Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard vs Citi Strata Elite — which is worth it to you?

The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard ($695/yr) and the Citi Strata Elite ($595/yr) side by side: credits, earning rates against a flat 2% cash-back baseline, and protections — with your spending deciding which card actually wins each category.

The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard charges $695 a year against the Citi Strata Elite's $595, so it starts $100 behind. The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard earns AAdvantage miles while the Citi Strata Elite earns Citi ThankYou Points. A point in one program isn't automatically worth a point in the other, so the calculator below turns everything into dollars against a flat 2% card.

The Citi Strata Elite also has a bonus on dining (3x), with nothing to match it on the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard.

The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard comes with 5 statement credits, the biggest being $500 American Airlines Vacations Credit, $180/year Lyft Credit and $120 Avis/Budget Rental Credit, plus 2 more. The Citi Strata Elite has 5 statement credits: $300 Annual Hotel Benefit, $200 Annual Splurge Credit and $200 Annual Blacklane Credit, plus 2 more. All of these are face values, and a credit only really pays out if it covers something you were buying anyway.

Both cards carry lost luggage, lounge access, no foreign transaction fees, rental car collision coverage, trip cancellation and trip delay. The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard alone has elite status, First Checked Bag Free and Priority Check-In, Screening & Boarding; the Citi Strata Elite alone has extended warranty and purchase protection.

Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard

Citi · $695 annual fee (Citi and American Airlines refreshed this card effective Aug 23, 2026, raising the fee to $695 for new applicants and renaming it the "World Legend Mastercard." Cardmembers who held the account as of Aug 3, 2026 keep the prior $595 fee until Citi notifies them and their next renewal after that notice - this file models the current new-applicant terms.) · earns AAdvantage miles

Earning rates

4x Eligible American Airlines purchases (4x on up to $150,000/yr in eligible AA purchases, then 5x for the rest of the calendar year)
12x AAdvantage Hotels & AAdvantage Cars bookings
1x Everything else

Statement credits (5)

$500 American Airlines Vacations Credit — $250 back twice a year (Jan-Jun, Jul-Dec) on eligible American Airlines Vacations packages of 2 or more travel components.
$100 Inflight & Admirals Club Purchases Credit — Up to $100 back per calendar year in statement credits on eligible inflight and Admirals Club purchases.
$120 Avis/Budget Rental Credit — Up to $120 back each calendar year in statement credits on eligible prepaid Avis or Budget rentals booked directly on avis.com or budget.com.
$180/year Lyft Credit — $15 statement credit after taking 3 eligible Lyft rides in a calendar month, up to $180 a year.
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Credit — $120 application-fee credit once every 4 years (~$30/yr).

Full Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard breakdown — 11 more benefits on the full page.

Citi Strata Elite

Citi · $595 annual fee ($75 annual fee per authorized user; each authorized user also gets their own complimentary Priority Pass Select membership.) · earns Citi ThankYou Points

Earning rates

12x Hotels, car rentals & attractions via Citi Travel
6x Air travel via Citi Travel
6x Restaurants during Citi Nights (Fri 6PM–Sat 6AM & Sat 6PM–Sun 6AM ET)
3x Restaurants (outside Citi Nights)
1.5x All other purchases

Statement credits (5)

$300 Annual Hotel Benefit — Up to $300 off a prepaid hotel stay of 2+ nights booked through Citi Travel, once per calendar year.
$200 Annual Splurge Credit — Up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year on your choice of up to 2 activated brands: 1stDibs, American Airlines (exclusions apply), Best Buy, Future Personal Training, or Live Nation/Ticketmaster (exclusions apply).
$200 Annual Blacklane Credit — Up to $100 back on Blacklane chauffeur bookings January–June, and up to $100 more July–December, for up to $200/year total.
The Reserve by Citi Travel Credit — $100 property experience credit (varies by property) on each stay booked at a Reserve-rate hotel through Citi Travel, plus daily breakfast for two, free Wi-Fi, and early check-in/late check-out/room upgrades subject to availability.
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Credit — $120 application-fee credit once every 4 years (~$30/yr).

Full Citi Strata Elite breakdown — 9 more benefits on the full page.

Card data verified against issuer sources: Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard on 2026-08-24, Citi Strata Elite on 2026-08-27.

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