The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card offers some of the most generous point earning rates on travel, gas stations, and EV charging of any card. The card comes with a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95/year. (On September 9th, 2024, this will change—the card will be dropping its annual fee.)
The card features 5x points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center, plus 4x points on travel, gas stations, and EV charging stations. The Altitude Connect also offers 2x points at grocery stores, grocery delivery, dining, and streaming services, plus 1x points on all other purchases.
The U.S. Bank Altitude Connect also offers a fairly generous set of travel benefits for the price, and is one of the lowest-cost ways to access airport lounges if you travel occasionally. With the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect, you’ll get four free visits to airport lounges through the card’s included Priority Pass Select membership, a $100 credit toward PreCheck or Global Entry once every four years, cell phone protection, and trip delay reimbursement.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card welcome bonus:
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card: Earn 50,000 bonus points. Just spend $2,000 in the first 120 days. That’s $500 value redeemable toward cash back. $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, $95/year thereafter. Effective September 9, 2024, you will enjoy a $0 annual fee.
Our take on the welcome bonus: Recently, U.S. Bank announced changes to this card. It’s becoming a $0 annual fee card on September 9, 2024. That said, we expect the bonus to become less generous on or before that date. We know of no previous better offers on this card.
The link above is a link directly to the bank’s website. We don’t make money when you use the above link, but we always show you the best offer.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card at a glance:
Annual fee: $0 intro fee in the first year / $95 thereafter. Effective September 9, 2024, you will enjoy a $0 annual fee.
Rewards: 5x on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked in bank portal. 4x on travel, gas stations, EV charging, 2x on grocery stores, grocery delivery, dining and streaming services. 1x all other eligible purchases
Perks: 4 Priority Pass lounge visits, Global Entry/PreCheck Credit, Cell phone protection.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card at a glance
Here’s what you need to know about the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card.
Rewards
| + | 5x | Prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center |
| + | 4x | Gas stations and EV charging stations Starting September 9, 2024, this changes to 4x on the first $1,000 of combined spending each quarter, then 1 |
| 4x | Travel | |
| 2x | Grocery stores and grocery delivery | |
| 2x | Dining | |
| 2x | Streaming services | |
| 1% | All other purchases |
Benefits
| Consumer insurance benefits Cellular telephone protection. (This benefit is being discontinued on September 9, 2024) | |
| Travel insurance benefits Trip delay reimbursement. Trip cancellation and interruption insurance. Travel accident insurance. | |
| Travel benefits TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry® statement credit. SmartDelay lounge access. GigSky Global Mobile Data. Priority Pass Select. | |
| Statement credits Annual $30 streaming credit. (This benefit is being discontinued on September 9, 2024) | |
| Partner benefits Shipt 3 months free and 50% discount for a year. |
Other important terms
| Annual fee: $0 for the first year, $95/year thereafter. Starting September 9, 2024, the annual fee changes to $0. | |
| Foreign transaction fee: none |
My take on the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card isn’t a card I paid much attention to. This under-appreciated card should have been on my radar.
In its current form, the card is interesting because it offers 4x points on an uncapped amount of travel purchases, gas station purchases, and EV charging, and those points are worth 1 cent of cash back each.
Starting on September 9, 2024, that changes. You’ll, earn 4x points only on the first $1,000 of purchases each quarter and you’ll only be able to redeem your points for 0.8 cents of cash back each. (You will still be able to redeem them for travel at 1 cent each.)
The card’s 5x points on travel booked through a portal are pretty standard and earning 2x points (soon redeemable for only 1.6% cash back) doesn’t even match a 2% everywhere card. And the upcoming changes eliminate the $30 streaming credit and cell phone protection.
So, why do I like the the card going forward?
First, the annual fee is dropping to $0. When it seems most credit cards are increasing their annual fees, it’s refreshing to see a major card issuer not just lower the annual fee, but drop it completely.
But what really gets me excited is that the Altitude Connect card will become one of the few cards to offer 4 Priority Pass lounge visits, trip delay reimbursement, and a credit for TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry® with no annual fee. Plus, while researching this card, it appears that you can get a free 5GB mobile data plan through GigSky and complimentary airport lounge access when your flight is delayed two hours or more. Those are compelling and unique benefits.
I applied for and got this card before the changes to the card were announced. It offered one of the best cash back welcome bonuses available. I’m going to keep it for its ongoing benefits.
Welcome bonus
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card welcome bonus:
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card: Earn 50,000 bonus points. Just spend $2,000 in the first 120 days. That’s $500 value redeemable toward cash back. $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, $95/year thereafter. Effective September 9, 2024, you will enjoy a $0 annual fee.
Our take on the welcome bonus: Recently, U.S. Bank announced changes to this card. It’s becoming a $0 annual fee card on September 9, 2024. That said, we expect the bonus to become less generous on or before that date. We know of no previous better offers on this card.
The link above is a link directly to the bank’s website. We don’t make money when you use the above link, but we always show you the best offer.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card at a glance:
Annual fee: $0 intro fee in the first year / $95 thereafter. Effective September 9, 2024, you will enjoy a $0 annual fee.
Rewards: 5x on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked in bank portal. 4x on travel, gas stations, EV charging, 2x on grocery stores, grocery delivery, dining and streaming services. 1x all other eligible purchases
Perks: 4 Priority Pass lounge visits, Global Entry/PreCheck Credit, Cell phone protection.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card rewards
With the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card, you earn points, which can be redeemed for travel and a variety of cash back redemptions.
| + | 5x | Prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center |
| + | 4x | Gas stations and EV charging stations Starting September 9, 2024, this changes to 4x on the first $1,000 of combined spending each quarter, then 1 |
| 4x | Travel | |
| 2x | Grocery stores and grocery delivery | |
| 2x | Dining | |
| 2x | Streaming services | |
| 1% | All other purchases |
Redeeming U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card rewards
The reward points you earn with the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card rewards can be redeemed for a variety of cash back and travel redemptions at 1 cent per point. Here’s what you can redeem your points for:
- Cash back
- Travel
- Merchandise
- Gift cards
Cash back redemptions require a minimum $25 redemption.
Starting September 9, 2024, you will only be able to redeem the reward points you earn from your Altitude Connect card for 0.8 cents each toward cash back and other redemptions. You’ll still be able to redeem the points for travel at 1 cent per point.
Benefits of the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
In addition to earning points in categories like gas, travel, grocery stores, and dining, the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card offers several valuable benefits. When the card drops its annual fee on September 9, 2024, it will be one of the few cards with no annual fee that offers trip delay reimbursement.
| Consumer insurance benefits Cellular telephone protection. (This benefit is being discontinued on September 9, 2024) | |
| Travel insurance benefits Trip delay reimbursement. Trip cancellation and interruption insurance. Travel accident insurance. | |
| Travel benefits TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry® statement credit. SmartDelay lounge access. GigSky Global Mobile Data. Priority Pass Select. | |
| Statement credits Annual $30 streaming credit. (This benefit is being discontinued on September 9, 2024) | |
| Partner benefits Shipt 3 months free and 50% discount for a year. |
Consumer insurance benefits
Many cards offer consumer insurance benefits that can protect the things you buy. Here are the consumer insurance benefits offered by U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card. Terms and restrictions apply to all benefits.
Cellular telephone protection can cover the cost of repairing or replacing your phone if it is damaged or stolen when you pay your monthly cell phone bill with your card. The Altitude Connect cellular telephone protection will cover up to two claims within 12 months, up to $600 per claim with a maximum of 1 claim per year, subject to a $100 deductible per claim. This benefit will no longer be available on this card effective September 9, 2024.
Travel insurance benefits
Cards targeted toward travelers often offer travel insurance benefits that can protect you when you are traveling away from home. Terms and restrictions apply to all benefits.
Trip delay reimbursement can cover your incidental expenses or a hotel room when your travel is delayed for a covered reason. Altitude Connect trip delay insurance covers delays of 12 hours and up to $300 per purchased ticket.
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance can reimburse you for prepaid travel expenses when your trip is canceled or interrupted for a covered reason. Altitude Connect trip cancellation and interruption insurance covers up to $2,000 for non-refundable common carrier tickets you charge to your card.
Travel accident insurance pays set benefit amounts for loss of life or limb while traveling, as long as you book your common carrier tickets with your card. U.S. Bank travel accident insurance provides coverage both while being transported by a common carrier and during your trip.
Travel benefits
TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry® statement credit. Get your TSA PreCheck or Global Entry enrollment fee reimbursed up to $100 when you charge your enrollment fee to your Altitude Connect card. You can receive one statement credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry once every four years.
SmartDelay lounge access. When your flight is delayed more than two hours, SmartDelay can provide complimentary access to more than 1,000 airport lounges in more than 500 airports.
GigSky Global Mobile Data. Stay connected when traveling in more than 125 countries with a complimentary 5GB/30 day global data plan.
Priority Pass Select. Get access to 1,300+ airport lounges in more than 148 countries and 600 cities. Your Priority Pass Select membership comes with 4 free visits. Visits beyond your 4 free visit allowance will incur a fee of $35 per person.
Statement credits and partner offers
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card also features a number of statement credits and partner offers. Here’s what you need to know.
Shipt 3 months free and 50% discount for a year. Get same-day delivery from a variety of stores like Target, CVS, and neighborhood grocers with a 3 month free trial of Shipt. After your 3 months of fee Shipt membership, you’ll get 9 months of membership at 50% off.
Annual $30 streaming credit. Receive a $30 credit after charging an eligible monthly streaming service to your card for 11 consecutive months. This benefit is being discontinued, effective September 9, 2024.
