U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card Review

U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Credit Card Review

U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® is one of the best travel cards with a 20.24% - 28.24% purchase APR that allows you to get the best rewards on gas and travel. Frequent travelers will also find a $500 sign-up bonus, $30 statement credit, and no foreign transaction fee as very nice additions to the high rewards. Despite its $95 annual fee, and a relatively high variable APR, the potential rewards and lucrative perks will allow you to offset them easily. However, high approval requirements (you need to have an excellent credit score to apply) may act as a barrier for some customers. Take a look at our U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® credit card review and decide whether it suits your needs.

U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature®: pros and cons

U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature®: rewards system in a nutshell

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® rewards are earned in the form of points which can later be redeemed in many different ways. Points are earned on eligible purchases. There are plenty of the categories where you can get increased rewards points like:

• 5X points on: prepaid hotels and car rentals (should be booked directly from the Altitude Rewards Center).
• 4X points on: travel and gas stations (including EV charging stations).
• 2X points on: grocery stores (including delivery), dining, and streaming services.
• 1X point on: all other eligible purchases.

You can redeem the points toward gift cards, cash back, travel, merchandise, etc. 1 point equals 1 cent. As you can see the redeeming options are very flexible. Cash back can be redeemed in the form of a statement credit or a deposit made to your U.S. Bank savings or checking account. A $25 (2,500 Points) is a minimum redemption amount.

The points earned never expire and there are no caps on earning the points. Its high travel and gas rewards make the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® credit card one of the best in those categories.

Who can benefit from getting the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® credit card?

People who travel often will find U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® credit card as one of the most beneficial and attractive ones. You can earn unlimited increased rewards points on hotels, car rentals, travel, and gas stations. Travel rewards include purchases made directly with airlines, hotels, car rentals, cruise line companies, etc.

Everyday spending categories like grocery stores and dining are also not bypassed - you will earn 2 points for every dollar spent. With an addition of a sign-up bonus and a $30 statement credit on streaming services, these rewards will offset the $95 annual fee for sure (especially with a $0 annual fee for the first year).

The absence of a foreign transaction fee will let you use your U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® credit card abroad without extra expenses. However, if you are loyal to a specific airline brand or alliance - there are much better options among airline credit cards like Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard (if you are flying on the regular basis with American Airlines and its partners), United MileagePlus Explorer Credit Card (if you prefer flying with United Airlines), or Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Credit Card (for the Delta Air Lines fliers). These cards will bring you miles that can be efficiently spent on airline travel services and upgrades, and you will also have an opportunity to enjoy some special perks like free checked baggage, priority boarding, or a loyalty status from the carrier you prefer.

But if you don’t travel too often - you would better take a closer look at other cash back credit cards instead of travel ones. 2X points on dining and groceries would not be enough for you in this case. Citi Custom Cash℠ credit card is one of the options to consider: 5% cash back on the top spending category that is set automatically at the end of each billing cycle depending on your monthly spending, a $200 sign-up offer, and a $0 annual fee.

Are there any other benefits?

The list of benefits is not finished yet. There are some other perks that can attract possible customers. You can find them below:

• TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry up to $100 reimbursement every four years. You will get up to $100 every four years to reimburse the application fee.
• Cell phone protection. Pay your cell phone bill using U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® and get up to $600 insurance if your cell phone is damaged or stolen.
• Earn Mall access. Earn extra points with your U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® credit card by shopping online using Earn Mall at Rewards Center. It provides access to more than 1,000 stores.
• U.S. Bank Real-Time rewards. There is a Real-Time rewards perk from U.S. Bank for the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® credit card customers. It allows you to shop almost anywhere, get instant rewards and redeem them by logging into your account using a mobile app.
• ExtendPay Plan for the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® users. If you are making purchases of $100+ - you can use an ExtendPay Plan program to split your purchases into monthly payments without paying interest.

Conclusion

Overall, the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® credit card is one the best cards for travel and gas rewards. Almost every traveler will appreciate a sign-up bonus of 50,000 points ($500), no foreign transaction fee, and high travel rewards. These rewards are not capped and you can earn them up to the sky.

But if you are not that frequent of a traveler or mostly travel with a specific airline - we would recommend you consider other choices among cash back or airline credit cards.

Of course, U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® still has some perks for you like the sign-up bonus, $30 streaming statement credit, and doubled points on groceries and dining. But you won’t find them as attractive since you will probably not be able to earn as many rewards with the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® to cover a $95 annual fee.