I opened the Citi Strata Elite on December 24th, 2025, fully intending to see how aggressively I could front-load value before the year ended. This card looks messy on paper, but in practice, Citi made it way easier than expected to triple dip — with one weird glitch that actually worked in my favor.

Here’s exactly how it played out, timestamps and all.

1. The $200 Splurge Credit (and the Citi Glitch That Paid Me)

This is the only part that wasn’t smooth.

Right after approval, I added the card to my digital wallet and went hunting for the Splurge Credit selector. Problem: the option just wasn’t there. No toggle, no dropdown, nothing.

So here’s what I did.

At 10:37 PM ET on Dec 24, I made a $200 Amazon gift card purchase on BestBuy.com, assuming it would clear later once I selected the splurge merchant.

At 11:57 PM ET, the splurge selection option finally appeared. I immediately selected Best Buy.

The next day, I called Citi to sanity-check. The rep told me the first charge would NOT qualify since it was before the selection. As an apology, they dropped 4,000 ThankYou points into my account.

At that point, I did what any rational points goblin would do: I immediately bought another $200 Amazon gift card on BestBuy.com.

Fast-forward to December 26th… Both Best Buy charges posted. One splurge credit triggered.

Net result:

• $200 Best Buy credit
• 4,000 ThankYou points
• $200 Amazon balance I would’ve bought anyway

Not something I’d rely on long-term, but I’ll take a Citi oopsie when it happens.

2. The $300 Citi Travel Hotel Credit (Hilton Canopy + Aspire Stack)

This one was clean and honestly the easiest value on the card.

I booked 2 nights at a Hilton Canopy in Washington, D.C. through CitiTravel.com. Total came out to $322, and Citi applied the $300 hotel credit automatically, leaving me with a $22 out-of-pocket charge.

Why this pairing works for me:

• I already hold the Hilton Aspire
• That gives me Diamond status
• I still got the elite perks even though it was a portal booking

So effectively:

• $300 credit fully used
• Hilton elite benefits intact
• 12X ThankYou points on the remaining charge

This is exactly how I like hotel credits: one transaction, no hoops, no weird minimums beyond the 2-night rule.

3. The $200 Blacklane Credit (Yes, I Used It for Groceries)

I’ll be honest — I would never pay for Blacklane out of pocket.

But credits change behavior.

I had just finished a grocery run and realized I didn’t want to carry 20 lbs of bags for a 15-minute walk back to my apartment. It was cold, I was tired, and I remembered I had Citi money to burn.

I booked a Blacklane ride.

• Car arrived in about 8 minutes (after some cold waiting)
• Vehicle was a black Cadillac SUV
• Ride was smooth, quiet, and extremely overkill for groceries

Total bill: $81

Do I think it’s “worth” $81? No. Do I think it’s worth $0 out of pocket with a credit? Absolutely.

This is a textbook example of a credit I’d never organically use — but I’m perfectly happy burning Citi’s money on convenience.

Final Math: Why This Card Paid for Itself Immediately

Within 48 hours, I got:

• $200 Splurge Credit
• $300 Hotel Credit
• ~$81 Blacklane Credit
• 4,000 ThankYou points apology bonus
• 12X points on portal spend

Even ignoring points, that’s ~$580 in credits before the card even settled into my wallet.

Is the Strata Elite perfect? No. Is it messy? Yes. But if you front-load the benefits and don’t overthink it, the value is very real.