Citi Strata
Citi · Mastercard · no annual fee · earns Citi ThankYou Points, valued at 1.60¢ a point.
Rates checked against the issuer 2026-09. Foreign transaction fee: not recorded here.
The short version
- Best at: public transit (#2, $4.80 per $100); EV charging (#2, $4.80 per $100); groceries (#3, $4.80 per $100).
- A year's rewards: about $750, with no fee to pay.
Is the annual fee worth it?
No annual fee, so everything it earns is kept: about $750 a year on the illustrative household's spending, which puts it number 6 of 38 the no-fee cards in the catalogue. All of them, ranked.
Priced on an illustrative household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits and perks are not priced: they are worth their face value only if you would have spent that money anyway.
What it earns, category by category
| Earns on | Rate | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels, Car Rental, Entertainment | 5x | Only through the issuer's travel portal · Booked through Citi Travel |
| Groceries | 3x | |
| Public Transit, Gas Stations, EV Charging | 3x | Select transit, and gas and EV charging stations |
| Gyms & Fitness, Streaming, Entertainment, Beauty, Pet Supplies | 3x | Only while you have this category switched on · One self-select category, changeable once a calendar quarter |
| Restaurants & Bars | 2x | |
| Everything else | 1x |
Where it ranks
Against every card in the catalogue, scored in dollars per $100 with no rotating categories switched on:
- #2 of 68 for public transit — $4.80 per $100
- #2 of 68 for EV charging — $4.80 per $100
- #3 of 68 for groceries — $4.80 per $100
- #3 of 68 for gas — $4.80 per $100
Where a year's rewards come from
| Spending on | Earns a year |
|---|---|
| Groceries | $288 |
| Restaurants & Bars | $115 |
| Everything Else | $96 |
| Gas Stations | $86 |
| Entertainment | $29 |
| Online Shopping | $29 |
Priced on an illustrative household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits and perks are not priced: they are worth their face value only if you would have spent that money anyway.
What the issuer lists besides rewards
- The only no-fee Citi card earning transferable ThankYou points, though at lower transfer ratios than the Strata cards above it
- Replaces Citi Rewards+, whose holders are being converted to it — without that card's points round-up or 10% redemption rebate
Similar cards
- Wells Fargo Autograph — annual fee none
- Bilt Mastercard — annual fee none
- American Express Blue Business Plus — annual fee none
- Citi Custom Cash — annual fee none
- Every travel card, ranked
- The best two- and three-card combinations
Point values: published industry valuations, read 2026-09. How every number here is worked out.
Carry this card?
Cardful tells you at the checkout whether it is the right one to use, store by store.