Optimal Card Usage Strategy

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To maximize your rewards with this combo, follow this simple strategy:

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Use Chase Sapphire Preferred for:

• Travel bookings through Chase Travel℠ (5X)

• Lyft rides (5X through March 2027)

• Streaming services (3X)

• Online grocery purchases (3X)

• Dining when traveling internationally (no foreign transaction fees)

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Use Citi Strata Premier for:

• Hotels through CitiTravel.com (10X)

• In-store grocery shopping (3X)

• Gas stations and EV charging (3X)

• Air travel booked directly with airlines (3X)

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This strategic approach ensures you're earning at least 3X points on most of your daily spending and travel purchases.

Maximizing Transfer Partners

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One of the most powerful aspects of this card combination is access to both Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou transfer partners.

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Chase Ultimate Rewards partners include valuable options like:

• United MileagePlus

• World of Hyatt

• Southwest Rapid Rewards

• Marriott Bonvoy

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Citi ThankYou partners include unique options not available through Chase:

• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

• Qatar Airways Privilege Club

• Etihad Guest

• Emirates Skywards

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This expanded transfer partner network gives you significantly more flexibility for booking award travel, opening up opportunities for high-value redemptions across more airline alliances and hotel groups.

Complementary Benefits

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Both cards offer annual statement credits and travel protections that work well together:

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Chase Sapphire Preferred benefits:

• $50 annual hotel credit through Chase Travel℠

• 25% boost when redeeming points for travel through the Chase portal, making your points worth 1.25 cents each

• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance

• Primary rental car coverage

• Purchase protection

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Citi Strata Premier benefits:

• $100 annual hotel credit for stays over $500 through Citi Travel

• World Elite Mastercard benefits

• Cell phone protection

• Citi Entertainment access

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Together, these benefits can more than offset both annual fees and provide comprehensive travel protection coverage.

Welcome Bonuses: Kickstarting Your Travel Fund

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Both cards offer valuable welcome bonuses to jumpstart your rewards strategy. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is currently offering an incredible 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months, while the Citi Strata Premier offers 60,000 ThankYou points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months.

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If you're able to qualify for both cards, you could potentially earn 160,000 points from welcome bonuses alone. That’s enough for multiple domestic round-trip flights or several nights at premium hotels.

Annual Fee Considerations

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Both cards charge a $95 annual fee, meaning a combined annual cost of $190. However, with their statement credits ($50 from Chase and $100 from Citi), you're effectively reducing that cost to just $40 per year if you can maximize these benefits.

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When you factor in the potential point earnings from everyday spending, these cards easily justify their annual fees for most travelers.

Real-World Example: See the Power of This Combo

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Let's look at a hypothetical annual spending pattern:

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• $6,000 on travel ($3,000 through portals, $3,000 direct bookings)

• $7,200 on groceries

• $3,600 on dining

• $2,400 on gas/EV charging

• $1,200 on streaming

• $9,600 on other purchases

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With optimal card usage:

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• Chase travel portal: 15,000 points (5X on $3,000)

• Dining: 10,800 points (3X on $3,600)

• Streaming: 3,600 points (3X on $1,200)

• Groceries: 21,600 points (3X on $7,200 with Citi)

• Gas/EV: 7,200 points (3X on $2,400 with Citi)

• Other travel: 9,000 points (3X on $3,000 with Citi)

• Everything else: 9,600 points (1X on $9,600)

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Total: 76,800 points worth approximately $1,500+ when transferred strategically to travel partners.

Final Thoughts

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The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Citi Strata Premier create the ultimate mid-tier credit card power couple for travel enthusiasts. By strategically utilizing both cards, you can maximize points on everyday spending, gain access to a wide variety of transfer partners, and enjoy valuable travel benefits—all without the high annual fees of premium travel cards.

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This 1-2 combo offers the perfect balance of simplicity and value, making it an ideal choice for travelers who want to maximize rewards without juggling too many credit cards.