U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Review: Good for Travel and Gas
The Bottom Line
4.6
Frequent flyers and road trippers will get a lot of value from the card’s lucrative rewards, especially if they redeem them for more travel. But if you want cash back, point values can vary.
Rates, fees and offers
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1x-5x
Bonus offer
Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. That's a $200 value redeemable towards travel.
Intro APR
0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 12 billing cycles
Ongoing APR
APR: 17.49%-28.49% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: 31.49%, Variable
Balance transfer fee
Either 3% of the amount of each transfer or $5 minimum, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
0%
More details from U.S. Bank
- Intro Offer: Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. That's a $200 value redeemable towards travel.
- 5X points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center.
- 4X on travel.
- 4X at gas stations and EV charging stations on your first $1,000 each quarter (excludes discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs).
- 2X on dining, streaming services and at grocery stores (excludes discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs).
- 1X point on all other eligible purchases.
- Up to $100 in statement credits for TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry® toward your application fee once every four years.
- Redeem points right away or save them for later. Points do not expire as long as the account remains active
- Protection and assistance when traveling with Trip Cancelation/Interruption, Trip Delay Reimbursement and SmartDelay.
- Complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership gives you 4 free visits to over 1,600 airport VIP lounges and experiences worldwide.
- Terms and conditions apply.
Pros and Cons
Pros
High rewards rate
Bonus categories
New cardholder bonus offer
No foreign transaction fees
Cons
No transfer partners
No 0% intro APR on purchases
Detailed Review
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card is an exciting option for travel lovers and those with long car commutes.
The card charges an annual fee of $0, and it's part of U.S. Bank's cast of Altitude-branded credit cards.
It offers exceptional rewards on travel and gas, but only up to a $1,000 quarterly spending cap. It also earns a decent rewards rate in bonus categories like grocery stores, dining and eligible streaming services.
However, if you prefer to redeem rewards for a statement credit, you won’t get as much value out of your points.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card: Basics
Card type: Travel.
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. That's a $200 value redeemable towards travel.
Ongoing rewards:
5 points per $1 spent on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked through the Altitude Rewards Center.
4 points per $1 spent on travel, at gas stations and on electric vehicle charging (up to $1,000 in spending each quarter). Discount stores and wholesale clubs are excluded from this category.
2 points per $1 spent at grocery stores, dining and on eligible streaming services. Discount stores and wholesale clubs are excluded from this category.
1 point per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases.
U.S. Bank points can be redeemed for cash back, travel, merchandise, gift cards or charitable donations. Points are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for travel or charitable donations, or as cash back deposited to an eligible U.S. Bank account. However, they’re only worth 0.8 cent each when redeemed for cash back in the form of a statement credit. Points don’t expire.
U.S. Bank also offers a perk called Real-Time Rewards, which allows you to shop nearly anywhere and redeem points instantly. Note, however, that points redeemed this way with the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card are worth only 0.8 cent each.
APR: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 12 billing cycles, and then the ongoing APR of 17.49%-28.49% Variable APR.
Foreign transaction fee: None.
Balance transfer fee: Either 3% of the amount of each transfer or $5 minimum, whichever is greater.
Other benefits:
Up to $100 in statement credit every four years for reimbursement toward either your TSA Precheck or Global Entry application fees.
Four free visits per year to Priority Pass airport lounges.
Travel protections.
Complimentary GigSky global mobile data plans in 125 countries.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card vs. U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
Here’s a quick glance at how the Altitude Connect compares with the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card:
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card, annual fee of $0. | |
Sign-up bonus: Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. That's a $200 value redeemable towards travel. | Rewards: 5 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked through the Altitude Rewards Center; 4 points per $1 spent on travel, at gas stations and on electric vehicle charging (up to $1,000 in spending each quarter); 2 points per dollar spent at grocery stores, dining and on eligible streaming services; 1 point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. Benefits: Up to $100 in statement credit every four years for reimbursement towards either your TSA Precheck or Global Entry application fees; four free visits to Priority Pass airport lounges per year. |
U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card, annual fee of $0. | |
Sign-up bonus: Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. | Rewards: 4 points per dollar spent on dining and takeout; 2 points per dollar spent at grocery stores, grocery delivery, gas stations, EV charging stations and on streaming services (discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs excluded, effective September 9, 2024); 1 point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. Benefits: $15 credit for annual streaming services purchases such as Netflix and Spotify. |
Compare to Other Cards
Benefits and Perks
Sign-up bonus
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card features the following welcome offer for new cardholders: Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. That's a $200 value redeemable towards travel.
No annual fee
Previously, the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card charged a $95 annual fee after the first year, but that fee was eliminated as of Sept. 9, 2024. Now, the card’s annual fee is $0.
Best in its class for travel and gas rewards
The card's 4x earnings rate on travel and gas (up to the quarterly spending cap) makes it among the very best for bonus rewards in those categories, especially considering it won’t cost you anything to carry the card.
Cards that offer rewards that are on par with or better than what the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card offers typically come with pricey annual fees.
Drawbacks and Considerations
Quarterly cap on 4x categories
Depending on how often you travel and how far you commute, it can be easy to hit the $1,000 limit on earning 4 points per $1 on travel, gas and EV charging. This is especially true any quarter you buy plane tickets or book a few nights in a hotel.
Uneven redemption values
If you have a U.S. Bank account, then you can redeem points earned with the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card for cash back at full value. If you don't have a U.S. Bank account but still want cash back, though? You'll have to settle for statement credit, which for this card offers a worse per-point value.
Average rewards on everyday spending
Although the card’s 2x earn rate on dining and groceries is not far off from what most travel credit cards offer, it leaves much to be desired if you spend a large chunk of your monthly budget on those everyday spending categories.
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card may be a better fit if you don't spend a lot on travel and would prefer more competitive rewards for dining. It earns quadruple points per dollar spent on dining purchases, including takeout and delivery, but offers lower rewards on gas (2x back). The card charges an annual fee of $0.
For a card that’s high earning on groceries but offers a comparable cost consider the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. It charges a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. It offers 6% back* at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year); 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions; 3% back on transit, including U.S. gas stations; and 1% back on everything else. (Terms apply — see rates and fees.)
Limited options to transfer points
If you opt to get both the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card and the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card, you could pool and redeem points together.
There are other rewards systems, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards®, that allow for points transferring between cards and to external partners as well. If you hold the Chase Freedom Flex® and also the premium Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you can transfer your points and redeem them for 1.5 cents for travel through Chase. Not so with the Altitude cards.
Plus, U.S. Bank has no external transfer partners. The ability to transfer points to travel partners can often create outsized value from other credit card rewards programs.
To get an idea of how this card compares to other options, see NerdWallet's roundup of the best credit cards to have.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
If you're a frequent traveler whose mode of exploration mostly involves car journeys, the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card could be an ideal pick for you.
However, if your spending habits won’t allow you to take advantage of the card’s competitive travel and gas rewards rate, or if you prefer a cash-back card, you may be better off with a different option.
*Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
To view rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, see this page.
Earn 5% back on quarterly rotating bonus categories, plus 3% back on dining. You can also transfer your rewards to one of Chase's Sapphire cards to redeem for travel at a higher value.
Looking For Something Else?
Methodology
NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
