The U.S. Bank Altitude Connect is a travel-focused Visa Signature credit card with a low annual fee. It earns a relatively high cash back rate on travel and gas expenses. It’s also good for streaming-related expenses. However, most people will be better off with the Altitude Go (no fee) or Altitude Reserve (high fee).
Update, March 2024: U.S. Bank announced that a number of changes are coming to this card on September 9th, 2024. Changes include: removing the $95 annual fee, lowering the value of points by 20% when not redeemed for travel, removing cell phone insurance, and removing the $30 annual streaming credit. The card will still earn 4x points on travel and gas, which actually makes things interesting despite the negative changes. The Altitude Connect will become roughly equivalent to the best no-fee travel card, the Penfed Pathfinder Rewards, if not better (since it keeps Priority Pass and Global Entry). We’ll update our review of the Altitude Connect when its changes take effect, and re-evaluate its value.
Our review from 2022 remains below:
FEATURES AT A GLANCE
- $95 annual fee (waived for the first year, and will be eliminated on 9/9/24)
- No foreign transaction fees
- 5x points on hotels and car rentals (booked through U.S. Bank)
- 4x points on all other travel
- 4x points on gas (and electric vehicle charging stations) (will become limited to your first $1,000 each quarter)
- 2x points on grocery (including delivery)
- 2x points on dining
- 2x points on streaming
- 1x points on everything else
- $30 annual streaming credit
- $100 credit towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (once every 4 years)
SIGN UP BONUS
You can earn 50,000 bonus points ($500) after spending $2,000 in your first 120 days after opening the card. This is a 25% RoS (Return on Spend).
U.S. Bank has occasional sign-up bonuses for checking accounts too, up to $400. Or if you check with your friends who already use the bank, there may be referral offers.
OTHER BENEFITS OF THE ALTITUDE CONNECT CARD
- Visa Signature benefits, including:
- Free Priority Pass Select membership (good for 4 visits per year, normally costing about $227 total)
- Cell Phone Protection ($100 deductible with a $600 annual maximum claim limit)
Unfortunately, despite being a “travel” card, there aren’t any travel protections. Premium cards like the Altitude Reserve usually have trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage insurance, and more benefits.
RESTRICTIONS AND CREDIT SCORE
Recommended credit score: 670+
U.S. Bank usually pulls credit reports from TransUnion.
U.S. Bank (USB) can be tough on approvals and they have regional restrictions. If you don’t live within 50 miles of a bank branch, they may automatically deny your application. People have reported that opening a brokerage account (IRA) can get around this requirement, and start a banking relationship, but YMMV. Otherwise, their general anti-churning rules apply. There isn’t a hard limit on how many U.S. Bank cards you can carry around.
“Streaming” includes: Amazon Music, Amazon Prime Video, Apple Music, Apple TV+, DirecTV Stream, Discovery+, Disney+, ESPN+, Fubo TV, Google Music, HBO Max, Hulu, iHeart, Luminary, MLB TV, NBA League Pass, Netflix, NHL Live, Pandora, Paramount+, Peacock, Showtime, SiriusXM, Slacker Radio, Sling TV, Spotify, Starz, Stitcher, Tidal, Vudu, YouTube Music, Youtube TV, and YouTube Premium.
The “travel” category seems pretty broad, but they don’t list everything; just some examples. (Including airlines, hotels, car rentals, taxicabs, limousines, and passenger trains.)
MAXIMIZING REWARDS WITH THE ALTITUDE CONNECT CARD
To earn the streaming credit, just pay the monthly fees for your service(s) of choice for 11 months. You’ll get the $30 on the 12th month. The value of this credit depends on how much you pay for streaming. If you spend $300 annually on streaming, the Connect is equivalent to 12% back ($6 at 2% cash back plus $30 credit). If you spend $1,000 per year, it’s equivalent to 5% back ($20 at 2% back plus $30 credit).
Keep in mind that the Connect has a $95 annual fee after the first year. You’ll have to get full value from all of its benefits to ensure that the fee is worthwhile. In general, this is unlikely. The streaming credit and Global Entry reimbursement are worth about 50% of the annual fee. You’ll have to spend about $5,000 on travel/gas to make up for this, compared to a 3% card. (4% of $5,000 is $200 cash back while 3% of $5,000 is $150 cash back.) Other credit cards are probably better.
Although they share the “Altitude” name, you can’t transfer your points to the Altitude Reserve for increased value.
Points are unlimited and don’t expire. With U.S. Bank’s “Real Time Rewards,” points can be redeemed instantly if you want. For some redemption options, there’s a $25 minimum to redeem points.
The Gold Checking account is free for anyone with an open U.S. Bank personal loan or credit card. Some people start their U.S. Bank relationship by opening a no-fee card like Altitude Go or Cash+. Then getting a checking account sign-up bonus later.
ALTERNATIVES TO THE ALTITUDE CONNECT
The first and most obvious alternative is the bigger U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve. Although its upfront annual fee is higher, the effective annual fee is potentially lower. The Reserve has a $75 annual fee after using the $325 annual travel credit. It also has Global Entry reimbursement, Priority Pass, Visa Infinite benefits, and points are worth more. Reserve gets up to 4.5% cash back on travel and all mobile wallet purchases (works for grocery, gas, retail, and other categories). Most places now support mobile wallets, so the Altitude Reserve may earn a lot more cash back than the Altitude Connect.
Connect’s only benefit over the Reserve is the $30 annual streaming credit. As mentioned above though, this depends on your spending habits. If you spend a lot on streaming, you may want a different option.
Connect’s 4x points on gas and electric vehicle charging stations is good, although it isn’t the best possible rate. Other credit cards can earn more cash back, like the Penfed Platinum Rewards.
Getting 2x points for grocery/dining is fairly useless. Any of the best everyday cards will earn at least 2% back on ALL purchases. The Citi Custom Cash is generally best for groceries with 5% cash back instead of 2%. A number of cards are similar for restaurant spending. Even the Altitude Go is better than the Altitude Connect for dining.
For a travel alternative, consider the Penfed Pathfinder Rewards. It earns at least 3.4% cash back on all travel expenses. It also has a $100 airline credit, basic Priority Pass, and the same Global Entry credit. You may also like the new Capital One Venture X. It earns 2-10% cash back on everything, is fee-free for many people, has lounge access and Global Entry reimbursement, and has better cell phone protection. The Connect’s insurance is better than nothing, but other credit cards have fewer limitations.
Or, if you plan to spend a lot on travel, try other metal cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or American Express Platinum.
CONCLUSION
The Altitude Connect is a decent card, but not best-in-class for every category, especially if you’re willing to carry more than one card in your wallet. It does work well for travel and gas/EV expenses, except the annual fee decreases the effective cash back rate.
Connect may work well for some people. It’s just that better options may be available. If you don’t spend enough on travel, the Connect’s annual fee is too high. If you spend a lot on travel, then higher-fee cards have more benefits for you. Mid-tier credit cards are often in an awkward spot. Altitude Connect at least fares better than most of them. Only in cash back, though. It’s a shame that the Altitude Connect doesn’t have trip cancellation/delay insurance or other perks.
Before applying, ask yourself: is your spending high enough to offset the annual fee? Or is the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve a better option? Or will you downgrade the Connect to the Altitude Go when the annual fee finally hits?
We rate the Altitude Connect card 3 out of 5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐
Note: This review was last updated in March 2024. Details may have changed since then. Please do your own research where applicable, to ensure you’re getting the best deal. Or contact us directly to benefit from our personalized consulting services!