All comparisons
Head-to-head, 2026
Chase United Explorer Citi Strata Premier
Annual fee, welcome offer, top earning categories, and key benefits — compared side-by-side using Perqt's catalog data.
Chase
United Explorer
- Annual fee
- $0
- Network
- visa
- Welcome value
- —
- Min spend
- $3,000 / 3mo
Top earning rates
- 2×Travel · United MileagePlus
- 2×Dining · United MileagePlus
- 2×Hotel · United MileagePlus
- 1×All_other_purchases · United MileagePlus
Key benefits
- Free first checked bag · $200
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit · $120
- $100 United travel credit (Spend Tier) · $100
- JSX statement credit · $100
- United Hotels credits · $100
Citi
Strata Premier
- Annual fee
- $0
- Network
- mastercard
- Welcome value
- —
- Min spend
- $4,000 / 3mo
Top earning rates
- 10×Car rentals · Citi ThankYou Rewards
- 10×Attractions · Citi ThankYou Rewards
- 10×Hotels · Citi ThankYou Rewards
- 3×Hotels · Citi ThankYou Rewards
Key benefits
- $100 Annual Hotel Benefit · $100
- Trip Delay Protection · $0
- Lost or Damaged Luggage Protection · $0
- MasterRental Coverage · $0
- The Reserve by Citi Travel Hotel Benefits · $0
Wondering which one is right for your wallet?
Spec sheets can't tell you which card actually earns more for the way you spend. Perqt connects to your wallet, runs the math against your real transactions, and tells you which of these two — or another card entirely — gives you the biggest annual uplift.
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