U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Card Review: Big Savings on Travel and Streaming Services

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card balances excellent benefits with a reasonable cost. It earns up to 5 points per $1 and offers multiple spending credits, including one for streaming services. The card is competitively priced with a $0 intro for the first year, then $95 annual fee. Read our in-depth U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card review to explore more of what it offers.

This credit card is a good fit for: Travelers looking to collect bonus points in several spending categories and save on streaming services.

Top perks

You get quite a few nice features with the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card.

Earn 50,000 points

Spend $2,000 in the first 120 days after opening this credit card to earn 50,000 points. Points are worth $0.01 apiece, giving this bonus a value of $500.

This welcome offer is competitive with the very best sign-up bonuses. It combines a large number of points with a reasonable spending minimum. Since you only need to spend about $500 per month to qualify for the bonus, this card is a great choice for cardholders who aren't big spenders.

MORE OPTIONS: Best Credit Card Sign-Up Bonuses

Up to 5 points per $1

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card earns:

• 5X points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked in the Altitude Rewards Center
• 4X points on travel; also, gas stations and EV charging stations through September 8, 2024, after that 4X on your first $1,000 each quarter (wholesale clubs and discount stores/supercenters excluded)
• 2X points on grocery stores (discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs excluded effective September 9, 2024), grocery delivery, dining and streaming services
• 1X points on other purchases

With so many bonus categories, earning rewards is another area where this card excels. You can earn extra points on a wide variety of spending, including several popular everyday categories.

$30 annual streaming credit

One of the more unique benefits of this U.S. Bank rewards card is a $30 annual credit toward eligible streaming service purchases. Eligible services include Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, and over a dozen other popular streaming providers. U.S. Bank provides a full list on its website.

To qualify for the credit, you must use your card to pay for eligible streaming services for 11 consecutive months. The statement credit automatically applies, and it's $30 per 12-month period.

RELATED: Best Credit Cards for Streaming Services

Airport lounge access

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card includes a complimentary 12-month Priority Pass Select membership. As a cardholder, you get four free visits to Priority Pass lounges, and there are more than 1,300 around the world. This is a nice perk for occasional travelers. If you travel quite a bit, you might be better served by other credit cards with airport lounge access that offer unlimited visits.

Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit

This card covers the membership fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. You can get a statement credit of up to $100 every four years when using your card to pay the fee for either program.

Both of these trusted traveler programs are designed to speed up the airport security process. Of the two, Global Entry costs a bit more, but it also includes a TSA PreCheck membership. That makes it the better choice, especially when your credit card is covering the cost anyway.

Cellphone protection

Pay your monthly wireless bill with your U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card to receive complimentary cellphone protection. This protection offers reimbursement of up to $600 for damage, theft, or involuntary parting with your eligible cellphone. The coverage has a $100 deductible and a limit of one claim per year.

Flexible reward redemptions

U.S. Bank provides several ways to redeem your points. Through the Altitude Rewards Center, you can choose from the following reward redemptions:

• Travel bookings
• Cash back (with a minimum redemption amount of 2,500 points)
• Merchandise
• Gift cards
• Rewards cards

You get $0.01 per point with any of these options. The only issue with these options is that you need at least 2,500 points for cash back redemptions. Many popular rewards credit cards have eliminated redemption minimums entirely. U.S. Bank would make it easier on cardholders if it did the same. But that's just for cash back, and in fairness, there are redemptions available that don't have any minimum.

No foreign transaction fee

You won't incur any extra costs on spending outside the United States. Like most travel cards, this U.S. Bank card doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee.

READ MORE: Best No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards

What could be improved

While the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card doesn't have any glaring weaknesses, there are a couple of minor drawbacks to mention.

Annual fee

This U.S. Bank card has a $0 intro for the first year, then $95 annual fee per year thereafter. If you're not interested in paying for a credit card, there are plenty of excellent no annual fee cards.

In terms of value, $0 intro for the first year, then $95 is more than fair considering all the benefits you get. It offers $30 from the annual streaming credit, plus the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, worth $100 every four years. If you can use those, this card only costs you $40 per year for the annual fee. There's also the high rewards rate and the welcome bonus worth $500.

Can't transfer points

The nice thing about this card's points is that they're easy to use, because they're worth the same amount no matter what. The downside to that is there's no way to transfer points and score higher-value redemptions.

Several of the top travel credit cards let you transfer points to airline or hotel partners. This is often a way to get more from your rewards, especially on expensive travel bookings. You won't have this option with the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card.

A FICO® Score of 670 or higher is recommended to apply for the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card. The card is intended for applicants with good to excellent credit.

Your credit score isn't the only factor U.S. Bank uses when deciding on your application, and it doesn't guarantee approval or denial. Good credit does, however, make it more likely that your application is approved.

You want an affordable travel card that offers big rewards and valuable benefits.

The great thing about the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card is how useful all its features are. Just about anyone can cash in a streaming credit and a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit. Cellphone protection is always nice to have. To top it off, this card offers ample bonus opportunities.

Travelers interested in luxury perks or transferable points can look over other credit card reviews to find a match, but for everyone else, this card's value far exceeds its annual fee.

RELATED: Best U.S. Bank Credit Cards

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.