United Explorer vs Citi Strata Premier: Which Is Better In 2025?

Citi Strata Premier® Breakdown

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Why We Like It

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Here’s a breakdown of why we like the Citi Strata Premier® card.

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• It offers strong rewards rates across a broad mix of popular spending categories, including travel, dining, supermarkets, and gas stations.
• ThankYou® Points can be transferred to a wide array of airline and hotel partners, giving you valuable flexibility when it comes to redeeming rewards.
• The card’s $95 annual fee is easily offset by the annual $100 hotel credit, which you receive after booking a single hotel stay of $500 or more through Citi Travel (publisher-formulated estimate).

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Pros

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• Earns bonus points across a wide range of categories, including travel and common everyday expenses like dining and groceries.
• Offers valuable redemption flexibility, including the ability to transfer points to numerous airline and hotel partners.
• Includes a suite of travel protections that provide coverage for trip interruptions, delays, and lost luggage.

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Cons

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• The annual hotel credit has restrictive terms, and accessing top rewards rates and certain benefits requires booking through the Citi Travel portal.
• It lacks some premium travel perks offered by competitors, such as airport lounge access.
• The included car rental insurance is secondary, offering less protection than the primary coverage available with other travel cards.

Citi Strata Premier® vs United Explorer

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Categories

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Deciding which is better, United Explorer or Citi Strata Premier®, comes down to your travel habits and reward preferences.

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• United℠ Explorer Card: This card is best for frequent travelers, especially those who often fly with United Airlines. It offers a range of airline-specific perks designed to enhance the travel experience on United.
• Citi Strata Premier® Card: This card is ideal for those seeking flexible rewards. It focuses on providing flexibility in both earning and redeeming points across a wide variety of travel and everyday spending categories.

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Redemption

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United℠ Explorer Card: Redemption is primarily focused on the United MileagePlus program, allowing you to use miles for flights with United and its partners, seat upgrades, and other travel-related purchases.

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Citi Strata Premier® Card: This card offers more versatile redemption options, as points can be transferred to numerous airline and hotel partners, redeemed for travel through the Citi portal, or used for cash back and gift cards.

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Travel Perks

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• United℠ Explorer Card: This card’s ecosystem is centered entirely around the United Airlines travel experience. Cardholders receive two one-time United Club℠ passes annually, priority boarding, and a free first checked bag for themselves and a companion on the same reservation. The card has no foreign transaction fees, making it suitable for international travel on United and its partners.
• Citi Strata Premier® Card: The ecosystem for this card is built on flexibility through the Citi ThankYou® Rewards program. It includes an annual hotel savings benefit when booking through the Citi portal. While it doesn't offer airport lounge access, its main strength is the ability to transfer points to numerous airline and hotel partners, providing broad redemption options. The card also comes with no foreign transaction fees.

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Compare Top Rated Credit Cards with Kudos

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To make the best choice, you can use a tool like Kudos to compare top-rated cards and see which one aligns with your spending.

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• Test drive credit cards: Simulate any credit card using your real spending data to see personalized earnings projections before you apply, without impacting your credit score.
• Welcome offer guarantee: If you find a better welcome offer within three months of applying for a card through Kudos, they will match it.
• Detailed approval odds: Get a comprehensive analysis of your approval chances based on your credit report before you submit an application.
• Stack rewards: Earn extra rewards through Kudos Boost when shopping at partner stores, which you can stack on top of your regular credit card rewards.
• Personalized insights: Connect your bank accounts securely to receive data-driven card recommendations and track your spending, rewards, and credit score in one place.

Who Should Choose the United Explorer?

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The United℠ Explorer Card is primarily designed for frequent United Airlines flyers who can maximize benefits like a free first checked bag and priority boarding. It also appeals to travelers who value perks like statement credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® and no foreign transaction fees on international trips. Ultimately, this airline card is a strong choice for those whose travel habits align with United's network and who can easily offset the annual fee with the card's built-in value.

Who Should Choose the Citi Strata Premier®?

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The Citi Strata Premier® Card is designed for frequent travelers who want to earn significant rewards on both their jet-setting adventures and everyday expenses. This card is particularly valuable for those who spend heavily on dining, groceries, and gas, as it offers accelerated points in these categories alongside high-earning rates on travel bookings. Ultimately, it's a strong choice for individuals seeking flexible, premium travel rewards and protections without the hefty price tag of an ultra-premium card.

Alternatives to Consider

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If the United Explorer vs Citi Strata Premier® comparison didn't yield a clear winner for your wallet, there are plenty of other fish in the sea of travel rewards cards. Let's look at a few other top contenders that might be a better fit.

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Tips for Application Success

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Before You Apply

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• Check Your Credit: Most premium travel cards require a good to excellent credit score for approval.
• Review Bonus Eligibility: Check the issuer's rules, as some, like Citi, restrict new bonuses for recent cardholders.
• Plan Your Spending: Make sure you can meet the minimum spending requirement for the bonus without overspending.

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Application Strategy

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• Time your application: Apply before a large purchase to help meet the spending requirement.
• Know the issuer's rules: Be aware of application restrictions that could affect your approval or bonus eligibility.
• Align with your habits: Choose a card that rewards your existing spending and travel patterns.

Our Methodology

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We evaluate nearly 3,000 credit cards across the U.S. market — far more than the ~150 cards commonly featured on sites that focus only on products tied to affiliate commissions. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive, unbiased view of the credit card landscape so you can make confident, data-driven decisions.

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Our editorial team combines deep industry experience with rigorous verification standards. While our experts surface the most relevant recommendations in our guides, you can also explore the full dataset yourself through our card explorer tool, which includes thousands of cards — more than 95% of which do not provide us with commissions.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Can I transfer points from the Citi Strata Premier Card to United MileagePlus?

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No, you cannot directly transfer Citi ThankYou Points to the United MileagePlus program. However, you can transfer points to other Star Alliance partners, like Avianca LifeMiles or Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, and then book United flights through them.

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Do both cards offer a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck?

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The United℠ Explorer Card offers a statement credit of up to $100 every four years for either Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS. The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card does not offer this benefit.

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Which card is better for earning rewards on everyday spending?

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For broader everyday spending, the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is generally superior, offering bonus points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel, and hotels. The United℠ Explorer Card's bonus categories are more focused, primarily rewarding United purchases, dining, and select hotel stays.

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