When (and why) you should downgrade from the Citi Strata Premier to the Citi Strata Card
Editor's Note
Applying for a new card is exciting, but as time goes on, the same card may no longer serve your needs or fit your lifestyle. You could cancel your card, but that might affect your credit score and cause you to forfeit all of the rewards you've accumulated.
One way to protect your credit score, established line of credit and relationship with an issuer is to downgrade a credit card. Consider the Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees), a popular mid-tier travel card with a $95 annual fee.
Although the card has a low annual fee, cardholders may find it hard to justify paying it over time. The card's main travel benefit, the annual $100 hotel credit, is limited as it requires a hotel reservation of at least $500 booked through Citi Travel.
An alternative to the Strata Premier is its no-annual-fee sibling, the Citi Strata℠ Card (see rates and fees). Previously, the card was known as the Citi Rewards+ Card, but it was recently rebranded and now boasts impressive earning rates.
Whatever your reason might be, let's explore when and why you may want to downgrade from the Citi Strata Premier to the no-annual-fee Citi Strata Card.
The information for the Citi Rewards+ has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Keep your hard-earned Citi ThankYou points
By not canceling your Citi Strata Premier and instead downgrading it to the Citi Strata, you'll protect your hard-earned ThankYou points.
Once you cancel a credit card, you forfeit any rewards earned. Since the Citi Strata also earns ThankYou points, downgrading lets you keep your existing rewards.
Just know that your ThankYou points on the Citi Strata are significantly less valuable. While you'll have access to most Citi ThankYou transfer partners, your points will transfer at considerably lower rates.
ThankYou points on the Citi Strata Card transfer to the following airline partners:
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue — 1,000:700
- AeroMexico Rewards — 1,000:700
- Avianca LifeMiles — 1,000:700
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles — 1,000:700
- Emirates Skywards — 1,000:560
- Etihad Guest — 1,000:700
- EVA Air — 1,000:700
- JetBlue TrueBlue — 1,000:700
- Qantas Frequent Flyer — 1,000:700
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club — 1,000:700
- Singapore KrisFlyer — 1,000:700
- Thai Royal Orchid Plus — 1,000:700
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles — 1,000:700
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club — 1,000:700
ThankYou points earned on the Citi Strata Card also transfer to the following hotel partners:
- Accor Live Limitless — 1,000:350
- Choice Privileges — 1,000:1,400
- Leading Hotels of the World Leaders Club — 1,000:175
- Preferred Hotels & Resorts — 1,000:2,800
- Wyndham Rewards — 1,000:700
If transferring points isn't a big deal for you, you can still redeem your points for cash back, gift cards or shopping at select retailers.
I advised a friend late last year to downgrade his Citi Strata Premier to avoid the card's annual fee and protect his 50,000 ThankYou points. A few months ago, he needed an award ticket. Because he was sitting on a nice stash of points, he called Citi customer service to upgrade his card so that he could transfer the points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
In that scenario, by downgrading the card, my friend had a sort of savings account for the points. It came in handy and made his downgrade decision worth it compared to losing his points when he previously decided the Strata Premier wasn't working for him.
Related: Getting started with points, miles and credit cards to travel
You're OK with missing the Citi Strata's welcome offer
New Citi Strata Card applicants can earn 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. Based on TPG's August 2025 valuations, this welcome offer is worth $380.
When downgrading the Strata Premier, you can't earn a welcome offer for the Citi Strata.
Although 20,000 bonus points sounds like a lot, it's not an overwhelmingly large welcome offer you're passing up.
In comparison, the all-new Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (see rates and fees) has a limited time welcome offer of 100,000 bonus points, which is worth $1,900 according to TPG's August 2025 valuations. You must spend $6,000 in the first three months of account opening to earn this welcome offer.
Related: 21 cards currently offering welcome bonuses of 100,000 points or more
You get similar earning rates for bonus categories
When the Citi Rewards+ was refreshed into the Citi Strata Card, Citi overhauled the card's earning rates. Honestly speaking, the card's earning rates are quite similar to the Citi Strata Premier, so you won't have trouble earning ThankYou points.
The bonus-earning categories include:
- 5 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel website
- 3 points per dollar spent at gas stations, electric vehicle charging stations, supermarkets and select transit
- 3 points per dollar spent on an eligible self-select category from one of the following: cosmetic stores, barber shops and hair salons; fitness clubs; live entertainment; select streaming services; or pet supply stores
- 2 points per dollar spent at restaurants
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
Perhaps the new bonus categories will be even more beneficial after downgrading, because you get access to a self-select category and bonus points on select transit.
The earning rates are quite lucrative, and it's great to see the self-select category on a no-annual-fee card. You can change your self-select category quarterly to best match your spending.
Related: Comparing flat-rate with bonus-category cash-back credit cards
Will Citi refund my annual fee if I downgrade the Strata Premier?
If you downgrade the Citi Strata Premier to the Citi Strata Card, you'll be able to get a refund for the annual fee if you initiate the downgrade on your card anniversary date (which is when the annual fee typically posts). Most issuers, including Citi, allow you to get a refund for a card's annual fee if you've already paid it and downgrade the card within one billing cycle from when the fee was posted.
Consider a strategy that maximizes both cards
An alternative strategy is to open the Citi Strata Card alongside your existing Citi Strata Premier. Here are some benefits if you choose this route:
- Earn an additional welcome bonus (so long as you meet Citi's eligibility criteria)
- Earn more Citi ThankYou points by using the Citi Strata for select transit purchases and purchases that fall within the self-select bonus category
- Use the Citi Strata Premier for all other bonus category purchases, as it earns points at a higher rate
- Access Citi's full list of transfer partners and better transfer rates of 1:1 for those partners
By adding the Citi Strata to your wallet, you'll have more opportunities to earn bonus points and an additional line of credit, which can be useful for large purchases.
Bottom line
It's always a good idea to routinely evaluate the credit cards in your wallet to see what's working for you and what isn't. The best time to measure a card's worth is when the annual fee posts, so you can decide whether to keep it, downgrade it to a no-annual-fee version or cancel it.
In the case of the Citi Strata Premier, there are several reasons to downgrade it to the Citi Strata rather than closing out your account.
Holding both the Citi Strata Premier and the Citi Strata Card is also another option for those looking to maximize their earning potential and invest in the Citi ThankYou points ecosystem.
To learn more, read our full review of the Citi Strata Premier.
To learn more, read our full review of the Citi Strata Card.
Apply here: Citi Strata Premier
Apply here: Citi Strata Card
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