topic Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL in Credit Card Approvals

Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

Spotsy — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 18:57:02 GMT

So i wanted to apply for 'a' card on the launch date...and I saw that the Citi Strata Elite was finally released today. 80k SUB after some spend. I am ditching the USB Smartly product due to upcoming changes, as well as closing my Elan Max Preferred. The admiral club passes will be nice to use on an upcoming Alaska trip.

My first Citi instant approval.

After I apped, the screen asked a few identifying pieces of info, send a text message to my cell (i am an existing Citi client with my Costco Card)....instant approval. 37.5k SL, 24.9 interest (meh....wish it was lower, but never let it revolve). Says the card should arrive in 3 days via express courier. They also gave me a temp card with a 3.8k temp limit. They didnt touch the Costco card limit...thank god!

Lets see how long this one last.....

P.S. they pulled Experian....which was new, i thought they were a Equifax puller.....FICO 8, as they reported, was 804. A few inquirys (4) from 3 months ago for auto loan (darn dealerships).

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

Rebuild2019 — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 18:53:55 GMT

Congratulations on your approval and a very nice s/l @Spotsy

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

Spotsy — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 18:59:16 GMT

Thank you @Rebuild2019 ! I was suprised at their generosity and am very happy with it!

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

NoHardLimits — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 19:20:24 GMT

Congrats on the approval, and thanks for providing the first set of data points!

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

Spotsy — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 20:28:44 GMT

Thanks @NoHardLimits ! Let me know if there are additional data points desired.

as far as existing relationship, I just have a Costco card at 23k limit. I did ask for a cli a couple weeks ago and they said no. I was pleasantly surprised with this Strata Elite approval at that generous SL. So now I just have the 2 Citi cards.

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

JoeRockhead — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 21:10:58 GMT

Outstanding SL, congratulations on your approval!

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

NoHardLimits — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 21:31:56 GMT

@Spotsy wrote:
Thanks @NoHardLimits ! Let me know if there are additional data points desired.

Any other new accounts besides the car loan during the past 6, 12, and 24 months?

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

CreditMagic7 — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 21:53:45 GMT

Congratulations on your NEW approval!

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

Spotsy — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 22:02:12 GMT

@NoHardLimits wrote:
@Spotsy wrote:
Thanks @NoHardLimits ! Let me know if there are additional data points desired.

Any other new accounts besides the car loan during the past 6, 12, and 24 months?

@NoHardLimits nothing new in the last 6 (except for car loan), but in the last 12, 2 new accts; and in 24 months a total of 4 new accts.

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

NoHardLimits — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 22:23:04 GMT

@Spotsy wrote:
@NoHardLimits wrote:
@Spotsy wrote:
Thanks @NoHardLimits ! Let me know if there are additional data points desired.

Any other new accounts besides the car loan during the past 6, 12, and 24 months?
@NoHardLimits nothing new in the last 6 (except for car loan), but in the last 12, 2 new accts; and in 24 months a total of 4 new accts.

Thanks for the additional data points. Your velocity on new accounts is about the same as mine; enough to be on a FICO new revolver scorecard, but not too many to trigger automatic denials for most credit card lenders.

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

Spotsy — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 00:38:15 GMT

@NoHardLimits wrote:
@Spotsy wrote:
@NoHardLimits wrote:
@Spotsy wrote:
Thanks @NoHardLimits ! Let me know if there are additional data points desired.

Any other new accounts besides the car loan during the past 6, 12, and 24 months?
@NoHardLimits nothing new in the last 6 (except for car loan), but in the last 12, 2 new accts; and in 24 months a total of 4 new accts.
Thanks for the additional data points. Your velocity on new accounts is about the same as mine; enough to be on a FICO new revolver scorecard, but not too many to trigger automatic denials for most credit card lenders.

i used to be much worse on new accounts, but have slowed down and need to slow it even more. I will be thinning the heard next week as well. I may drop the USB Smartly, Elan Cash Max Preferred, and my Verizon Visa.....

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

Realist — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 01:16:36 GMT

Congratulations.

It's a nice hybrid card. You can take the $800 and run, or you have the option to turn it into something more through transfer partners. If there's a P1 or P2, you can magnify that value.

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

NoHardLimits — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 02:06:38 GMT

@Spotsy wrote:
@NoHardLimits wrote:
@Spotsy wrote:
@NoHardLimits wrote:
@Spotsy wrote:
Thanks @NoHardLimits ! Let me know if there are additional data points desired.

Any other new accounts besides the car loan during the past 6, 12, and 24 months?
@NoHardLimits nothing new in the last 6 (except for car loan), but in the last 12, 2 new accts; and in 24 months a total of 4 new accts.
Thanks for the additional data points. Your velocity on new accounts is about the same as mine; enough to be on a FICO new revolver scorecard, but not too many to trigger automatic denials for most credit card lenders.
i used to be much worse on new accounts, but have slowed down and need to slow it even more. I will be thinning the heard next week as well. I may drop the USB Smartly, Elan Cash Max Preferred, and my Verizon Visa.....

I used to have a much higher velocity too. I started slowing down when Chase instituted their 5/24 rule and others began to follow in their own ways. Good luck with thinning the herd. I closed two cards earlier this year, but just added a new one a few days ago.

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

LivingTheAmericanDream — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 03:41:56 GMT

Congrats on the instant approval and sweet SL!

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

Copenix — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 18:53:39 GMT

Great - congrats o nyour approval and hefty SL.

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

cashorcharge — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 22:20:55 GMT

WOOHOO!! Congratulations on your Approval!!👏🏼🍾🥂

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

Spotsy — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 22:25:13 GMT

Thanks @cashorcharge !

I think there is a newer link on DoctorofCredit that has a 100k SUB offer. Darn it!

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

cashorcharge — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 22:29:10 GMT

@Spotsy wrote:
Thanks @cashorcharge !

I think there is a newer link on DoctorofCredit that has a 100k SUB offer. Darn it!

You need to receive the email link from an in-branch banker to get the 100K if you don't intend on visiting a branch in person.

However, the threshold to get the 80K itself feel pretty low. Plus, if they treat this like other Citi cards, CLI's should be every 6 months and relatively easy to get.

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

MJ-san — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 01:35:22 GMT

Congrats! There must be something about 37.5k ... that's what I ended up being offeres.

My app was bounced because they didn't pull the credit while I had things unfrozen, had to un-freeze again and talk to a person in "applications" (backdoor # in the pinned post). I wasn't expecting that person to also be a real-live underwriter! She came back with an offer of 37.5k CL *but* would need to take 32.5k from other cards (my total exposure is 99.5k now... so guessing they didn't want to cross too far into 6-figures with me but it will be 104.9k with the new card .

Apparently this isn't all that easy to do - I've done it with BofA and it took minutes, but this gal was super awesome and said she would work on it and get back to me. This is a level of customer service I've not been used to with Citi! I'm going to do 20k on the new Strata Elite and take bits and pieces from a DoubleCash, Costco, and Custom Cash cards, I assumed she couldn't touch the ThankYou or Macy's cards because they are under the Retail Services umbrella - even though they do get added into total exposure.

Guessing they really want to book new cards... and I really want that 100k SUB... so this is a win-win

Re: Citi Strata Elite - Approved 37.5K SL

sjt — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 16:57:29 GMT

@Spotsy

Have you received your card yet? If so, what does it look like?