Compare the Features and Benefits of Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card and
Citi Strata℠ Card

Unlike the Capital One Savor card (now discontinued for new applicants, anyway), which offers 4% back dining but the same 3% back on dining, at grocery stores, and on entertainment purchases and popular streaming services) but charges a $95 annual fee, the Savor, despite 1% less in cash back, will be a better choice until you reach a high level of spend such that the annual fee is offset.

Plus, don’t forget that you’ll earn cash rewards (8%) on Capital One Entertainment Purchases and 5% cash rewards on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

Early on in this review, I mentioned a “secret” way to convert your Savor cash back into Capital One miles (See our complete guide to Capital One Miles).

If you also have a Capital One Venture X, Venture, VentureOne, or Spark Miles for Business card, you can freely convert your Savor cash back into miles by transferring the cash back to any of those cards. It transfers 1:1, meaning that $10 = 1,000 miles.

Here’s a list of Capital One Miles transfer partners should you transfer your Savor cash rewards over to one of the aforementioned cards (to be clear, you cannot transfer to any of these partners with this card alone; you would need a Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, or Capital One Spark Miles for Business card to transfer to):

There’s no denying that 3% cash back on dining, grocery store, streaming services and entertainment purchases is a solid deal for a credit card without an annual fee. In fact, entertainment purchases (which include things like concerts and shows) is one of the rarest bonus categories. If you attend a lot of Broadway shows or concerts, this card can really rack them up. And should you happen to resell any tickets on StubHub, etc, this is an extra 3% in your pocket.

Plus, if you don’t mind booking hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, that’s 5% cash back as well.

Bottom line? If you are interested in cash back rather than points, this would be a good card to have in your wallet, however, I would recommend pairing it with another card for other categories. For many, a second card like a Citi Double Cash, which earns 2% on everything, could be the perfect card combo. Or, scroll down and use our own Card Combo tool to see which card would pair best with a Savor based on your own spending profile.

And remember what I said above… there are ways to convert this cash back into Capital One Miles as well.

As a no-annual-fee card, the Citi Strata℠ Card doesn’t come with a ton of additional benefits. However, the primary thing to note before applying is the impressive earning potential. As we’ve already mentioned, you’ll earn 3 points per $1 at supermarkets and on gas purchases. You’ll earn 2 points per $1 at restaurants, and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.

In addition, you have the opportunity to self-select a 3X earning category from a list of options: fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores/barber shops/hair salons, and pet supply stores. Sure, it would be nice to see travel listed as a self-select option, but we can’t have it all. The ability to personalize your earning potential is fantastic.

If you subscribe to every streaming service out there, you can earn a solid chunk of points each month. If you have a pricey gym membership, you might as well earn as much as possible while you’re working out. And if you love going to concerts, live entertainment is your best option.

You’ll also earn 5 points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through cititravel.com. If you prefer to book directly with the provider, this won’t do you much good. However, you can try to book your attractions through the portal when you go on vacation to maximize your earning potential.

The welcome bonus, although not extremely high, is easily accessible for most people. You can spend your bonus points by booking travel through Citi Travel at a flat rate of 1 cent per point. Or, you can stretch your points farther by taking advantage of Citi’s comprehensive list of transfer partners — which includes American Airlines. Although you’ll transfer at a lower ratio than if you held the Citi Strata Elite℠ or the Citi Strata Premier®, having access to American Airlines is phenomenal.

Unfortunately, cardholders won’t be able to take advantage of any statement credits or be covered by things like trip cancellation coverage or cell phone insurance. Still, the Citi Strata℠ Card is worth considering.