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The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card waives the annual fee for US military servicemembers and spouses. This is similar to the Chase Sapphire Reserve military policy and the American Express military policy.
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site
- Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou(R) Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- 70,000 points are redeemable for $700 in gift cards at thankyou.com
- Earn 10 points per $1 spent on hotels, car rentals, and attractions through CitiTravel.com
- Earn 3 points per $1 spent at at restaurants and supermarkets
- Earn 3 points per $1 spent on Gas Stations, Air Travel, and Hotels
- 1 point per $1 on everything else
- $100 Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee waived for military with Citi military policy
In this post:
Citi Strata Premier Military Lending Act Fee Waiver
The details of the Citi credit card MLA waiver are a bit trickier than Chase or Amex.
First, verify you are in the MLA database. You will need to create an account but you can then verify your and your spouse's eligibility for MLA benefits.
In the month where you are charged your annual fee, which should be the same month every year, you need to close your Citi Strata Premier statement with a balance greater than $0. Once you are emailed your statement, the fee waiver should be included, like this:
The Citi fee waiver should say “MLA FEE / INT CREDIT” on your statement.
If you don't use your card in the month when you are charged the annual fee, and don't have a balance greater than $0 on your statement, then you WILL be charged the annual fee. It happened to me my second year of card membership. Don't forget and set a reminder if you want to keep getting the annual fee waived.
Again, in order to get your Citi credit card annual fee waived as an active duty military servicemember or spouse of an active duty servicemember, you must close your Citi Strata Premier statement with a balance greater than $0.
This Citi card has no foreign transaction fees, which is essential if you are stationed overseas or go TDY OCONUS.
Citi Strata Premier Card vs Chase Sapphire Preferred
Citi Strata Premier Card is a mid-tier card that compares nicely to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. The CSP also waives the annual fee for military servicemembers.
Personally I prefer the Chase Sapphire Preferred to the Citi Strata Premier. There are a lot of good credit cards for the military that waive annual fees. I would pick one of those cards before the Citi Strata Premier. Or you can open of the credit cards with the best bonuses this month or go through my best order to open military credit cards.
The Citi Strata Premier card is one of the 27 credit cards in my collection but I do not use it very frequently. I find I get much better value from cards like the Amex Platinum, Amex Gold card, or Chase Sapphire Reserve. All of these cards waive the annual fee for military.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site
- Get up to $1,050 in Chase Travel℠ value. Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. That's worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year.
- 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x points on dining (includes takeout, delivery, and dine-in), select streaming services and online groceries
- 2x on all other travel purchases
- 1x on all other purchases
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠ . Example- 60,000 points would be worth $750 toward travel.
- No foreign transaction fees, great for overseas OCONUS assignments, TDY, and PCS
- Primary rental car insurance coverage & trip cancellation/interruption insurance, and more.
- DashPass access is complimentary which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- Upgrade to a Chase Sapphire Reserve after 1 year (compare Reserve vs Preferred)
- $95 annual fee waived for military and spouses with Chase Military Lending Act
- Member FDIC
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site
- Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou(R) Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- 70,000 points are redeemable for $700 in gift cards at thankyou.com
- Earn 10 points per $1 spent on hotels, car rentals, and attractions through CitiTravel.com
- Earn 3 points per $1 spent at at restaurants and supermarkets
- Earn 3 points per $1 spent on Gas Stations, Air Travel, and Hotels
- 1 point per $1 on everything else
- $100 Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee waived for military with Citi military policy
Citi Strata Premier Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
Earn $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (up to 20% savings), excluding taxes and fees, when booked through thankyou.com. Available once per calendar year.
Citi Transfer Partners
Citi has many credit card transfer partners.
You can transfer Citi ThankYou Points (TYP) to:
- Aeromexico
- Asia Miles
- Avianca Lifemiles
- Etihad Guest
- Eva Air
- Flying Blue (KLM and Air France)
- JetBlue
- Malaysia Airlines Enrich
- Qantas
- Qatar
- Singapore
- Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- Turkish Air Miles and Smiles
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Head over here to learn more about the Citi MLA policy. Or take my 100% free, 5 day email course on military credit cards.
Citi Strata Premier FAQ
For US military servicemembers and spouses the Citi Strata Premier is definitely worth it since the annual fee is waived!
No, the Citi Strata Premier is pretty easy to apply for. I think there are better cards though, especially if you are in the military. Check my credit card application rules for the latest on applying for the Citi Strata Premier card.
Yes! For US military and their spouses, the Citi Strata Premier waives the annual fee under the Military Lending Act or MLA.