Wells Fargo Autograph Journey vs. Citi Strata Premier: Which offers more valuable rewards?

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey and Citi Strata Premier both have a $95 annual fee, which is reasonable for this type of rewards credit card. Both cards have no foreign transaction fees and similar variable APRs.

When you consider the rewards you can earn, either card can be worth keeping year after year. Both cards also feature an annual credit or discount for specific travel purchases that can further offset the cost of keeping the card. The Autograph Journey offers a $50 annual statement credit for airline purchases (minimum $50 purchase to qualify) and the Strata Premier offers an annual $100 discount on eligible hotel bookings through Citi Travel (minimum $500 booking).

The Citi Strata Premier Card has a welcome bonus of 70,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. This bonus is worth $700 in travel booked through Thankyou.com and you can transfer these points to a long list of 18 travel partners.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card’s intro bonus is worth 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first three months. You can redeem these points for $600 in gift cards, statement credits and other options. With this card, you can transfer your rewards to six hotel and airline loyalty programs.

When it comes to earning travel rewards, you can’t go wrong with the Citi Strata Premier or Autograph Journey. These cards provide you with increased earnings in a range of useful categories.

The more valuable card depends on where you spend the most. The Autograph Journey is amazing for hotels, airlines and other travel purchases, so it’s likely to be more valuable for anyone who spends heavily on travel.

The Strata Premier offers a stunning return on certain travel you book through the Citi Travel site (hotels, rental cars and attractions) and is a solid choice for airlines and hotels. It also is a great option for supermarkets and gas stations (and EV charging).

The Citi Strata Premier and Wells Fargo Autograph Journey both allow you to transfer rewards to travel partners. You also have other options with either program, such as redeeming points for gift cards, travel and statement credits for one cent per point in value.

Since both rewards programs offer a baseline value of one cent per point for cash-back redemptions, the difference in value comes down to the travel partners.

The Autograph Journey gives you access to these travel programs:

• Aer Lingus AerClub
• Choice Privileges
• Flying Blue (Air France and KLM)
• Avianca LifeMiles
• British Airways Executive Club
• Iberia Plus

The transfer ratio is 1:1 for all of Wells Fargo’s partners except for Choice Privileges, which has a 1:2 transfer ratio.

The Citi Strata Premier gives you access to a much longer list of Citi ThankYou transfer partners:

• Accor Live Limitless
• Aeromexico Rewards
• Cathay Pacific Cathay
• Avianca LifeMiles
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Guest
• Eva Air Infinity MileageLands
• Flying Blue (KLM and Air France)
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Hotel Leaders Club
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
• Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• Choice Privileges
• Wyndham Rewards

You’ll also have access to Sears Shop Your Way rewards at a 1:10 transfer ratio.

Both cards offer valuable travel insurance benefits and annual travel discounts or statement credits.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey comes with an annual $50 credit for airline purchases (with a minimum $50 purchase). Additional benefits include:

• Cell phone protection ($25 deductible applies)
• Travel accident insurance
• Lost baggage reimbursement
• Trip cancellation and interruption coverage
• Rental car insurance
• Travel and emergency assistance services
• Roadside dispatch
• Visa Signature benefits

The Citi Strata Premier comes with an annual $100 discount on hotel bookings of $500+ when you book through Citi Travel. You’ll also have the following travel insurance perks:

• Trip delay
• Trip cancellation and interruption
• Lost or damaged luggage
• Rental car insurance (MasterRental®)
• World Elite Mastercard benefits

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Until Wells Fargo bolsters its rewards program with more transfer partners, the Citi Strata Premier offers more value for most people. It has a larger welcome offer, more transfer partners and a comparable rewards structure.

However, if you value certain insurance perks or specific travel partners, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey could come out on top. It has cell phone coverage and travel accident insurance. Its rewards program also partners with several airlines, such as British Airways, that aren’t transfer partners with Citi.

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