We recommend the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card over the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card in most situations because it has a simple rewards rate and more useful travel benefits for frequent travelers.
The Citi Strata Premier could be a good choice if your spending habits align with its rewards categories, but we think the Capital One Venture is the more valuable card overall.
Dig into the details of our Citi Strata Premier vs. Capital One Venture card comparison to see which option is the best fit for you.
- Key takeaways
- Citi Strata Premier vs. Capital One Venture comparison
- Citi Strata Premier benefits and drawbacks
- Capital One Venture benefits and drawbacks
- What both cards excel at
- 3 important differences between Citi Strata Premier and Capital One Venture
- FAQ
- Citi Strata Premier vs. Capital One Venture: bottom line
Key takeaways
- We recommend the Capital One Venture over the Citi Strata Premier because it has a simple and appealing rewards rate, and similar travel benefits.
- We think the Citi Strata Premier could be a better choice if your spending habits align with its bonus categories.
Citi Strata Premier vs. Capital One Venture comparison
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card |
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card |
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Card type | Travel | Travel |
Credit card issuer | Citi | Capital One |
Credit card network | Mastercard | Mastercard |
Annual fee | $95 | $95 |
Welcome offer | 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 | Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening |
Earning rate | 10X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com; 3X points on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations; and 1X points on all other purchases | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day, 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25 |
Redemption methods |
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Travel perks |
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Other benefits |
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Foreign transaction fee | None | None |
Credit needed | Excellent, Good | Excellent, Good |
Read full review | Read full review |
Our verdict
- It’s a close call, but we recommend the Capital One Venture over the Citi Strata Premier because of its simple rewards rate, as well as better travel benefits.
Citi Strata Premier benefits and drawbacks
Pros | Cons |
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The Citi Strata Premier has a $95 annual fee and no travel insurance benefits, which is a negative if you’re a frequent traveler. But you can count on having no foreign transaction fees and earning bonus points on common categories, including 10X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com; 3X points on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations; and 1X points on all other purchases.
In addition, you can take advantage of the annual hotel savings benefit of $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more each calendar year through CitiTravel.com. That could be especially useful if you typically have a trip planned each year with sizable hotel costs.
Read our Citi Strata Premier review.
Capital One Venture benefits and drawbacks
Pros | Cons |
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The Capital One Venture Rewards has a $95 annual fee and limited spending categories. That means you don’t have many options to earn increased rewards on certain purchases, such as gas or groceries.
But you can still benefit from a simple rewards rate of 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day, 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25. You also don’t have to worry about foreign transaction fees, and you can take advantage of receiving up to $120 fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years.
Read our Capital One Venture review.
What both cards excel at
The Citi Strata Premier and Capital One Venture Rewards share a few benefits.
- Welcome offers: As a new cardholder with either card, you have the opportunity to earn a welcome offer.
- No foreign transaction fees: You don’t have to pay foreign transaction fees on applicable purchases with either card.
- Annual fees: The Citi Strata Premier has a $95 annual fee and the Capital One Venture has a $95 annual fee, which are quite reasonable compared to other travel rewards cards with fees over $500 per year.
- Purchase protections: Both cards provide purchase and extended warranty protections on eligible items.
- Redemption options: You have a variety of options for redeeming points or miles through either card’s rewards program. Specifically, you can use Citi ThankYou Points or Capital One miles for travel through their respective travel portals, transfers to travel partners, cashback redemptions, and more.
3 important differences between the Citi Strata Premier and Capital One Venture
The Citi Strata Premier and Capital One Venture have a few important differences that could help you decide on one over the other.
1. Rewards rates
The Citi Strata Premier provides 10X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com; 3X points on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations; and 1X points on all other purchases.
The Capital One Venture provides 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day, 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25.
The Citi Strata Premier seems like it has the better earning potential, but it really depends on your spending habits. Overall, we think the Capital One Venture is a better fit for most people because you earn at least 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. That makes it simple for earning rewards on any eligible purchase, no matter the category.
Winner: Capital One Venture because it has a simple rewards rate that could work for more people.
2. Travel perks
The Citi Strata Premier has these travel perks.
- 24/7 concierge
- Hotel credit of $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more through CitiTravel.com each calendar year
The Capital One Venture has these travel perks.
- 24/7 concierge
- Up to $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years
- Two free lounge access visits per year to Capital One or Plaza Premium Lounges
Whether a travel benefit is valuable is highly dependent on the person and their travel habits. But the Capital One Venture has more benefits than the Citi Strata Premier, and we think the Venture benefits are likely to be more useful for a wider range of people.
After all, most travelers can at least take advantage of the up to $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. Not everyone is spending $500 or more on a single hotel stay, and you have to book through CitiTravel.com for that benefit, which limits its usefulness.
Winner: Capital One Venture because it has more travel benefits, and they’re likely better for a wider audience.
3. Transfer partners
Both the Citi Strata Premier and Capital One Venture provide you with a points transfer redemption option to move points from the credit card loyalty program to airline partners and hotel transfer partner programs.
The Citi Strata Premier provides access to these Citi transfer partners.
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The Capital One Venture provides access to these Capital One transfer partners.
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There’s no definite winner here because it depends on your travel preferences. Also, Citi and Capital One share many of the same transfer partners.
Winner: It’s a tie because the better set of transfer partners depends on your travel preferences.
Which credit card should you choose?
When you should choose Citi Strata Premier
- You already have a relationship with Citibank.
- Your spending habits align with the Citi Strata Premier rewards rate.
- You prefer Citi transfer partners.
- You prefer the Citi Strata Premier travel benefits.
When you should choose Capital One Venture
- You already have a relationship with Capital One.
- You want a simple rewards rate.
- You prefer Capital One transfer partners.
- You prefer the Capital One Venture travel benefits.
- You want travel insurance benefits.
What factors to consider before choosing
The Citi Strata Premier makes sense if you already have a relationship with Citibank since that could help you get approved. The Strata Premier also has a better rewards rate than the Capital One Venture if your spending habits align with its bonus categories.
But for frequent travelers, we think the Capital One Venture is the better option because it has more travel benefits. It’s hard to overstate how valuable credit card travel insurance could be if you end up in a situation where you might have to file a claim. It could end up saving you hundreds of dollars or more.
In addition, the Capital One Venture makes it easy to earn rewards on any eligible purchase, regardless of the category. Most purchases will earn the same rate, so there’s no extra worry about making sure you’re using your card on the “right” purchases.
FAQ
Is Citibank better than Capital One?
Both Citibank and Capital One provide different types of credit cards, but Capital One generally has a better selection because there are more cards to choose from. This could make it easier for you to find credit cards that align with your personal finance goals and spending habits.
Is it hard to get approved for Citi Strata Premier?
It could be hard to get approved depending on your credit score. You typically need a good or excellent credit score to qualify for the Citi Strata Premier, which is at least a 670 on the FICO scoring model. Keep in mind that credit card issuers use multiple factors to determine your eligibility, and your credit score is only one of those factors.
Is the Citi Strata Premier card worth it?
The Citi Strata Premier is worth it for many frequent travelers because it provides elevated rewards on common purchases, including 10X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com; 3X points on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations; and 1X points on all other purchases. You can use any rewards you earn to help offset travel costs for airfare, hotel stays, cruises, and more.
Citi Strata Premier vs. Capital One Venture: bottom line
We generally recommend the Capital One Venture over the Citi Strata Premier because of its simple rewards rate and additional travel benefits.
The Citi Strata Premier is still an excellent choice, especially if your spending habits align with its bonus categories. But we think the Capital One Venture likely makes sense for more people, especially if you travel frequently (or even just occasionally).
For our top travel credit card offers, check out our list of the best travel credit cards.