July 17, 2025: On July 20, 2025, Citibank will soft-launch the new Citi Strata℠ Card. This card will replace the Citi Rewards+® Card and existing Rewards+ cardmembers will be automatically converted to Strata accounts. According to several sources, including Frequent Miler, the Citi Strata card will be available to new cardmembers in later 2025.
First impressions of the Citi Strata℠ Card

Here are my initial thoughts on the Strata card. I’ll update this post with a full review once the card officially launches and I have more complete information about the card’s benefits.
Getting 3x points, uncapped, on gas and grocery store spending is huge. For a lot of people this will be the card’s killer feature, since this spending represents a large chunk of many peoples’ budgets. (As an EV enthusiast, I personally like that the gas category includes EV charging, but most EV owners do the majority of their charging at home.)
The self-select category is an innovative feature. I’ll generally applaud any attempt to innovate in the rewards card space, and I’ll give Citi credit for their choice category concept. Sure, this is similar to the categories you can select on the U.S. Bank Cash+, but the difference here is uncapped rewards. Getting uncapped 3x points in a category you select is something I don’t think I’ve seen before. Of course, the categories you can select from aren’t likely to be places where you spend a ton of money but the feature does offer a unique bit of customization in a no-annual-fee card. Kudos.
The other reward categories aren’t terribly exciting, since you can get 2x points on all of your other purchases with the Citi Double Cash. And I don’t have any information on the card’s benefits, but I assume that the card will offer minimal benefits, similar to what other Citi no-annual-fee cards offer.
Yes, I am disappointed about losing the Rewards+ card’s 10% Points Back rebate. (The new Strata card replaces the Rewards+ card.) But while the loss of that benefit hurts hard-core points enthusiasts, the new Strata card is better for most consumers.
Likes
- 3x points for each $1 spent at supermarkets, gas, and EV charging.
- 3x in a self-select category is a unique feature.
- No annual fee.
Dislikes
- Loss of the 10% “Points Back” rebate from the Rewards+ card
- Limited information about the card’s benefits available.
- Not currently available to new cardmembers.
Citi Strata℠ Card at a glance
The Citi Strata℠ Card replaces the Citi Rewards+ Card and offers bonus points at useful categories like supermarkets, gas, transit and EV charging. The card also offers 3x uncapped points in a select category you choose.
The Citi Strata℠ Card will be available to new cardmembers in late 2025.
Rewards
- 5x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through Citi Travel®.
- 3x points at supermarkets.
- 3x points on gas and EV charging stations.
- 3x points on select transit purchases.
- 3x points on a self-select category of your choice. Eligible categories include:
- Fitness clubs
- Select streaming services
- Live entertainment
- Cosmetic stores, barber shops, and hair salons.
- Pet supply stores.
- 2x at restaurants
- 1x on all other purchases.
Rewards are earned as Citi ThankYou® Points.
Benefits
No information on the Citi Strata℠ Card’s benefits were available as of our last update, since the card officially launches in mid-2025. We will update our coverage with the card’s benefits as information becomes available.
Rates and fees
- Annual fee: $0
Complements: Cards that pair well with the Citi Strata℠ Card
Like most cards offering bonus points or cash back in select categories, adding a 2% cash back card or a card that offers bonus points in other categories can increase the total rewards you earn. In theory, this list could be very long, but here’s how the other cards within the Citi ThankYou Rewards ecosystem pair with the Strata card.
- For general spending, you’ll want to pick up the Citi Double Cash® Card, since that card earns 2% rewards—1% when you buy and 1% when you pay. The card is marketed as a cash back card, but it earns ThankYou points and you can combine all of your ThankYou Rewards accounts, meaning you can collect a single pool of points.
- For 5x points in categories, pick up one or more Citi Custom Cash cards. With the Custom Cash, you can earn 5x points on the first $500 you spend in one of the card’s eligible categories. This can be a great way to add a few more bonus categories to your wallet and increase the total number of points you earn. (You can get multiple Custom Cash cards by converting other Citi products to a Custom Cash.)
- To get better than cash back value from your Citi points, you’ll want to transfer them to airline and hotel partners. If you’re interested in doing this, you’ll want to pick up the Citi Strata Premier® Card, which will unlock all of Citi’s point transfer partners and the best transfer rates. Tthe Strata Premier offers many of the same bonus categories as the no-annual-fee Strata card, so getting the Strata Premier will largely make the Strata obsolete, but you might want to keep the Strata card around for its choice category.
Bottom line: A decent no-annual fee card for gas and groceries
The Citi Strata℠ Card will be a very respectable option for most consumers when it launches. The card’s 3x points at supermarkets and gas stations will likely be useful to most people and, when paired with the Citi Double Cash, it makes up part of a two-card wallet that wins on simplicity. Plus, the card’s choice category is an innovative feature that can help you earn more rewards.