As a lot as we love premium bank cards, chances are you’ll discover that you would be able to’t maximize their advantages or wish to preserve your annual price prices low. If that’s the case, a mid-tier journey card is ideal for you.
At the moment, we’re taking a look at two standard mid-tier journey rewards playing cards: the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked® Card (see charges and costs) and the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (see charges and costs). Each include priceless welcome bonuses, strong incomes buildings and intensive redemption choices for an affordable $95 annual price.
Which is healthier in your pockets? This information will assist you to make that call.
Chase Sapphire Most well-liked vs. Citi Strata Premier comparability
| Card particulars | Chase Sapphire Most well-liked | Citi Strata Premier |
|---|---|---|
| Annual price | $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 (by Sept. 2027) and journey booked by 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 motels, automotive leases, and points of interest booked by the Citi journey portal
3 factors per greenback on eating places, supermarkets, gasoline stations, EV charging stations, air journey and different lodge purchases 1 level per greenback on all different purchases
|
| Different advantages | 25% redemption bonus if you e-book journey by Chase Journey
$50 assertion credit score on lodge stays bought by Chase Journey 10% anniversary factors enhance Complimentary DashPass membership for no less than one 12 months (if you activate by Dec. 31, 2027) $10 every month towards non-restaurant purchases on DoorDash Strong journey protections |
$100 off a single lodge keep of $500 or extra, excluding taxes and costs, when booked by CitiTravel.com (accessible as soon as per calendar 12 months)
World Elite Mastercard advantages Citi Leisure Entry Prolonged guarantee Journey protections |
Chase Sapphire Most well-liked vs. Citi Strata Premier welcome bonus
The Chase Sapphire Most well-liked is at present providing 100,000 factors after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. Based on TPG’s April 2025 valuations, the bonus provide is price $2,050. After subtracting the $95 annual price, you will stroll away with a web worth of $1,955 within the first 12 months. That is tied for the best provide we have seen on this card in years.
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 provide price $1,080. After accounting for the $95 annual price, this card’s web first-year worth is $985.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Most well-liked. The considerably greater welcome bonus and valuation of Chase Final Rewards offers it the sting.
Chase Sapphire Most well-liked vs. Citi Strata Premier advantages
With the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked, you will get these advantages:
- 25% redemption bonus if you e-book journey by the Chase Journey portal
- $50 annual lodge assertion credit score for reservations booked by Chase Journey
- 10% anniversary factors enhance
- Complimentary DashPass membership for no less than one 12 months if you activate by Dec. 31, 2027
- Auto rental collision injury waiver
- Journey cancellation and interruption insurance coverage
- Baggage delay safety
- Journey delay insurance coverage
- Buy safety
The Chase Sapphire Most well-liked’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 coated if one thing goes incorrect in your journey offers you peace of thoughts along with potential financial worth, and it is uncommon to see the sort of protection on a mid-tier card.
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The $50 lodge assertion credit score additionally covers greater than half of the cardboard’s annual price, successfully lowering that price to $45. And you’ll benefit from this profit with a fast one-night getaway. Plus, for those who maximize the month-to-month DoorDash promo, you can web an annual financial savings of as much as $120, offsetting the annual price fully.
When you go for the Citi Strata Premier, you will get the next advantages:
- $100 off a single lodge keep of $500 or extra booked by CitiTravel.com, accessible as soon as yearly
- Prolonged guarantee safety
- Harm 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 checklist is not as intensive because the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked’s, the Citi Strata Premier has some strong advantages. You will get a lodge credit score price double that on the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked and World Elite Mastercard perks like cellphone safety and journey protections. In as we speak’s world of live performance pre-sale tickets, accessing Citi Leisure might help make sure you’ll get entry to your dream live performance.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Most well-liked. Its assertion credit and anniversary factors give it a extra strong advantages checklist
Incomes factors with the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked vs. Citi Strata Premier
With the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked, you will earn 5 factors per greenback on journey booked by the Chase Journey portal, 5 factors per greenback on Lyft purchases by 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 motels, automotive leases, and points of interest booked by the Citi Journey portal, 3 factors per greenback on air journey, eating, grocery store, different lodge, 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 possible have the ability to rack up factors extra shortly with it than with the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked.
Winner: Citi Strata Premier. Its wider vary of bonus-earning classes offers you extra incomes alternatives.
Redeeming factors with the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked vs. Citi Strata Premier
The Chase Sapphire Most well-liked offers you the choice to redeem your factors for journey by transferring them to any of Chase’s 11 airline and three lodge companions or by reserving by Chase Journey at a fee of 1.25 cents per level.
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. Nevertheless, your most precious redemption possibility is to switch your factors to Chase’s companions, which we’ll overview within the subsequent part.
With the Citi Strata Premier, you may redeem your factors for journey by transferring them to any of Citi’s 21 lodge and airline companions or reserving by the ThankYou journey portal at a fee of 1 cent per level. Moreover, you may redeem them for present playing cards or a press release 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 straight at checkout at retailers like Amazon and Walmart. Nevertheless, you will get lower than one cent per level going this route, so that you’re higher off utilizing your factors as a press release credit score to cowl your purchases after you have made them.
Winner: Tie. Each playing cards can help you switch your rewards to journey companions, e-book by their journey portal or redeem your factors for money again and present playing cards.
Transferring factors with the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked vs. Citi Strata Premier
With the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked, you will earn Chase Final Rewards factors that you would be able to switch at a 1:1 ratio to 14 airline and lodge companions, together with Singapore Airways KrisFlyer, United MileagePlus, Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership and World of Hyatt.
You may 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 approach or transferring your factors to United MileagePlus and benefiting 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 resembling 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 can help you switch your factors to priceless switch companions.
Ought to I get the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked or the Citi Strata Premier?
Each the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked and the Citi Strata Premier provide priceless welcome bonuses and strong incomes charges on journey and eating purchases for a similar $95 annual price. In the end, which card is greatest for you’ll come all the way down to which card’s switch companions you utilize probably the most.
For example, for those who regularly fly Southwest Airways and keep at Hyatt properties, it might make sense to earn Chase Final Rewards and switch your factors to these applications.
And, after all, for max versatility, chances are you’ll resolve you wish to get each playing cards. When you go this route, be certain you’ll earn the dear welcome bonuses on each.
Backside line
The Citi Strata Premier and Chase Sapphire Most well-liked are two leaders in the case of reasonably priced, mid-level playing cards that earn priceless transferable factors. Every card wins in several classes in our evaluation, so the most effective card for you’ll rely on which advantages and redemption choices you worth most. Regardless of which approach you go, you may really feel nice figuring out you are including a improbable mid-tier card to your pockets.
For extra particulars, see our full opinions of the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked and the Citi Strata Premier.
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Most well-liked
Apply right here: Citi Strata Premier
