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The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card is one of the issuer’s more exciting offerings, due to generous rewards on everyday purchases, no annual fee, and a lucrative welcome bonus.
This card offers high earnings for travel and gas purchases, making it among the best for bonus rewards in those categories. U.S. Bank has a simple redemption structure, making it a solid card option for those new to the world of miles and points.
- 5X points on prepaid hotels and rental cars booked through the Altitude Rewards Center
- 4X points on other travel, including airlines, hotels, rental cars, cruises, taxis, trains, and limousines.
- 4X points at gas stations and on electric vehicle charging (on up to $1,000 in spending each quarter)
- 2X points at grocery stores, grocery delivery, dining, and streaming services
- 1 point on all other eligible purchases
U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Pros
- Excellent earning rates on gas and travel.
- Easily attainable and highly valuable welcome offer.
- No annual fee.
- Real-Time Rewards offers flexible redemption options.
U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Cons
- Doesn't have transfer partners.
- Can't combine points with other U.S. Bank cards.
- Gas and electric vehicle charging bonus earnings are now capped
- Several benefits were recently eliminated
U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Welcome Offer
One of the great things about the Altitude Connect card is its attainable welcome offer. New applicants will earn 20,000 points when you spend $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. This requires an average of just $500 a month in spending ‚ an achievable option compared to other mid-tier credit cards.
Even better, the card no longer charges an annual fee as of September 9, 2024.
Related: The Best Credit Card Bonus Offers Right Now
U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Earning Rates
It's one thing to have a great welcome offer on a mid-tier card, but it's rare to also have fantastic bonus spending categories as well. The Altitude Connect features a plethora of ways to earn bonus points on your everyday expenses:
- 5X points on prepaid hotels and rental cars booked through the Altitude Rewards Center
- 4X points on other travel, including airlines, hotels, rental cars, cruises, taxis, trains, and limousines.
- 4X points at gas stations and on electric vehicle charging (on up to $1,000 in spending each quarter)
- 2X points at grocery stores, grocery delivery, dining, and streaming services
- 1 point on all other eligible purchases
The 4X earning categories really set this card apart from the competition. The travel category includes a lot of purchases that other cards don't, such as rental cars, trains, taxis, and cruises. Many cards that advertise a great “travel” earning rate only offer a bonus with a few types of merchants, like airlines and hotels.
Related: The Best Credit Cards for Travel Purchases
Perhaps the best bonus category on the Altitude Connect card is for fuel and electric vehicle charging stations, where you'll earn 4 points for every dollar spent up to $1,000 per quarter. With gas prices setting new (and painful) record highs, this is a great chance to rack up points. And it's awesome to see that those who have made the transition to an electric vehicle won't be left out of the rewards bonanza.
U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Benefits
In addition to the perks mentioned above, the Altitude Connect comes with a handful of credits:
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit: Receive a $100 statement credit for either your TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee once every four years.
- Priority Pass membership: Receive a complimentary Priority Pass membership, valid for up to four free lounge visits each year.
- Travel protections: Cardholders can enjoy trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, and SmartDelay, which can provide access to airport lounges while you're delayed.
And finally, the card comes with your standard benefits including:
- No foreign transaction fees
- Points never expire
- Contactless payment enabled
- Visa Signature card benefits and protections
Redeeming Points With the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect
The Altitude Connect earns fixed-value points. That means your rewards have a pre-assigned value and can be redeemed at a rate of 1 cent per point. Fixed-value points are great for travelers who need unlimited flexibility, as you can book any flight, hotel, or other travel experience. As long as it's available and you have the points balance, you can book it and offset the cost with these points.
You'll get a lower 0.8¢ redemption rate when you redeem your points towards gift cards, merchandise, covering expenses on your credit card bill, and more.
Real-Time Rewards
There is one feature U.S. Bank offers worth mentioning: Real-Time Rewards.
You'll need to register your card for the program first. Once enrolled, each time you make a purchase, U.S. Bank will send you a text message asking if you would like to use points to cover the cost. Just reply with the word “Redeem,” then you're done. While you won't get any bonuses for using Real-Time Rewards, overall it's a solid time-saving feature to have.
Application Restrictions
U.S. Bank has fairly straightforward credit card application rules. There's no predefined limit on the number of credit cards you can hold with U.S. Bank. Instead, the issuer focuses on the total amount of credit it's willing to extend to you. You can receive a welcome bonus on some U.S. Bank cards multiple times with no required waiting periods, though you can't have the specific card product already open at the time of your application. The ability to earn a card's bonus more than once isn't guaranteed, as you will see this distinction in the application terms:
“The bonus is not available to Cardmembers who currently have, or had, a U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card account.”
U.S. Bank tends to be very sensitive about the number of new accounts and recent inquiries showing on your credit report. This applies to accounts opened across all banks. Lastly, you likely need an excellent credit score to be approved.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Cards That Compete With the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect
- 4X points on takeout, food delivery and dining (on up to $2,000 spent each quarter)
- 2X points at grocery stores, grocery delivery, gas stations, EV charging stations, and on streaming services
- 1 point on all other eligible purchases
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- If you want a premium U.S. Bank rewards card, check out the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card. This card has a $400 annual fee and points can be used with Real-Time Rewards. Points are valued at 1.5 cents per point in the U.S. Bank travel portal, you'll get additional lounge visits each year, and a $325 travel credit annually. Learn more in our full review of the Altitude Reserve.
- If you want a different no annual fee U.S. Bank card, look into the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card. You can get a $15 annual streaming credit, have similar redemption options, and you'll earn 4x points on dining, takeout, and delivery (on up to $2,000 spent each quarter).
- . Our Altitude Go review has further information.
- If you want flexible rewards with transfer partners, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. This card earns transferable Ultimate Rewards points that can be transferred to 14 airline and hotel programs or redeemed directly for travel in Chase's travel portal. You'll get up to $50 annually in credits for hotel bookings, 3x on dining, 2x on travel, and top-notch travel insurance protections. Check out our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred to learn more.
Related: How To Maximize Fixed-Value Points & Miles
Final Thoughts
If you're looking for a card with a low minimum spending requirement to earn a solid welcome offer and that offers fantastic bonus categories, the Altitude Connect from U.S. Bank should absolutely be on your shortlist. It's not perfect, but its strengths overcome its weaknesses.
- 5X points on prepaid hotels and rental cars booked through the Altitude Rewards Center
- 4X points on other travel, including airlines, hotels, rental cars, cruises, taxis, trains, and limousines.
- 4X points at gas stations and on electric vehicle charging (on up to $1,000 in spending each quarter)
- 2X points at grocery stores, grocery delivery, dining, and streaming services
- 1 point on all other eligible purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
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