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The Citi Double Cash® Card and Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, from our partner Citi, are two very different credit cards aimed at different consumers. The Citi Double Cash Card earns a flat cash-back rate with no annual fee, while the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is a great card for those who want to earn generous rewards on everyday purchases.
Many people looking for a generous rewards card wouldn’t think to consider the Citi Double Cash, and some cash-back consumers would skip the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card. Yet, these two cards paired together make a great combination to help you earn more points on everyday expenses. Here’s why you should consider having both cards in your wallet.
Citi Double Cash® Card + Citi Strata Premier℠ Card Combo
| Credit Card | Intro Bonus | Annual Fee | Rewards Rate | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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$200Cash Bonus
Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. |
$0 |
2%Cashback
Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, a special travel offer, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25. |
Apply Now Rates & Fees |
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70,000Citi ThankYou® Points
Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com. Dollar Equivalent: $1,260 (70,000 Citi ThankYou® Points * 0.018 base) |
$95 |
1X-10XPoints
10x on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations 1x -- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases |
Apply Now Rates & Fees |
Overview of the Citi Double Cash
The Citi Double Cash is an uncomplicated rewards card with no annual fee. The card earns 1% cash back when you make a purchase and another 1% when you pay it off. As long as you pay your card in full every month, you’ll earn 2% cash back. Plus, as a special travel offer, customers earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25.
New customers can earn a $200 sign-up bonus after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months from account opening. This bonus is fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
The card also offers a 0% intro APR offer for 18 months on balance transfers, then a regular APR of 18.74% - 28.74% (Variable) based on creditworthiness thereafter. Granted, you’ll need to pay a 3% balance transfer fee, but it might be worthwhile. If you’re looking for a 0% balance transfer offer, 18 months is a pretty generous timeframe. The Citi Double Cash Card carries a 3% foreign transaction fee, making this a suboptimal card for travel abroad.
Quick Tip
If you have another card that earns Citi ThankYou® points (like the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card), you can convert your cash back to points—and points are worth more than cash back if you can redeem them to their full potential.
Overview of the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is a great card if you want a generous welcome bonus and earning structure. It currently has an elevated welcome bonus of 70,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 within three months of account opening. It also earns 3 points per dollar in common spending categories:
- 3x points on air travel and hotels
- 3x points at gas stations
- 3x points at restaurants
- 3x points at supermarkets
- 1x point on all other purchases
Gas and grocery spending are big expenses for most people, so being able to earn 3x points is a big deal. As a comparison, the American Express® Gold Card earns 4x points in these categories but caps the grocery bonus to $25,000 per year. The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card has no limit on the number of points you can earn. Plus, the card’s $95 annual fee is much lower than the Amex® Gold’s $250. Bottom line: The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card offers terrific value for a mid-tier card.
Aside from category bonuses, cardmembers also enjoy no foreign transaction fees on purchases made abroad and an annual $100 discount on hotel bookings of $500 or higher made through Citi ThankYou Travel.
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Why You Should Combine the Citi Double Cash and Citi Strata Premier℠ Cards
As you can see, both cards have positive attributes that make them worthy contenders. So why do you need both? Here’s a look at how having both a Citi Double Cash and Citi Strata Premier℠ Card can be beneficial:
- You can maximize earnings on your spending: You’ll earn generous category bonuses where it counts and at least 2x ThankYou points on all other spending. This is massively useful because you’re doubling your earn rate outside of those four spending categories.
- Cash-back rewards become more valuable: Pairing these cards increases the value of your rewards and gives you more options to redeem them. Slickdeals values ThankYou points at 1.8 cents each. Say you spend $10,000 with the Citi Double Cash Card. You’d earn $200 cash back or you can convert that to 20,000 points. Those 20,000 points would be worth $360, which is more than the value of your initial cash back rewards.
- You only pay one annual fee: Many card pairings get you a similar earning structure, but few are as cheap as this combo. The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card's $95 annual fee is reasonable when you factor in the 3x category bonuses. Using the $100 hotel discount offsets the card’s $95 annual fee entirely. There are plenty of 2% cash-back cards with no annual fee, but being able to convert cash back into valuable ThankYou points is a compelling reason to pair these cards.
What to Know Before You Apply for a Citi Card
If you’re excited about the Citi Double Cash and Citi Strata Premier℠ Card combo, you’ll want to read up on Citi’s application rules before applying. While Citi is more lax than some banks, it has several rules that could impact whether you’re approved for a new card:
- Citi won’t approve you for a Citi Strata Premier℠ Card if you’ve had (and closed) the card in the past 24 months. This rule extends to other Thank You-earning cards, including the Citi Rewards+, Citi ThankYou Preferred and Citi ThankYou Prestige.
- The issuer also limits card approvals to one every eight days and two within 65 days. So if you’ve recently applied for another Citi card, you may not be eligible for a new Citi Strata Premier℠ Card or Double Cash Card. Time your applications correctly, so you don’t miss out on approval.
Bottom Line
Suppose you have a Citi Double Cash card in your wallet. The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card can expand your rewards potential and offers money-saving travel perks at a very reasonable annual fee. You can convert your cash back to points for valuable travel redemptions, like first-class flights and luxury hotels. Best of all, you can keep earning points abroad without incurring a foreign transaction fee and enjoy perks reserved for World Elite Mastercard® cards.
And if you have a Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, adding a Double Cash card to your repertoire enhances an already terrific card. You’ll earn 2x points outside of an already impressive bonus category line-up at no additional fee. Either way, this killer combo will supercharge your point-earning potential.
Compare Citi Credit Cards
| Credit Card | Intro Bonus | Annual Fee | Rewards Rate | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
$200Cash Bonus
Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. |
$0 |
2%Cashback
Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, a special travel offer, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25. |
Apply Now Rates & Fees |
|
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70,000Citi ThankYou® Points
Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com. Dollar Equivalent: $1,260 (70,000 Citi ThankYou® Points * 0.018 base) |
$95 |
1X-10XPoints
10x on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations 1x -- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases |
Apply Now Rates & Fees |
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$200Cash Bonus
Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. |
$0 |
1% - 5%Cashback
Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2026. |
Apply Now Rates & Fees |
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$0Cash Bonus |
$0
Active Costco membership required |
1% - 4%Cashback
Earn 4% cash back on up to $7,000 in annual gas and EV charging purchases (and then 1% after), 3% back on restaurant and travel purchases, 2% back at Costco and Costco.com and 1% everywhere else. |
Apply Now Rates & Fees |
Ariana Arghandewal
Ariana Arghandewal is a rewards travel expert and founder of Pointchaser, an online publication dedicated to rewards travel topics. She brings over a decade of experience writing about travel, points, miles and credit cards. Her expertise includes her roles as an editor for distinguished travel and finance publications such as NerdWallet, The Points Guy and FlyerTalk. She has also authored many articles featured in major financial news & travel channels like Forbes, U.S. News Weekly, Business Insider & Fodor’s Travel.
