There had been rumors of Citi launching a new “Strata” card for a long time and speculation as to what this card would be like. The card finally launched this week, and it’s not exactly what I was expecting.
Essentially, the Citi Premier Card has been replaced by the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, with minor (positive) tweaks. Let’s look at all the details.
In this post:
Citi Premier becomes Citi Strata Premier
The Citi Strata Premier Card is Citi’s new mid-range personal credit card that earns transferable points. This card replaces the Citi Premier Card:
- The Citi Premier Card is no longer open to new applicants
- Those who had the Citi Premier Card have automatically been converted to the new Citi Strata Premier Card
- For all practical purposes, the Citi Strata Premier Card is considered the same product as the Citi Premier Card; for example, welcome bonus eligibility is based on whether you’ve had the Citi Premier Card
The Citi Strata Premier Card has the same $95 annual fee that the Citi Premier Card had, and for that matter, not all that much has changed about the card. The card is also offering a great welcome bonus (though note that in this case you’ll get a better deal when applying directly through Citi’s website, rather than through the OMAAT link).
What makes the Citi Strata Premier different?
So, what makes the Citi Strata Premier Card different than the previous Citi Premier Card? The Citi Strata Premier Card has all the same perks that were available on the Citi Premier Card, including:
- Generous bonus categories, including 3x points on dining, supermarkets, gas, airfare, and hotels, all with no foreign transaction fees
- A $100 once annual hotel credit on a hotel stay of $500+, valid through the Citi Travel portal
- The ability to transfer ThankYou points to airline and hotel partners, which is how you’ll get the most value
On top of that, we’ve seen a few improvements with the introduction of the Citi Strata Premier Card:
- The card now offers 3x points on EV charging, in addition to gas
- The card now permanently offers 10x points on hotels, rental cars, and attractions booked through the Citi Travel portal; previously, the 10x points was marketed as a limited-time promotion
- The card now offers trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, and lost or damaged luggage coverage
For more details, read my full review of the Citi Strata Premier Card.
What’s Citi’s motivation for the Strata branding?
When rumors started swirling about the Citi Strata Premier Card sometime back, I wasn’t sure what exactly to expect, though I figured one of two outcomes was most likely:
- Was Citi going to materially change the Citi Premier Card, perhaps with a higher annual fee and different perks and rewards structure?
- Was Citi going to introduce a new ultra-premium card, given that the Citi Prestige Card hasn’t been open to new applicants in years, while other card issuers have been putting a big emphasis on these higher annual fee cards?
I was surprised when we learned that the Citi Strata Premier Card is basically just a slightly improved version of the Citi Premier Card. I can’t help but be curious about Citi’s motivation for this, and if we should be waiting for another shoe to drop.
Could a more premium product be introduced with the Citi Strata branding, perhaps something like the Citi Strata Prestige? Would we see a Citi Strata Premier Business?
The word “Strata” is also interesting for a credit card. It refers to layers of something, whether rock or soil or even a dish (with bread, cheese, meat, etc.). I guess the card art is intended to reflect that concept.
The only other explanation I can come up with is that Citi saw the success of the Chase Sapphire portfolio (which has the Preferred and Reserve products), so is trying to copy that, with the Citi Strata concept. I’m curious to see how this evolves. Maybe the motives will become apparent soon enough, or maybe this is the extent of the changes, and we’ll be left wondering. Just singularly rebranding the Citi Premier as the Citi Strata Premier seems like an odd change.
Bottom line
The long-awaited Citi Strata Premier Card has finally launched, and it looks a whole lot like the Citi Premier Card. It’s essentially just a rebranding of the product we knew, with the addition of trip coverage, 3x points on EV charging, and the permanent ability to earn 10x points on hotels, rental cars, and attractions booked through the Citi Travel portal.
I’m curious if this is the extent of the “Strata” credit card portfolio or if this is only the start of something bigger.
What do you make of the “new” Citi Strata Premier Card? And what do you think Citi’s motivation was for this change?
I got approved for this card on May 18, but never received it. Citi’s customer service is awful as well. Every time I’ve called I’ve gotten passed between various third-world cretins before getting someone competent. Everyone has told me to keep waiting, even though it’s now been three weeks.
Honestly considering just canceling the card.
I read somewhere else (another reputable CC travel blog - can't remember the name) that Citi was planning on launching a Citi Strata Prestige I read somewhere else (another reputable CC travel blog - can't remember the name) that Citi was planning on launching a Citi Strata Prestige card which would be in the upper premium card category meant to compete with the Amex Platinum, Venture X and CSR. I believe their source was a...
I read somewhere else (another reputable CC travel blog - can't remember the name) that Citi was planning on launching a Citi Strata Prestige I read somewhere else (another reputable CC travel blog - can't remember the name) that Citi was planning on launching a Citi Strata Prestige card which would be in the upper premium card category meant to compete with the Amex Platinum, Venture X and CSR. I believe their source was a Citi executive. So I guess Citi is planning on creating an ecosystem like Chase.
Sorry, copy and paste gone wrong.
Our primary spenders are the Prestige + Double Cash and it’s easy and rewarding. I love the Citi ecosystem. I don’t care at all about lounges because I’ll have it from ticket or AA Exec card. I love not having to buy airline tickets thru portal w/ Prestige and get 5x.
The biggest changes in my view were the return of the Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption (Common Carrier), Trip Delay, Lost or Damaged Luggage and MasterRental Coverage (Car Rental) which was the main reason that this card never got any of my airfare spend anymore.
A very odd rebranding exercise expense
Didn’t they add back travel insurance
Citi were surveying card holders about premium cards and premium benefits like airport lounges recently - imagine they are planning a strata prestige or maybe a “citi cumulus” with a big $500 plus AF.
When I hear strata, I think stratus clouds, and airplanes flying above them. I wonder if that’s the intended travel tie in?
I will get the card for the Choice hotels transfer partner for the Preferred. Hotels.
This is a small detail, but huge shout-out to Ben for transparency that going to the Citi site for the sign up is better than his affiliate link. (That said, I don't qualify since I got a Premier bonus 40 months ago...)
I wonder if they realized that in Oz and NZ a Strata is the same as an HOA
and in Canada
I wonder if it has to do with United's Premier trademark and if Citi sees themselves getting more into the airline/airport space (i.e. lounges) and something like the Citi Premier lounge would not have flown (pun intended).
Citi has seen the success of Chase’s Sapphire branding, extending beyond the cards themselves (eg lounges). This is a direct copy