The First Punch: Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

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The Strata Premier (recently rebranded from the Citi Premier® Card) serves as your category specialist, earning:

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• 10X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through Citi Travel
• 3X points at supermarkets and grocery stores
• 3X points at gas stations
• 3X points at EV charging stations
• 3X points at restaurants and dining
• 3X points on air travel and hotels
• 1X points on everything else

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With a reasonable $95 annual fee, you'll get tremendous value if you spend regularly in these categories. Plus, the card now includes valuable travel protections like trip cancellation/interruption coverage (up to $5,000 per covered trip), trip delay reimbursement (up to $500 for delays of 6+ hours), lost baggage protection (up to $3,000 per covered trip), and car rental insurance.

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The Strata Premier also offers a $100 annual hotel savings benefit when you book a single hotel stay of $500+ through CitiTravel.com, which can offset the annual fee.

The Second Punch: Citi Double Cash® Card

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This no-annual-fee card is your perfect backup for non-bonus spending:

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• 2% cash back on everything (1% when you make a purchase, 1% when you pay your bill)
• No category restrictions or quarterly activations
• No annual fee

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While it’s marketed as a cash-back card, there’s a powerful feature that makes this combination special: you can convert your cash rewards to ThankYou Points at a 1:1 ratio.

Creating Your Point-Earning Powerhouse

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Here’s the magic that makes this combination so valuable: linking your accounts to create a pool of fully transferable ThankYou Points:

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1. Link your Citi accounts to combine your ThankYou rewards
2. Convert Double Cash rewards to ThankYou Points at a 1:1 ratio (minimum $1 cash back to convert)
3. Pool all your points together under the Strata Premier’s ThankYou account
4. Transfer points to any of Citi’s 18 travel partners

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This strategy effectively turns your Double Cash into a card that earns 2X transferable points on everything, a return that’s tough to beat for non-bonus spending.

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Unlock Premium Travel with ThankYou Points Transfer Partners

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One of the key strengths of the Citi ThankYou Points ecosystem is the impressive lineup of 18 transfer partners covering major airline alliances and hotel programs:

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• Accor Live Limitless (2:1)
• Aeromexico Rewards (1:1)
• Avianca LifeMiles (1:1)
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1)
• Choice Privileges (1:2)
• Emirates Skywards (1:1)
• Etihad Guest (1:1)
• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (1:1)
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue (1:1)
• JetBlue TrueBlue (1:1)
• The Leading Hotels of the World Leaders Club (5:1)
• Qantas Frequent Flyer (1:1)
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club (1:1)
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1)
• Thai Royal Orchid Plus (1:1)
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (1:1)
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1)
• Wyndham Rewards (1:1)

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This flexibility opens up incredible redemption opportunities that can dramatically increase the value of your points.

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Real-World Redemption Examples

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European Getaway: Transfer 50,000 ThankYou Points to Air France-KLM Flying Blue during their monthly promo rewards and book a round-trip economy flight to Paris that would typically cost $800-1,000, effectively doubling the value of your points.

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Luxury in the Sky: Transfer 95,000 points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to book a one-way Delta One business class flight to Europe that normally costs $3,000+, getting over 3 cents per point in value.

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Caribbean Escape: Send 70,000 ThankYou Points to Avianca LifeMiles for two round-trip economy flights from the U.S. to destinations like Aruba or St. Lucia, easily worth $900-1,200 in cash fares.

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Five-Star Hotel Stay: Transfer 60,000 points to Choice Privileges (1:2 ratio = 120,000 Choice points) to book several nights at Preferred Hotels & Resorts luxury properties, potentially worth $1,200+ in accommodation.

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Middle East Luxury: Transfer 85,000 points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club for a one-way Qsuite business class experience from the U.S. to Doha, one of the world's most highly-rated business class products worth $4,000+.

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Asia Adventure: Send 90,000 points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer for a round-trip premium economy flight between the U.S. and Singapore, with a retail value exceeding $1,800.

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The ability to strategically transfer points to the right partner for your specific travel needs allows you to extract significantly more value than the standard 1 cent per point redemption rate for cash back or statement credits.

Doing the Math: How Much Could You Earn?

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Let’s say your annual spending looks like this:

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• $6,000 on groceries
• $3,000 on gas
• $4,000 on dining
• $5,000 on travel
• $25,000 on other purchases

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Here’s how your points would add up:

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Strata Premier:

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• Groceries: 18,000 points (6,000 × 3)
• Gas: 9,000 points (3,000 × 3)
• Dining: 12,000 points (4,000 × 3)
• Travel: 15,000 points (5,000 × 3)

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Double Cash:

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• Other purchases: 50,000 points (25,000 × 2)

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Total annual points: 104,000 ThankYou Points

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These points are worth at least $1,040 if redeemed for cash back or gift cards. However, when transferred to airline partners, you could potentially get 2-3 cents per point for premium cabin international awards, which is potentially $2,000-$3,000 in value!

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Setting Up Your Citi 1-2 Punch

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Ready to start maximizing your rewards? Here’s how to set up this powerful combination:

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1. Apply for the Strata Premier first. This card offers a substantial signup bonus (currently 75,000 points after spending $4,000 in 3 months, worth $750 in gift cards or travel rewards).
2. Add the Double Cash to your wallet. You can either apply directly or product change from another Citi card you may already have.
3. Link your accounts online:
   
   • Log into your Citi account
   • Go to your “Points Summary”
   • This will take you to ThankYou.com
   • Select “Manage My Account,” then “Combine My Accounts”
4. Start using the right card for each purchase:
   
   • Strata Premier for groceries, gas, dining, and travel
   • Double Cash for everything else
5. Convert your Double Cash rewards to ThankYou Points:
   
   • Log into your Double Cash account
   • Select “View/Redeem Cash Rewards”
   • Click “Convert to Points”
   • Choose how much to convert (minimum $1)

Why Choose This Combo Over Others?

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This Citi combination stands out for several reasons:

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• No complicated rotating categories to track
• Only one modest annual fee ($95) for the entire setup
• Higher return on everyday spending than most competitors
• 18 travel transfer partners including Air France/KLM, Turkish Airlines, Avianca, Emirates, Qatar Airways, and more
• New travel protections on the Strata Premier card
• Combined earning potential of 3X in key categories and 2X everywhere else

Compared to Popular Alternatives

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When compared to other popular card combinations:

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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card + Chase Freedom Unlimited®:

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• Earns 3X on dining, online grocery, and streaming (CSP)
• Earns 5X on travel through Chase (CSP)
• Earns 1.5X on everything else (CFU)
• Total points from our example spending: 76,500 points vs. 104,000 with Citi

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American Express® Gold Card + The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express:

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• Earns 4X at restaurants worldwide (on up to $25,000 in annual spend, then 1X) and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in annual spend, then 1X) (Gold)
• Earns 3X on flights booked directly with airlines (Gold)
• Earns 2X on everything else up to $50K per year (BBP)
• Higher annual fee ($325 for Gold)
• Total points from our example spending: 98,000 points vs. 104,000 with Citi

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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card + Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card:

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• Earns 2X on everything (Venture)
• Earns 3X on dining, entertainment, streaming, and grocery stores (SavorOne)
• $95 annual fee for the Venture card
• Good transfer partners but less extensive than Citi’s portfolio
• Total points from our example spending: 86,000 points vs. 104,000 with Citi

The Bottom Line

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The Citi Strata Premier + Double Cash combination provides exceptional value with minimal complexity and fees. By strategically using these two cards and combining your rewards, you’ll earn transferable ThankYou Points at impressive rates on virtually every purchase you make. If you want a simple, effective strategy to maximize your rewards without a wallet full of cards or high annual fees, this Citi 1-2 punch deserves serious consideration. The recent addition of travel protections to the Strata Premier makes this combo even more compelling in 2025.

FAQ: Citi Strata Premier + Double Cash Combo

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What is the "Citi 1-2 Punch" strategy?

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The Citi 1-2 Punch refers to strategically pairing the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card with the Citi Double Cash® Card to maximize rewards across all spending categories. You use the Strata Premier for 3X categories (groceries, gas, dining, travel) and the Double Cash for 2% back on everything else, then combine all rewards as ThankYou® Points.

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How much does this card combination cost in annual fees?

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You'll pay only one annual fee of $95 for the Strata Premier card. The Double Cash card has no annual fee, making this an affordable rewards strategy compared to other premium card combinations.

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Can I really combine cash back from the Double Cash with ThankYou Points?

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Yes! Cash back earned on the Double Cash can be converted to ThankYou Points at a 1:1 ratio (minimum $1 conversion). These points can then be combined with those earned from your Strata Premier card.

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How do I link my accounts to pool points?

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Log into your Citi online account, go to "Points Summary" which redirects to ThankYou.com, select "Manage My Account," then "Combine My Accounts." This allows you to pool points from both cards.

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What's the current signup bonus for the Strata Premier and Double Cash?

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The Strata Premier offers 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com. With the Citi Double Cash, you'll earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.

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How valuable are ThankYou Points when transferred to partners?

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While ThankYou Points are worth 1 cent each for cash back or gift cards, they can be worth 2-3 cents per point when strategically transferred to airline partners for premium cabin international flights, potentially tripling your rewards value.

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What happens if I cancel the Strata Premier card?

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If you cancel the Strata Premier, you'll lose the ability to transfer points to travel partners. Any unconverted cash back on the Double Cash will remain as cash back. Consider redeeming or transferring your ThankYou Points before cancellation.

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Are there any spending caps on bonus categories?

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Unlike some competitors, the Strata Premier does not impose spending caps on its 3X bonus categories, allowing you to maximize rewards on all your eligible purchases throughout the year.