Points · Mastercard · No annual fee
Last verified 2026-09-09. Review issuer source
Citi Strata is a no-annual-fee points card from Citi. Its best everyday rates are 3x on fitness clubs, 3x on live entertainment, and 3x on pet shops; everything else earns 1x. The 5x rate applies only to car rentals booked through CitiTravel.com, so treat it as a bonus rather than the reason to apply. There is also 3x on Cosmetic Stores, a single-merchant rate. The top rate rotates through categories each quarter and needs activating.
On our reference budget of $24,600 a year it returns about $594, an effective 2.4% back. The welcome bonus, 30,000 points after $1,000 in 3 months, adds to the first year's return.
It pays off only if you activate every quarter and the categories match how you spend. Skip a quarter and it is a 1x card. It charges 3% on foreign purchases, so leave it home when you travel abroad.
Earn 3x points on an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice: Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons and Pet Supply Stores
Earn 3x points on an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice: Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons and Pet Supply Stores
Earn 3x points on an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice: Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons and Pet Supply Stores
Earn 3x points on an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice: Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons and Pet Supply Stores
Earn 3x points on an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice: Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons and Pet Supply Stores
5 points per dollar spent on Car Rentals booked on cititravel.com
2 points per dollar spent at Restaurants
3 points per dollar spent at Gas & EV Charging Stations
3 points per dollar spent at Supermarkets
5 points per dollar spent on Hotels booked on cititravel.com
3 points per dollar spent on Select Transit
5 points per dollar spent on Attractions booked on cititravel.com
Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
Get free access to your FICO® Score online to review your credit history.
Citi Entertainment® is an entertainment access program available to eligible Citi® credit card and Citibank® Debit Card customers. Citi cardmembers get special access to purchase tickets to thousands of events, including presale tickets and exclusive experiences to the year's most anticipated concerts, sporting events, arts and culture experiences. To learn more, visit citientertainment.com.
With Citi Travel®, you can book flights, hotels, car rentals and attractions using your eligible Citi card, points or a combination of both. Citi Travel offers access to over 1.4 million hotels and resorts available worldwide.
The ID Theft Protection program offered by Mastercard® helps eliminate the worry of identity theft by monitoring the information you choose to protect and alerting you if suspicious activity is found. It takes just a few minutes to enroll for free, and as soon as you do, your monitoring begins.
Points transfer to JetBlue, Choice Hotels and Wyndham Rewards. The minimum transfer is only 1,000 points.
These come from Mastercard, not from Citi. Every card on the Standard Mastercard tier carries them, so they should not decide between two cards.
Call 1-800-MASTERCARD (1-800-627-8372) for 24/7 assistance to report a lost or stolen card.
Enjoy a HealthLock for Mastercard Medical Claim Monitor complimentary membership plus a 90-day upgrade to all HealthLock services at no monthly cost.
Groceries and more delivered in as fast as one hour. Get $10 off your second order each month, and new Instacart+ members can also get three free months of Instacart+.
Mastercard gives you exclusive access to ticket presales at top venues and festivals across the U.S. Eligibility restrictions, exclusions and terms apply. Offer expires 3/31/2027.
Save when you tap and go with your eligible Mastercard and receive a $2.50 statement credit when you spend $10 or more each month at participating transit systems.
With Mastercard Zero Liability protection you’re protected against unauthorized transactions in stores, online and in app.
Benefit descriptions are the issuer’s and network’s own wording, trimmed for length. Limits and exclusions are in the guide to benefits.
| Card | Annual fee | Rewards earned | Net after fee | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citi StrataThis card · 3x on fitness clubs | None | $594 | +$594 | 11th of 1,291 |
| Citi Double Cash®Citi's most-held other card · 2% on everything | None | $492 | +$492 | 282nd of 1,291 |
| Savor RewardsThe strongest no-fee card on this budget · 3% on dining | None | $642 | +$642 | 4th of 1,291 |
| Robinhood Gold CardHighest net return on this budget · 3% on everything | $50 | $798 | +$748 | 1st of 1,291 |
Reference budget: groceries $6,000, dining and restaurants $3,600, gas and ev charging $2,400, travel and transit $3,000, online shopping $2,400, entertainment and streaming $1,200, everything else $6,000. Points are valued at 1¢ unless the program is worth less; statement credits, welcome bonuses, and perks are left out. Run it with your own spending.
