Why My New Favorite American Airlines Card Is the Citi Strata Elite

The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card is here — and its American Airlines benefits have me seriously thinking about ditching my Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®.

Launched on July 27, 2025, this new premium travel card with a $595 annual fee offers several valuable perks. Most importantly, it gives you the ability to transfer points earned to American Airlines. That’s a benefit you won’t find on general travel cards from other major issuers.

Sure, you won’t get free checked bags or the ability to board early. But ultimately, I would likely be able to get more value out of the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card than I currently do with my Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®, which has an annual fee of $99, waived for the first 12 months.

Here’s why I’m planning to apply for the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card and make it my primary card for flying American Airlines.

When I look for a new credit card, I always try to cover most of the annual fee with statement credits on purchases I’m already going to make. Even though the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card’s $595 annual fee is really hefty, I would easily be able to recoup $500 of that with just two statement credits:

When you book at least a two-night hotel stay through Citi’s travel portal, you’ll get a $300 statement credit to cover the cost. Hotel statement credits have become standard on premium travel credit cards. But normally, these hotel statement credits only apply to a curated list of very expensive hotels, where a couple hundred dollars won’t go very far.

Citi’s, on the other hand, can be used on any hotel booked and prepaid through Citi. So if you booked an eligible hotel on cititravel.com for $150 per night (including taxes and fees), this credit would cover the entire stay.

The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card also comes with a Splurge credit that you can use at up to two vendors: American Airlines, the online luxury marketplace 1stDibs, Best Buy, Future Personal Training and Live Nation.

I couldn’t care less about most of these vendors. But American Airlines is a huge perk, especially since you can use it on flights and not just incidentals.

Cardholders will have four day passes to American Airlines’ Admirals Club lounges. Four passes isn’t a lot, and it’s a far cry from the unlimited lounge access you’ll get with the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®. But since I’m not an American Airlines loyalist and have unlimited access to Centurion Lounges and Priority Pass lounges, I likely wouldn’t use more than that each year.

Honestly, the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card doesn’t have the best ongoing rewards. Its sibling card, the $95-annual-fee Citi Strata Premier® Card, offers superior ongoing rates in broader categories, such as certain types of travel, supermarkets, gas stations and restaurants. Meanwhile, the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card only earns elevated rewards on travel booked through Citi and at restaurants.

But the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card is a clear winner for people who go to restaurants on weekend nights. You’ll get 3 points on dining throughout the week and 6 points on Fridays and Saturdays between 6 PM and 6 AM. That’s a staggering rate — and twice as much as I’d be earning with any of my other credit cards.

Since the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card’s reward structure kind of falls flat outside of dining, my long-term plan is to apply for two other Citi cards:

Neither of these cards have American Airlines as a transfer partner. But Citi lets cardholders move points between cards, so this would give me the option of earning an additional 2 to 5 points back on purchases while still being able to transfer points to American Airlines.

If you’re chasing American Airlines status or you always check a bag, this card won’t replace the perks on the airline’s suite of credit cards. Also, if you’re planning on visiting an Admirals Club frequently, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® will probably be a better choice.

But if you’re mostly looking for a way to earn miles fast and visit Admirals Club lounges occasionally, like I do, the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card far outpaces any American Airlines-branded card.