Citi launches Strata Elite Card to compete with AmEx, JPMorgan Chase

There's a new but familiar face coming to the world of high-end credit cards.

Citigroup is launching the Strata Elite Card, the bank's latest attempt to grab a piece of the high-fee, high-rewards credit card market that's dominated by American Express' Platinum Card and JPMorgan Chase's Sapphire Reserve Card.

The card, which is priced less than the Platinum Card and the Sapphire Reserve Card at an annual fee of USD 595, will offer points multiples for certain types of spending, like hotels, car rents, air travel and restaurants. Additionally, the card will offer points for everyday spending, as well as a USD 300 hotel credit and a USD 200 splurge credit at brands like Best Buy, Live Nation and others.

Citi has had other forays into the high-end credit card market. The company launched Citi Prestige in 2013 as a direct competitor to the American Express Platinum Card, and the card won high praise from travel fanatics when it debuted for its hefty rewards program and perks.

But Prestige lost its prestige when Chase launched the Sapphire Reserve Card, a credit card that was an instant hit when it was released in 2016, and when AmEx overhauled the Platinum Card to be more competitive. Citi stopped allowing new applications for Prestige in 2021, but the card's benefits still exist for customers carrying the card.

Strata Elite is facing a highly competitive marketplace. Along with the Platinum Card and Sapphire Reserve, there are other rewards-heavy cards like Capital One's Venture X Card and a coming high rewards card from credit card upstart Bilt early next year. Chase raised the annual fee on Sapphire Reserve to USD 795 as part of a product refresh in June, and American Express has indicated it will be revising the Platinum Card's rewards and perks later this year.

A customer who ends up carrying two of these high-fee cards can quickly spend more than USD 1,000 on annual fees. So far, credit card companies have been able to justify these fees by attaching lucrative perks to the cards, like travel or other spending credits, and generous rewards programs, effectively marketing them as a high-end subscription plan. But it's not clear how willing customers are to carry several of these cards each year.

This is the third in the Citi Strata card family, following a similar formula to other banks where there's a good, better, best choice for customers. The other cards are the Citi Strata Card and Strata Premier.

The biggest earning potential on Citi's new card is by booking travel through Citi's new travel portal, which gives 12 times points on Citi's Thank You rewards programme.

Credit card companies are trying to push customers onto their own travel portals, where banks can contract directly with airlines and hotels and make sure customers use their branded credit cards when travelling.

American Express, Chase and Capital One have all built out their travel services in recent years and are increasingly offering customers better rewards and redemptions for using their services instead of booking through a place like Expedia.