The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card is a premium rewards card for those who want to earn points on travel and everyday spending.
It offers a generous rewards rate and a number of perks and benefits that can make your travel more enjoyable.
I have been an Altitude Reserve cardmember for the last four years and love the 3 points per dollar on travel and mobile wallet purchases (Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, etc.) and a $325 travel and dining credit.
But in the past few years, the Altitude Reserve has lost ground to Capital One Venture X and American Express Platinum, which offer better benefits for similar annual fees.
You also must be a U.S. Bank customer to apply for this card. You need to have either a U.S. Bank bank account, certificate of deposit, loan, or credit card open at least 5 days before applying for this card.
We have a lot to cover with this card, so let’s dive right in.
Table of Contents
- Earn 50,000 Points After Spending $4,500 in the First 90 Days.
- 5X Points on Prepaid Hotels and Car Rentals Booked via the Altitude Rewards Center
- 3X Points on Travel and Mobile Wallet
- Up to $325 Annual Credits for Travel and Dining
- Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
- Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Credit
- $400 Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus: 50,000 Points ($750)
The Altitude Reserve card offers a welcome bonus of 50,000 bonus points when you spend $4,500 in the first 90 days of card membership.
You can redeem those 50,000 points for $750 towards travel or dining.
Earning Points with the Altitude Reserve
The Altitude Reserve card earns:
- 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center.
- 3 points per dollar on eligible travel purchases.
- 3 points per dollar on mobile wallet spending (Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, etc.)
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
You can redeem points for 1.5 cents per point for travel, so:
- 5 points per dollar is equivalent to 7.5% cash back
- 3 points per dollar is equivalent to 4.5% cash back
- 1 points per dollar is equivalent to 1.5% cash back
The Altitude Reserve is the only card that offers extra point on mobile wallet purchases, which is a major perk of this card.
This allows you to earn 3x points in many categories as long as you use your mobile wallet.
If you spend a ton of money at wholesale club like Costco or Sam’s Club, the 3x points on mobile wallet purchases is huge since many other card exclude these stores from extra points.
I typically spend about $500 per month at Costco and always use my Altitude Reserve there, so I net about $270 in free travel per year from using this card ($500 * 12 months * 3x points = 18,000 points / 1.5 cents = $270).
Redeeming Altitude Reserve Points
Each Altitude Reserve point is worth a flat rate of 1.5 cents per point. For example, a $150 flight would cost 10,000 Altitude Reserve points.
Using your Altitude Reserve points is easy. Just make a travel purchase with your Altitude Reserve the way you normally book flights, hotels, etc.
You can redeem your points for any flight, but there is a minimum purchase of $500 for hotels and $250 for rental cars.
Shortly after your travel purchase, you should receive an automatic text message from U.S. Bank (if you have enough points) asking if you would like to apply those points to your purchase.
Altitude Reserve Benefits
$325 Annual Travel and Dining Credit
The main perk of the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve is an easy-to-use $325 travel and dining credit to help offset the $400 annual fee.
You can use this credit to cover various travel expenses, including airfare, hotels, and rental cars.
Plus, dining expenses like eating out at restaurants, takeout, and food delivery.
Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
This card comes with Priority Pass airport lounge access, which gets you access to over 1,300 airport lounges.
Nothing is better than escaping the hustle and bustle of the airport and to escape the crowds to get free food and drinks.
Most premium credit cards like the Capital One Venture X, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and the American Express Platinum offer unlimited lounge visits with Priority Pass.
However, the Altitude Reserve only offers four free visits per year plus four free guest visits.
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Credit
This card offers a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit like many other travel cards.
TSA PreCheck is a membership program offering dedicated airport security lines and faster security screening (typically 5 minutes or less) at more than 200 airports across the United States and includes over 81 airlines.
Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck and expedited immigration upon arrival from an international trip back to the United States.
Primary Rental Car Insurance
Primary rental car insurance covers any damage to a rental car when you pay for the rental using this card.
But you still need to maintain liability car insurance to cover damage to another person or property.
Trip Delay Insurance
This card offers trip delay insurance when you purchase your flight with this card.
This reimburses you for reasonable expenses things like hotels, food, transportation, and other necessary items.
Flights are increasingly delayed or canceled, and it is too risky to not use a card that offers free trip delay insurance.
The Altitude Reserve covers up to $500 per ticket if your flight is delayed by 6 or more hours or requires an overnight stay.
One of the downsides of the Altitude Reserve is that it is one of the only cards that doesn’t offer trip delay insurance for tickets booked with airline miles. Instead, you have to book the entire cost of the ticket with the Altitude Reserve.
Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance reimburses you for non-refundable expenses if your trip is interrupted or canceled for a covered reason such as illness, severe weather, or an accidental injury when you pay for your travel expenses with this card.
Lost Luggage Reimbursement
Lost luggage reimbursement covers the cost to repair or replace your luggage and the contents inside if your bag is lost or damaged during a covered trip.
You must purchase the trip with this card, and it will also cover immediate family members traveling with you.
Return Protection
This card provides you with return protection, which provides you with reimbursement for the cost of an eligible item of personal property if you are dissatisfied with the item for any reason within 90 days of the purchase and if the retailer will not accept the return.
Coverage is limited to $500 per eligible item and up to $1,000 annually.
Extended Warranty
Credit card extended warranty protection adds up to an additional year of coverage for eligible purchases on manufacturer’s warranties up to 3 years.
Coverage matches the protection provided by the original warranty so that damage or defect would have to be covered by the original warranty for extended warranty coverage.
Purchase Protection
Purchase protection can save you a lot of money if you bought an eligible item that is damaged or stolen within 90-days.
For example, if accidentally dropped your new phone or laptop and broke the screen, you could file a claim to get it replaced if it was purchased within the last 90 days.
Coverage for this benefit is limited to $10,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per cardholder.
Pros and Cons of the Altitude Reserve
Here’s a quick overview of the Altitude Reserve’s advantages and disadvantages.
Pros:
- 3 points per dollar on mobile wallet spending can be rewarding if you can maximize this benefit.
- Easily redeem points at 1.5 cents per point.
- The $325 travel and dining credit is easy to use.
- Lots of travel and purchase protections.
Cons:
- No airline or hotel transfer partners to maximize your travel.
- The Priority Pass membership is limited to four free visits unlike most premium travel cards.
- The trip delay insurance does not cover flights booked with airline miles.
- The credits don’t offset the $400 annual fee like the Capital One Venture X or American Express Platinum.
Alternatives to the Altitude Reserve
Or if you are like me who loves to maximize travel, what other cards you should also have in your wallet:
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a premium travel rewards card that’s perfect for travelers who want outstanding travel perks like annual travel credits, worldwide airport lounge access, and travel and purchase protections.
The Venture X earns 2x miles on all purchases helping you maximize every dollar of your spending. Plus, you can earn 10x miles on hotels and rental cars, and 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One.
The card has a $395 annual fee, completely offset by an easy-to-use travel credit of up to $300 back annually as statement credits for Bookings via Capital One Travel, and 10,000 points (worth at least $100) for each account anniversary.
Plus, you get airport lounge access via Priority Pass, Capital One, and Plaza Premium Lounges, Hertz President’s Circle elite status, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, rental car insurance, trip and luggage insurance, cell phone insurance, and purchase protection.
Platinum Card from American Express
The The Platinum Card® from American Express (review) is a great premium travel rewards card for travelers who want airport lounge access, including Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta), Escape Lounges, Priority Pass lounges.
The American Express Platinum has a $695 annual fee, but you receive many annual statement credits when you enroll your card to offset the fee, including:
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Card.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 in statement credits each month when you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card® at your choice of one or more of the following providers: Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- $200 Uber Cash Credit: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Benefit renews annually.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive a statement credit that covers the full cost each month.
- $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR® Plus at 45+ airports nationwide and get up to $189 back per year on your membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card®.
You also earn 5x Membership Rewards points when booking flights directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year) and 5x Membership Rewards points when booking prepaid hotels with American Express Travel.
On top of that, you automatically earn Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite and Hilton Honors Gold statuses, which offer points bonuses, room upgrades, late check-out, and other premier benefits.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
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- $300 Annual Travel Credit
- 10x Points on Hotels and Rental Cars and 5x Points on Flights Booked Through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3x Points on Dining, Takeout, & Eligible Food Delivery
- 50% More Redemption Value
- Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $550 Annual Fee
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (review) is a great option for travelers who want premium perks such as airport lounge access and top-tier travel protections.
The Sapphire Reserve has a $550 annual fee, but you receive an annual easy-to use $300 travel credit and access to 1,300 Priority Pass airport lounges.
Plus, great benefits such as trip delay insurance, primary rental car insurance, trip cancellation insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, purchase and return protection, extended warranty, and no foreign transaction fees.
Cardmembers also earn extra points with:
- 5x points on flights and 10x points on hotels and car rentals through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
- 3x points on travel.
- 3x points on dining, and food delivery purchases.
- 1x points everywhere else.
One thing to remember is that you won’t earn points on your first $300 in travel purchases each cardmember year since the $300 travel credit covers those purchases.
You can also cash out points at a 50% bonus (1.5 cents per point) when redeeming points towards travel or transfer the points to Chase’s airline and hotel partners.
Is the Altitude Reserve Worth It?
When I first opened the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Card a few years ago it was a competitive travel rewards card.
Since then, other travel cards have launched with better benefits like the Capital One Venture X, or added additional benefits to existing cards like the American Express Platinum.
The Altitude Reserve is in need of a refresh to fix the limited Priority Pass visits and add airline and transfer partners.
But if you spend a lot of money via your mobile wallet, the Altitude Reserve is a good option to earn 3x points (equivalent to 4.5% back towards travel) almost everywhere including places like Costco and Sam’s Club.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
