US Bank Altitude Reserve credit card review: One of the highest-earning premium travel cards on the market — but only when you combine it with a smartphone

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Review: Is the US Bank Altitude Reserve the best credit card for you?

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card is an often-ignored premium travel credit card with a terrific return rate (one of the best on the market) and an extremely simple rewards program. If you’re new to the world of miles and points, this card could be a great place to start.

To qualify for this card you must have an eligible US Bank account relationship (open and active) a minimum of five business days before you apply. Examples of eligible accounts are:

Another US Bank credit card
Checking account
Savings account
Certificate of deposit
Mortgage
Home equity loan
Home equity line of credit
Auto/boat/RV loan
Personal or small business loans/lines
Commercial loan and lease
Premier lines
Private banking account

This card has a U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card annual fee, but it also comes with benefits like:

Annual statement credits that will reimburse the first $325 of travel and dining you make each year
Top-tier car rental insurance
Airport lounge access

You’ll also receive U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card. That bonus is worth $750 in travel — a compelling-enough reason to at least give the card a try for a year to see if it fits your lifestyle.

However, if card benefits such as unlimited airport lounge access or rewards that you can transfer to airline and hotel partners interest you, this card is not for you. You’ll find significantly more value by opening and swiping cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

Here’s everything you need to know about the U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card.

Comparison: US Bank Altitude Reserve vs other US Bank credit cards

	U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card	U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card	U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card
Annual fee	U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card	U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card	U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card
Rewards rate	5 points per dollar for prepaid hotels and rental cars reserved through the Altitude Rewards Center 3 points per dollar for travel purchases 3 points per dollar for all purchases made through a mobile wallet 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases	5 points per dollar for prepaid hotels and rental cars reserved through the Altitude Rewards Center 4 points per dollar for travel and gas station purchases 2 points per dollar for grocery stores, grocery delivery, dining, and streaming services 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases	4 points per dollar on dining, takeout, and restaurant delivery 2 points per dollar for grocery stores, grocery delivery, streaming services, and gas stations 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases
Welcome bonus	U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card	U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card	U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card
Benefits	Up to $325 annual credit that reimburses travel and dining purchases Up to $100 statement credit every four years to offset the application fee to Global Entry/TSA PreCheck 12-month Priority Pass Select membership Visa Infinite benefits	Up to $100 statement credit every four years to offset the application fee to Global Entry/TSA PreCheck Up to $30 in credit for various streaming services each year Cell phone protection	Up to $15 in credit for various streaming services each year
Review		U.S. Bank Altitude Connect credit card review

US Bank Altitude Reserve vs other premium travel credit cards

	U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card	Chase Sapphire Reserve®	Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Annual fee	U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card	Chase Sapphire Reserve®	Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Rewards rate	5 points per dollar for prepaid hotels and rental cars reserved through the Altitude Rewards Center 3 points per dollar for travel purchases 3 points per dollar for all purchases made through a mobile wallet 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases	10x points on Lyft rides through March 2022 10x points on Chase Dining purchases through Ultimate Rewards 10x points on hotel stays and car rentals purchased through Ultimate Rewards 5x points on air travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards 3x points on other travel (after earning the $300 travel credit) and dining 1 point per dollar on everything else	10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel 2x miles on all other purchases
Welcome bonus	U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card	Chase Sapphire Reserve® after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening	Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Up to $200 in statement credits for vacation rental purchases in the first 12 months of account opening
Travel benefits	Up to $325 annual credit that reimburses travel and dining purchases Up to $100 statement credit every four years to offset the application fee to Global Entry/TSA PreCheck 12-month Priority Pass Select membership Travel insurance Visa Infinite benefits	Up to $300 in statement credits each cardmember year toward travel purchases (through December 31, 2021, gas and grocery purchases also qualify) Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit Travel insurance Access to Chase Sapphire Lounges by The Club (when open) Visa Infinite benefits	Up to $300 per year in statement credits toward Capital One Travel bookings Priority Pass and Capital One airport lounge access 10,000-mile bonus each account anniversary Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit Visa Infinite benefits
Review		Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card review	Capital One Venture X credit card review

How to earn rewards from the US Bank Altitude Reserve card

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card earns Altitude Rewards at the following rates:

5 points per dollar for prepaid hotels and rental cars reserved through the Altitude Rewards Center
3 points per dollar for travel purchases
3 points per dollar for all purchases made through a mobile wallet
1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases

That third bullet offers one of the easiest ways to accrue points of any travel credit card. You’ll earn 3 points per dollar for all purchases made through the following mobile wallet platforms:

Apple Pay
Google Pay
LG Pay
Samsung Pay

That’s huge. Mobile wallets have become ubiquitous at checkout, whether you’re paying in-store or online. This effectively unlocks the ability to earn 3x points for just about everything. Altitude Rewards are worth 1.5 cents each when redeeming for travel, so earning 3x everywhere is like getting 4.5% back on all your purchases.

How to use rewards

There are several ways to use Altitude Rewards. But, as with most other points currencies, you’ll get hands-down the best value when redeeming for travel.

Book travel online through the US Bank Travel Portal

After you sign into your U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card account online, look under the “My Accounts” menu for “My Rewards.” This takes you to a page where you can choose to redeem your points through U.S. Bank’s travel portal.

This portal is similar to the Chase Travel Portal in that you can choose to pay for your travel with a mix of points and cash. You’ll receive a value of 1.5 cents per point toward travel. You cannot transfer Altitude Rewards to airline and hotel partners as you can with many other bank points such as Chase Ultimate Rewards points, Amex Membership Rewards points, and Capital One miles.

Redeem points with Real-Time Mobile Rewards

While clunky, Real-Time Mobile Rewards offer by far the biggest potential value for your points. There are four reasons for this:

You’ll earn credit card rewards for your purchase.
You can use shopping portals and/or coupons for your travel purchase
You can book directly with travel companies, which come with a variety of benefits like member rates, elite status recognition, earning hotel points, etc.
You can change your travel plans more easily

Real-Time Rewards allows you to use points to offset a variety of purchases. Whenever you make a qualifying travel purchase on your U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card, you’ll get a text from US Bank asking if you would like to redeem points to offset your purchase. Simply reply with your answer.

You can choose the categories you’d like to be notified about — but if you’re interested in maximizing your rewards, only set alerts for travel purchases. You’ll receive a value of 1.5 cents for travel, and significantly less for all other categories.

Redeem for cash

If you prefer cash, you can redeem Altitude Rewards at a rate of 1 cent each — a 33% decrease in value over travel redemptions. Still, the ability to earn 3% cash back everywhere thanks to this card’s mobile wallet bonus category is certainly not bad.

But considering the U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card is a premium travel credit card, this is probably not your strategy. If you’re interested in cash back, read our guide to the best cash-back credit cards. Many of them have no annual fee.

Merchandise/gift cards

Don’t redeem your points this way.

You can purchase gift cards at a rate of 1 cent per point (same as a cash redemption), and merchandise at a rate of around 1 cent each (sometimes lower).

Even if you’re interested in buying a gift card, it’s better to just buy the gift card with your U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card and then redeem your points for cash to pay off your balance. At least you’ll earn points for your purchase this way.

Benefits and features

$325 annual credit

You’ll receive up to $325 in statement credits to offset travel and dining purchases each cardmember year. This credit will automatically trigger for the first $325 in eligible purchases per year. There’s no enrollment required.

This is one of the most practical annual credits of any travel rewards card on the market. For example:

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® comes with up to $300 in annual statement credit valid toward travel purchases
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card comes with up to $300 in annual statement credit for booking travel through the Capital One travel portal.
The Citi Prestige® Card (not available to new applicants) comes with up to $250 in annual statement credits valid toward travel purchases (and in 2021, it will also trigger at supermarkets and restaurants)

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card credit can be used for both travel and dining. It’s also more valuable than any other annual travel credit. If you spend at least $325 between these two categories, this card’s U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card annual fee is effectively lowered to $75.

TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card is one of the best credit cards for free Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. You’ll get up to $100 statement credit every four years to offset the application fee of Trusted Traveler Programs Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85).

If you’ve got TSA PreCheck, you can keep your shoes and belt on when passing through TSA security checkpoints. You also can keep your laptop and carry-on approved toiletries in your bag. It makes airport security much less of a trial.

Global Entry lets you skip the immigration line when you return to the US from abroad. This can save hours. You’ll also get TSA PreCheck when you enroll in Global Entry, so it’s the one to apply for.

Priority Pass Select membership

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card comes with a very limited version of Priority Pass Select membership. You’ll receive access for 12 months, after which you’ll get four free cardholder visits each year, along with four guest visits per year.

Many other cards with similar annual fees offer Priority Pass Select with carte blanche access to all 1,300+ Priority Pass lounges as often as you like — and you can even take two guests with you each time you visit.

Further, some cards offer Priority Pass membership to authorized users — a huge value over the U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card.

Travel insurance

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card comes with excellent travel insurance benefits — one of the most important factors when deciding which card you should use to reserve travel:

Trip cancellation/interruption insurance: Reimbursement of up to $2,000 per person for prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses from the common carrier.
Trip delay insurance: Up to $500 per ticket in coverage for expenses like meals and lodging (that aren’t reimbursed by the airline or other “common carrier”) when your trip is delayed more than six hours or requires an overnight stay.
Lost luggage reimbursement: Up to $3,000 per person if you or an immediate family member check or carry on luggage that is damaged or lost.
Rental car coverage: Primary coverage; up to $75,000 for theft and damage to rental cars in the US and abroad.
Travel accident insurance: Up to $500,000 of accidental death or dismemberment coverage.
Emergency evacuation and transportation benefit: Up to $10,000 in coverage

You can read more about this card’s benefits here (PDF download warning).

Read more: Best credit cards for travel insurance

Visa Infinite benefits

All Visa Infinite cards come with inherent Visa Infinite benefits, such as:

Fees and costs

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card comes with a U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card annual fee. The only other feels you’ll pay are due to late payments, returned payments, interest from carrying a balance (U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card), and fees for transferring a balance or cash advanaces.

This card does not charge foreign transaction fees, so it’s a great companion when traveling overseas.

Read the original article on Business Insider