Quick answerBoth cards sit in the $95/year sweet spot, but Chase Sapphire Preferred wins on transfer partners, ecosystem depth, and redemption flexibility — while Citi Strata Premier punches back hard with broader 3x bonus categories and a better everyday earn rate.
Signup Bonus
~75,000 ThankYou pts (after $4k spend/3mo)
~60,000 Ultimate Rewards pts (after $4k spend/3mo)
Grocery Earn Rate
3x (including Walmart & Target)
3x (online grocery only, excl. Walmart/Target/wholesale)
Gas & EV Charging
3x
2x (travel category only via Chase portal)
Travel Earn Rate
3x hotels & air
2x general travel; 5x on Chase portal flights
Airline Transfer Partners
~18 partners (Turkish, Virgin Atlantic, Singapore, etc.)
~14 partners (United, Southwest, BA, Hyatt, etc.)
Transfer Ratios
1:1 on most
1:1 on all
Portal Redemption Value
1 cpp (no bonus)
1.25 cpp
Anniversary Bonus
$100 hotel credit (single stay $500+)
10% anniversary point bonus on prior year spend
Primary Rental Car Insurance
No
Yes
Trip Cancellation Coverage
Up to $1,500/person
Up to $10,000/person
Worth knowing
- Citi Strata Premier earns 3x at supermarkets including Walmart and Target — a rare carve-out most travel cards skip.
- Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.25¢ each in the portal, meaning 60k points = $750 in travel right out of the box.
- Citi's 75k signup bonus sounds bigger, but ThankYou points have fewer high-value sweet spots to burn them on.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred's trip cancellation limit of $10,000/person dwarfs Citi's $1,500 — a meaningful real-world difference.
- Both cards have $95 annual fees with no intro waiver, so you're paying from day one.
Chase Sapphire Preferred is so popular it has its own Reddit community (r/CreditCards) lore — people call the signup bonus 'the blue pill' because once you take it, you're in the points hobby forever.
If you wantYou want the widest everyday 3x earn rate including gas, groceries, and dining
Citi Strata Premier blankets more spending categories at 3x, making it a superior daily driver for non-travel spend.
→ Pick Citi Strata Premier If you wantYou want the most flexible, well-supported travel rewards ecosystem
Chase's 1.25cpp portal boost, rock-solid transfer partners like Hyatt, and primary rental car insurance make it the safer all-around travel card.
→ Pick Chase Sapphire Preferred If you wantYou're pairing with a premium card like Citi Prestige/Premier stack
ThankYou points pool across Citi cards, making the Strata Premier a strong companion if you're building a Citi ecosystem.
→ Pick Citi Strata Premier If you wantYou're a first travel card and want simplicity plus strong protections
Chase Sapphire Preferred is easier to extract value from — higher portal redemption, better insurance, and a more beginner-friendly partner lineup.
→ Pick Chase Sapphire Preferred Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.