Kroger Credit Card Changes: The Smartly Conversion and the New Mastercard

If you have the Kroger credit card from U.S. Bank, U.S. Bank is moving your account to a U.S. Bank Smartly® Visa card. U.S. Bank keeps the account. The new Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard, which launched on September 30, 2026, is a different card from a different bank. It is not where the conversion sends your account.

Two changes arrived about two months apart, and they are easy to mix up. This guide keeps them apart: first what happens to an existing U.S. Bank Kroger account, then what the new Kroger card is and what these sources leave open.

What U.S. Bank Announced

In its July 29, 2026 announcement, U.S. Bank said Kroger co-brand credit card clients move to a U.S. Bank Smartly® Visa card. U.S. Bank keeps account ownership, servicing and the ongoing client relationship. The change was expected to be completed “this fall,” and the announcement said cardholders had already been sent communications.

The announcement itself does not cover rewards, the fuel discount or Smartly terms. Those details come from U.S. Bank’s Smartly transition pages, which give a conversion window of August to October 2026.

Today is November 1, 2026, and no source says every account has converted. The conversion was scheduled for August–October 2026; if you have not received your replacement card, use the contact details on your statement to ask U.S. Bank where your account stands.

What Changes and What Stays the Same on Your Account

The short answer: the account, balance, APR, credit line and $0 annual fee carry over. The card itself and the 5¢ fuel discount change, and rewards move to Smartly’s terms. Here is what U.S. Bank’s transition pages say.

If you fill up at Kroger Fuel Centers and use the card for it, the fuel discount row is the one to focus on. For other grocery and gas options, see our best credit cards for groceries and best credit cards for gas roundups.

Who Was Eligible

These conditions come from U.S. Bank’s disclosures. Eligibility was based on an account review as of June 12, 2026. Accounts had to be open, current and have available credit. Delinquent accounts are not eligible, and U.S. Bank says accounts not in good standing will be closed.

U.S. Bank’s pages also say it may change APRs, fees and terms under the Cardmember Agreement. So “your APR stays the same” describes the conversion. It is not a promise about the future.

How the Smartly Visa Earns for Converted Accounts

Per U.S. Bank’s transition pages, the U.S. Bank Smartly® Visa card earns unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase. Converted accounts get an extra 1% at gas stations, grocery stores and supermarkets, and EV charging. That makes 3% in those categories, but only for converted accounts, only in the categories as U.S. Bank defines them, and only for 12 months from conversion.

The extra 1% is temporary. When the 12 months end, the 3% rate in those categories ends with it, and the 2% on every purchase is what remains.

On points: existing rewards points transfer automatically, and unused transferred points expire 36 months from the month they were awarded. New Smartly points do not expire while the account is active. They expire after 12 consecutive statement cycles with no reward, purchase or balance activity.

Using only the rows above: the conversion ends a Kroger-specific perk, the 5¢ fuel discount, and puts the account on a general cash back card that also pays extra at grocery and gas for 12 months. U.S. Bank’s pages don’t compare this with the old card’s rewards, so check your old card’s terms. For context on flat-rate cards in general, see our best cash back credit cards.

U.S. Bank’s transition pages say current rates and fees stay. Treat what the transition pages list as what applies to a converted account.

The New Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard Is a Separate Card

Kroger’s September 30, 2026 press release describes the Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard as issued by First Bank & Trust under license from Mastercard and operated by Imprint Payments, Inc. It was available from September 30, 2026, has no annual fee, and its points never expire while the account is active and in good standing.

That is a new product from a different issuer. Kroger’s release does not mention U.S. Bank, the old card or existing cardholders. Getting the new card means a new application with a different bank, not a conversion of your current account.

For the new card’s rewards, bonus and APR, read the Kroger Rewards World Elite Mastercard review. Those numbers are deliberately not repeated here.

On holding both: U.S. Bank’s transition pages and Kroger’s press release don’t say whether you can hold the new Kroger Mastercard alongside your converted U.S. Bank account.

What These Sources Don’t Say

A few questions stay open in the pages we could read, and guessing would not help you:

• Holding both cards. See the section above. Those pages and that release don’t address it.
• Closing the account yourself. U.S. Bank’s pages don’t say what happens to your card points if you close the account instead of converting.
• Kroger’s own loyalty points. U.S. Bank’s pages and its announcement do not address Kroger Rewards or fuel points, so questions about those points go to Kroger.

The practical next step is simple. For anything about your account, use the contact details U.S. Bank prints on your card or statement. For Kroger loyalty or fuel points, ask Kroger. If you are thinking about closing a card instead of converting, our guide on how to cancel a store credit card covers the general mechanics. It does not say what happens to Kroger or Smartly points on closure, because U.S. Bank’s pages don’t say.