The U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card excels at dining with 4x points on restaurants and delivery, but falls flat with just 1% back on everyday purchases. While it offers decent rewards on groceries, gas, and streaming services, its weak base earning rate makes it better as a specialized dining card than an everyday spending option
This credit card review will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let’s dive right in.
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- 4X Points on Dining, Takeout, and Food Delivery
- 2X Points at Grocery Stores, Grocery Delivery, Streaming Services, Gas Stations, and EV Charging Stations
- $15 Annual Streaming Credit
- No Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus for Altitude Go
The Altitude Go Visa currently offers the following welcome bonus: bonus_miles_full
You’ll want to pay attention to the qualification terms since U.S. Bank tends to be strict about approvals. Banking with U.S. Bank first can improve your chances of approval, although it’s not required.
Once approved, hitting the spending threshold is fairly straightforward since the card includes popular bonus categories like dining, groceries, and gas stations.
Earning Points
The Altitude Go Visa earns points at the following rates:
The 4x on dining is solid for a no-annual-fee card, but since points are worth just one cent each, the 2x categories only equate to 2% cash back – a return you can match or beat with many other cards. You’d be better off using cards like the American Express Gold for groceries or a flat-rate 2% cash back card for those categories.
The quarterly cap on dining rewards also limits the card’s value for high restaurant spenders. While the dining rewards are decent, the mediocre return on other categories makes this a less compelling option compared to cards that earn transferable points or higher cash back rates.
No Annual Fee
The Altitude Go Visa has no annual fee allowing you to enjoy all the benefits without a yearly fee.
Altitude Go Card Benefits
The U.S. Bank Altitude Go offers the following benefits: $15 Annual Streaming Credit: You can get a $15 steaming credit each year after paying with your Altitude Go card for 11 consecutive calendar months of eligible streaming services. You can mix and match streaming services as long as you have a streaming charge each month. 0% Intro APR: The U.S. Bank Altitude Go card offers 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles. After that, a variable APR that is currently 19.24% to 28.24% applies. No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose.
Redeeming Rewards
Redeeming rewards with the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Card is straightforward, with points worth up to 1 cent each. Cash back offers the best value when deposited directly into a U.S. Bank checking or savings account, requiring a minimum of 2,500 points for redemption.
What makes this card interesting is the Real-Time Rewards feature. After enrolling, you’ll receive text messages for eligible purchases, allowing you to instantly redeem points to cover those charges by simply replying “yes.” It’s a convenient way to use your rewards without logging into your account.
Your redemption options include statement credits, travel bookings through U.S. Bank’s portal, gift cards, and merchandise. However, some of these choices may reduce your point value to 0.8 cents each, so you’ll get maximum value by sticking with cash back deposits to U.S. Bank accounts.
Pros and Cons
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of this card:
Pros:
Strong Dining Rewards: Impressive 4x points on dining, takeout, and food delivery purchases, making it an excellent choice for food spending.
No Annual Fee: The card provides solid rewards earning potential without requiring any annual fee, maximizing the value proposition.
Simple Real-Time Redemption: The Real-Time Rewards feature allows for easy point redemption right after purchases through text message confirmation.
Cons:
Limited Travel Value: Points are worth a fixed 1 cent each with no ability to transfer to travel partners, limiting their potential value for travel rewards.
No Travel Bonus Category: Does not offer any bonus points on travel purchases, making it suboptimal for frequent travelers.
Quarterly Caps: Dining rewards will be capped at $2,000 in spending per quarter, limiting earning potential.
Basic Card Benefits: Offers minimal premium perks beyond standard Visa Signature benefits, lacking travel insurance and other protections found on competing cards.
Alternatives to the Altitude Go
Now that you know about this credit card’s various benefits and pros and cons, it’s time to see its alternatives.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® (review) sets itself apart with 1.5% back on non-bonus purchases, plus higher rewards in select categories including dining and travel. This flexible rewards card becomes even more valuable when paired with a premium Chase card, allowing you to transfer your rewards to travel partners. Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full Earning Cash Back: 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3% back on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services; 3% back on drugstore purchases; 1.5% back on all other purchases CaBenefits: Purchase protection, extended warranty, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, secondary rental car insurance, and 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, after that reg_apr,reg_apr_type APR applies; 
Bilt Mastercard®
The Bilt Mastercard® (review) lets you earn valuable travel rewards on rent payments without fees while offering bonus points on dining and travel purchases. This no-annual-fee card stands out for its unique rent payment feature and strong travel benefits like rental car coverage and trip protection. Earning Rewards: 5x points on Lyft; 3x points on dining; 2x points on travel purchases; 1x points on rent payments without any transaction fees up to 100,000 points per year, and 1x points on everything else. (Five transactions are required per billing cycle to earn points.) Card Benefits: No transaction fees to pay rent and earn 1x points, primary rental car insurance, cell phone protection, trip delay and trip cancellation insurance, purchase protection, and no foreign transaction fees.
Is the Attitude Go Worth It?
The Altitude Go Visa offers decent value for dining purchases with its 4x points multiplier, but its overall rewards structure leaves something to be desired with just 1x points on everyday spending.
While the card includes useful 2x categories like groceries, streaming, and gas, the fact that points are worth only 1 cent each significantly limits their potential value compared to transferable points cards. The lack of an annual fee is appealing, but you’ll find higher earning rates and more valuable rewards with other credit cards in today’s market.
This card could work as a supplementary dining card for someone who wants simple cash back rewards, but there are more compelling options available if you’re looking to maximize your credit card rewards strategy.
If you already bank with U.S. Bank and want a straightforward rewards card, the Altitude Go could fit your needs – just don’t expect it to dramatically boost your rewards earning potential.
