Citi has just announced plans to launch a new no annual fee credit card, which actually represents the rebranding of an existing card.
In this post:
Basics of the no annual fee Citi Strata Card
Several weeks ago, Citi closed applications for the Citi Rewards+ Card, and now we know why. Citi plans to launch the Citi Strata Card, to replace the Citi Rewards+ Card. The expectation is that existing Citi Rewards+ customers will be converted to the card as of July 20, 2025, while new cardmembers will be able to apply starting later this year.
As Citi describes it, the card has been redesigned with simplicity, flexibility, and value, in mind. When it comes to the rewards structure, the Citi Strata Card will offer the following, in addition to standard World Elite Mastercard benefits:
- 5x ThankYou points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions, booked through cititravel.com
- 3x ThankYou points at supermarkets, on select transit, and at gas and EV charging stations
- 3x ThankYou points on an eligible self-select category of your choice
- 2x ThankYou points at restaurants
- 1x ThankYou points on all other purchases
Regarding that self-select category, the options include the following:
- Fitness clubs
- Select streaming services
- Live entertainment
- Pet supply stores
- Cosmetic stores, barber shops, and hair salons
As is standard for no annual fee cards in these collections, these Citi ThankYou points can only be transfered to the bulk of Citi ThankYou transfer partners in conjunction with a premium card, like the $95 annual fee Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (review).
How does this compare to the Citi Rewards+ Card?
For those curious how the new Citi Strata Card compares to the Citi Rewards+ Card that it’s replacing, the rewards structure is very different. The Citi Rewards+ Card offers:
- 2x ThankYou points at supermarkets and gas stations, on the first $6,000 spent every year (earn 1x points thereafter)
- Purchases on the card are rounded up to the nearest 10 ThankYou points
- Receive 10% of points back for the first 100,000 ThankYou points redeemed per year
As you can see, the new rewards structure is completely different than the old one, so it’s hard to compare the two. In terms of bonus categories, I’d say the Citi Strata Card is better. However, in terms of other perks (the rounding up feature and the 10% back on points), I’d say the Citi Rewards+ Card is better. Regardless, cardmembers won’t have a choice, since people will automatically be converted in the coming months.
It’s cool to see the Citi Strata “family” card lineup
What I find most exciting about this development isn’t the card as such, but rather, the bigger implications. It seems that Citi is finally starting to build a portfolio of ThankYou cards with the “Strata” branding, so I hope that trend continues.
Many people are familiar with the $95 annual fee Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (review), which is the current card in the Strata portfolio. There are lots of reasons to get this card, including excellent bonus categories.
For some time now, there have been rumors that Citi plans to introduce a premium version of the Citi Strata Premier, possibly marketed as the Citi Strata Elite, replacing the old Citi Prestige Card (which is no longer open to new applicants).
So while I have no inside knowledge here, and while nothing further has been announced, the way that Citi is structuring a portfolio of cards with the same branding makes me optimistic that this could finally become a reality. Here’s to hoping that there’s a business card in the mix as well, eventually!
Bottom line
Details have just been announced about the new no annual fee Citi Strata Card, which will be launching later this year, replacing the Citi Rewards+ Card. While many people will be unhappy to lose the Citi Rewards+, this seems like a pretty well-rounded no annual fee card.
Here’s to hoping that the next development is that we see the introduction of a more premium version of the card. Either way, there’s merit to the more consistent branding, so let’s see how this all plays out.
What do you make of the Citi Strata Card?
Have not seen anything about foreign transaction fees.
Ben - can I PC the Rewards card to another Custom Cash & then also be eligible for a SUB on the Strata?
DPs point to NO on conversion to Custom Cash.
Is anyone considering doing a TY points transfer before the conversion to take advantage of the 10% rebate before it goes away?
I nearly always transfer my Citi to EVA and thinking of moving a chunk now to get the discount.
Crazy?
without the 10% point rebate this card will be cancelled in August. Great work, Shitibank
Can't really compare this to the Citi Rewards+ Card because there are no details about the extended warranty protection. The most important benefit of the R+ was the market leading* extended warranty.
Yes, hard to believe that Citi is market leading in anything, but in this case its true.
Not mentioned but according to Citi accounts opened between July 20, 2024 and July 19, 2025 will continue to be eligible for the round up and 10% points rebate through July 20,2026.
I have not seen this reported anywhere else.
Doctor of Credit has this detail on their website
10% gone and with virtually no notice. Nice work Citi. Great way to treat their customers.
I'd like to see the Prestige come back in this family; if that's the case, then we truly have an ecosystem that FINALLY has gas and grocery as part of its lineup--something Chase lacks
I've got 2 Custom Cash cards that I use for grocery and gas. Combined with the Rewards+, Double Cash, and Prestige, it's the best family of spending cards in my setup. SUB when I get new cards, all other spending on Citi.
I bet they’re gearing up for a more “premium” card to try and compete with the Venture X, CSR, and Platinum. My guess is they’ll have some kind of benefit that is exclusive to the card along with some transferable option to AA (or even include lounge access to admirals clubs if you book an AA flight). I bet we’ll see it around this time next year.
I love my Prestige card and don’t want changes.
Strata is such a terrible name. Why they are doubling down on it is beyond me. It literally means separating people out into different classes. Do they not have marketing professionals? Delta has a Reserve, Chase has a Sapphire (in a Reserve flavor), Amex has a Platinum, Citi has… a Strata!
That said, having a Strata together with a DoubleCash and a Strata Premier is a pretty powerful strategy. $95 annual fee (or $0 if...
Strata is such a terrible name. Why they are doubling down on it is beyond me. It literally means separating people out into different classes. Do they not have marketing professionals? Delta has a Reserve, Chase has a Sapphire (in a Reserve flavor), Amex has a Platinum, Citi has… a Strata!
That said, having a Strata together with a DoubleCash and a Strata Premier is a pretty powerful strategy. $95 annual fee (or $0 if you use the Premier’s $100 annual hotel credit) for the three of them to get 2x points on all transactions plus 3x points on supermarkets and gas. It really rivals and in many ways surpasses the Chase freedom / CSP-CSR one-two punch.
Real question is how they will integrate these cards with AA and if TY points will ever be transferable to AA. And very curious to see what they do with the AA Executive card - it’s a card many of us really value and I hope they don’t screw around with it too much.
The layers on the card design make it seem like marketing is going more for the geological definition of strata
Cool. I love going to national parks with the family and looking at layers of sedimentary rock. Nothing says "aspirational" and "propelling me forward" and "spend lots of money on this card" like looking back in time hundreds of millions of years.
It's just an uncommon and obscure word that probably doesn't resonate with most people and that separates things or people into layers, and you don't even know what layer you were separated into!...
Cool. I love going to national parks with the family and looking at layers of sedimentary rock. Nothing says "aspirational" and "propelling me forward" and "spend lots of money on this card" like looking back in time hundreds of millions of years.
It's just an uncommon and obscure word that probably doesn't resonate with most people and that separates things or people into layers, and you don't even know what layer you were separated into! Limestone perhaps? Probably a reason most default to Silver, Gold, Platinum. Citi still has a Diamond Preferred card actually (does not earn TY points). Lean into that branding maybe - would align well with oneworld ruby/sapphire/emerald actually.
I agree, and actually like the look of the card.
Add in a Custom Cash (or 2) and it's the best spending lineup across in the game. My lineup: Prestige, DC, Rewards+, Custom Cash (grocery), Custom Cash (gas).
Awesome! T&Cs say one custom cash per person - do you and a spouse each have one then? Could see heading down that path…
@Peter Well, I was one of these marketing professionals who worked on branding and identity for major corporations, including airlines and banks, so I'll weigh in with the reality:
At an agency level, you have strategy folks who are probably the most overpaid and lowest-performing individuals in business. You have creatives who are given a week maybe, if they're lucky (more like 48-72 hours), to come up with 1st round ideas that will lead...
@Peter Well, I was one of these marketing professionals who worked on branding and identity for major corporations, including airlines and banks, so I'll weigh in with the reality:
At an agency level, you have strategy folks who are probably the most overpaid and lowest-performing individuals in business. You have creatives who are given a week maybe, if they're lucky (more like 48-72 hours), to come up with 1st round ideas that will lead to millions of dollars in launches and rebrands. Rarely do you get to go back and re-think it. You have creative leadership who for some reason always have their big annual vacation they just can't move when it's time for the pitch or the rebrand or the launch. So no oversight from those who should know better. Lastly, you have clients who have no idea what is cool or smart or savvy.
It's a big sh**storm that culminates in credit cards named Strata, SUVs named Tribeca, etc etc. No one puts any due diligence into brand identity, haven't for a long while. Expect it to get worse now that every single person wants AI to do their thinking for them under the guise of "time saving". Actually, the results I've seen from AI have been a lot smarter than most of the thinking I've seen in marketing.
Thanks for this. Just asked ChatGPT and it suggested Stratos. So what do I know! For your entertainment-
If you're a big bank launching a new **premium credit card**, the name should convey **exclusivity, prestige, and trust**. Here are several naming directions with examples:
### 1. **Luxury & Status-Oriented**
* **Stratos**
* **Altum**
* **Aurum**
* **Celestia**
* **Monarch**
### 2. **Heritage & Legacy**
* **Legacy Reserve**
* **Pinnacle**
...
Thanks for this. Just asked ChatGPT and it suggested Stratos. So what do I know! For your entertainment-
If you're a big bank launching a new **premium credit card**, the name should convey **exclusivity, prestige, and trust**. Here are several naming directions with examples:
### 1. **Luxury & Status-Oriented**
* **Stratos**
* **Altum**
* **Aurum**
* **Celestia**
* **Monarch**
### 2. **Heritage & Legacy**
* **Legacy Reserve**
* **Pinnacle**
* **Crest**
* **Founders Edition**
* **Sovereign**
### 3. **Tech-Modern Prestige**
* **NOVA Black**
* **VX Elite**
* **Prime One**
* **Zentrix**
* **Luxon**
### 4. **Subtle Power & Minimalism**
* **The Black**
* **Reserve X**
* **Card No. 1**
* **Vault**
* **Obsidian**
Would you like the card to lean more toward **old-money luxury**, **modern tech wealth**, or a blend of both? That could help refine the best fit.
Ugh... the 10% rebate was the biggest reason to have the card. The new card is fine, but the biggest selling point is now gone. It was basically a 10% additional earnings on all points.
The other Andrew agrees with you. This sucks.
Self-select 3x category is pretty cool but in general the Strata lineup just kind of looks like the Capital One lineup now
I agree. The Rewards+ was unique and I was looking forward to get one! The Strata seems generic. I wonder if you’d be able to have both the Strata and the Strata Premiere like how you can have the Amex Gold and Platinum together