After two years with drips of news about an upcoming Strata Elite card, Citi has now made it official by announcing there will be a premium card called Strata Elite to be launched in the third quarter of 2025. It was mentioned in the recent earnings report (pdf link) and also reported today by Bloomberg (archive link).
No additional details were given on the card. We can expect it to replace the former Citi Prestige card with a high annual fee (Prestige was $495), as well as lounge perks, travel credits, and the like.
Citi turned their fee-free Rewards+ card into a fee-free Strata card, their $95 Premier card into a $95 Strata Premier card, and soon we’ll have back the equivalent of the high-fee Prestige card in the upcoming high-fee Strata Elite.
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i dont get how chase is able to move markets like this. it makes sense. but banks fucked up last time w/ the arms race. every bank is fucking sheep. CSR started the arms race back in 2016. then all banks realized they fucked up. cant play. total 180 backed out. now again, new CSR, everybody wants to play again. fucking idiots.
i guess u can say consumers win w/ more choices, but not when shit gets discontinued or totally nerfed to death.
anyone remember the barclays arrival premier? FNBO travel elite? what happened to flexperks? and tons of other circus side shows at HSBC UBS city national etc etc. citi launched the prestige back then. and now again. how funny.
If I apply for the strata premier now, would I be able to still get the sign up bonus for this?
I was about to get the AAdvantage Platinum Select but may hold off. Citi Strata Elite, Alaska Airlines Premium card, and Amex Platinum refresh all coming this year.
why wait? you can get both right?
2 cards in 65 days I believe. Only apply for one every 8 days.
I want $195 to $295 annual fee with 5-6x dining multiplier, no priority pass, no TSA, and ability to transfer to AA at 1:1
If you're truly interested, you should review the leaks that have come out over the past 18 months.
Savor one?
No chance that the AF is lower than the Prestige was. Almost certainly will include PP and TSA. AA transfer would be huge, but I'm sure that's subject to Citi's negotiations with AA.
Transfer to AA would justify the higher AF for fair amount of peeps.
You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, well, you might find you get what you need. Ah, yeah. Oh.
If you tell Citi what you want, they will work very hard to make sure none of it is implemented.
I want Santa Clause to be real and for him to give me money
I think Jake is slightly more likely to get his wish than Tony. But Disclaimer: do not rely on this as a complete financial plan
Last year, there was a Citi insider who leaked feedback from a HNW client survey. Overwhelmingly, they want a single card that folds in the 2x from the Double Cash. As opposed to carrying two (or more) cards for this or that purchase. I'm hoping.
I had a Rewards+ Citi just closed it. I also have a Strata Premier I was thinking of closing but I guess I’ll change to Custom Cash.
Why close it? I'm changing mine to a Citi Custom Cash
What other cards do you have?
Double cash, cash+ - axed, costco, strata premier
shop your way but thats thru citi retail
The only card left that wasn't announced yet was Strata Select, based on the trademarks. It might be the CCC refresh. It would be interesting to see what happens to it.
Banks trademark many names, of which some are not used. Strata Select was an alternative name for the refreshed Rewards+.
Amex has trademarked several names for the likely EDP replacement and a BBP/BBC update.
i thought the word on the street is that the SYW card would be PC'd into the Strata Select or something like that? Probably mis-remembering.
SYW card is a co-branded Sears card, or from what's left of Sears. SYW program is the rewards program for Sears and Kmart.
The Citi Rewards+ card is planned to be converted into the Citi Strata Card. Citi Strata is NOT the "Citi Strata Select". Strata Select was not announced officially yet.
It would make sense to move SYW card holders into Citi Strata, since Sears is going out of business.
Doubt they can even do that with a citi retail card
They can if the company goes out of business and drops the card. The Citi Sears card was converted into a generic Citi "thankyou mastercard".
I don't see why Citi would not be able to transfer those accounts to Citi Strata, in theory.
I'd call it the 'CCC play.' In CCCP, credit card opens you!
Isn't CCC the Citi Custom Cash Card? Oh wait, that's the CCCC
A Wells Fargo product if it opens itself for you?
I see what you did there. Well done, sir. Never forget!
I'm just hoping that current Prestige owners are not forced to automatically migrate to the Elite.
Is it possible that they could add AA as a transfer partner to the Strata Elite while not having them on the Strata Premier?
More likely that they would offer it on both but offer less than a 1:1 redemption rate if Big DAAddy is worried about cross-competition from its cobrand cards.
Maybe 5 TYP : 4 AA miles, 4:3, or thereabouts.
Lets just keep devaluing all the programs by doing this. Make it another United or Delta in terms of redeeming points.
Doubt it since both are identical thank you points. That was also true during the last brief window when they offered aa xfers.
I can see a gap in the market between the $800+ AF cards and the $~100 AF cards where maybe it just comes with a few coupons and no lounge access other than Priority Pass
But there are two great cards at $400: Venture X and Altitude Reserve (though the USBAR admittedly matters less). So the price point would need to be significantly below Venture X bc it would not come with a lounge network. Only niche I can see is what they already have with the Strata Premier and their no-fee cards that are great for earning.
Tbh I don't see the Venture X staying at $400 for much longer
I think this is why they downgraded lounge access, so they wouldn't have to raise the fee
Agreed. It's only a matter of time with annual feeflation.
VentureX fills this