airline partners are international airlines, so I wouldn't say it's the best for booking domestic flights. There are still ways you can do that, though. And if you want to travel abroad, Citi points can be extremely helpful. I've used my Citi points to book multiple business-class flights that would've cost me thousands of dollars in cash.

4. Travel protections

In a big change, Citi has brought back travel protections. It got rid of most of them several years ago, but the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card has:

• Trip delay protection
• Common carrier trip cancellation and interruption protection
• Lost or damaged luggage protection
• MasterRental Coverage (car rental insurance)

These may not be benefits you ever hope to use, but they're comforting to have. Many of the best credit cards offer them, so it's nice to see Citi do the same. If nothing else, they give you some peace of mind when booking travel or renting a car. And they could save you a lot of money if you ever experience a covered issue while traveling.

5. An affordable $95 annual fee

One thing that hasn't changed with the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is the annual fee, which is still $95. It's not uncommon to see card issuers raise annual fees when they refresh their cards, so the fact that Citi didn't is good news.

Considering the benefits this Citi credit card has, the annual fee is more than fair. It's also worth mentioning the $100 annual hotel benefit. Once every calendar year, you can get $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. If you can use that, then you're already coming out ahead on the cost of the card.

While the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card isn't a huge update, it's still worth checking out for travel card enthusiasts. If you like the perks, it's open for applications.