U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Review: Premium Travel Perks for U.S. Bank Clients

If you're looking for a premium travel rewards card, the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card is an excellent option that many consumers don't consider. It offers a strong lineup of travel benefits for a $400 annual fee. That may sound like a lot at first glance, but it's actually much less than what competing cards charge. Find out more about its pros and cons in our detailed review.

This credit card is a good fit for: Consumers looking for a luxury travel card with easy-to-use benefits. Mobile wallet users will love the bonus rewards this card offers on those types of purchases.

Top perks

As you'd expect from a high-end travel card, the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card is feature packed.

50,000 bonus points

You'll receive this enrollment bonus after spending $4,500 on purchases within the first 90 days of opening the account. Rewards are worth $0.015 per point towards travel, so this bonus has a value of $750.

Read more: Best Sign-Up Bonus Credit Cards

Earn up to 5 points per $1

The U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card earns:

• 5 points per $1 on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked in the Altitude Rewards Center
• 3 points per $1 on eligible travel purchases and mobile wallet spending, including Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, and LG Pay
• 1 point per $1 on other purchases

Those bonus rates are on par with the best travel rewards cards. Mobile wallet spending, in particular, is a great category for earning bonus points, because you can earn 3 points per $1 at any merchant accepting that type of payment.

See more: Best Rewards Credit Cards

$325 annual travel and dining credit

U.S. Bank automatically reimburses your first $325 in annual spending on eligible travel purchases and dining, which also includes takeout and food delivery. This spending credit is issued each cardmember year. It significantly cuts down on the cost of the card, and it's the largest single credit we've seen on any rewards card.

Related: Best Credit Cards for Dining and Restaurants

Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit

You'll receive a statement credit for the full membership fee of either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. These programs each provide different types of expedited airport security screening. Global Entry is the better way to go, because a membership also includes TSA PreCheck.

You can get this credit of up to $100 every four years to renew your membership. For the credit to apply, you must pay the membership fee with your U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card.

Airport lounge access

As a cardholder, you'll receive a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, allowing you to access the more than 1,300 airport lounges in that program's network.

There's one notable drawback -- you'll receive only four free individual visits and four free guest visits per year. After that, you'll need to pay a fee of $32 per person. While four visits will be enough for some travelers, frequent flyers and those who travel with multiple guests can go through those visits quickly.

It's also worth mentioning that other credit cards with airport lounge access are much less restrictive. Some offer unlimited visits per year for the cardholder and up to two guests.

More options: Best Credit Cards With Airport Lounge Access

What could be improved

While it has lots of benefits, the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card isn't without its drawbacks.

Annual fee

U.S. Bank charges an annual fee of $400 for this card. That's something to consider before applying, but for a premium credit card with these types of benefits, the annual fee is actually on the low side.

The $325 annual travel and dining credit alone takes the annual fee cost down to $75. Since points are worth $0.015 each, you only need to earn 5,000 points to balance out that $75. That's easy enough to do with all the spending categories where you can earn bonus points.

There are also plenty of additional travel perks that could save you even more money, including airport lounge access, Gogo® in-flight Wi-Fi passes, and a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit. If you're confident you'll use most of this card's benefits, then you'll come out ahead on that annual fee.

Can't transfer points

A notable flaw of the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card is that it doesn't have travel partners where you can transfer your rewards. Several travel cards in this price range have transferable points, meaning they allow cardholders to send their points to airline or hotel loyalty programs.

Although transferring points is more complicated than just redeeming them at a flat rate, this type of redemption also offers more potential value. It's possible to get $0.03 per point or more with transfers, and that's an option you won't have with this travel card from U.S. Bank.

Only available for U.S. Bank customers

This card is exclusive to U.S. Bank customers. To apply for it, you must already have a bank account, credit card, loan, or other type of financial product with U.S. Bank.

It's not too difficult to fulfill this requirement if you really want the card. However, it's odd that U.S. Bank would add this hurdle. With top credit cards, card issuers usually want to make it easier, not harder, for people to apply.

For a good chance at approval on the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card, you should have a FICO® Score of 670 or higher. U.S. Bank is known for being one of the stricter card issuers, and most successful applicants have very good or excellent credit.

Keep in mind that this card is also only available to existing U.S. Bank customers. Any of the bank's products work, including bank accounts, credit cards, mortgages, or brokerage accounts. That account must be open and active for at least five business days before you can apply for the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card.

Related: Credit Score For U.S. Bank Credit Card

You want a travel rewards card with premium benefits and simple rewards redemptions.

In terms of value, the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card is a fantastic choice. It has plenty of useful features and only a couple of minor issues. If the following are true for you, this card should fit you very well:

• You're a U.S. Bank customer or willing to become one. This is a must. If you don't have any U.S. Bank accounts, you'd need to open one before applying.
• You prefer straightforward travel rewards. The only way to redeem this card's points is at a fixed rate toward travel purchases. That makes it a good choice if you want to avoid the learning curve involved with transferable points.
• You don't use airport lounge access much. While this card has airport lounge access, it only gets you four individual visits and four guest visits per year. If you visit lounges more often or bring multiple guests, it could pay to look for a card with better lounge access.

Keep reading: 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.