Review: The New US Bank Altitude Reserve Card

I recently froze ARS and Sagestream credit reports, because of all the stuff I read that USBank checks those and it's an issue. but now I'm seeing DPs of people being rejected specifically because they froze those reports.
Any news on this? Should I unfreeze before applying for anything?

Would other personal and business CC count toward "being a customer"?

"The premium credit card space sure is heating us" should be "heating up".

@Ben: Just a quick heads up about the small typo in the first sentence 😉

Denied. Screw US Bank! I never liked them in the first place

Denied - credit score 825 but I'm sure too many inquiries for them. Never a problem for Chase non 5/24 cards, Amex, Barclays, and B of A.

You can refill Starbucks cards using Apple Pay. How much do you spend on Starbucks in a year, Ben?

😉

I think a lot of online applications are getting denied due to not having a relationship with US Bank. There seems to be a screening issue right now. I would call them and ask them and they will do a manual review by a manager and get back in a day or 2.

That is what happened with me.

only 50k points? not exactly on my to do list. while there may be some good perks to offest some of the high annual fee, i can get Numerous 50k cards with no to lil annual fee.
my first bank account was with US Bank over 20 years and i have $5 in it still accruing about a penny each year.

Do you mean you do have accounts, but US Bank online is not recognizing that?

@JL100- Correct. They are only seeing checking accounts etc but not realizing Credit Card accounts and therefore if you don't have checking/savings before 30 days or so, then they automatically deny the app. You have to call and then they will see whether you have a credit card and accept that and give it to a manager for manual review.

Sam, ok great I have a long standing Cash+ card. thanks will try.

Hey Lucky--you actually can pay your taxes with mobile wallet. See the IRS's payment page, the third column: https://www.irs.gov/uac/pay-taxes-by-credit-or-debit-card

This is interesting, paying rent with Radpad codes as travel with many cards (CSP, CSR), you can also pay using apple pay or android pay, thus becoming mobile wallet. Could you potentially get 6x points using this service? That would make me go get a us bank account today!

Ben, you need to get a Samsung phone.

You don't need a checking or savings account. I applied and got approved. I do have 2 credit cards with them, both about 1 year and 7 months old.

Watching this card with interest. I currently have an SPG for transfers to AA, but the possibility of getting 4.5 cents toward airfare (3x bonus and 1.5x redeem) would be a great addition. Eventually, I would imagine SPG will go away and if AA doesn't become a transfer partner with Thank you points, this would be a good companion for us. Need to get a newer Samsung phone though, LOL.

So these points are not Flexperks, but some other points. Please clarify

The major limitation with this card is that in order to redeem at the 1.5x rate for travel, you have to do so through the US Bank travel portal. That means potentially getting stuck with Basic Economy fares, no elite benefits at hotels, etc. I guess you could just book what you want and redeem at 1 cent/point, but then why not just get a no-fee cash back card? Not a winner in my book - unless Kroger and Sam's start taking Apple Pay, in which case I'll probably bite the bullet and get it.

@Jason - no dice on 6x points. The T&Cs say all mobile wallet purchases will count under the "mobile wallet" category, even if it's a travel purchase.

@MeanMeosh - why wouldn't their travel portal work like Amex's? If you use their points through their portal to buy tickets, and possibly even business or first class, it would be like using cash as far as the airline is concerned and you'd earn miles on those flights. Plus, avoid blackout dates, too, that miles have to deal with.

Of course, we don't anything about how this would work, but when I read about redeeming for travel thru a portal, I assumed that's how it was. Could be wrong. I'm being hopeful, but cautiously watching how the card and program ends up.

@James - the issue is if you try to book a coach ticket and then apply points to the purchase, you are all too often forced into a Basic Economy fare with no simple workaround. One of my colleagues at Travel Codex covered the process of trying to call customer service and force a fare class change with all three (Amex, Citi, Chase). It's not easy, and in some cases seemed impossible. If you're booking J or F, then you're right, it doesn't matter. Hotels are also an issue because most of the chains block elite benefits and points earning for any rooms booked through a third-party website. So yes, the room is still "free", though at an opportunity cost.

Hey Ben, or anyone, what are those altitude points worth in terms of airlines. For example you can transfer Ultimate rewards points to SQ, or Amex points to Emirates, or Citi points of Garuda. Does US bank have their own list of transfer partners?

I don't see ANY reason to acquire this card . . .

@Jason Brandt

Except that you can get a 4.5% travel return on literally every purchase. But, other than that, no, it is horrible.

Interesting... I max at my Amex everyday for grocery pretty early on in the year and this would make a great second card for my groceries purchases, given that every one of the places I shop at takes Apple Pay... plus it gives me a new place to buy gift cards...

Does it also work for Apple Pay on the web?

@THEsocalledfan - how do you get to 100% at 3x? A good portion of my charges are online (so ineligible) and a fairly decent percentage of the physical locations I go to do not support mobile payments. I will know more once I start using the card, but I would expect to get far less than 50% at 3x.

Someone please tell me, what's the redemption minimum, how many points? With CSR, it starts at 1 point which is $0.01. Also, can I pay a portion of a ticket with points and the rest with money like CSR.

@freqflyer Samsung pay can be used nearly anywhere. Look it up. Online, I agree with you, but even that could be navigated if cleaver. Just think outside the box!

How do you make mobile payments to pay for taxes?

2025 Update: mailed to me Friday, US Bank sent out a notice hatcheting the best benefits of this card. No more 1.5x multiplier on redemptions, mobile payments capped at 5k / month for the 3x earnings. Dining credit now has to be used in their travel portal. Yay for change fees.

Along with: "Transfer your Altitude Reserve points to other airline and hotel loyalty programs providing valuable flexibility to maximize your travel."

Which... well, okay. It's still 3x to a point (I only exceeded 5k once) with no FTF. If they announce Priority Pass Restaurants are gone, I'll be out for sure.