Kudos has partnered with CardRatings and Red Ventures for our coverage of credit card products. Kudos, CardRatings, and Red Ventures may receive a commission from card issuers. Kudos may receive commission from card issuers. Some of the card offers that appear on Kudos are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. Kudos tries to include as many card companies and offers as we are aware of, including offers from issuers that don't pay us, but we may not cover all card companies or all available card offers. You don't have to use our links, but we're grateful when you do!
The Citi Rewards Powerhouse: Why Strata Premier + Double Cash Beats $500+ Card Combos
July 1, 2025
What if you could earn more rewards than someone with premium cards—while paying just $95 in annual fees?
That's exactly what the Citi Strata Premier + Double Cash combination delivers. This under-the-radar pairing outearns most premium card setups on typical household spending, turns every purchase into transferable travel points, and costs a fraction of what competitors charge.
The average household following this strategy earnsThankYou Points compared to Chase points with their popular card combo.
Ready to see why travel hackers consider this Citi's secret weapon?
Why Most People Are Overpaying for Rewards
Here's the uncomfortable truth: premium travel cards make issuers billions because most cardholders never optimize their strategy.
The Common Mistakes:
- Paying $550-$895 annual fees for cards they don't fully utilize
- Using one "catch-all" card for everything, missing category bonuses
- Earning non-transferable points worth only 1 cent each
- Leaving hundreds in rewards on the table by not pairing complementary cards
The Citi Strata Premier + Double Cash strategy fixes all of these problems simultaneously. You get elite-level earning power at a budget-conscious price point, creating what the points community calls the "Citi 1-2 Punch."
The Strategy: How the Citi 1-2 Punch Works
This isn't about juggling a dozen cards or tracking complicated rotating categories. It's a simple two-card system that maximizes every dollar you spend.
The Setup:
Card #1: Citi Strata Premier® Card (See Rates & Fees)
[[ SINGLE_CARD * {"id": "7783", "isExpanded": "false", "bestForCategoryId": "15", "bestForText": "Frequent Travelers", "headerHint": "Robust Rewards Program"} ]]
Card #2: Citi Double Cash® Card (See Rates & Fees)
[[ SINGLE_CARD * {"id": "580", "isExpanded": "false", "bestForCategoryId": "15", "bestForText": "Everyday Spenders", "headerHint": "No Annual Fee"} ]]
The Secret Sauce: Both cards earn ThankYou Points that can be combined into one pool and transferred to airline partners at premium value. The Double Cash's "cash back" converts to ThankYou Points at 1:1, effectively making it a transferable points card—something no other no-annual-fee card offers.
Total Cost: Just $95 annually for the entire setup.
Why Citi Strata Premier Is the Perfect Foundation
The Strata Premier (recently rebranded from Citi Premier) is built for everyday spending that most households actually have.
What You're Getting:
Category Bonuses:
✈️ All air travel (not just portal bookings)
🏨 Hotel stays
🍽️ Restaurants and dining
🛒 Supermarkets and grocery stores
⛽ Gas stations and EV charging stations
Portal Bonuses:
- 🌟Points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through Citi Travel
Travel Protections:
- Trip cancellation/interruption coverage
- Trip delay reimbursement
- Lost baggage protection
- Rental car collision damage waiver
Annual Benefits:
- Hotel savings benefit on $500+ stays through Citi Travel
The Crucial Feature: No spending caps on categories. Unlike many competitors that limit bonus earnings, you can earn unlimited points on groceries, gas, dining, and travel year-round.
[[ SINGLE_CARD * {"id": "7783", "isExpanded": "false", "bestForCategoryId": "15", "bestForText": "Frequent Travelers", "headerHint": "Robust Rewards Program"} ]]
The Double Cash Secret: More Than Just Cash Back
Most people think of the Citi Double Cash® as simply a cash back card. That's underselling it dramatically.
What Makes It Special:
[[ SINGLE_CARD * {"id": "580", "isExpanded": "false", "bestForCategoryId": "15", "bestForText": "Everyday Spenders", "headerHint": "No Annual Fee"} ]]
How to Pool Your Points: The Power Move
Here's where the magic happens—combining your rewards from both cards into a single pool of transferable ThankYou Points.
Step-by-Step Setup:
- Apply for Strata Premier first – This establishes your Premium ThankYou account
- Add the Double Cash – Either apply directly or product change from another Citi card
- Link your accounts:
- Log into Citi online banking
- Navigate to "Points Summary" (redirects to ThankYou.com)
- Select "Manage My Account" → "Combine My Accounts"
- Link both cards to pool rewards
- Convert Double Cash rewards:
- Log into your Double Cash account
- Go to "View/Redeem Cash Rewards"
- Select "Convert to Points"
- Convert any amount (minimum $1)
- Transfer to travel partners:
- Visit ThankYou.com
- Select "Transfer Points"
- Choose from 18 airline and hotel partners
- Transfers are typically instant
Pro Tip: Keep your rewards as ThankYou Points until you're ready to book. This preserves flexibility and prevents orphaned miles in programs you might not use.
Where Your Points Go: The 18 Transfer Partners
ThankYou Points transfer to 18 airline and hotel loyalty programs, giving you access to hundreds of airlines worldwide through alliance partnerships.
Airline Partners (1:1 transfers):
- Star Alliance: Avianca LifeMiles, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines
- Oneworld: Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Qatar Airways
- SkyTeam: Aeromexico, Air France-KLM, Virgin Atlantic (for Delta)
- Independent: Emirates, Etihad, EVA Air, JetBlue
Hotel Partners:
- Accor Live Limitless (2:1 ratio)
- Choice Privileges (1:2 ratio—you get double!)
- Wyndham Rewards (1:1)
- The Leading Hotels of the World (5:1)
Why This Matters: Unlike cash back or portal bookings, transfer partners unlock premium cabin space that's often unavailable for cash purchase or costs thousands of dollars more.
Maximizing This Strategy with Kudos
Having the right cards is step one. Actually using them optimally is where Kudos becomes essential.
How Kudos Transforms Your Citi Strategy:
📊 Smart Card Selection: Not sure which card to use for a specific purchase? Kudos analyzes your wallet and automatically recommends the Strata Premier for categories and the Double Cash for everything else. No mental math required.
💰 Track Hidden Perks: Your Strata Premier includes the hotel benefit, travel protections, and potential transfer bonuses. Kudos' Hidden Perks feature reminds you about these benefits before they expire. The average user discovers $624 in unused annual benefits—perks they're already paying for but forgetting to claim.
📈 Maximize Every Purchase: Kudos Insights analyzes your actual spending patterns and shows exactly how much you could earn by optimizing card usage. Most users with 2-3 cards miss $441 annually by not using the best card for each purchase—a gap this strategy eliminates.
Should You Add Citi Custom Cash? The Optional Third Card
Some points enthusiasts add the Citi Custom Cash® Card as a third card in this strategy.
[[ SINGLE_CARD * {"id": "2885", "isExpanded": "false", "bestForCategoryId": "15", "bestForText": "Cash Back Seekers", "headerHint": "Flexible Cash Back Card"} ]]
Comparing to Other Popular Card Combos
Let's see how the Citi 1-2 Punch stacks up against what competitors offer at similar or higher price points.
vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card + Chase Freedom Unlimited®
[[ COMPARE_CARD * {"ids": ["509", "497"], "bestCategoryIds":["17", "18", "19"], "bestForTexts":["Exceptional Travel Value", "Fantastic Cash Back Perks"]} ]]
vs. American Express® Gold Card (See Rates & Fees) + The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (See Rates & Fees)
[[ COMPARE_CARD * {"ids": ["118", "259"], "bestCategoryIds":["17", "18", "19"], "bestForTexts":["Generous Travel Rewards", "Simple Rewards"]} ]]
vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card + Capital One SavorOne Rewards Credit Card
[[ COMPARE_CARD * {"ids": ["438", "18233"], "bestCategoryIds":["17", "18", "19"], "bestForTexts":["High Travel Rewards", "Capital One Portal Perks"]} ]]
The Pattern: The Citi combo consistently outearns comparable setups while matching or beating them on cost.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even with a simple two-card strategy, there are pitfalls that can cost you rewards.
1. Not Converting Double Cash Rewards to Points
Your Double Cash earns "cash back" by default. If you redeem it as cash, you get exactly 1 cent per point. But converting to ThankYou Points (which takes 30 seconds) preserves the option for 2-3 cent per point value through airline transfers. Always convert before redeeming.
2. Forgetting About the Hotel Benefit
The Strata Premier's hotel savings benefit requires booking through Citi Travel and spending $500+ on a single stay. Mark your calendar annually to use this—it directly offsets the annual fee.
3. Using Premium for Non-Bonus Spending
Old habits die hard. Some cardholders default to using their Premier for everything, earning only 1X on non-bonus purchases when the Double Cash would deliver more. Let Kudos handle the decision automatically.
4. Not Linking Accounts Properly
If you don't combine your ThankYou accounts, your Double Cash "cash back" can't convert to points and your rewards stay siloed. Follow the linking steps carefully—it's a one-time setup that unlocks the entire strategy.
5. Transferring Points Without Research
Not all transfer partners offer equal value. Research your specific route before transferring.
Is This Strategy Right for You?
This Citi combination isn't for everyone. Here's who benefits most:
Perfect For:
- Households spending $20,000+ annually who want maximum rewards without premium card fees
- Travelers willing to learn airline transfer partners (or use Kudos to simplify the process)
- Anyone tired of tracking rotating 5% categories
- People who want strong rewards but prioritize simplicity
- Those building toward a big international trip using points
Not Ideal For:
- True beginners who want cash back with zero complexity (stick with Double Cash alone initially)
- People who exclusively fly one airline and should get that carrier's co-branded card
- Anyone unable to pay balances in full monthly (interest charges eliminate rewards value)
- Travelers who refuse to use anything except cash for bookings
The Simple Test: If you spend $400+ monthly on groceries, gas, or dining, the Strata Premier earns its fee in bonus rewards alone. Everything beyond that is profit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I link my Citi accounts to combine points?
Log into Citi online banking, navigate to "Points Summary" (which redirects to ThankYou.com), select "Manage My Account," then "Combine My Accounts." This lets you pool points from your Strata Premier and Double Cash into one transferable balance.
Can I convert Double Cash rewards to ThankYou Points?
Yes! This is the key to the strategy. Log into your Double Cash account, select "View/Redeem Cash Rewards," click "Convert to Points," and convert any amount (minimum $1). The conversion is 1:1 and instant.
Do ThankYou Points expire?
Points don't expire as long as your account remains open and in good standing. However, if you close your Premium card (Strata Premier), you'll lose transfer capabilities. Any unconverted Double Cash rewards remain as cash back.
Is it hard to maximize ThankYou transfer partners?
Not if you use resources or tools like Kudos. The basic strategy: search AwardHacker or similar sites for your desired route, see which programs offer good value, then transfer. Once you've done it once, the process becomes straightforward.
Should I add the Citi Custom Cash as a third card?
Only if you consistently spend $500+ monthly in a single 5X category. For most people, the Premier + Double Cash provides 95% of the value with less complexity. The Custom Cash is an optimization, not a requirement.
What if I already have a Citi card?
Perfect! You can often product change existing Citi cards to the Strata Premier or Double Cash without a hard credit inquiry. Call Citi retention to ask about product change options. This preserves your account age and credit utilization ratio.
How do Citi ThankYou Points compare to Chase Ultimate Rewards?
Both are transferable point currencies with valuable airline partners. Chase has broader brand recognition and slightly more transfer partners (14 vs 18), but Citi often has better transfer ratios to specific programs like Turkish Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. Neither is objectively "better"—it depends on your travel goals.
Bottom Line: Maximum Rewards, Minimal Fees
The Citi Strata Premier + Double Cash combination proves you don't need $500+ in annual fees to earn elite-level travel rewards.
The Three-Step Start:
- Apply for the Citi Strata Premier®
- Add the Citi Double Cash®
- Let Kudos optimize usage
The Reality: Most households leave $500-1,000 in rewards on the table annually by defaulting to one card for everything or paying premium annual fees for benefits they don't fully use. This Citi strategy fixes both problems.
At just a light annual fee, the barrier to entry is low enough that even moderate spenders break even in month one. Everyone beyond that point is pure profit—either as cash back or as premium international travel worth 2-3X more.
The question isn't whether this strategy works (the math proves it does). The question is whether you're ready to claim the rewards you're currently leaving unclaimed.
Unlock your extra benefits when you become a Kudos member
Turn your online shopping into even more rewards
Join over 400,000 members simplifying their finances
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are those of Kudos alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
