As a lot as we love premium bank cards, you could discover you could’t maximize their advantages or need to hold your annual charge prices low. If that’s the case, a mid-tier journey card is ideal for you.
Right this moment, we’re two common mid-tier journey rewards playing cards: the Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card (see charges and charges) and the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (see charges and charges). Each include beneficial welcome bonuses, strong incomes buildings and in depth redemption choices for an affordable $95 annual charge.
Which is best on your pockets? This information will enable you make that call.
Chase Sapphire Most popular vs. Citi Strata Premier comparability
| Card particulars | Chase Sapphire Most popular | Citi Strata Premier |
|---|---|---|
| Annual charge | $95 | $95 |
| Welcome bonus | Earn 100,000 bonus factors after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening | Earn 60,000 ThankYou factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening |
| Incomes construction | 5 factors per greenback on Lyft rides (via Sept. 2027) and journey booked via Chase Journey℠
3 factors per greenback on eating (together with takeout and supply), choose streaming, and on-line grocery purchases (excluding Goal, Walmart and wholesale golf equipment) 2 factors per greenback on all different journey purchases 1 level per greenback on all different purchases |
10 factors per greenback on inns, automobile leases, and sights booked via the Citi journey portal
3 factors per greenback on eating places, supermarkets, gasoline stations, EV charging stations, air journey and different resort purchases 1 level per greenback on all different purchases
|
| Different advantages | 25% redemption bonus while you e book journey via Chase Journey
$50 assertion credit score on resort stays bought via Chase Journey 10% anniversary factors enhance Complimentary DashPass membership for at the very least one yr (while you activate by Dec. 31, 2027) $10 every month towards non-restaurant purchases on DoorDash Sturdy journey protections |
$100 off a single resort keep of $500 or extra, excluding taxes and charges, when booked via CitiTravel.com (obtainable as soon as per calendar yr)
World Elite Mastercard advantages Citi Leisure Entry Prolonged guarantee Journey protections |
Chase Sapphire Most popular vs. Citi Strata Premier welcome bonus
The Citi Strata Premier, then again, is providing 60,000 ThankYou factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months after account opening. TPG’s April 2025 valuations peg ThankYou factors at 1.8 cents a chunk, making this supply price $1,080. After accounting for the $95 annual charge, this card’s internet first-year worth is $985.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Most popular. The considerably larger welcome bonus and valuation of Chase Final Rewards offers it the sting.
Chase Sapphire Most popular vs. Citi Strata Premier advantages
With the Chase Sapphire Most popular, you will get these advantages:
- 25% redemption bonus while you e book journey via the Chase Journey portal
- $50 annual resort assertion credit score for reservations booked via Chase Journey
- 10% anniversary factors enhance
- Complimentary DashPass membership for at the very least one yr while you activate by Dec. 31, 2027
- Auto rental collision harm waiver
- Journey cancellation and interruption insurance coverage
- Baggage delay safety
- Journey delay insurance coverage
- Buy safety
The Chase Sapphire Most popular’s assertion credit score and anniversary factors enhance are nice perks with critical worth, however the card’s journey protections actually make it shine. Figuring out you are lined if one thing goes flawed in your journey gives you peace of thoughts along with potential financial worth, and it is uncommon to see this kind of protection on a mid-tier card.
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The $50 resort assertion credit score additionally covers greater than half of the cardboard’s annual charge, successfully lowering that price to $45. And you’ll benefit from this profit with a fast one-night getaway. Plus, if you happen to maximize the month-to-month DoorDash promo, you possibly can internet an annual financial savings of as much as $120, offsetting the annual charge fully.
When you go for the Citi Strata Premier, you will get the next advantages:
- $100 off a single resort keep of $500 or extra booked via CitiTravel.com, obtainable as soon as yearly
- Prolonged guarantee safety
- Injury and theft safety
- Journey Delay ProtectionTrip Cancellation & Interruption Safety
- Misplaced or Broken Baggage
- MasterRental® Protection (Automobile Rental)
- World Elite Mastercard advantages
- Entry to Citi Leisure
Whereas the listing is not as in depth because the Chase Sapphire Most popular’s, the Citi Strata Premier has some strong advantages. You will get a resort credit score price double that on the Chase Sapphire Most popular and World Elite Mastercard perks like cellphone safety and journey protections. In as we speak’s world of live performance pre-sale tickets, gaining access to Citi Leisure might help make sure you’ll get entry to your dream live performance.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Most popular. Its assertion credit and anniversary factors give it a extra sturdy advantages listing
Incomes factors with the Chase Sapphire Most popular vs. Citi Strata Premier
With the Chase Sapphire Most popular, you will earn 5 factors per greenback on journey booked via the Chase Journey portal, 5 factors per greenback on Lyft purchases via September 2027, and three factors per greenback on eating, choose streaming providers, and on-line grocery purchases (excluding Goal, Walmart and wholesale golf equipment). You will additionally earn 2 factors per greenback on journey purchases and 1 level per greenback on all different purchases.
With the Citi Strata Premier, you will earn 10 factors per greenback on inns, automobile leases, and sights booked via the Citi Journey portal, 3 factors per greenback on air journey, eating, grocery store, different resort, EV charging and gasoline station purchases, and 1 level per greenback on all different purchases.
Whereas each playing cards earn bonus factors on eating and journey purchases, the Citi Strata Premier additionally earns bonus factors on grocery store and gasoline station purchases, that means you will seemingly be capable of rack up factors extra rapidly with it than with the Chase Sapphire Most popular.
Winner: Citi Strata Premier. Its wider vary of bonus-earning classes offers you extra incomes alternatives.
Redeeming factors with the Chase Sapphire Most popular vs. Citi Strata Premier
You too can redeem your factors for present playing cards or use Chase’s Pay Your self Again characteristic to redeem them for money again. Nonetheless, your most dear redemption possibility is to switch your factors to Chase’s companions, which we’ll evaluate within the subsequent part.
With the Citi Strata Premier, you’ll be able to redeem your factors for journey by transferring them to any of Citi’s 21 resort and airline companions or reserving via the ThankYou journey portal at a fee of 1 cent per level. Moreover, you’ll be able to redeem them for present playing cards or an announcement credit score for a price of 1 cent per level.
You too can use Citi’s Store with Factors possibility and use your factors to pay instantly at checkout at retailers like Amazon and Walmart. Nonetheless, you will get lower than one cent per level going this route, so that you’re higher off utilizing your factors as an announcement credit score to cowl your purchases after you’ve got made them.
Winner: Tie. Each playing cards mean you can switch your rewards to journey companions, e book via their journey portal or redeem your factors for money again and present playing cards.
Transferring factors with the Chase Sapphire Most popular vs. Citi Strata Premier
You will get unimaginable worth from choices like transferring your factors to Iberia Plus and reserving Miami to Madrid for as little as 21,250 factors every manner or transferring your factors to United MileagePlus and profiting from its Excursionist Perk.
With the Citi Strata Premier, you will earn Citi ThankYou factors to switch to 21 journey companions, together with JetBlue TrueBlue, Turkish Airways Miles&Smiles and Selection Privileges.
TPG bank card author Danyal Ahmed loves utilizing his Citi Strata Premier card to switch factors to companions corresponding to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles. He lately transferred 25,000 factors to Cathay Pacific to fly between Beijing and Hong Kong in enterprise class.
Winner: Tie. Each playing cards mean you can switch your factors to beneficial switch companions.
Ought to I get the Chase Sapphire Most popular or the Citi Strata Premier?
As an example, if you happen to often fly Southwest Airways and keep at Hyatt properties, it will make sense to earn Chase Final Rewards and switch your factors to these packages.
And, after all, for max versatility, you could determine you need to get each playing cards. When you go this route, ensure you’ll earn the precious welcome bonuses on each.
Backside line
The Citi Strata Premier and Chase Sapphire Most popular are two leaders on the subject of inexpensive, mid-level playing cards that earn beneficial transferable factors. Every card wins in several classes in our evaluation, so the very best card for you’ll rely on which advantages and redemption choices you worth most. Regardless of which manner you go, you’ll be able to really feel nice figuring out you are including a improbable mid-tier card to your pockets.
For extra particulars, see our full evaluations of the Chase Sapphire Most popular and the Citi Strata Premier.
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Most popular
Apply right here: Citi Strata Premier
