U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Signature Card Review

Full Review of U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Signature Card

Pros Explained

• Standout Rewards on Dining: The U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Signature card offers a whopping 4 points per dollar on dining, takeout, and food delivery services. That’s tied for the best rewards rate on dining-related purchases among major credit cards. Other dining heavyweights include the Capital One Savor Cash Back Rewards card and the American Express Gold card. However, neither of those cards offers bonus rewards on purchases made with food delivery services, which is specifically included with this one. Both also carry pricey annual fees—with Savor charging $95 per year and American Express Gold charging $250.
• Annual Bonus for Streaming Services: With this card, you’ll get a $15 credit once a year when you use it for eligible streaming services for 11 consecutive months. Options include Netflix, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, and YouTubeTV.
• No Annual Fee and 0% Introductory APR: Despite the card’s solid rewards, it doesn’t charge an annual fee, so you don’t have to run the numbers to make sure you’re getting enough value to justify the upfront cost. It also has an introductory 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 billing cycles. This means that you can make a large purchase or transfer a balance from another card, and you’ll get a year to pay it off interest-free. The card does, however, charge a fee for balance transfers: either $5 or 3% of the amount of the transfer, whichever is greater.

Cons Explained

• Low Base Rewards Rate: This card offers bonus rewards on a lot of everyday spending categories, but its base rewards rate is just 1 point per dollar. As a result, many of your purchases will likely net a mediocre rewards rate. To maximize your rewards, you might consider pairing this card with one that offers a base rewards rate of 1.5% or 2%, such as the Chase Freedom Unlimited or Citi Double Cash card.
• Less Value Than Some Annual-Fee Cards: There’s not much to dislike about the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Signature card. But if you’re looking for even more value, you might be able to get it from an annual fee credit card. Some of these cards have much bigger one-time offers, more valuable rewards, and other lucrative benefits.

The U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Signature card is best suited for people who spend a lot of money dining out, getting takeout, or ordering food delivery. The card’s 4X multiplier on these purchases will make it easy to rack up rewards quickly. 

Besides that, you’ll also get double points at grocery stores and even on grocery delivery services, which is an uncommon bonus category. So whether you’re buying food to make yourself or paying someone else to prepare your meals, you get extra points on the purchase.

This card could also be a good option for people who spend a lot on streaming services. While its 2% rewards rate on those purchases isn’t the best in the business—the Blue Cash Preferred card from American Express takes the crown with its 6% rewards rate (though with a $95 annual fee)—its annual streaming credit provides an added bonus.

U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Signature Card One-Time Offer

You’ll earn 20,000 bonus points if you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days on the card—that’s an effective 25% return on your spending. The bonus is worth $200 when redeemed, which is a solid value for a card with no annual fee. However, some similar cards offer one-time offers worth $150 or $200 after just $500 in spending.

Rewards Earning Details

This card offers 4 points per dollar on takeout, food delivery, and restaurant dining, as well as 2 points per dollar at grocery stores and gas stations and on grocery delivery and streaming services. Everything else earns 1 point per dollar. 

The dining-related bonus rewards are among the best you can find. But if you’re specifically looking for a card that offers extra points on groceries, gas, and streaming services, you can get better rewards rates with other cards.

Rewards Redemption Details

U.S. Bank offers several redemption options, including cash back, gift cards, travel, and merchandise. Points are worth 1 cent apiece across all redemptions, and they never expire.

How to Maximize Your Rewards

The best way to maximize rewards with the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Signature card is to pair it with another card that offers a high rewards rate in all spending categories. If you use this card for its bonus rewards categories and the second card for everything else, you’ll always get more than 1% back on your purchases.

Also, be sure to spend enough in the first few months to earn the card’s one-time offer. You may not be able to do that with bonus spending alone, so plan to use the card for most of your purchases until you hit the $1,000 threshold—that’s about $333 per month for the three months.

Cardholder Experience

Among the 11 national issuers in J.D. Power’s 2021 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study, U.S. Bank ranked 10th, with a below-average rating of 782 out of 1,000. The average score was 860.

U.S. Bank offers complimentary access to your VantageScore credit score, which can give you a good idea of your credit standing. However, many other major card issuers offer access to your FICO credit score, which is more widely used by lenders.

You can manage your account through online banking or with the U.S. Bank mobile app. If you need assistance, customer service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Security Features

The U.S. Bank mobile app allows you to lock and unlock your card, which can be helpful if you’ve misplaced the card or think someone has stolen it and you want to prevent any unauthorized purchases. U.S. Bank also offers other standard security measures to protect cardholders.

Fees to Watch out For

For the most part, the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Signature card’s fees are pretty standard. One exception is that the card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. Most non-travel credit cards charge up to 3% on purchases made abroad.

Our Verdict

The U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Signature card offers a lot of value for a credit card with no annual fee. It’s especially worth considering if you frequently dine out or order in. And the card’s $15 annual streaming credit can make a modest contribution to your entertainment budget. However, the card’s other rewards rates aren’t the best available, so it might be better paired with another rewards credit card that can get you a high rate on all of your purchases.