Here is how the conversion works:
- Timing: Replacement cards arrive between August and October 2026, with a new card number and expiration date.
- Balances and terms: Any existing balance moves to the new account automatically at the same APR, and credit limits carry over unchanged.
- Rewards: Existing rewards balances transfer to the new card. On the Smartly card, rewards expire after 12 consecutive months of inactivity.
- The new card: The Smartly Visa Signature has a $0 annual fee and earns unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases, with no caps and no categories to track. Converted cardholders also earn an extra 1% at gas stations and grocery stores for the first 12 months, for a total of 3% at those merchants.
- Kroger perks: The 5-cents-per-gallon fuel discount at Kroger Fuel Centers ends as soon as the new card is activated. A Boost membership obtained through the card continues through its current expiration date.
Original report (May 12, 2026): U.S. Bank's Kroger credit card partnership appears to be winding down. The cards, which include versions of the Kroger cash rewards card, are no longer accepting new applications, according to multiple reports from the churning community.
Application availability ceased in late April, though the exact timeline and reason for the halt were unconfirmed at the time. Customer service representatives contacted by cardholders indicated the change might be permanent, though no official announcement had been made by U.S. Bank or Kroger.
The future of existing Kroger cardholders was initially uncertain, with speculation that U.S. Bank could convert the cards to a different product, leave them in an inactive state like the discontinued U.S. Bank AAdvantage Rewards card, or sunset the product entirely. The conversion notice above settles it: the cards move to the Smartly Visa Signature.
This continues a pattern of U.S. Bank scaling back its co-branded credit card portfolio, most recently by discontinuing the Shopper Cash Rewards.