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U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card Review

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U.S. Bank is a credit card issuer that’s often overlooked in favor of bigger-name banks like Chase or American Express. However, U.S. Bank does have some credit cards that should be on your radar. Depending on your spending habits, going with a U.S. Bank card might actually be your best option.

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card, for example, is an amazing option for those who frequently use mobile wallet apps to make everyday purchases. This card also offers some great travel perks that can easily make up for this card’s high annual fee of $400. 

However, if you don’t use mobile wallet payments or don’t travel often, then the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card may not be the best option for you. You should also compare this card to other premium travel cards on the market, like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® , before you sign up.

There’s a lot to like about the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Card, including 5X points on prepaid hotels and rental cars booked through the Altitude Rewards Center, 3X points on eligible travel purchases and mobile wallet spending, and 1X point on everything else. Additionally, this card also comes with a valuable welcome bonus and $325 in annual travel and dining credits that can help you offset the $400 annual fee.

Still, despite all of these lucrative benefits, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Card isn’t ready to play with the big kids yet. The benefits that it offers just don’t stack up to premium travel cards offered by more well-known banks in the same price range. Still, let’s take a look at all that this card has to offer. It still might be a good option for you.

U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card Spending Bonuses

First and foremost, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card offers rewards in the form of points, which can be redeemed for cash back, for travel through the U.S. Bank Altitude Rewards Center, for gift cards and much more. 

We’ll discuss the different ways to use these points in more depth later, but let’s first take a look at how many points you can earn with the Altitude Reserve Card: 

• 5X points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center
• 3X points on eligible travel purchases and mobile wallet spending (including Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay) 
• 1X point on all other purchases

The ability to earn 5X points on prepaid hotels and rental cars through the Altitude Rewards Center sounds pretty good, but it doesn’t stack up against the competition. The Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Capital One Venture X cards both offer 10X points on hotels and rental cars through their respective travel portals. 

The two competitor cards also offer 5X points on flights booked through their travel portals whereas the Altitude Reserve card offers no such bonus for booking flights through the Altitude Rewards Center. 

Where the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card shines, though, is in the ability to earn 3X points on mobile wallet payments. In this day and age, you can use mobile wallet apps to pay for nearly anything. So, if you can make sure to use your mobile wallet app (either Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay) whenever you can, you can essentially earn a baseline of 3X points on all of your purchases. 

If you don’t use mobile wallet apps and aren’t willing to start, then the Altitude Reserve card probably isn’t the best option for you. 

The ability to earn 1X point on all purchases is also fairly unimpressive considering that the Capital One Venture X Card (which has a lower annual fee than the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card) offers a baseline of 2X miles on all purchases. 

U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card Benefits

Seeing as the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Card is a premium travel card with a $400 annual fee, it’s no surprise that it comes with some amazing travel benefits. And if you take advantage of all of these benefits, you can easily offset this card’s annual fee. 

$325 Annual Travel and Dining Credit

Probably the most valuable benefit that comes with the Altitude Reserve Card is the annual $325 statement credit toward eligible travel and dining purchases. 

These statement credits will be applied to your account automatically when you make an eligible purchase from a merchant that classifies itself as travel (such as airlines, hotels, car rentals, taxicabs, limousines, passenger trains and cruise line companies) or a merchant that classifies itself as a restaurant, fast-food restaurant or bar. 

When it comes to these kinds of statement credits, the Altitude Reserve outdoes its competition. Both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Capital One Venture X offer annual statement credits of $300 that can be used toward travel only. By comparison, the Altitude Reserve Card offers $325 in statement credits that can be used toward travel or dining. 

This flexibility makes these statements more valuable because it’s pretty much impossible not to use them. While you could easily go through a year without spending $300 on travel, pretty much everyone spends at least $300 on dining annually. 

When you make an eligible purchase on your Altitude Reserve Card, it’ll usually take about two to three business days for the statement credits to be applied to your account. 

$100 TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry® Application Fee Reimbursement

Another benefit offered by most premium travel credit cards is a statement credit up to $100 toward the application fee for either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. The application fee for TSA PreCheck is $78 for five years, and the application fee for Global Entry is $100 for five years. 

TSA PreCheck allows you to access expedited lanes for flights departing from U.S. airports. Global Entry allows you to access an expedited lane when going through customs upon reentering the United States from a foreign country and also comes with a subscription to TSA PreCheck.

Since you’ll be reimbursed for whichever of the two that you apply for, you should apply for Global Entry because it includes TSA PreCheck. So, the application fee reimbursement that comes with the Altitude Reserve Card can save you $100 every five years. 

Four Annual Complimentary Airport Lounge Visits 

Every U.S. Bank cardholder will be eligible for a complimentary membership to Priority Pass Select, which gives you access to more than 1,300 airport lounges worldwide. The first four visits you make to airport lounges per year will be free for you and up to four guests. However, after that, you’ll have to pay an entry fee of $32 per person. 

Getting four free lounge visits per year is nice. But even in this category, the Altitude Reserve card doesn’t stack up to the competition. 

The Capital One Venture X (which, once again, has a lower annual fee than the Altitude Reserve) offers unlimited lounge visits. Additionally, you can add up to four authorized users to your Venture X Card, and each of those authorized users can also get their own Priority Pass Select membership. With the Altitude Reserve Card, only the primary cardholder can get a membership. 

No Foreign Transaction Fees

The Altitude Reserve Card is marketed as the top-of-the-line travel card from U.S. Bank. So, naturally, this card is geared toward people who like to travel and use their credit card while abroad. Luckily, the Altitude Reserve Card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees for making purchases outside of your country of residence.

This is a standard feature on most premium travel cards. However, some credit cards will charge you a foreign transaction fee as high as 3%. So, zero foreign transaction fees with the Altitude Reserve Card could save you a heap of money if you travel abroad often. 

Welcome Bonus

Currently, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Card is offering a valuable welcome bonus for spending a certain amount of money in a certain period of time after signing up. If you do end up signing up for the Altitude Reserve card, you’re going to want to make sure that you earn the welcome bonus because it’s a great opportunity to rack up a lot of points quickly.

Receive 50% Value Boost When Redeeming Through Altitude Rewards Center

One great benefit of the Altitude Reserve Card is that you can receive a 50% boost in the value of your points when you redeem them through the Altitude Rewards Center. This portal allows you to book hotels, airfare, car rentals, cruises and select activities and experiences. 

This perk is comparable to the 50% value bonus offered with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card when you redeem your points for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. However, unlike U.S. Bank, Chase allows you to transfer Ultimate Rewards points to other travel programs. 

U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card Drawbacks

While the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Card is a solid premium travel card, particularly for those in the habit of using mobile wallet payments, this card still has some drawbacks that you should be aware of. In particular, the fact that U.S. Bank doesn’t have any transfer partners is a major disadvantage when compared to other premium travel cards.

No Option to Transfer Points to Other Travel Programs

Unfortunately, the Altitude Rewards program comes with a major drawback—you can’t transfer your points to any other travel loyalty programs. This lack of transfer partners is a huge disadvantage for frequent travelers who like to transfer their points strategically to get the most value out of them.

Currently, the only way to redeem your points is to spend them through the Altitude Rewards Center. Although the Altitude Rewards Center offers flights, hotels, cruises, rental cars and more from most major travel companies, your redemption options are far more limited than they are with other premium travel cards.

For instance, with the Capital One Venture X Card , you can transfer your miles to a multitude of different travel loyalty programs at a 1:1 ratio, and doing so is often the best way to get the most value out of your points. Likewise, the Chase Sapphire Reserve allows you to transfer their points to many partner programs at a 1:1 ratio as well. 

Having the option to transfer your points to partner programs means that you can find outsized value if you’re willing to do some research. With the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Card, you’re always going to get 1.5 cents per point in value when you redeem through the Altitude Rewards Center. 

Requires Excellent Credit

Unfortunately, unless you have good credit (which is generally considered to be a credit score of 680 or above), you’re probably not going to qualify for the Altitude Reserve Card. Occasionally, consumers with lower credit scores are approved for this card. However, it’s unlikely that you’ll be approved if your credit score is not in the “good” or “excellent” range.

If you currently have a credit score that’s in the “average” or even “bad” range, there are still credit card options out there for you. Unfortunately, you probably won’t be able to qualify for the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Card (or any other premium travel card) until you’ve raised your credit score. 

$400 Annual Fee

The Altitude Reserve Card has an annual fee of $400, which is high compared to most other cards on the market. However, if you take advantage of this card’s spending bonuses and other benefits (in particular, the $325 of statement credits toward dining and travel), you can easily offset that annual fee. 

While $400 might sound like a lot of money to some people, it is fairly inexpensive when you compare the Altitude Reserve Card’s annual fee to other premium travel cards’ annual fees. For example, the Capital One Venture X Card has an annual fee of $395; the Chase Sapphire Reserve has an annual fee of $550; and The Platinum Card® from American Express has an annual fee of $695 (see rates & fees ). 

Still, having to pay a lump sum of $400 every cardmember anniversary can be difficult for some consumers who have limited cash on hand. In that case, you may want to seek out a card with a lower annual fee or no annual fee. 

High Ongoing APR

If you’re in the habit of carrying a balance from month to month, doing so on the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Card can be rather expensive because of this card’s high ongoing APR. So, if you don’t pay your balance off in full, you could incur some high interest charges in the double digits. 

Of course, if you pay your balance off in full every month (which is something you should always do), then this card’s high APR won’t affect you whatsoever. 

Other Cards to Consider

In most areas, the Altitude Reserve Card can’t compete with other premium travel cards from other well-known issuers. However, if you’re willing to use mobile wallet payments as often as possible, this card might be a good option for you. Otherwise, you’re better off going with a different premium travel card. Here are some of the other options for you. 

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a pretty good alternative to the Altitude Reserve Card because the two cards charge almost the same annual fee (the Venture X charges $395 whereas the Altitude Reserve charges $400). 

However, when you compare the spending bonuses and benefits offered by the Venture X Card to those offered by the Altitude Reserve, it’s clear that the Venture X offers more bang for your buck. 

First and foremost, here are the spending bonuses offered by the Capital One Venture X Card:

• 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 

The Venture X Card offers 10X miles on rental cars and hotels through the Capital One Travel portal whereas the Altitude Reserve Card offers just 5X points on rental cars and hotels through the U.S. Bank travel portal. Additionally, the Altitude Reserve Card doesn’t offer elevated earnings on flights through its travel portal, and the Venture X Card earns 5X miles on flights purchased through Capital One Travel.

Although it’s certainly nice that the Altitude Reserve Card offers 3X points on other travel purchases and mobile wallet payments, its baseline earnings for all other purchases is only 1X point. The Venture X Card, on the other hand, offers a baseline of 2X miles on every purchase.

Capital One miles are also far more flexible than U.S. Bank Altitude Rewards points. Whereas points earned with the Altitude Reserve Card can be redeemed only for travel through the Altitude Rewards Center and will always yield a fixed value of 1.5 cents per point, miles earned with the Venture X Card can be transferred to more than 15 loyalty programs. And in some cases, doing so can help you get a redemption value far exceeding 1.5 cents per mile. 

The airport lounge access benefit that comes with the Capital One Venture X Card is also far better than the lounge access offered by the Altitude Reserve Card. With the Altitude Reserve, you receive a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership for the primary cardholder only, and you get just four free visits to lounges plus another four for guests per year. 

With the Venture X Card, you can get a Priority Pass Select membership for the primary cardholder and for up to four authorized users. All of those memberships also receive unlimited free visits to lounges. It’s also worth noting that Venture X cardholders will receive unlimited complimentary access to Capital One Lounges whereas the U.S. Bank doesn’t have its own network of airport lounges. 

The Altitude Reserve Card does outcompete the Venture X Card when it comes to statement credits, though. The Venture X Card offers $300 in annual statement credits that can go only toward travel purchases through Capital One Travel, but the Altitude Reserve Card offers $325 in annual statement credits that can be used at any business that’s considered to be in the travel or dining category.

Overall, the Capital One Venture X is a better card for those who like to travel. You can earn far greater spending bonuses on travel-related spending; you have more travel redemption options; and the airport lounge access perk is far better with the Venture X Card. 

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card is less of a one-to-one comparison to the Altitude Reserve Card because its annual fee is $150 higher. The Chase Sapphire Reserve charges $550 whereas the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve charges $400. Still, if you have some wiggle room in your budget, you might want to consider going with the Sapphire Reserve over the Altitude Reserve.  

Although the Sapphire Reserve has a significantly higher annual fee, it makes up for it with its outstanding spending bonuses: 

• 10X points on hotels and rental cars booked through the Chase Travel portal
• 10X points on Chase Dining purchases
• 10X points on Lyft rides (through March 2025)
• 5X points on flights booked through the Chase Travel
• 3X points on other travel purchases, after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
• 3X points on dining purchases at restaurants (including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out)

As you can see, the Sapphire Reserve card offers far superior spending bonuses when it comes to both travel and dining. By comparison, the Sapphire Reserve card offers 10X points on hotels and rental cars booked through its travel portal whereas the Altitude Reserve Card offers 5X points on hotels and rental cars booked through its respective travel portal. 

You also can earn 5X points on flights booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards and 3X points on all other travel purchases. When it comes to spending bonuses for travel, the Chase Sapphire Reserve can earn you a lot more rewards than the Altitude Reserve. 

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card also offers amazing bonuses on dining, which is something that the Altitude Reserve card lacks. The Sapphire Reserve card earns 10X points on purchases through Chase Dining, a portal that allows you to book dining experiences at some of the best restaurants in your area. Plus, if you can’t find your favorite restaurant on Chase Dining, you’ll still earn 3X points on all other dining purchases. 

Like the Altitude Reserve Card, the Sapphire Reserve also offers a 50% boost in the value of your points when you redeem them through Chase’s travel portal. However, unlike the Altitude Reserve, the Sapphire Reserve gives you the option to transfer your points to one of their 14 transfer partners. The fact that you can transfer your Chase points to partner programs makes this currency far more valuable than U.S. Bank points. 

In terms of airport lounge access, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card also outshines the Altitude Reserve Card. With the Chase card, you’ll get unlimited complimentary visits to Priority Pass Lounges vs. the U.S. Bank card, which comes with four free lounge visits per year. Chase also has its own network of airport lounges that are always free to enter for Sapphire Reserve cardholders. 

The Altitude Reserve does have the advantage over the Sapphire Reserve in terms of statement credits as the Sapphire Reserve offers $300 in annual statement credits for travel only, and the Altitude Reserve’s $325 credits can be used for travel and dining. 

The Bottom Line

In summary, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card is a good premium travel card for consumers with excellent credit who use mobile wallet payments often. In terms of spending bonuses and travel-related perks, the Altitude Reserve can’t compete with the other premium travel cards on the market from bigger-name issuers like Chase and Capital One. 

However, where the Altitude Reserve Card does hold the advantage is in its ability to earn 3X points on mobile wallet payments (limited to Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay). Nowadays, you can pay for most things in the United States using mobile wallet payments, which means that you can earn 3X points on most of your purchases if you can remember to pay with your mobile wallet. 

Unfortunately, U.S. Bank Altitude Rewards points aren’t nearly as valuable as other credit card currencies like Chase Ultimate Rewards points or Capital One miles due to the fact that U.S. Bank doesn’t allow you to transfer points to other travel loyalty programs. 

If you want to redeem your U.S. Bank points for travel, you’ll have to do so through the Altitude Rewards Center, which always provides a redemption value of 1.5 cents per point if you have the Altitude Reserve Card. 

With Chase points, American Express Membership Rewards points, Capital One miles and several other credit card rewards currencies, you can transfer your points to other travel programs (usually at a 1:1 ratio) and often find redemption values that exceed 1.5 cents per point. For this reason, getting a travel card from U.S. Bank usually isn’t your best option. 

Still, the ability to earn 3X points on mobile wallet payments is a reason that you might want to add the Altitude Reserve Card to your wallet. If you use mobile wallet apps for everything, you can essentially use this card to get a baseline of 3X points on all purchases. Plus, this card also comes with $325 in statement credits toward travel or dining that can help you offset this card’s $400 annual fee quickly. 

All in all, the Altitude Reserve Card from U.S. Bank has a niche role as a card that offers great rewards on mobile wallet payments. However, when compared to similar cards with similar annual fees, its spending bonuses and other benefits are fairly unimpressive.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.

With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!

Editorial Disclaimer: The editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuers, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuers.

The comments section below is not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all questions are answered.

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The Guide to Chase’s Travel Portal

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Table of Contents

Who can use Chase's travel portal?

How to use chase's travel portal, other things you can do in chase's portal, chase travel contact options, chase's travel portal can be lucrative.

Chase Ultimate Rewards® points are among the most useful rewards you can earn. When it comes time to redeem them, you will be directed to Chase's travel portal. This is where you can book flights, hotels and rental cars with points, redeem them for merchandise and gift cards, or transfer points to other programs.

Should you redeem points to pay for a trip instead of using cash or transfer them to a loyalty program partner to get better value? You'll need to do a little homework to find the right answer as each situation is different.

Chase points are the currency you earn when using cards like Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® . They are superior in many ways to other point currencies because  you earn more than one penny in value  per point with these two cards. For example, when redeeming through Chase's travel portal, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® will net you 1.5 cents in value per point and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card will net you 1.25 cents in value per point. When you transfer to a partner, your per-point-value may be even greater.

With the travel portal, you can redeem points to pay for an entire trip or you can use a mix of points and cash to cover a travel booking. You can also pay all in cash, earning 5 to 10 points per $1 spent, depending on the card you have. Using points for travel is the most valuable way to extract value from Chase Ultimate Rewards® for most people.

It's an efficient website, but some irritants snag even savvy travelers. Let's dig into Chase's travel portal's good and bad. You'll find that it is mostly good, if not great.

Chase cards vary in earning and redemption benefits so you will want to pay attention to which one you use, especially if you have more than one card. The most valuable cards earn Ultimate Rewards® points, but some Chase cards, like the United℠ Explorer Card , earn miles or points in that co-branded program (in this example, United MileagePlus miles ).

Let’s review the cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards®, with the most rewarding cards first. Keep in mind that if you have more than one of these cards, you can move points between Chase Ultimate Rewards® accounts to redeem them from an account that delivers more cents per point in value.

These cards earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® and provide access to Chase's travel portal:

Chase Sapphire Reserve® .

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card .

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card .

Chase Freedom Unlimited® .

Chase Freedom Flex℠ .

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card .

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card .

Chase Freedom Rise Credit Card.

There is an important perk to remember if you have multiple cards. Since the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card offers 1.5 cents in value per point and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offer 1.25 cents in value, it is best to redeem points from these accounts rather than any other Chase card. c

If you have one of those two premium cards and another Chase card (like Chase Freedom Unlimited® , for example), you can move your Ultimate Rewards® points from the Chase Freedom Unlimited® account to a premium card’s account (like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card).

This strategy allows you to unlock half a cent more in value in seconds. It’s one of the best benefits of Ultimate Rewards® when you have a premium card and one of its no-fee cards.

Want to earn a bunch of points quickly to make a redemption? The sign-up bonuses on these cards can rake in extra points if you meet the terms and conditions.

on Chase's website

• 5 points per $1 on travel booked through Chase.

• 3 points per $1 on dining (including eligible delivery services and takeout), select streaming services and online grocery purchases (not including Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).

• 2 points per $1 on other travel.

• 1 point per $1 on other purchases.

Point value in Chase's travel portal: 1.25 cents apiece.

• 10 points per $1 on Chase Dining, hotel stays and car rentals purchased through Chase.

• 5 points per $1 on air travel purchased through Chase.

• 3 points per $1 on other travel and dining not booked with Chase.

Point value in Chase's travel portal: 1.5 cents apiece.

• In the first year, 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase, 4.5% cash back on drugstores and restaurants, and 3% on all other purchases on up to $20,000 in spending.

• After that, 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase, 3% cash back at drugstores and restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Point value in Chase's travel portal: 1 cent apiece.

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

Here’s a primer on what you can and cannot do with Ultimate Rewards® points.

Log in to your account, then navigate to the Chase Ultimate Rewards® tab on the right of the screen. If you have more than one card that earns this currency, you can see each balance and select the account from which you want to redeem points.

Once you select the card, you’ll be taken to a homepage that shows the points you have earned and how you can redeem them. We recommend sticking to travel redemptions rather than using points for merchandise as the value diminishes significantly with the latter.

Select the "Travel" tab at the top of the screen. From here, you can decide whether to transfer points to a partner or redeem them as cash for a trip.

One of the best perks of using this travel portal to make a points redemption is that you still earn frequent flyer miles on most airline tickets since these are booked as a revenue ticket (not as an award redemption like when using airline miles to book a flight).

How to book award flights in Chase's travel portal

This is one of the more popular features of using points, but keep in mind that Expedia operates Chase's portal on the back end. It doesn't feature all airlines, which can frustrate travelers searching for a flight. Even if you find a flight on an airline's website or third-party booking site, it doesn't mean it will be available at Chase.

Enter the relevant details in the search bar to find a flight. Results can be filtered by stops, airline or price. Another benefit of this portal is that you aren't subject to award seat availability in the same way you might be when redeeming miles through an airline's program.

If there is a seat that could be bought with cash, you can usually redeem points for it. Plain and simple.

Compare how many miles you would need if booking directly with the airline with what Chase is charging.

If it would cost fewer points to book directly with the airline, you’ll want to use miles instead. For example, Delta co-branded American Express cardholders can often redeem their miles like cash on Delta’s website (at 1 cent per mile’s value). That’s just average, but if it is cheaper than what Chase is charging, consider that the better option. But don’t forget that airlines will add on taxes and fees when redeeming miles . Airfare booked with Chase Ultimate Rewards® points don't have additional costs tacked on — these are already bundled into the fare.

Another important note is that some low-cost airlines like Allegiant don't appear in search results. If you want to travel on a budget airline, then you'll need to visit those websites to compare fares.

You can pay in cash, points or a combination. Chase will display particular details about your fare, like whether assigned seats or checked bags are included. This may not take into account any elite status perks you hold.

How to book hotels in Chase's travel portal

You can also redeem points for hotel stays using Ultimate Rewards® points. This is great news, especially when staying at hotels where you may not have  elite status  or don't care about elite perks or points earned.

Keep in mind that when making a reservation outside a hotel’s official reservation channels, you won’t earn points in its program or be able to take advantage of elite status benefits. So if you have status with a hotel chain, this isn't the best value unless you are willing to forgo those benefits.

Making a reservation is straightforward. Enter the city and travel dates to see a list of hotels available for redemption. Then, you can redeem points or pay in cash for your trip.

Like with flights, compare the cost of Chase Ultimate Rewards® points with the number of points a hotel’s program is charging. A particular favorite is World of Hyatt, which still uses an award chart and, as a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards®, can often deliver more favorable deals when using Hyatt’s points rather than Chase points.

For example, it would cost about 9,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to redeem a night at Hyatt Place London Heathrow Airport. But, if you transfer points to World of Hyatt, you would need 5,000 points for the same night’s stay.

One of the booking tabs also leads to the Chase Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection . This subset of high-end hotels delivers bonus perks like free breakfast, a $100 hotel credit and room upgrades, depending on the property and other things.

You can book directly through Chase or redeem points and be eligible. It’s nice to have elite status-style perks at a hotel where you may not have status or that doesn't have a loyalty program.

How to book car rentals in Chase's travel portal

This is a great place to reserve rental cars using points, and Chase rental car insurance benefits apply when using the card and paying with points. But, for that to be the case, you will want to pay for part of the rental in cash so the insurance benefits are activated. To do that, pay with a combination of cash and points, and decline the rental company's insurance first.

How to book activities in Chase's travel portal

Activities available for booking through Chase's travel portal include tours and experiences at home or when traveling and airport transfers. Price comparison plays a role here, too, since many hotel brands have their own platforms like Marriott Bonvoy Moments or FIND Experiences from World of Hyatt. These allow you to redeem points for experiences.

Check which program is cheaper before redeeming Chase points if you find similar options in either program.

How to book cruises in Chase's travel portal

Since cruise bookings can be more complex, you will need to call Chase Ultimate Rewards® at 855-234-2542 to make a reservation. There are many ways to earn multiple points when booking a cruise that may be better than using Chase, but when redeeming points for a cruise , there can be a lot of value.

Using Chase's portal to make a travel reservation is also strategic, as depending on your card, you can earn a healthy stash of points this way. Just be sure to compare the benefits you can earn with the opportunity cost of booking elsewhere.

Benefits of booking travel in Chase's portal

Let’s say you have a premium card like Chase Sapphire Reserve® . It earns 5x points per $1 when booking flights through the portal. The sweet spot is when using this card for hotel stays and rental cars booked via the portal for 10x points per dollar spent. Consider what’s in your wallet, and decide which card will net the most points.

Another benefit is that you will earn miles from flights booked through the portal, even when redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards® points since these are viewed as a revenue ticket.

Remember, you will want to compare if it is cheaper to redeem airline miles directly through a carrier’s redemption program or if you can use fewer points by redeeming Chase points via the portal.

Sometimes it might make more sense to transfer points from Chase to an airline partner when redeeming a flight (or a hotel program when making a hotel stay). Be as vigilant with price comparison when redeeming miles and points as you would when using cash.

Does Chase's travel portal price match?

No. You cannot submit a lower fare elsewhere for a price guarantee here since this isn't a publicly available site. It is only available to those who have a Chase card.

What else you need to know

When booking through this reservation site, keep in mind that most airlines and hotels cannot assist directly with a reservation. They see this as a third-party booking through Expedia and will direct you to Chase's agents.

Many travelers report the experience can be frustrating when travel disruptions or cancellations occur. Agents are friendly but can sometimes be limited in their abilities, often reading prompts on their screens in international call centers.

It can be a hazard booking a reservation with a third party, but the trade-off in redeeming points is worth it for some travelers.

If you do need to contact a Chase portal agent for support on a reservation made through the site, whether flight, hotel, car rental or activity, you've got one option: a good, old-fashioned telephone call.

For support on flights, hotels, car rentals and activities — especially changes or cancellations — Chase lists one number: 866-331-0773.

Chase also lists different contact numbers based on the card you hold, so you may want to give one of these a try:

Chase Sapphire Reserve® : 855-234-2542.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card : 866-331-0773.

All other cards: 866-951-6592.

If you compare prices and consider the opportunity cost of using the portal instead of booking elsewhere, you can almost always come out ahead.

You can save money, earn bonus points and travel better with transferable loyalty points like Chase Ultimate Rewards®. They have the flexibility and versatility necessary to deliver excellent value on travel (rather than being locked into one airline or hotel loyalty program). With the right card (or suite of cards), you’ll be able to accumulate points and benefits.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

1.5%-6.5% Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

$300 Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1%-5% Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Earn 5% on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases.

$200 Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

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U.S. Bank Altitude Credit Cards – How to Earn and Redeem Points

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What are U.S. Bank Altitude Points?

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U.S. Bank, which is a subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp, is one of the largest banks in the U.S. With its fully-integrated suite of services, including banking, investment, mortgage, trust, and payment services, U.S. Bank has cemented itself as one of the largest legacy financial institutions out there.

So how does U.S. Bank’s loyalty program stack up to its major competitors? Compared to Citibank, Chase, and American Express, U.S. Bank has a more straightforward rewards program.

It can often be difficult to keep up with transferable partnerships, points valuations, and other nuances of your credit card rewards, but this is where U.S. Bank excels. For most of us out there, it’s too much work to optimize for premium cabin travel — instead, having cash-back rewards or points that can be used towards travel bookings are much more appealing.

In this guide, we’ll be examining U.S. Bank’s major rewards currency: Altitude points . We’ll be looking at what types of rewards are possible with Altitude points, what credit cards offer Altitude points, and the best ways to redeem your Altitude points.

Let’s get started!

U.S. Bank has a couple of rewards currencies, including FlexPerks, which is a program that has been reduced over the past couple of years in favor of U.S. Bank’s most popular rewards system: Altitude points .

U.S. Bank Altitude points is U.S. Bank’s travel-based rewards system, traditionally restricted to its most valued credit card clients.

Altitude points are phenomenal to accrue when using mobile payments . Your points don’t expire as long as you have an active account in good standing, and you can earn an unlimited number of points.

Let’s talk about all the credit cards you can use to earn U.S. Bank Altitude points!

U.S. Bank Altitude Credit Cards

Traditionally, it’s been difficult to earn U.S. Bank Altitude points because of the lack of card options. This is slowly changing as U.S. Bank slowly expands its portfolio of U.S. Bank Altitude cards.

You can open U.S. Bank credit cards anywhere in the U.S. — you won’t be restricted by your specific geographic location, though U.S. Bank is most prominent in the Midwest and West Coast.

The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card is not only  the flagship U.S. Bank credit card, but also the ultra-premium Altitude points credit card.

The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card made a splash in 2017 when it was released. U.S. Bank was known mostly as a second-tier bank for credit cards, and the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card has since drawn a lot of positive attention.

To apply for the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card, you must first be an existing U.S. Bank customer. What does that mean? As long as you have a checking, savings, credit card, auto loan, investment, certificate of deposit, mortgage loan, or other existing relationship with U.S. Bank, you will be eligible for this card.

The easiest way to qualify is to open a no-additional-fee checking or savings account. Once you open a U.S. Bank account, you  must wait approximately a month to apply for the credit card. You  might be able to get this timeframe reduced by contacting the underwriting and credit operations department, but it’s better to wait a month if you can.

Once you have this card in-hand, you’ll immediately have access to tons of perks:

• 5 Altitude points per $1 spent on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center
• 3 Altitude points per $1 spent on eligible travel purchases and mobile wallet spending
• 1 Altitude point per $1 spent on everything else

This card offers an incredible way to earn bonus points just by using mobile payments, regardless of which merchant you’re transacting with! As long as you’re using a mobile wallet app like Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, or LG Pay , you’ll earn 3 Altitude points per $1 no matter where you’re shopping.

So how much are Altitude points worth? When you redeem them through the U.S. Bank online portal for travel, Altitude points are worth 1.5 cents each . For other redemptions, you’ll see a rate of 1 cent per point of value.

So with 5 points per $1, you can earn 7.5% on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center, 4.5% on travel and mobile wallet spending, and 1.5% everywhere else.

Hot Tip: The Costco Anywhere Visa ® Card by Citi only earns 2% on in-store or Costco.com purchases. If you use mobile payments with the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card at Costco, you will earn a whopping 4.5% , which is more than double what you get with the Costco Anywhere card!

Additional Benefits of the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Card

This ultra-premium credit card comes with a $400 annual fee (and $75 per authorized user), but it offers you some phenomenal benefits.

• Welcome bonus of 50,000 points (worth $750 on travel) after spending $4,500 in the first 90 days of account opening
• $325 in annual travel credits per cardmember year — use on airfare, hotel stays, car rentals, taxicabs, limousines, trains, and cruise lines
• Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership* — 4 lounge entries or restaurant credits for yourself, plus 4 extra for guests every year (then $35 per person per visit)
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck $100 statement credit every 4 years
• Primary car rental insurance when you charge the entire rental amount to your card and decline the rental agency’s collision insurance (not offered in Israel, Jamaica, the Republic of Ireland, or North Ireland)
• Trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance, travel accident insurance, emergency roadside assistance, lost luggage insurance, trip delay reimbursement, and much more
• A one-time $30 GroundLink credit, plus 15% off the base rate for reservations booked and paid with your card
• Elite status at select Relais & Châteaux properties that affords you a VIP Welcome and complimentary breakfast for each guest (terms and conditions apply)
• No foreign transaction fees

*You must enroll in perks like Priority Pass Select to receive them.

Bottom Line: Overall, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card is one of the best travel rewards credit cards out there. It’s the crown jewel of U.S. Bank’s credit card portfolio, and it’s easy to see why. The card is jam-packed with perks, and despite a hefty $400 annual fee, there are tons of ways to get way more value from it. 

The U.S. Bank Altitude Connect card is one of U.S. Bank’s Altitude newest cards!

Earn big on travel, plus everyday earning on everyday purchases.

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Additional Benefits of the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Card

The card features the following additional benefits:

• Up to $100 in TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee statement reimbursements every 4 years
• Cell phone protection insurance policy — Up to $600 per claim with a $100 deductible for a maximum of 1 claim per year
• Priority Pass Select membership
• Trip cancellation/interruption and trip delay insurance
• $30 statement credit for streaming services per 12-month period applied to your account following 11 consecutive calendar months of eligible streaming service purchases

Here are the eligible streaming providers so far:

• Amazon Music
• Apple Music
• AT&T TV Now
• Google Music
• Slacker Radio
• YouTube Music

The U.S. Bank Altitude Go card debuted in the summer of 2020, and the card is effectively one of the most impressive rewards credit cards with no annual fee , particularly for dining.

The U.S. Bank Altitude Go card is intended to be the no annual fee option in the overall Altitude card line-up — but in many ways, it reigns superior to the more premium options. You do not need an existing U.S. Bank relationship to apply for this card.

This credit card offers:

• 4 Altitude points per $1 spent on dining, takeout, and restaurant delivery.
• 2 Altitude points per $1 spent on streaming services. Plus, a $15 credit for annual streaming purchases like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify ® , Apple Music, Disney+, HBO Max and more!
• 2 Altitude points per $1 spent at grocery stores, grocery delivery, gas stations, and EV charging stations
• 1 Altitude point per $1 spent elsewhere

Keep in mind that just like the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect card, these points are worth 1 cent each, unlike the Altitude points from the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card. Also, the minimum redemption amount is 2,500 points .

Additional Benefits of the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Card

• $15 streaming credit per 12-month period applied to your account following 11 consecutive calendar months of eligible streaming service purchases

Bottom Line: The U.S. Bank Altitude Go card is one of the best no annual fee cards for dining rewards in the world. With the ability to earn 4 points per $1 (4% back) on dining with a no annual fee card, this product is one of the best in its class, if not the best in its class! 

How to Redeem U.S. Bank Altitude Points

U.S. Bank Altitude points can be used for a variety of purposes. As you will discover, the value you get from your U.S. Bank points can fluctuate by up to 50%, depending on the credit card you redeem points from and what you’re redeeming your points for.

Let’s take a look at all the great ways to redeem U.S. Bank Altitude points.

All 3 Altitude cards are capable of using Real-Time Mobile Rewards. Real-Time Mobile Rewards is a U.S. Bank feature that allows you to redeem points on travel purchases without having to use the U.S. Bank Travel Portal. This is only available with U.S. merchants .

This feature must be activated using the following steps:

• Visit U.S. Bank’s website
• Log in using your user ID and password.
• Once logged in, click  My Rewards
• Click on Redeem Rewards & Access Card Benefits
• Click on Card Benefits
• Click on Real-Time Mobile Rewards
• Click on Activate
• If you want to make sure you get 1.5 cents per point in value with the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve, you should only enable travel categories
• Every time you make a purchase that qualifies based on the categories you selected, you’ll get a text message asking you if you’d like to redeem points for it

Using Real-Time Mobile Rewards is much easier because you can make purchases and transactions without having to go through the U.S. Bank Travel Portal. You can shop around for the best price, use discounts and coupons, and even utilize a shopping portal to get the best value possible. Then, you will simply use your rewards via text message.

However, there is a minimum of $500 on lodging and $250 on car rentals to redeem points.

You will receive 1.5 cents per point in value with the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card on travel and a flat 1 cent per point in value with the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect card and U.S. Bank Altitude Go card.

Another way for U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve cardholders-only to redeem their Altitude points is to use the U.S. Bank Travel Portal. Given the capabilities of Real-Time Mobile Rewards we described above, there aren’t a whole lot of situations in which you should use the U.S. Bank Travel Portal.

Also, the U.S. Bank Travel Portal has incredibly strict terms and conditions. For example, once you book travel through this portal using your Altitude points, you cannot get them back. You might be able to cancel the reservation and get a travel voucher, but you will not get your points back. Additionally, all rental car reservations are non-refundable and can’t be changed at all. In all other situations, the U.S. Bank Travel Portal will follow the governing rules of the airline, hotel, or other travel company.

Here’s how to book travel using the U.S. Bank Travel Portal:

• Log into your U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card account
• Click the button that says  My Rewards under the  My Accounts tab
• Click  Redeem Rewards & Access Card Benefits
• From the top menu bar, click  Travel
• Select the type of travel you’d like to search and perform a search
• On the Payment Options screen, you can choose to make purchases using all points, a mix of points and cash, or all cash
• Complete the checkout process

Bottom Line: The only time it would make sense to use the U.S. Bank Travel Portal is if your points redemption falls under the minimum Real-Time Mobile Rewards redemption of $500 for lodging and $250 for car rentals. However, you run the risk of not getting the best price and not being able to stack coupons or discounts to your travel. 

The next best thing to do is just to get straight cash back with a cash back credit card . There are 2 ways to get cash back:

• Statement credit to your credit card account
• Deposit made to your U.S. Bank savings or checking account

You’d want to use the statement credit option if you have transactions you want to redeem points for.

If you just have a bunch of points on a credit card account that you don’t use often, then you can pick the deposit option.

You can redeem your Altitude points for gift cards as well with a flat 1 cent per point value. You’ll receive 1 cent per point regardless of which U.S. Bank Altitude card you have.

To do this, log into your online account, visit the Rewards Center homepage, and click  Redeem Rewards on the Rewards Details page.

You can choose from lots of different merchants like Amazon, Best Buy, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Macy’s.

The last (and least preferred) way to redeem Altitude points is to purchase merchandise. You’ll receive the worst value of around 0.9 to 1 cent per point using this method.

It’s best to just use Real-Time Mobile Rewards or at the very least to redeem the points as a statement credit after you make your shopping purchase.

Overall, there’s a lot to like about the U.S. Bank Altitude Rewards system. There used to only be 1 way to earn Altitude points, but there are now 2, with the third card option coming soon.

Interestingly, these cards each have their strong suits, including unique bonus categories. Therefore, it might make sense to add all 3 of these cards to create a comprehensive U.S. Bank Altitude points-earning portfolio machine.

Altitude points from the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card can be redeemed for up to 1.5 cents per point on travel purchases either via the Real-Time Mobile Rewards or through the U.S. Bank Travel Portal. The other 2 cards will be redeemed at a value of 1 cent per point, except for merchandise.

There are also a lot of perks associated with each credit card beyond the bonus categories, so be sure to look into all of them in-depth!

The information regarding the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite ® Card and U.S. Bank Altitude ® Go Visa Signature ® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

The information regarding the U.S. Bank Altitude ® Connect Visa Signature ® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i redeem my u.s. bank altitude points.

In general, you can redeem your U.S. Bank Altitude points by following these steps:

• Visit U.S. Bank’s homepage and log into your U.S. Bank Altitude card account

You can also redeem via Real-Time Mobile Rewards, which is a super-convenient way to use text messaging to redeem your points. You can follow these steps below:

• Go to U.S. Bank’s homepage
• Log in using your account information.
• Choose the categories you want to use Real-Time Mobile Rewards with
• Every time you make a purchase that qualifies, you’ll get a text message asking if you’d like to redeem points for the purchase.

How much are U.S. Bank points worth?

U.S. Bank points are worth up to 1.5 cents each in value. This is achieved when you have the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card and redeem your points towards travel, either through Real-Time Mobile Rewards or through the U.S. Bank Travel Portal.

In almost all other cases, your points are worth 1 cent per point, ranging from cash-back to gift cards. The other exception is purchasing merchandise, which will provide a lower 0.9 to 1 cent per point of value.

Is it hard to get approved for a U.S. Bank credit card?

Generally, U.S. Bank is much more sensitive to credit report information, such as the number of inquiries and the number of new accounts opened recently.

For this reason, you’ll want to have a strong credit profile and rating if you want to maximize your chances at getting approved.

The rule of thumb is you should have a minimum of a mid-700 credit score before applying.

What credit bureau does U.S. Bank pull from?

U.S. Bank pulls different bureaus depending on where your residential address is. For the most part, it pulls TransUnion, followed by Experian. Equifax is probably the least used by U.S. Bank.

How much money do you need to open a U.S. Bank account?

You can open most of the accounts without a large balance — however, there will be monthly maintenance fees. If you have a minimum balance or have a direct deposit set up, you may be able to waive the fees.

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This bonus value is an estimated valuation calculated by UP after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability and how much UP would pay to buy these points.

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U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve review: This overlooked card might be the perfect fit for your (mobile) wallet

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Looking to expand your credit card lineup and get more flexibility from the rewards you earn? With a 50,000-point sign-up bonus (worth $750 in travel), a $325 annual travel credit, and 3x points on travel and mobile wallet purchases, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite may be the card you are looking for.

Most people in the points-and-miles hobby don’t have a lot of cards from U.S. Bank, so the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve is an excellent card to consider if you already have cards from other issuers, like Chase.

Here’s what you get with the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve to help you decide if it’s a good fit for you.

The information for the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Current bonus

With the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card, you can earn 50,000 points (worth $750 in travel) after spending $4,500 on qualifying purchases within 90 days of account opening.

And you’ll earn:

• 3x points per $1 on travel purchases
• 3x points per $1 on mobile wallet purchases (like Apple Pay or Samsung Pay)
• 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases

That means you’ll earn a minimum of 54,500 points after meeting the minimum spending requirements (50,000 points from the sign-up bonus, plus at least 4,500 points from minimum spending) . And you’ll likely earn many more points if you frequently use the card for travel or mobile wallet purchases.

Benefits and perks

Annual travel credit.

In addition to the sign-up bonus, you’ll get a $325 travel credit every cardmember year.   You’ll also receive c om plimentary membership to Priority Pass Select airport lounges, with four free entries per year for you and one guest (you will not get additional memberships for authorized users).

Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee credit

Being stuck in the airport security line can really muck up a trip. Instead of dreading the airport experience, enroll in  TSA PreCheck or Global Entry  (which comes with TSA PreCheck). Once you’re approved, you can use an expedited security line (if your airport has one) when you’re flying with any of the 60+ participating airlines. Plus, you won’t have to remove your shoes, belt or laptop. It makes airport security a breeze. TSA PreCheck costs $85 and Global Entry costs $100, but if you pay either of those fees with this card ,  the fee will be reimbursed up to $100.

You can use this credit once every four years. When renew your TSA PreCheck or Global Entry with the card, you receive a statement credit of up to $100 as long as you keep your U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve.

Gogo Inflight Internet

Gogo Inflight Internet serves many popular airlines, such as American Airlines, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.  The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve comes with 12 complimentary Gogo passes. You need to register your card with Gogo prior to your flight to access your passes, which can be a valuable benefit for frequent travelers. If you’ve ever looked at the price of internet on a flight, this could save you money if you’re inclined to surf the web during your flight.

Primary car rental insurance

The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve gives you primary car rental insurance when you charge your entire rental amount to your card and decline the rental agency’s collision insurance (or loss damage waiver). It can save you $15+ per day on car rentals because you don’t have to pay for the insurance offered by the rental agency.

Priority Pass lounge membership

The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve comes with a Priority Pass membership. You’ll receive four free lounge visits per year for you and one guest.  After your fourth visit, you’ll be charged a discounted fee of $27 per person per visit.

This is far from the best Priority Pass membership available with a card. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Platinum Card® from American Express have far better Priority Pass perks (enrollment required).

Here’s an in-depth look at the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Card’s benefits and perks .

How to use U.S. Bank Altitude points

There are a number of ways to redeem points earned from the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card:

• Airfare, hotels and car rentals: Redeem points at a rate of 1.5 cents per point when using the U.S. Bank travel portal.
• Statement credit: Redeem points for a statement credit at a rate of 1 cent per point.
• Annual fee: Pay the $400 annual fee by redeeming 35,000 points for an effective redemption rate of ~1.14 cents per point ($400/35,000 points).

Note:    The minimum redemption is 1,000 points.

For anyone who likes free travel, using points for airfare, hotel and car rentals is a great option. Unfortunatel y, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve car d does not have transfer partners, such as those offered through other cards like  Chase and American Express . But the travel redemption rate of 1.5 cents per point is the same as one of our favorite cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Keep in mind, the $325 credit per cardmember year will offset travel expenses like flights, hotels, car rentals, and even public transportation.

Is the annual fee worth it?

The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card comes with an annual fee of $400, which is not waived the first year. And authorized users are an extra $75 each. But if you make the most of the card’s perks, you can offset most or all of the annual fee.

For example, the $325 in annual travel credits nearly covers the cost of the annual fee. If you use other benefits like the lounge membership and internet passes, you’re sure to come out ahead.

Plus, the card’s annual fee is lower than the annual fee for other popular travel cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Platinum Card® from American Express.

Here are the questions you should ask yourself when deciding whether the annual fee is worth it for you.

Other travel cards to consider

If you’re new to this hobby , you should apply for the Chase cards you want first. That way you aren’t restricted by Chase’s approval rules .

There are many fantastic travel cards from Chase , like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.

But if you can’t apply for Chase cards for a while or aren’t close to opening five cards in the last 24 months, this card could be a good option for you. Here’s an easy way to check your 5/24 status .

Insider tip

It’s worth noting that you must have an existing relationship with U.S. Bank to be approved for this card. I called U.S. Bank, and they said any product you have with them (auto loan, checking account, credit card) counts as a relationship. So if you have a U.S. Bank credit card, you have a relationship with U.S. Bank and are eligible for this card.

Note:   U.S. Bank is picky about approving applicants for its cards. And they are known for pulling credit scores from unconventional credit bureaus. Here’s how you can improve your approval odds by freezing your credit from these bureaus .

Who is this card for?

If you frequently make travel or mobile wallet purchases, this card is a great option.

Both of these categories earn 3x points per $1 spent.  And if you redeem your U.S. Bank Altitude points for travel, each point is worth 1.5 cents. That’s a total return of 4.5% (3 points x 1.5 cents per point), a great deal.

And if you would prefer cash back, you can redeem U.S. Bank Altitude points for statement credit at a rate of 1 cent per point. That’s a total return of 3% (3 points x 1 cent per point), which is also a good deal.

Bottom line

If you frequently use a credit card for travel or mobile wallet purchases, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card may be just what you are looking for.

The 3x earning rate on mobile wallet purchases is one of the best rates available. And it gives you a total return of 4.5% when you redeem points at 1.5 cents per point on the U.S. Bank travel portal. Plus, you get other great perks like a $325 in travel credit every cardmember year, Priority Pass Select membership with four free entries per year, and 12 free Gogo inflight Wi-Fi passes.

Are you a fan of the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card? If so, let us know why you like it.

Meghan Hunter

Contributor

Meghan Hunter is an editor for Million Mile Secrets. She covers points, miles, credit cards, airlines, hotels and general travel. Her work has also appeared in The Points Guy.

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Ultimate guide to the Citi travel portal

Editor's Note

The new Citi travel portal launched earlier this year , offering an enhanced user experience, more hotel options and a new feature for booking activities and attractions. Citi Travel with Booking.com is powered by Rocket Travel by Agoda, utilizing the features and booking availability of Booking.com's brands.

In this article, we will explore the functionality of the new Citi travel portal, discuss any potential drawbacks and clarify who can access this booking engine. Additionally, we will provide a step-by-step guide on using the portal to book your desired travel experiences and explain how to pay using your ThankYou points.

What is the Citi travel portal?

There are four main selling points for using Citi Travel with Booking.com.

First, it provides a one-stop shop for travel that you can pay for with your Citi ThankYou points while booking multiple elements of a trip simultaneously. This can be simpler than transferring points to separate airline or hotel partners and booking your trip piece by piece — and you can even use as many or as few points as you want. The downside is that you might achieve less value from your points to gain simplicity.

Second, the portal allows you to use points to pay for travel beyond flights and hotels, such as guided tours and theme park tickets. You can't do this with Citi's list of transfer partners, and you may achieve better value paying for travel with points in Citi's portal than you would by cashing out your points .

Third, certain card benefits require using the Citi travel portal. This is true of hotel benefits built into the Citi Prestige® Card (no longer open to new applicants) and Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees ). We'll explore those below.

The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Lastly, if you're paying for travel (and not using points), you may be interested in the bonus points available when using Citi Travel with Booking.com. Competitors like the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal , American Express Travel and Capital One Travel offer higher earn rates (depending on which credit cards you have) when booking your travel in the bank's portal rather than directly.

Through June 30, 2024, Citi cardholders can earn bonus points as follows:

• 10 points per dollar on reservations for hotels, rental cars and eligible attractions with the Citi Prestige® Card (no longer open to new applicants) and the Citi Premier® Card

Through December 31, 2025, Citi cardholders can earn bonus points as follows:

• 5 points per dollar on these same bookings with the Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card (no longer open to new applicants) and the Citi Rewards+® Card (see rates and fees )

The information for the Citi ThankYou Preferred card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The fact that Citi's portal provides a one-stop shop for your vacation is its main strength. The ability to book hotels, rental cars and even entrance tickets to tourist attractions in one place (and even pay for these with your points) provides great simplicity.

Related: The ultimate guide to Citi ThankYou Rewards

How to use the Citi travel portal

Citi's portal sets itself apart from competitors by being available to anyone with a credit card earning Citi ThankYou points . For comparison, some travel portals reserve their best features for cardholders with expensive premium credit cards . Thus, you can access the portal with the $495-a-year Citi Prestige Card and the no-annual-fee Citi Rewards+ Card .

You can access Citi Travel with Booking.com by clicking this link and logging into your Citi account. If you have multiple Citi credit cards, you must select which card you want to use for booking travel.

Once you select a card, you're ready to start booking travel.

How to book flights using the Citi travel portal

Booking flights in Citi's portal functions similarly to other portals. You'll choose whether this is a one-way or round-trip flight and provide the route, number of passengers, dates and class of travel. Unfortunately, you can't book multi-city itineraries.

Here's an example search from Chicago to Los Angeles. Note that you can use cities for your search if you don't have a specific airport preference.

The Citi Travel portal offers many filters and sorting options to help you find the most suitable travel options. These filters allow you to refine your search based on price, duration, departure and arrival times, number of connections and even your preferred airline. Furthermore, you can sort the results using these options without losing any filtering choices.

To change the sorting order of the results, click on the "Best overall" drop-down menu on the right side above the price of the first result.

Once you have selected a flight, you will be prompted to provide passenger information, including names, dates of birth, frequent flyer numbers and known traveler numbers for TSA PreCheck and Global Entry (if applicable).

Additionally, before making your payment, you can upgrade to a higher class of travel if it is available. This is the first time you'll see the cost to book a main cabin fare instead of a basic economy fare.

And if your fare class lets you select a seat, you can do so before heading to the payment page.

On the final page, you'll choose how you want to pay (with your points, credit card or a mix of the two) and complete your purchase. The redemption rate is an underwhelming 1 cent per point. For context, our valuations peg ThankYou points at 1.8 cents apiece, which you should be able to get by maximizing Citi's transfer partners .

How to book hotels using the Citi travel portal

Booking hotels will feel familiar to those who have used other portals.

You should choose your Citi Premier or Citi Prestige card before beginning your hotel search if you intend to use those cards' benefits. Premier cardholders can use a $100 hotel credit each calendar year on a booking of $500 or more. In contrast, Prestige cardholders get a fourth night free on hotel bookings in the portal, available up to twice per calendar year.

From here, you can add filters to help you reduce your results, such as by price, neighborhood, star rating and nearby attractions.

Once you pick a property, you'll see details on its amenities and features.

Then, you can select your desired room.

After choosing a room type, you can pay with points at checkout. Again, each point is worth a lackluster 1 cent.

You'll also have the option to view the cancellation policy before paying. Since policies can vary, ensure you know whether it's possible to change or cancel your booking before you make the final payment.

However, if you book a hotel that's part of a major loyalty program — like Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy — through Citi, you likely won't earn points, nor will you enjoy any elite status perks on your reservation.

Hotel Collection and Luxury Collection properties

Alongside its revamped portal, Citi has introduced two new hotel programs, namely the Hotel Collection and the Luxury Collection. These programs offer similar advantages to other luxury hotel programs offered by credit cards .

Reservations through the Hotel and Luxury Collection have no minimum stay requirements. However, access to the Luxury Collection is exclusive to Citi Premier and Citi Prestige cardholders.

You will receive guaranteed benefits such as daily breakfast for two people and complimentary Wi-Fi for Hotel Collection bookings. In addition to these perks, the Luxury Collection offers a $100 on-property credit, which can be used based on the policies of each hotel. Both programs also provide other benefits, such as early check-in, late checkout and room upgrades (specifically for Luxury Collection bookings, subject to availability at check-in).

Unfortunately, you can't filter search results specifically for Hotel and Luxury collections properties. To identify these properties, you must look for a tag or description indicating their inclusion in your search results.

Related: A comparison of luxury hotel programs from credit card issuers: Amex, Capital One, Chase and Citi

How to book rental cars using the Citi travel portal

Searching for rental cars feels familiar and works quickly.

After providing your location, dates, times and age, click "Search." From the available results, you can use the following filters:

• Vehicle type
• Rental company
• Free cancellation option availability

After choosing a car, you can see the full details and cancellation policy on the next page.

As with other items in Citi Travel with Booking.com , you can add your rental car to the shopping cart (if booking multiple travel elements) or go straight to check out to pay and reserve. Again, you can pay with points at a rate of 1 cent apiece.

How to book attractions using the Citi travel portal

One standout feature of Citi's travel portal is the ability to book attractions along with your hotels, flights and rental cars. This convenient option allows you to make a single transaction for all your travel needs, and you can even use your points to pay for them.

To access this feature, look for the "Attractions" option in the main search bar. However, depending on your location within the portal, you may need to click "More" in the drop-down menu and select "Attractions" from there.

Once you search for a destination, you'll see all available options— from entrance tickets for tourist sights to guided tours. For example, you can book a guided walking tour of the Hollywood Sign.

When you see an activity or tickets you want to purchase, click on the tile. This will take you to a page with details about this offering and cancellation policies.

One noteworthy option is Chicago CityPASS tickets, including access to five popular attractions. Click on "Check availability" in the top right corner to choose your preferred date to find pricing and availability.

As with other elements of Citi's portal, you can pay for attraction bookings using ThankYou points with a value of 1 cent apiece.

More things to consider about the Citi travel portal

Now that you know how to use the Citi travel portal, here's some general guidance to maximize your experience.

As always, we recommend comparing prices. There is no guarantee that Citi Travel with Booking.com will offer the best price for your trip. It's recommended to compare the prices you see on the portal with prices available when booking directly with hotels, airlines, rental car companies or tour providers.

If you plan to pay with points, check if you can get better value by using fewer points with Citi's transfer partners . Transferring points to programs like Wyndham Rewards may let you get more value from your points. Check out our guide to redeeming Citi ThankYou points for high-value redemption ideas.

Also, if you book hotels or car rentals through Citi's travel portal, you may forfeit any elite status earnings and benefits. Many loyalty programs require direct bookings to recognize elite status and provide associated perks. Evaluate whether the benefits you would be giving up are worth it.

Finally, Citi Premier and Citi Prestige cardholders have exclusive benefits within the travel portal. Premier cardholders can enjoy $100 off a hotel stay of $500 or more once a calendar year, while Prestige cardholders can get a fourth night free on hotel stays of four nights or more twice a calendar year. If you're making an eligible hotel reservation, you'll see the option to use your available benefit on the payment screen.

You'll also see the benefit(s) highlighted on the hotel search page if you have one of these cards. This includes information on how many more times your benefit can be used.

If you don't see these benefits, check the top right corner of the portal and ensure your Premier or Prestige card is the active card for your searches.

Bottom line

Citi's revamped travel portal allows you to search and make travel reservations for flights, hotels, rental cars, and even tours and attractions. You can book travel up to a year in advance and pay using your Citi ThankYou points or any travel credit card .

Additionally, if you hold the Citi Premier or Citi Prestige, you can utilize your hotel benefits through the portal.

However, it's important to consider potential tradeoffs. Assess your elite status with hotel or rental car companies and determine if you might get better value by booking your travel through another platform. If convenience is your deciding factor, this user-friendly portal offers many results when planning your upcoming vacation.

Additional reporting by Kyle Olsen.

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AIG Travel Guard insurance review: What you need to know

Whether you need an annual plan or a policy for a last-minute trip, travel guard can deliver..

Travel Guard is one of CNBC Select 's picks for best travel insurance , thanks to its wide range of customizable policies. But are any of them right for you? Below, we review the provider and its offers and how they compare to the competition to help you choose the right travel insurance for your next trip.

Travel Guard review

Other insurance offered, how it compares, bottom line, travel guard® travel insurance.

The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote

Policy highlights

Travel Guard offers a variety of plans to suit travel ranging from road trips to long cruises. For air travelers, Travel Guard can help assist with tracking baggage or covering lost or delayed baggage.

24/7 assistance available

• A variety of plans are available to help cover different types of trips
• Not all products are available for purchase online

Travel Guard® is a global travel insurance provider specializing in plans for leisure and business travelers. Its online travel insurance packages include five options, from basic and last-minute trip coverage to more comprehensive plans. This allows travelers to pick a plan that best matches their situation.

For example, budget-minded travelers might go for the Essential Plan which offers basic protections, such as trip cancellation, interruption and delay insurance, coverage for lost, damaged and delayed baggage, and medical, evacuation and death coverage.

On the other hand, the Deluxe Plan — the most comprehensive option — adds such extras as missed connection coverage, security evacuation, travel inconvenience benefits and more. It also boosts high limits for essential coverages.

Last-minute travelers can opt for the Pack N' Go Plan which only includes certain post-departure coverages. Or, if you travel often, the Annual Plan can cover your trips throughout the year.

Finally, Travel Guard offers "offline" travel insurance packages, meaning you'll have to call if you're looking for a specialty plan.

Coverage types

Depending on the plan, here are the types of protection Travel Guard can include in your package:

• Trip cancellations
• Trip interruption
• Baggage coverage
• Baggage delay
• Travel medical expenses
• Travel inconvenience benefits (reimbursement for such situations as runway delays, cruise diversion and other unforeseen situations)
• Medical evacuation
• Trip Saver (reimbursement for meals, hotels and transportation if you need to begin your trip sooner due to weather or airline changes)
• Trip exchange (reimbursement in case you have to cancel your trip and book a new one due to covered unforeseen circumstances)
• Security evacuation (due to a riot or civil disorder)
• Flight guard (coverage for accidental death or dismemberment that occurs when traveling by plane)
• Pre-existing medical conditions exclusion waiver

You can also customize your plan with add-ons, such as car rental insurance and "cancel for any reason" coverage .

Travel Guard landed on our list of the best travel insurance companies thanks to its variety of coverage. With plenty of options to choose from, both online and offline, it's easy to build a policy that meets your needs.

Travel Guard also features 24-hour concierge services that you can use to book a new flight in case of an emergency or delay.

The provider's website also offers informational resources — here, you can check travel news, read safety tips and find general travel advice. Additionally, the website lets you modify your plan, file a claim and check its status, or apply for a voucher or refund.

As of writing, Travel Guard doesn't offer any discounts. That's common for travel insurance — you're more likely to find deals when shopping for other types of insurance, such as home and auto insurance .

Travel Guard is a portfolio of travel insurance and travel-related services offered by AIG Travel, a member of American International Group (AIG). AIG also offers life insurance and a variety of business insurance products.

Travel Guard makes it easy to get a travel insurance policy customized to your needs. But before you purchase coverage, it's always a good idea to shop around.

For example, if you're going on a cruise, you might want to look at Nationwide Travel Insurance . The provider advertises cruise-specific insurance with three plan options available. This type of coverage is designed with issues unique to cruises in mind — from ship-based breakdowns to missed pre-pard excursions.

If you're planning a more active trip filled with rock climbing or sky diving, Berkshire Hathaway offers the AdrenalineCare® plan which features coverage for unforeseen costs that result from participating in extreme sports on your trip, as well as reimbursement for sporting equipment delay. Pre-existing conditions are covered under this plan (if you meet qualifying conditions).

Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection

Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection has multiple plans to cover vacations from luxury travel to adventure travel. The brand's LuxuryCare offers the highest limits of travel insurance coverage offered by the company. Quotes and policies are available online.

As you can see, offerings vary by provider. It can be helpful to compare multiple companies and the plans they offer to find what works best for you. It's even better if you gather several quotes to ensure you're getting a good price for your policy.

Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox.  Sign up here .

Travel Guard offers plenty of ways to customize your policy, making it a solid choice for travel insurance. You can also access additional options by giving Travel Guard a call. However, make sure to check out other travel insurance companies too — comparison shopping is essential when picking any type of financial product.

Why trust CNBC Select?

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every insurance review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of insurance products . While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of  credit cards ,  banking  and  money , and follow us on  TikTok ,  Facebook ,  Instagram  and  Twitter  to stay up to date.

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Joe and Katherine’s Bargain Holidays review – comedians slum it with a ‘spa day’ in a pub car park

Budget ice baths, graveyard sleepovers and a night of slam poetry in Norwich! Joe Wilkinson and Katherine Ryan are super fun as they hunt for adventures that don’t break the bank

C hannel 4 has carved out a particular niche in daytime-shaped TV shows airing at night. This largely means that an afternoon-ish format, of the sort that would usually be broken up with ads for life insurance, animal charities and conservatories, now comes with the added frisson of knowing that a well-known comedian might say a bad word – see, for example, Eight Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. Here we are, then, in familiar territory, with Joe and Katherine’s Bargain Holidays, a strangely late-afternoon-meets-late-night travelogue from comedians Joe Wilkinson and Katherine Ryan , about how to enjoy a holiday on the cheap.

It was filmed in the summer of 2022 – that must be why England looks so green and pleasant, rather than soaked to the skin with six months’ worth of relentless rain – and bears the hallmarks of peak inflation, as it searches for the best means of getting away without breaking the bank. Wilkinson is the bargain-hunter here, while Ryan leans into her luxury-loving persona. Throughout her career, Ryan has always been refreshingly open about money, and here she continues to be frank, as she shrugs off any notion of embarrassment about splashing out on nice stuff. She’ll spend £500 on a spa day, she says, and £300 on dinner, or more, if she gets the train from London to Paris and back, just for a romantic meal with her husband. “I just don’t want to compromise on my lifestyle,” she says. “Shall we compromise for a bit?” asks Wilkinson. “No,” she replies.

But they do compromise. It’s a programme called Bargain Holidays, so that is the whole idea. The conceit for episode one is that they’re trying to have a romantic mini-break in Norfolk, where Norwich was recently voted “the most romantic city in the UK”. There are no luxury spa days here, however. There is a bargain spa day, put on by a pub that offers a variety of packages featuring activities such as paddleboarding, yoga while paddleboarding, an ice bath in the pub car park and a pint. Wilkinson whips out the first of many money-off vouchers, and gets 10% off, and everyone seems to be having a lovely day out. They spend the night cheaply “champing”, or camping in a church, in which the only real issues are whether it is appropriate to pee in the compost toilet next to the graveyard, and whether the bats will bother them while they sleep. Before they hole up for the night, they tuck in to a takeaway from the Too Good To Go app, which allows you to buy reduced-price food that would otherwise go to waste. The burrito that turns up is, appropriately for the church setting, a true revelation.

Despite the setup depending on odd-couple energy, Ryan has no qualms about “slumming” it and is open to pretty much everything, even if she compares the “champing” experience to the “hospitals in Chornobyl”. In the search for a free night out, they end up at a poetry open mic in Norwich. She even makes a decent slam poet, in the only section of the show that wouldn’t pass muster at teatime. The pair voucher and deal their way through several eating establishments, including one Italian that offers a bargain platter, if you accept having no choice in what you eat and the fact that what you get depends on the chef’s mood that day. “When does she start drinking?” Ryan quips. Wilkinson, meanwhile, makes the most of the romantic brief by pursuing his own interests entirely. His interests are owls, and paying to smash things up in a Rage Room. This counts as a bargain activity because it’s cheaper if you bring your own stuff to smash – although, amazingly, you do still have to pay to do it.

The show doesn’t hammer home the environmental credentials of a holiday without flying, possibly because they do fly in later episodes, but an attempt to visit a picturesque lavender field has a mini climate twist of its own: the owners had to harvest it all early, owing to the 2022 heatwave. The only reason Wilkinson and Ryan can get their purple-hued selfie is because the owners have left them a strip or two.

There aren’t many places left for the travelogue to go, both creatively and literally, although this is a perfectly fine addition to the genre. But I am preternaturally biased to enjoy a travel show like this, because this sort of holiday is right up my cobbled street. Give me owl sanctuaries and pub gardens and a 90-minute cruise on a frilly riverboat named Southern Comfort and I would consider myself rested, relaxed and very happy indeed.

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Estás ingresando al nuevo sitio web de U.S. Bank en español.

U.S. BANK FLEXPERKS ® BUSINESS TRAVEL REWARDS CARD

Benefits and Rewards

Get the most from your card.

Earn rewards, flexpoints add up quickly..

• Earn 2X FlexPoints  for every $1 spent at gas and electric vehicle charging stations, office supply stores, or airlines — whichever you spend most on each monthly billing cycle. 1
• Earn 2X FlexPoints on qualifying charitable donations. Choose from a wide range of eligible local, national and international charities. 2
• Earn 2X FlexPoints at most cell phone service providers. 2
• Earn 1X FlexPoint  for every $1 of eligible net purchases charged to your card. 3
• Earn 5X on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Rewards Center. 4
• FlexPoints expire five years from the end of the calendar quarter in which they were earned. 5
• The account must be open and in good standing to earn and redeem FlexPoints and benefits.

Visit the Rewards Center

Rewards Pooling

Rewards pooling is when all rewards earned by any card within the company card program accumulate to the Central Bill account, which can only be accessed by the Authorized Officer or Authorized Representative. Central Billing is required for rewards pooling.

Important Facts:

Most rewards accounts are automatically set up for rewards pooling. To verify if your account is set up for Central Bill with rewards pooling, contact  Cardmember Service  using the number on the back of your card. It will take up to two monthly statements to get set up on Central Billing and rewards pooling.

Learn About Central Billing

Redeem Rewards

• For example, 25,000 FlexPoints can be redeemed for $375 in airfare, hotel stays, car rentals, cruises, activities and more.
• Redeem FlexPoints for travel, merchandise, gift cards, cash back, live events and more. 6
• Redemption starts at just 1,000 FlexPoints.

How to redeem rewards:

• Log in to online banking .
• Under the “My Accounts” tab, select “My Rewards.”
• Click “Redeem Rewards & Access Card Benefits” to start redeeming.
• Or  Contact Us  to reach Cardmember Service.

Visa® Card Benefits⁷

View the Visa Card complete guide to benefits here (PDF).

Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver

Receive Auto Rental coverage by charging your entire rental transaction amount to your eligible card and declining the extra collision insurance (or loss damage waiver) from the rental company. If your rental car is damaged or stolen while you’re traveling, you can be covered! It’s your ticket to significant savings and increased peace of mind. Certain terms, conditions, and exclusions may apply. 7

Call 1-800-348-8472 for additional details to determine if this coverage is right for you or to  make a claim .

Roadside Dispatch

Get emergency roadside assistance with services like towing, fuel delivery, and more by calling 1-800-VISA-TOW ( 1-800-847-2869 ). Tell the operator where you are, what the problem is, and the operator will arrange a dispatch to a reliable tow operator or locksmith to provide help. The operator will let you know the name of the local tow operator or locksmith being sent to assist you. Cardmembers are responsible for any service fees. Certain terms, conditions, and exclusions may apply. 7

Travel Accident Insurance

Use your eligible credit card to purchase travel fares on common carriers (train, plane, bus, or ship) and receive automatic Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance for you and your family. Certain terms, restrictions, and exclusions may apply. 7

Contact Us  or call the number on the back of your card to learn more.

Travel and Emergency Assistance Services

Enjoy your trip knowing you have a wide range of emergency services available 24 hours a day when you are away from home. Get help coordinating medical, legal, and travel services when you need them. You are responsible for the cost of any actual medical, legal, transportation, cash advance, or other goods or services provided. Certain terms, conditions, and exclusions may apply. 7

Call 1-800-992-6029 to learn more.

Purchase Security

Protect your credit card purchases in case of theft or damage due to a covered reason for the first 90 days from the date of purchase. Purchase Security will replace, repair, or reimburse your eligible items of personal property purchased entirely with your eligible credit card. Certain terms, conditions, and exclusions may apply. 7

Call 1-800-848-1943 to learn more or to  make a claim .

Extended Warranty

Double the time period of the original manufacturer’s written U.S. warranty up to one (1) additional year on warranties of three (3) years or less – up to a maximum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per claim. The eligible item must have been purchased with your eligible credit card. Certain terms, conditions, and exclusions may apply. 7

Visa Discounts

Receive valuable discounts and/or gift-with-purchase offers from a wide collection of popular online and in-store retailers.

View Offers

Visa SavingsEdge ®

Enjoy this complimentary program where you can save up to 15% on business purchases. Enroll your Visa Business card to save money on qualifying purchases at participating merchants. Your savings appear as automatic credits on your future account statements.

Visa Spend Clarity

Enroll in Visa Spend Clarity, a simple and powerful free tool to access and sync expenses, set employee card controls, generate reports, and more.

Additional Benefits for Visa Signature ® Cardmembers

View the Visa Signature ® Card complete guide to benefits here (PDF).

• Not sure if you are a Visa Signature Cardmember?            - Look for the product name on your billing statement.

Lost Luggage Reimbursement

Enjoy greater peace of mind when you travel. If your checked or carry-on luggage and its contents are lost due to theft or misdirection by the common carrier, you can get reimbursed for the actual cost of repairing or replacing it. Certain terms, conditions, and exclusions may apply. 7

Call 1-800-757-1274 to learn more or make a claim .

Concierge Services

Enjoy personalized assistance with restaurant and travel reservations, event tickets, gift arrangements, business services, and more. Cardholders are responsible for the cost of any goods or services purchased. Certain terms, conditions, and exclusions may apply. 7

Learn More or call 1-800-953-7392 to talk with Concierge Services now.

Event Access, Offers, and Discounts

Enjoy access to special packages, discounts, offers, upgrades, and events in these categories: Travel, Entertainment, Fine Wine and Food, Sports, and Shopping.

Service Benefits

24/7 u.s.-based customer service.

We have dedicated specialists available 24/7 to assist you with any questions about your account.

Contact Us  or call the number on the back of your card.

Fraud Protection

We have sophisticated fraud-monitoring tools that look for abnormal spending patterns. If we see something unusual, we move fast to keep your card and your account information safe.

Your account is also protected with zero fraud liability, which means you’ll get reimbursed for 100% of fraud losses due to unauthorized use of your account. Please notify U.S. Bank promptly of any unauthorized use. Certain conditions and limitations may apply.

Chip Technology

Your credit card is embedded with a microchip that adds an additional layer of security to your traditional magnetic stripe card. It turns cardmember information into a unique code that is virtually impossible to duplicate or copy when used at a chip-enabled terminal. If the merchant has a chip terminal, they will ask you to simply insert your card into the terminal and sign your name to verify your purchase. At merchants who are not equipped with chip terminals, swipe your card and sign your name as usual.

Online and Mobile Account Access

View your account balance, pay your credit card, set up account alerts, and more.

Online Banking         Mobile Banking

Budgeting Tools

You know best how to manage your money, which is why U.S. Bank offers free credit card management tools that help you avoid interest and late fees. You can also set up account alerts, set controls and choose your payment due date.

Spend Analysis Online Reporting

Our Spend Analysis online reporting tool makes tracking and monitoring expenses easy.

• Monitor transactions in your top spend categories, such as Automotive, Food or Travel.
• Review transactions monthly, quarterly or annually.
• Download an easy to read Annual Account Summary (PDF format).

Simply log in to  Online Banking , select your credit card and click “Spend Analysis.”

Financial IQ

The U.S. Bank Financial IQ website offers educational, inspirational and thought leadership topics to promote financial wellness for everyone, whether at work, home or play. To find topics to support you and your business, please visit usbank.com/financialiq  and click on the "Manage your Business" section.

Additional Perks

$25 airline allowance.

Cardmembers may receive up to a $25 airline allowance with each redeemed round-trip airline award travel ticket toward baggage fees and other qualified ‘inflight’ purchases. 8

Combine Earned FlexPoints into a Single Account

If you have more than one FlexPerks credit card with more than one loyalty number, you can combine all your FlexPoints to go to one loyalty number. Contact Us to learn more.

Transfer FlexPoints with No Fee or Cost

If you want to transfer FlexPoints to another person, you can do that at no cost.

• Log in to online banking and select “My Rewards” under the “My Accounts” tab.
• Click “Redeem Rewards & Access Card Benefits” to enter the Reward Center.
• Select “Manage Points” and then click the “Transfer Points” tab.

Important: You will need the person’s FlexPoints Number or FlexPerks Account Number.

Earn Frequent Flyer Miles

Earn frequent flyer miles on the airline you fly for your award travel flight. You must be a member of the airline’s frequent flyer program.

The Contactless Symbol and Contactless Indicator are trademarks owned by and used with the permission of EMVCo, LLC.

U.S. Bank FlexPerks Business Travel Rewards Visa cardmembers may earn additional FlexPoints for purchases at merchants that are classified as: gas and electric vehicle charging stations, office supply stores or airlines (each, a "Category").  You may earn one (1) additional FlexPoint for every $1 in Net Purchases in the one Category in any given monthly billing cycle that has the highest total of Net Purchases charged to your Account (the "Highest Category"). U.S. Bank cannot control how merchants choose to classify their business and reserves the right to determine which Purchases will qualify.

U.S. Bank FlexPerks Business Travel Rewards Visa cardmembers may earn one (1) additional FlexPoint for every $1 in Net Purchases during the current month’s billing cycle for any merchant that classifies itself as a Charitable and Social Service Organization. In addition, for any cellular services provider merchant, FlexPerks Travel Rewards cardmembers may earn one (1) additional FlexPoint for every $1 in Net Purchases during each monthly billing cycle. U.S. Bank cannot control how merchants choose to classify their business and reserves the right to determine which Purchases will qualify.

U.S. Bank will credit your FlexPerks Business Travel Rewards Account with one (1) FlexPoint for every $1 in Net Purchases. FlexPoints will be awarded as long as your Account is open and not 5 days or more past due at the close of your billing period. We will not award FlexPoints for Advances, Convenience Checks, Balance Transfers, Interest Charges and Fees, credit insurance charges, or transactions to fund certain prepaid card products. We reserve the right to adjust the number of FlexPoints for Purchases or to stop issuing FlexPoints for Purchases on the Account, upon notice to you. Refer to the FlexPerks Cardmember Agreement for full details.

U.S. Bank FlexPerks Business Travel Rewards cardmembers will earn four (4) additional Points for every $1 in eligible Net Purchases spent on prepaid car and hotel reservations in the travel center using your U.S. Bank FlexPerks Business Travel Rewards Card. Prepaid car and hotel reservations in the travel center are not classified as a travel category merchant transactions and are not eligible to receive the additional points for that category. Please allow 1-2 statement billing cycles for your bonus Points to appear on your credit card statement. Refer to the Rewards Center for full details.

FlexPoints will expire at the end of the calendar quarter, at 11p.m. Central Time, that is five years from the date on which they were earned. FlexPoints are redeemed or expire on a first-in, first-out basis, so the FlexPoints you earned first are used or expire before FlexPoints you earned later.

Cash back is redeemed in the form of a statement credit or a deposit made to your U.S. Bank Savings, or Checking Account (2,500 FlexPoints minimum redemption). Available Travel Rewards, Gift Certificate Rewards, Merchandise Rewards, Magazines, Statement Credits and any other Program Rewards, and the number of FlexPoints needed to obtain each reward, are available to Cardmembers at the Rewards Center online at www.usbank.com (log into online banking) or by phone at 888-229-8864. U.S. Bank and/or third-party vendors may change or terminate participating merchants; withdraw, limit, modify or cancel any rewards; or increase the number of FlexPoints required for any reward at any time without advance notice, even though such changes may affect the accrual or value of points or rewards. For redemptions, information about the current Program Rewards Schedule, inquiries and updates, visit the Rewards Center online at usbank.com or call 888-229-8864 between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. (CT) Monday through Friday, and between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. (CT) Saturday through Sunday.

Please see the link to the Guide to Benefits PDF document at the top of this section for full details. Benefit descriptions are intended to provide general information about the coverage made available to you by U.S. Bank. Benefits vary by credit card product.

FlexPerks Business Travel Rewards Visa Cardmembers may receive up to a $25 airline allowance with each redeemed round-trip airline award travel ticket. Effective July 1, 2019, you must redeem a minimum of 10,000 FlexPoints per round-trip airline award ticket in order to be eligible for the $25 airline allowance. Cardmembers who redeem FlexPoints for award travel may be credited up to $25 on a future statement for Qualified Purchases made using their FlexPerks Business Travel Rewards Visa Card with the airline carrier providing award travel flight. “Qualified Purchases” are any purchases made with your FlexPerks Business Travel Rewards Visa Card that post to your account under the airline carrier providing your award travel flight between the dates of your award travel flight. U.S. Bank cannot control which credit card issuers an airline chooses to accept. If you purchase airfare from an airline and use Real-Time Mobile Rewards to pay for the airfare, you will not be eligible to receive the $25 Airline Allowance; the $25 Airline Allowance is only available for travel rewards FlexPoints redemption made through the Rewards Center online or by phone. Cardmembers must call Cardmember Services using the phone number printed on the back of their card to request a statement credit within 90 days of a Qualified Purchase. Once the request is approved by Cardmember Services, the Cardmember will receive a statement credit within 4 to 6 weeks for the amount of the qualified purchase, up to $25. A statement credit will reduce the Account balance, but does not count as a payment and thus does not reduce the minimum payment due. U.S. Bank does not have the ability to control how a merchant chooses to classify their business and therefore reserves the right to determine which purchases qualify for allowance. You may redeem allowance for Qualified Purchases only if the outstanding balance of your account is below its revolve limit and if your account is open and in good standing under the terms of your Cardmember Agreement. Once you or we close your account for any reason, your allowance may be forfeited.