Seemingly out of nowhere, we now know, all at once, what happened to the Citi Rewards+® card and what some additional plans were around the new Citi “Strata” branding. While we all continue to hope for an awesome Citi Prestige® replacement, we now have details on the soon-to-launch Citi Strata Card.
The card has no annual fee, earns ThankYou points (in the same way the Rewards+ did, so they are redeemable at 1 cents per point for some things like gift cards and redeeming through the Citi Travel portal, but only 0.5 cents per point if you want straight cash back unless you have a linked Double Cash or Custom Cash), and has a really unique “choose your own adventure” bonus category that includes – wait for it – Pet Supplies! The other super unique option is Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons. Choosing either of those, among others listed below, would net you 3X ThankYou points on these purchases and yes, if you have a Citi Strata Premier card, those pet supply purchases become fully transferable points!
Citi shares the following card details with me:
- Following the debut of the Citi Strata Premier® Card, Citi is enhancing its portfolio of rewards credit cards with the Citi Strata℠ Card, a new, no-annual fee credit card that rewards spending on everyday essentials and personal passions.
- The Citi Strata Card is a redesign of the existing Citi Rewards+ Card, with increased benefits that offer cardmembers more opportunities to earn ThankYou® Points.
- Redesigned with simplicity, flexibility and value in mind, cardmembers can earn more points on weekly necessities like gas and groceries, along with restaurants and travel.
- Cardmembers can also personalize rewards to fit their lifestyle with the new Self-Select Category, offering the ability to earn more points on an eligible category like fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment and more.
- With the Citi Strata Card, cardmembers can earn:
- 5x points on Hotels, Car Rentals and Attractions booked on cititravel.com
- 3x points at Supermarkets
- 3x points on Select Transit and at Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 3x points on an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice. Eligible categories include Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons or Pet Supply Stores.
- 2x points at Restaurants
- 1x points on All Other Purchases
- Citi Strata cardmembers will also have access to World Elite Mastercard benefits, including Lyft, Mastercard ID Theft Protection, Priceless Experiences and more.
- Existing Citi Rewards+ cardmembers will have access to the new Citi Strata Card on July 20, 2025 and new customers will be able to apply later this year.
So, while you can’t get this card yet, you can certainly start planning for how this card might fit your Citi setup, where you get all the benefits of your highest card (meaning that those the points earned here aren’t transferable to most airline partners, simply having a Strata Premier or Prestige linked in the same ThankYou account does make these points fully transferable. If you are a current Rewards+ cardholder, you’ll get it before anyone else.
Now when it comes to travel, those of us that like to book directly with airlines and hotels will want to stick to a Strata Premier with the $95 annual fee, since while you earn 5X points on hotel and car rentals with this card, it has to be booked on Citi Travel.
Two losses from the Rewards+ to note:
- The Citi Strata Card does not have the Round Up feature, where purchases on the card are rounded up to the nearest 10 ThankYou points.
- The Citi Strata Card also does not have the points redemption rebate feature. That means that you will no longer get 10% rebated on your first 100,000 points redeemed each year (across any of your cards if you held the Rewards+).
If you plan to redeem points this year and can do so before July 20, 2025, then do so in order to get that 10% points rebate.
Overall, I think it’s a great refresh of this no annual fee card (except for losing that 10% annual points rebate!) and gives me some hopes that if and when they relaunch a Citi Prestige luxury card replacement, it should be solid. It also makes me think that us legacy Prestige cardholders may be product changed into that new card (again, when/if it comes) whether we want to or not…
Thoughts?
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You can find credit cards that best match your spending habits and bonus categories at Your Best Credit Cards.
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