First-year winner
Citi Strata Premier Card
$875 Year 1 edge
$1,359 vs $484
Compare Cards
Stack up the better credit card
Compare two cards side by side with your real spend, credits, fees, and rewards.
Card A
Card B
Monthly spend
Start with spending categories
Monthly Total
$2,430/mo
Reward assumptions
Credits & benefits
Count the credits and perks you actually expect to use. Credit rows start with conservative default values; edit them for your own merchant, timing, or travel friction.
Card A
JetBlue Card
Counted benefits
$0
Credits
None
Cash-like credits counted in the model
Perks
None
Optional user-valued benefits
Perk
JetBlue Travel Perks
Other · No listed cash value
JetBlue co-brand cards are centered on TrueBlue value, airline savings, and cardholder-only travel perks on eligible itineraries.
Perk
In-Flight Savings
Other · No listed cash value
JetBlue cardholders commonly get airline-linked savings or bonus value on eligible in-flight purchases and JetBlue bookings.
Perk
No Annual Fee
Other · No listed cash value
You can keep the card long term without paying a recurring annual fee.
Perk
Travel Rewards Ecosystem
Other · No listed cash value
The card is designed to fit into a broader travel-rewards setup through issuer redemptions, hotel stays, flights, or travel-portal bookings.
Card B
Citi Strata Premier Card
Counted benefits
$100
Credits
$100
Cash-like credits counted in the model
Perks
None
Optional user-valued benefits
Credit
$100 Annual Hotel Benefit
Travel Credits · Listed $100/yr
Eligible hotel stays booked through Citi Travel can receive a $100 benefit once per calendar year.
Perk
Citi Entertainment
Other · No listed cash value
Eligible cardholders can access select tickets, experiences, and presales through Citi Entertainment.
Perk
Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection
Travel Insurance · No listed cash value
Can reimburse covered prepaid travel expenses when a qualifying trip is canceled or interrupted for a covered reason.
Perk
Trip Delay Protection
Travel Insurance · No listed cash value
Can reimburse eligible out-of-pocket expenses when a covered trip is delayed beyond the issuer's threshold.
Perk
Baggage Delay Protection
Travel Insurance · No listed cash value
Can reimburse essential purchases when baggage is delayed on a covered trip.
Perk
Car Rental Protection
Rental Car · No listed cash value
Can provide coverage for eligible rental car damage or theft on qualifying rentals.
Verdict
Citi Strata Premier wins year 1 and long term.
Winner after year 1
Citi Strata Premier Card
$175 ongoing edge
$659 vs $484
Long-term breakeven: the higher-reward option needs roughly $0 per year in this spend mix to overcome the fee and benefit gap.
Barclays
JetBlue Card
Year One
$484
Welcome offer + annual rewards + counted benefits - fee
After Year 1
$484
Annual rewards + counted benefits - fee
Annual Rewards
$484
1.66% effective return
Welcome Offer
None
Current listed first-year bonus value
Credits + Perks
None
$0 credits + $0 perks
Bonus Spend
No listed offer
No spend threshold in dataset
Why it wins
- • No standout edge under the current assumptions.
Watch for
- • Foreign transaction fees make it weaker for international spend.
- • There is no meaningful active welcome offer in the current dataset.
- • The points value case is thinner without transfer-partner flexibility.
Citi
Citi Strata Premier Card
Year One
$1,359
Welcome offer + annual rewards + counted benefits - fee
After Year 1
$659
Annual rewards + counted benefits - fee
Annual Rewards
$654
2.24% effective return
Welcome Offer
$700
Current listed first-year bonus value
Credits + Perks
$100
$100 credits + $0 perks
Bonus Spend
$4,000
3 mo window · $1,333/mo pace · Comfortable
Why it wins
- • Still delivers meaningful first-year upside from the welcome offer.
- • Your expected credit usage offsets most of the annual fee.
- • Stays usable for international purchases.
Watch for
- • The points value case is thinner without transfer-partner flexibility.
Spend Mix Math
Where the value actually comes from
Category returns are based on the spend mix you entered, your point-value assumption, and the benefits you chose to count.
Dining
2x
$5,400
JetBlue
$108
2.00%
Citi Strata Premier
$162
3.00%
Groceries
2x
$7,800
JetBlue
$156
2.00%
Citi Strata Premier
$234
3.00%
Travel
3x
$3,000
JetBlue
$90
3.00%
Citi Strata Premier
$90
3.00%
Gas
1x
$1,920
JetBlue
$19
1.00%
Citi Strata Premier
$58
3.00%
General
1x
$11,040
JetBlue
$110
1.00%
Citi Strata Premier
$110
1.00%
Total annual spend
$29,160 across this mix
JetBlue$484
Citi Strata Premier$654
Raw Breakdown
Full side-by-side details
Use the spec table below when you want the literal field-by-field differences in rewards, benefits, transfer partners, fees, and approval profile.
| Metric | JetBlue Card | Citi Strata Premier Card |
|---|---|---|
| Costs | ||
| Annual fee | Free | $95 |
| Foreign transaction fee | 3% | None |
| Rewards | ||
| Dining rewards | 2x | 3x 3 ThankYou Points per $1 at restaurants. |
| Gas rewards | — | 3x 3 ThankYou Points per $1 at gas and EV charging stations. |
| Groceries rewards | 2x | 3x 3 ThankYou Points per $1 at supermarkets. |
| Travel rewards | 3x 3x points on eligible JetBlue purchases. | 10x 10 ThankYou Points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through Citi Travel. |
| All rewards | 1x | 1x |
| Offer | ||
| Welcome offer | — | 70,000 bonus points Earn 70,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. |
| Benefits | ||
| Estimated benefits | 4 listed | ~$100/yr |
| Benefit highlights | JetBlue Travel Perks · In-Flight Savings · No Annual Fee · +1 more | $100 Annual Hotel Benefit · Citi Entertainment · Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection · +3 more |
| Profile | ||
| Credit needed | Good | Good |
| Network | mastercard | mastercard |
| Reward type | Points | Points |
Costs
Annual fee
JetBlue Card
Free
Citi Strata Premier Card
$95
Foreign transaction fee
JetBlue Card
3%
Citi Strata Premier Card
None
Rewards
Dining rewards
JetBlue Card
2x
Citi Strata Premier Card
3x
3 ThankYou Points per $1 at restaurants.
Gas rewards
JetBlue Card
—
Citi Strata Premier Card
3x
3 ThankYou Points per $1 at gas and EV charging stations.
Groceries rewards
JetBlue Card
2x
Citi Strata Premier Card
3x
3 ThankYou Points per $1 at supermarkets.
Travel rewards
JetBlue Card
3x
3x points on eligible JetBlue purchases.
Citi Strata Premier Card
10x
10 ThankYou Points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through Citi Travel.
All rewards
JetBlue Card
1x
Citi Strata Premier Card
1x
Offer
Welcome offer
JetBlue Card
—
Citi Strata Premier Card
70,000 bonus points
Earn 70,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
Benefits
Estimated benefits
JetBlue Card
4 listed
Citi Strata Premier Card
~$100/yr
Benefit highlights
JetBlue Card
JetBlue Travel Perks · In-Flight Savings · No Annual Fee · +1 more
Citi Strata Premier Card
$100 Annual Hotel Benefit · Citi Entertainment · Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection · +3 more
Profile
Credit needed
JetBlue Card
Good
Citi Strata Premier Card
Good
Network
JetBlue Card
mastercard
Citi Strata Premier Card
mastercard
Reward type
JetBlue Card
Points
Citi Strata Premier Card
Points