BEST CREDIT CARDSBEST CREDIT CARDSU.S. BANK ALTITUDE CONNECT REVIEW: TOP CONTENDER FOR TRAVEL AND GAS
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U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Review: Top Contender for Travel and Gas

The card’s high rewards on travel and gas make it among the best for bonus rewards in those categories. It also earns 2x for everyday spending at grocery stores, on dining and on eligible streaming services.
Funto Omojola Author Avatar
Jan 2, 2024 10:25 a.m. PST
Edited by
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This page includes information about the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card, currently unavailable on NerdWallet. The information about the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been provided or reviewed by the card issuer.

4.6

NerdWallet rating
The bottom line:

Frequent flyers and road trippers will find a lot of value from the card’s lucrative rewards, especially considering that the sign-up bonus and streaming credit can make up for its annual fee over a number of years.

Pros
  • High rewards rate
  • Bonus categories
  • New cardholder bonus offer
  • No foreign transaction fees
Cons
  • Has annual fee
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card Image
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
Annual Fee

$0 intro for the first year, then $95

Regular APR

21.24%-29.24% Variable APR

Intro APR

N/A

Rec. credit score

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

Annual Fee

$0 intro for the first year, then $95

Regular APR

21.24%-29.24% Variable APR

  • Annual fee

    $0 intro for the first year, then $95

  • Rewards rate

    1x-5x

  • Bonus offer

    Earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening. That's a $500 value redeemable towards travel, gift cards, cash back, merchandise and more.

  • Intro APR

    N/A

  • Ongoing APR

    APR: 21.24%-29.24% Variable APR

    Cash Advance APR: 29.99%

  • Balance transfer fee

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

  • Foreign transaction fee

    0%

More details from US Bank
  • Intro Offer: Earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening. That's a $500 value redeemable towards travel, gift cards, cash back, merchandise and more.
  • 5X points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center.
  • 4X points on travel, gas stations, and EV charging stations.
  • 2X points on streaming services. Plus, a $30 credit for annual streaming purchases like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify®, Apple Music, Disney+, HBO Max and more!
  • 2X points at grocery stores, grocery delivery, and dining.
  • Receive up to $100 in statement credits for reimbursement toward your TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry® application fee once every four years.
  • 1X point on all other eligible purchases.
  • Points never expire.
  • Pay over time by splitting eligible purchases of $100+ into equal monthly payments with U.S. Bank ExtendPay™ Plan.
  • Protection and assistance when traveling with Trip Cancelation/Interruption, Trip Delay Reimbursement and SmartDelay.
  • Complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership that gives access to more than 1,300 VIP lounges worldwide.
  • Terms and conditions apply.

Compare to Other Cards

ANNUAL FEE
$95
REGULAR APR
21.49%-28.49% Variable APR
INTRO APR
N/A
RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE
ANNUAL FEE
$0
REGULAR APR
17.24%-28.24% Variable APR
Rates & Fees
INTRO APR
0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE
ANNUAL FEE
$250
REGULAR APR
See Pay Over Time APR
Rates & Fees
INTRO APR
N/A
RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE
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Detailed review: U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card is an exciting option for travel-lovers and those with gas guzzlers.

The card charges an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $95 and is U.S. Bank's midtier version in its cast of Altitude-branded credit cards.

It offers exceptional rewards on travel and gas, in addition to decent earnings in bonus categories like grocery stores, dining and eligible streaming services. And, if you can make use of the card's two ongoing credits, those savings can significantly offset the cost of the annual fee.

However, unlike comparable cards, it doesn't allow for transferring points for maximized value. And if your spending habits lean less toward travel, a different Altitude-branded or cash-back card might be a better option for you.

U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card: Basics

Card type: Travel.

Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $95.

Sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening. That's a $500 value redeemable towards travel, gift cards, cash back, merchandise 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 and at gas stations.

  • 2 points per $1 spent at grocery stores (including grocery delivery), dining and on eligible streaming services.

  • 1 point per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases.

U.S. Bank points are worth a penny each and can be redeemed for cash back, travel, merchandise and gift cards. Points don’t expire, and there’s no cap on the amount that you can earn.

APR: The ongoing APR is 21.24%-29.24% 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:

  • $30 annual credit for eligible streaming service purchases such as Netflix and Spotify.

  • Up to $100 in statement credit every four years for reimbursement toward either your TSA Precheck or Global Entry application fees.

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

As the midlevel option among U.S. bank’s Altitude-branded credit 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 credit but a steeper 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.

U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card, annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $95.

Sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening. That's a $500 value redeemable towards travel, gift cards, cash back, merchandise and more.

Rewards: 5 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked through the Altitude Rewards Center; 4 points per dollar spent on travel and at gas stations; 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: $30 annual credit for eligible streaming service purchases such as Netflix and Spotify; up to $100 in statement credit every four years for reimbursement towards either your TSA Precheck or Global Entry application fees, cell phone protection.

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; 1 point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. Benefits: $15 credit for annual streaming services purchases such as Netflix and Spotify.

Benefits and perks

Big sign-up bonus

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card features the following generous welcome offer for new cardholders: Earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening. That's a $500 value redeemable towards travel, gift cards, cash back, merchandise and more.

This bonus alone makes up for the card’s annual fee over at least five years.

Best in its class for travel and gas rewards

The card's 4x earnings rate on travel and gas make it among the very best for bonus rewards in those categories, especially considering it won’t cost you anything to carry the card for the first year.

While there are cards with quarterly rotating bonus categories that offer a 5x back rate for travel or gas, they typically have caps on how much you can earn, which is not the case with the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card.

Additionally, 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 pricier annual fees to boot.

🤓Nerdy Tip

U.S. Bank offers a perk called Real-Time Rewards, which allows you to shop nearly anywhere and redeem points instantly.

Perks if you use streaming subscriptions

In addition to the 2x rate you'll earn for charging your eligible streaming services, like Netflix, Spotify and Hulu, to the card, you can also get an automatic $30 annual statement credit toward those subscriptions.

The downside is this credit isn't instant — you’ll receive it only after 11 months of continuous streaming service purchases — but it's still a good amount of change toward your binge watching and music streaming.

Plus, this streaming credit combined with the $500-value welcome bonus can make up for the card’s annual fee for over nine years. (If you hold the card for nine years, you'll pay a total of $760 in annual fees. But, you'll also get the $500-value welcome bonus plus $270 in total streaming credits, for a total of $770.)

Drawbacks and considerations

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, the lowest-tier option of the Altitude-branded credit cards, 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.)

🤓Nerdy Tip

Rather than paying cash, you can choose to redeem 9,500 points to offset the cost of the $0 intro for the first year, then $95 annual fee.

No option 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. While having both cards can earn you 4x back on both travel and dining, you won’t be able to outsize points values by combining earnings — points are worth one cent each for both cards regardless of redemption option.

More importantly, 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.

Alternate Pick: No Annual Fee
Flat-rate travel rewards on everything

With no annual fee, this card gives you an unlimited 1.5 points per dollar spent on all purchases. It also earns 3 points per dollar spent on eligible travel booked through the Bank of America® Travel Center and comes with a bonus offer for new cardmembers.

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 is the 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, you may be better off with a different option.

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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