The $95 annual-fee Citi Premier card was replaced last year by the Citi Strata Premier card. Earlier this year, Citi paused applications for the no-fee Rewards+ card.
The news today is that the Rewards+ card which launched in 2019 is being discontinued and replaced by a new Citi Strata no-annual-fee card.
New Strata Card
- Existing Rewards+ cardholders will be converted to the new Strata card on July 20, 2025 and will lose the special 10% rebate and roundup feature of the Rewards+ card. Those who opened their Rewards+ card from July 20, 2024 through July 19, 2025 will continue to have access to the Round Up feature and the 10% Points Back until July 19, 2026.
- New applications for the Strata card will become available later this year.
Card Details
The details of the new Citi Strata no-fee card are very different from the Rewards+ card:
- Signup bonus on the Citi Strata at launch will be 30,000 ThankYou points. That’s better than the 20,000-25,000 offers we saw on the Rewards+ card.
- The 10% redemption rebate feature on the Rewards+ card will not be a feature of the Citi Strata card.
- The points roundup feature on the Rewards+ card will not be a feature of the Citi Strata card.
- Points earning details on the Strata card are better:
- 5x points on Hotels, Car Rentals and Attractions booked on Citi Travel
- 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
Our Verdict
Obviously a bummer on the removal of the 10% and roundup feature. Overall, though, I’d say this can be a solid no-fee card for a non-hobbyist who is just using one card for everything. Getting 3x on Grocery/Gas, and 2x on Restaurants isn’t bad. Still, I’d think for most people Double Cash makes more sense, especially given that the Strata is no longer easily redeemable for 1 cent per point.
Reminder: Before cards get converted on July 20, 2025, everyone should do redemptions to max out the 10,000 annual max for the 10% redemption bonus.
Hat tip to DDG
Just a data point–I called Citi to express my disappointment. I asked if there were any other cards I could product change my Rewards+ into. Custom Cash was not an option. I know this can be a YMMV situation, but the only options the agent saw were the Citi AA cards (Mile Up, Platinum and Executive). I found that interesting given that recently it was reported that changes between AA & TYP earning cards were no longer possible (they actually gave me no TYP product change options).
RIP to the best sock drawer and gas station fountain pop card.
Does this have a foreign transaction fee? If it doesn’t, this can be a decent travel card.
One downside to the new Citi Strata card is that, like its predecessor, it comes with a 3% foreign transaction fee — so it’s not the best choice for spending abroad.
FROM https://upgradedpoints.com/news/citi-strata-card-replaces-citi-rewards-plus/
I hope it’s not long before we hear about the fate of Citi Prestige! This reminds me of when Citi rebranded a few of their cards to ThankYou and then dropped ThankYou branding on cards, and now we’re going to Strata.
I’m convinced the Prestige is being rebranded as the Citi Strata Elite.
Citi rep (and “supervisor”) straight out says there is no Citi Strata product, there is no plan to discontinue or convert from Rewards+, that federal law would require notice way before 7/20/25, and that DoC reporting is totally false. Only relaying what I was told!
Reps are clueless. This info was confirmed in a TPG interview with a Citi exec.
after conversion, when does the strate $95 annual fee get charged?
There is no fee on the Strata (conversion). Only the Strata Premier (which is a different card).
I hope downgrade from Strata Premier will be available as soon as 7/20, earlier than new applications. Also, given resent cash redemption rate devaluation, it would be fair if they make these rewards transferable to all the partners (without Premier card). Any information on these?
I have the lackluster Prestige, and I’ve just recently converted my Double Cash to Rewards+ for 10%
I don’t think I’ve ever had the Premiere. Should I get it before R+ converts to Strata?
I have about 70K points in each card, uncombined TY accounts. In order to get 10% should I combine them first? Where to transfer the points? I hope they run good promotions before the date. Wyndham is a problem because it has a hard expiration, and I’ve lost a lot already by transferring to Caesars and forgetting. I’m thinking iPrefer or Choice or Emirates?
Should I PC this to my first Custom Cash?
Lackluster? The Prestige is one of the best premium cards now since they haven’t followed the increased AF coupon books that other issuers are doing.
$250 easy to use travel credit. 5x dining, flights and OTAs. PP that still includes restaurants.
Ok, ok, I agree and take my words back 🙂 I just say it so it doesn’t get jixed more 🙂 I mainly value points transferability, though.
I had the Citi Driver’s Edge before, it was the best card ever, but I didn’t appreciate it until it got nerfed, lol, I should love my cards more 🙂
Basically a worse edition of the custom cash
It’s almost nothing like the Custom Cash.
‘Those who opened their Rewards+ card from July 20, 2024 through July 19, 2025 will continue to have access to the Round Up feature and the 10% Points Back until July 19, 2026.’
What if the RW+ came from a Product Change, when will be considered as the open date? The original date or the PC date?
Wondering the same. Converted my Double Cash after the rumor that it’s getting nerfed