BEST CREDIT CARDSBEST CREDIT CARDSU.S. BANK ALTITUDE CONNECT REVIEW: GOOD FOR TRAVEL AND GAS

U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Review: Good for Travel and Gas

The card’s high rewards on travel and gas make it among the best for bonus rewards in those categories, but there’s a quarterly spending cap to watch out for.
Funto Omojola Author Avatar
Sep 20, 2024 10:05 a.m. PDT
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SOME CARD INFO MAY BE OUTDATED
This page includes information about the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card and the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card, currently unavailable on NerdWallet. The information about the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card and the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been provided or reviewed by the card issuer.

The Bottom Line

4.6

NerdWallet rating

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.

U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card Image
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
Annual Fee
$0
Rewards Rate
1x-5x
Points
Intro Offer
20,000
Points
Recommended credit score
Intro APR
0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 12 billing cycles
Regular APR
17.74%-28.74% Variable APR
Recommended credit score
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card Image
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
Annual Fee
$0
Rewards Rate
1x-5x
Points
Intro Offer
20,000
Points
Recommended credit score
Intro APR
0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 12 billing cycles
Regular APR
17.74%-28.74% Variable APR
Recommended credit score

  • 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 and more

  • Intro APR

    0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 12 billing cycles

  • Ongoing APR

    APR: 17.74%-28.74% Variable APR

    Cash Advance APR: 31.74%, Variable

  • Balance transfer fee

    Either 3% of the amount of each transfer or $5 minimum, whichever is greater.

  • Foreign transaction fee

    0%

  • 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 and more.
  • 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.
  • Points never expire as long as your account is 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 and more

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.

🤓Nerdy Tip

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 17.74%-28.74% 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. 

How the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card compares with other Altitude cards

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card doesn't feature rewards or benefits as rich as those of its premium sibling, the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card — which comes with an annual $325 travel and dining credit but a $400 annual fee.

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card, on the other hand, doesn't offer as much as its counterparts do as far as travel rewards and perks go, but it's a top-of-wallet card if you spend a lot of your budget on dining.

Here’s a quick glance at how the cards compare:

Sign-up bonus: Earn an enrollment bonus of 50,000 points worth $750 on travel. Just spend $4,500 in the first 90 days of account opening.

Rewards: 5 points per dollar spent points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center; 3 points per dollar spent on travel purchases and on mobile wallet purchases; 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Benefits: $325 annual travel credit; up to $100 in statement credit every four years to reimburse the application fee for either TSA Precheck or Global Entry; airport lounge access through Priority Pass Select.

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 and more

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.

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

ANNUAL FEE
$0
INTRO APR
0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
REGULAR APR
17.74%-27.74% Variable APR
RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE
ANNUAL FEE
$0
INTRO APR
0% intro APR on Purchases for 15 billing cycles and 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days
REGULAR APR
18.74%-28.74% Variable APR
RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE
ANNUAL FEE
$0
INTRO APR
0% intro APR on purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months
REGULAR APR
20.49%-29.24% Variable APR
RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE
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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 and more

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.

However, points earned from either card cannot be transferred to their premium sibling, the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card, which allows cardholders to redeem points at a higher value of 1.5 cents each for travel through U.S. Bank.

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.

Alternate Pick: No Annual Fee
More Transfer Options

Earn 5% back on quarterly rotating bonus categories, plus 3% back on dining. Transfer points to the Chase Sapphire Reserve to redeem for travel at a value of 1.5 cents per point.


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.

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