How To Upgrade a Citi Credit Card: A Complete Guide [2025]

If you like your Citi card but are eyeing other cards in the issuer’s lineup, you have options. Sure, you could apply for a new card, but an upgrade could be an easier way to get a different Citi card.

With a Citi card upgrade, you could maximize your rewards, get premium benefits, or transition from a student or secured card to an unsecured card. Instead of applying for a new card, Citi allows cardholders to upgrade to a different card product while keeping the same account.

There are several advantages to upgrading your Citi card, including maintaining your credit history and the convenience of keeping the same credit card number while avoiding a hard credit inquiry. However, there are tradeoffs, including missing out on new cardholder offers such as a welcome bonus offer and 0% introductory APR offers.

This guide explains why a Citi card upgrade could be a good idea, what you should consider before you switch your card, and how to get started with the upgrade process.

What Is a Citi Credit Card Upgrade?

When you upgrade your Citi credit card, you change your existing account to a different card. A card upgrade, sometimes referred to as a product change, is typically available once you’ve had a particular card for at least 1 year.

Upgrading your Citi card is different than opening a new credit card. A Citi card upgrade doesn’t require a hard credit inquiry, and most of your card details will stay the same after the upgrade, including your account number and credit limit. That can make it more convenient than getting a new card, especially if you’re concerned about having to update payment methods with a new card number.

Opting for an upgrade instead of a new card can also help you avoid impacting your credit score since there’s no hard credit check. And because you’re not opening a new account, you won’t reduce the average age of your accounts. Although credit inquiries and average account history aren’t major factors for your credit score, getting a new credit card account can affect both of these factors and lower your score.

You might consider upgrading your Citi credit card if you’ve recently improved your credit score and want a better credit card, or if your current card no longer meets your needs for rewards and benefits. However, a downgrade might be appropriate if you’re paying an annual fee but not getting enough value to offset the cost.

Reasons To Upgrade a Citi Credit Card

Smart reasons to upgrade include earning more rewards, getting benefits that fit your lifestyle, or changing your secured card to an unsecured one:

• Increased Rewards: Changing your Citi card could help you earn more rewards if the new card offers better earning rates than your old one. For example, if you have a Citi Rewards+^® Card with limited bonus earning opportunities, you could upgrade to the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, which earns up to 10 points per dollar.
• Premium Travel Benefits: If you’re a frequent traveler, upgrading to a premium Citi travel rewards card could unlock valuable perks that save you money and make travel more comfortable. American Airlines loyalists could upgrade from the American Airlines AAdvantage^® MileUp^® to the Citi^®/AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^® to get lounge access, free checked bags, and priority boarding.
• Graduate From a Student Card: Maybe you’ve started out with a Citi Rewards+℠ Student Card, but you’re ready to move up to a regular cash-back card like the Citi Custom Cash^® Card.
• Go Unsecured: A secured card can help you get your foot in the door and establish credit, but an unsecured card is better in the long run. You could switch a Citi^® Secured Mastercard^® to a Citi Simplicity^® Card and get a refund of your security deposit.

Drawbacks of Upgrading a Citi Credit Card

The potential downsides of upgrading a Citi card include missing out on new cardholder offers and paying a higher annual fee:

• Missed 0% APR Offers: Citi is known for offering some of the longest 0% introductory APRs to new cardholders, but you can’t claim these offers if you’re upgrading. You’d need to apply for a new card if you want to take advantage of a 0% offer with Citi.
• Can’t Earn a Welcome Bonus Offer: New cardholders can earn welcome offers worth hundreds with Citi credit cards, but those offers don’t apply to upgrades.
• Annual Fee Increase: Generally, upgrading a card means paying a higher annual fee. If you previously had a no-annual-fee card, you should consider how much value a new card can offer and whether that value is greater than your annual fee.
• Product Change Limitations: Like most other credit card issuers, Citi typically only allows 1 product change per account every 6 months, so you should choose wisely.

Not sure you want to upgrade? You could apply for a new card instead, ask Citi for a credit limit increase, or downgrade your card.

Should You Upgrade Your Citi Card?

Upgrading your Citi card can enable you to get a better card product with minimal hassle, but you should be sure of your decision before you request an upgrade. Ask yourself these questions:

Is the New Card Worth a Higher Annual Fee?

If your card upgrade requires you to pay a higher annual fee, calculate how much additional value the new card will give you. Take into account any rewards you expect to earn and how much money you can save with benefits, then compare those to the cost of the annual fee.

For example, if you have the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® World Elite Mastercard^®, you’ll get a $0 intro annual fee, then $99 after the first year. Upgrade to the AAdvantage Executive World Elite card, and you’ll pay a much higher $595 annual fee. That could be worth it if you want to earn 4 miles per dollar on American Airlines purchases and place a high value on an Admirals Club membership.

Will You Earn More Rewards?

Switching to a card that matches your spending habits better can help you maximize your rewards earning.

Let’s say you have the Citi Rewards+ card, which earns 5x points on CitiTravel.com hotels, car rentals, and attractions, and 2x at supermarkets and gas stations on the first $6,000 spent annually. You could earn more with a card that offers higher rewards rates in more categories, such as the Citi Strata Premier card.

The Citi Strata Premier card earns 10x on CitiTravel.com hotels, car rentals, and attractions, and 3x on air travel, other hotel purchases, supermarkets, gas stations, and EV charging stations. Prefer to earn a solid flat rate on cash-back? The Citi Double Cash^® Card earns 2% cash-back — 1% when you make a purchase and 1% when you pay it off.

Would the Benefits Provide Value?

Upgrading to a Citi card with travel and lifestyle perks can offer value and savings that are worth paying a higher annual fee — but only if you’ll actually use them.

You could upgrade from the Citi Rewards+ card to the Citi Strata Premier card and get an annual $100 hotel statement credit, no foreign transaction fees, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, lost or damaged luggage insurance, and secondary rental car insurance. However, if you don’t travel often, it doesn’t make sense to pay for features you won’t fully use.

Will You Miss Out on a Welcome Bonus Offer?

Some Citi credit cards offer a welcome bonus offer as a welcome to new cardholders. If you meet a minimum spending threshold, you’ll get a reward — usually cash-back, points, or miles — that’s typically worth hundreds. Welcome bonus offers are only available to new cardholders and don’t apply when you upgrade from another Citi card.

If you upgrade from the AAdvantage MileUp card to the AAdvantage Executive World Elite card, you won’t earn the welcome offer available to new cardholders of the latter: Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage^® bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.

We value American Airlines miles at 1.4 cents each, so that’s like leaving $980 on the table. It would probably be worth submitting an application to get that welcome offer instead of upgrading your card.

Do You Need a 0% Introductory APR?

Depending on the card, you could get up to a 21-month 0% introductory APR. That can help you save money on interest charges, which is great if you’re making a large purchase and need to make payments to pay off your balance. It’s also helpful if you have a high-interest balance on another credit card and want to pay it off without interest. You can take advantage of these offers as a new cardholder, but not if you’re upgrading from a different Citi card. If you need a break on interest, it might be better to apply for a new card rather than upgrading.

Bottom Line:

Before you upgrade your Citi card, compare the upgraded card’s features to the increased cost, if any. Also, consider whether you’re OK with missing out on the value of a welcome bonus offer or if you could save money with an introductory APR by applying for a new card instead of upgrading.

Common Citi Credit Card Upgrade Routes

Secured Card to Unsecured Card

• Citi Secured card to Citi Double Cash card
• Citi Secured card to Citi Custom Cash card

If you started with the Citi Secured card and have demonstrated responsible credit use, a natural upgrade is to an unsecured Citi card. When you move to an unsecured card, you don’t have to maintain a security deposit, and you can earn rewards if you upgrade to an unsecured rewards card. For example, if you upgrade to the Citi Double Cash card, you can earn 2% cash-back on all purchases (1% when you buy, 1% when you pay).

Benefits Comparison

Hot Tip:

Citi will return your security deposit to you if you upgrade from a Citi Secured card to an unsecured card.

No-Annual-Fee Cards to Higher-Tier Cash-Back Cards

• Citi Rewards+ card to Citi Custom Cash card
• Citi Rewards+ card to Citi Double Cash card
• Citi Rewards+ card to Citi Strata Premier card

You can boost your earning potential by upgrading to a rewards card that offers higher rewards-earning potential. If you want to earn a higher rate on a specific spending category, you could upgrade to the Citi Custom Cash card to get 5% cash-back on your top spending category each month (on up to $500 spent, then 1%).

The Citi Double Cash card is a smart move if you prefer to earn a flat rate of 2% cash-back on all purchases (1% when you buy and 1% when you pay) rather than tracking categories. You could also expand your travel rewards while still earning in multiple spending categories with the Citi Strata Premier card, which earns bonus rewards on travel, dining, groceries, gas, and EV charging.

Benefits Comparison

Travel Card Upgrades

• AAdvantage MileUp card to AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card
• AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card to AAdvantage Executive World Elite card
• Citi Rewards+ card to Citi Strata Premier card

If you travel frequently, upgrading to a more premium Citi travel card could offer better earning rates, valuable travel credits, and lounge access. Upgrading from the AAdvantage MileUp card to the AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite card grants access to preferred boarding, a free first checked bag for you and up to 4 companions on your reservation, and preferred boarding.

Want lounge access? An Admirals Club membership costs $850 for basic AAdvantage members, but you can get the membership for free with the AAdvantage Executive World Elite card — a bargain considering the card’s annual fee is up cc_id=”1966″ name=”citi-aadvantage-executive-world-elite-annual-fee-number”], far lower than what the membership costs.

Steps To Upgrade Your Citi Credit Card

Although some credit card issuers allow you to request a credit card upgrade in your online account, Citi does not allow online card upgrades.

If you want to upgrade your Citi card, you should first decide which card you’d like to upgrade to. If you’re unsure, a Citi representative can help you decide, but it’s best to have an idea of what you want.

To request an upgrade, you must contact Citi by phone or online chat. You can call Citi at 800-950-5114 or connect via chat in your online Citi account or mobile app. Chat representatives are available Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.

The representative will confirm your card change and explain your upgraded card’s new fees and features. They will also walk you through the details of upgrading, including what stays the same and what changes. For example, you should expect your card number and account information to stay the same, so you won’t have to update linked payment methods.

After you complete the upgrade with a Citi representative, you will receive your new card in the mail and be able to use the upgraded card.

Final Thoughts

You can access better rewards and benefits without opening a new account if you upgrade your Citi card. An upgrade allows you to avoid a hard credit check while keeping your account history and transitioning seamlessly into a better credit card. But before you proceed, you should carefully evaluate your card options and consider whether upgrading aligns well with your spending habits and lifestyle.

An upgrade could make sense if you want premium travel perks or higher earning potential in certain categories. On the other hand, applying for a new card might be a better option if you’re interested in welcome bonus offers or a 0% introductory APR.