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Citi Strata Premier℠ Card vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: It’s a Tie in Our Opinion

The Citi Strata Premier is one of the most underrated cards on the market, while the Venture Rewards is popular for good reason. Here’s how they stack up.

By Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®
and Harrison Pierce

Edited by Melinda Sineriz, ABFP™

Updated Dec. 18, 2024

4.9

4.7

Has a generous welcome offer
Offers up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® statement credit
Has an easy rewards program and highly flexible travel redemptions
Doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees
Offers valuable travel protections

Our view

As a cardholder of the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card and a former cardholder of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (I now have the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card), I am intimately familiar with both cards. The Citi Strata Premier is one of the most underrated cards on the market, especially after the recent revamp.

The revamp was largely branding, but Citi added some travel protections to make it more competitive with other cards at this price point. The Venture Rewards is still a solid offering, but these cards are designed to be used in different ways — and possibly together.

If you like to stay at hotels and earn as much as possible across several spending categories, the Citi Strata Premier is your best bet. However, if you want simple, elevated earnings on everyday spending, the Venture is the best choice. Whatever option you choose, trust that you’ll get supreme value from each card.

How we evaluate products

Citi Strata Premier vs. Capital One Venture

The Citi Strata Premier is, frankly, very underrated. The Venture Rewards Card is a fan favorite among points and miles enthusiasts. Here’s how they stack up.

	Citi Strata Premier℠ Card 4.9 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card 4.7 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
FinanceBuzz value calculation	Year one earnings: $1,680 Year two earnings: $930	Year one earnings: $1,521 Year two earnings: $771
Annual fee	$95	$95
Welcome bonus	For a limited time, earn 75,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $750 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
Travel perks	$100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) through CitiTravel.com each calendar year	Up to $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years Hertz Five Star status $50 experience credit on Lifestyle Collection bookings
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent, Good
	Read full review	Read full review

When to go with the Citi Strata Premier

The Citi Strata Premier could be the better option if:

Your spending habits align with the Citi Strata Premier rewards rate
You will utilize the annual hotel credit
You prefer Citi’s unique transfer partners

Hotel benefits

One of the primary benefits offered to cardholders of the Citi Strata Premier is an annual hotel credit. You will receive $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more each calendar year through CitiTravel.com (excluding taxes and fees). With the rising costs of hotels, it’s fairly easy to spend $500 on a few night's stay. If you expect to spend a weekend away at least once a year, you can cover your entire annual fee with this benefit alone.

I sometimes forget that I have this benefit, and it’s always a pleasant surprise when I remember to use it on an upcoming trip. This is one of the reasons I feel like it’s such an underrated card — it easily gives you an opportunity to recoup the cost you’re spending to carry it, which most cards at this level don’t do. For comparison, the hotel credit offered by the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is just $50.

Bonus earning categories

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.

If you can maximize the bonus earning categories, the Citi Strata Premier makes more sense. The 10X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com rivals the most premium credit cards on the market. The other bonus categories are pretty lucrative, especially if you concentrate your spending on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations. The only downside is the low rate on non-bonus category spending.

If I ever book a flight or hotel outside of a travel portal, I use my Citi Strata Premier. This is another reason why I feel that the Citi Strata Premier is so undervalued. The bonus categories are categories where people spend a significant amount of money.

Citi seems to have spent a lot of time analyzing its target consumer, which I appreciate. As a traveler, I want a card that easily accumulates points across major categories, and this isn’t something you always see with a relatively low annual fee travel card.

When to go with the Capital One Venture Rewards

You might be better off with the Capital One Venture if:

You want a simple rewards rate without bonus categories to track
You want to enroll in TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
You prefer Capital One’s unique transfer partners

Earnings on everyday purchases

The ability to earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day is a fantastic way to accumulate miles quickly. Although the Citi Strata Premier earns more in select categories, you can use your Venture card on any purchase anytime and know you’re getting a good return.

Additional travel perks

You can receive up to $120 as a statement credit for the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee every four years. Whether you’re already enrolled in these programs and want to renew your membership or you are ready to enroll for the first time, it’s nice not to have to pay out of pocket to apply. I absolutely love having Global Entry, which also gives TSA PreCheck benefits.

Cardholders also receive Hertz Five Star status, which gives benefits like upgrades when available and an additional driver for free. If you book a Lifestyle Collection property through Capital One Travel, you’ll receive a $50 experience credit to use onsite, along with a room upgrade and early check-in/late checkout (as available).

Transfer partners

Citi has three unique transfer partners that Capital One cardholders cannot access — JetBlue TrueBlue, Qatar Privilege Club, and Thai Royal Orchid Plus. I’ve flown Qatar Airways before and can attest that it has one of the best business class products in the sky, so it’s nice to have the option to transfer my Citi ThankYou Points to the airline. Plus, having a domestic transfer partner in JetBlue is really nice for regional flights.

Capital One has four unique transfer partners: Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club, Finnair Plus, and TAP Miles&Go. I’ve flown British Airways from the U.S. to England, and it was a great experience. TAP Air Portugal is also convenient for getting around Europe if you’re based in Portugal.

Most of the major airline partners you’d use are shared between them, like Avianca, Emirates, and Flying Blue. Unless you’re incredibly loyal to one of these international airlines or frequently fly a route operated by these airlines, transfer partners won’t play a massive role in your decision-making between these two cards.

A closer look at the welcome offers

The Citi Strata Premier and Capital One Venture both offer welcome offers, so now is a great time to consider a new card. New cardholders of the Citi Strata Premier can, for a limited time, earn 75,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $750 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.

New cardholders of the Venture Rewards Card can earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.

The Venture has a leg up on the Citi Strata Premier, but only if you can take advantage of the travel credit offered by the Venture.

FAQs

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 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. Remember 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.

Bottom line

The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (Rates and fees) and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card are fantastic cards with no clear winner between the two of them. With so much overlap in transfer partners, different earning methods, and equally valuable benefits, you’d be lucky to have either card in your wallet.

When deciding between them, evaluate your spending habits and travel goals to see which makes more sense.

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