U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card Review

How to apply for the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card

Applying for the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card is straightforward:

1. Go to the U.S. Bank website.
2. At the top menu bar, click on Personal, followed by Credit Cards.
3. From the dropdown menu, click on Rewards cards.
4. Navigate to the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card and click Apply Now.
5. Fill in your information and click Submit.

What credit score do I need to apply for the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card?

You’ll need at least an excellent credit score of 740 to qualify for the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card.

Card benefits

• Earn rewards. Earn 4x points on dining, including takeout, delivery and even bars. Earn 2x points at grocery stores, for grocery delivery and select streaming services and at gas stations. Earn 1x points on everything else.
• No annual fee. You won’t pay anything to use this card. This is a steal given the value the card offers.
• Intro APR. Get a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months, reverting to 14.99% to 23.99% variable.
• Perks. Get travel and emergency assistance, car rental insurance coverage and roadside dispatch. You also get an annual streaming credit worth $15.
• Signup bonus. Earn 20,000 points after you spend $1,000 within your first three months of account opening. This isn’t the greatest signup bonus available, though it’s not the worst either.

What to watch out for:

• Excellent credit score required. You’ll need an excellent credit score to qualify for this card. This isn’t surprising given the quality of the card.
• No entertainment category. If you’re looking for a card that offers perks and rewards on movies, sports and other purchases, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

How does the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card measure up to the competition?

How does this pandemic-focused rewards card stack up?

U.S. Bank has now opened applications for a new rewards card. It offers accelerated rewards on entertainment categories that US consumers have been spending more on since the isolation and travel precautions enacted in response to COVID-19.

The new U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card offers rewards on multiple categories and fits in nicely among the other big everyday reward cards on the market. However, the card gives a little extra attention to its dining categories, offering an above average 4x points on takeout, food delivery and dining — including bars.

U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card breakdown

A quick look at theU.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card‘s features:

How does the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card measure up to the competition?

From a quick glance, U.S. Bank came out swinging with this card. For a rewards card with no annual fee, the reward rates are quite generous. The dining rewards rate sits at a rare 4% and U.S. Bank extends this rate to delivery, takeout and bars — the last of which isn’t guaranteed on similar cards.

The 2x rate at grocery stores, streaming services and gas stations is also notable: You often see this kind of generosity on a card with an earning cap on at least one of the categories. Not so with the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card.

That said, there is stiff competition in the rewards card space — especially when it comes to dining and everyday spending. Let’s compare the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card to two other hard hitters: The Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card and the Wells Fargo Propel American Express.

The Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card

We view the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card as the model dining rewards card. So much so that we nominated it to a spot on our Best of 2021 list.

On top of 4% back on dining, it also earns this rate on entertainment such as concerts, clubs and theme parks. Add 2% back on groceries, a limited time offer of 8% back on sporting event tickets purchased through Vivid Seats, plus a solid welcome offer, and you have a formidable dining and entertainment card.

U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card vs. Capital One Savor Cash Rewards

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card holds its own when it comes to dining and grocery stores, and offers a few categories not found in the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card, including streaming services and gas. On the other hand, the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card‘s “entertainment” category is a value you won’t find in the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card.

Of course, the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card categories are more “traditional” and were created during a time when people had no qualms gathering in large spaces every weekend for a concert, sports game or other social events.

Interestingly, the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card offers an intro APR on purchases and balance transfers, a feature missing in the “premium” Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card.

The Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card

The Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card is something of a “do-no-wrong” card. Thanks to the numerous earning categories and solid earning rate, it’s difficult to pick up this card and not squeeze plenty of value out of it.

U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card vs. Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card

TheU.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card and Propel are much closer in features compared to the Go and Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card, sporting similar annual fees, intro APRs and even signup bonuses. The earning rate differences and your spending habits will be the primary decider in which of these cards is the better value.

A sign of things to come

That the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card stands so competitively among the existing dining reward cards is impressive, and possibly a sign of things to come as more providers adjust their offerings to cope with evolving consumer spending habits in the time of COVID-19.

Compare rewards credit cards

Sort by:

Name	Product	Welcome offer	Rewards	Annual fee	Filter values
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express		Up to $350: 20% back on Amazon.com purchases in the first 6 months for up to $200 back, plus $150 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in the first 6 months	6% on select US streaming services, 3% on transit and US gas stations, 6% at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 annually, then 1% after that and on all other purchases (redeem as statement credit)	$0 intro annual fee for the first year ($95 thereafter)		Earn up to $350. In your first 6 months, you can earn a $150 statement credit when you spend $3,000, and earn 20% back on Amazon purchases made with your card, up to $200 total. Having 6 months to earn a welcome offer is a rare benefit as most cards give you only 3. Terms apply, see rates & fees	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express		Up to $250: 20% back on Amazon.com purchases in the first 6 months for up to $150 back, plus $100 statement credit after spending $2,000 within the first 6 months	3% at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year (then 1%), 2% at US gas stations and select US department stores and 1% on all other purchases (redeem as statement credit)	$0		Earn up to $250. You'll get 20% back on Amazon.com purchases in the first six months for up to $150 back, and $100 after you spend $2,000 in the first six months. This is a higher-than-average welcome offer for a card with no annual fee. Terms apply, see rates & fees	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
TD Double Up℠ Credit Card		$75 cash back in the form of a statement credit when you spend $500 within the first 90 days after account opening	Up to 2% cash back. 1% cash back on purchases plus 1% when you redeem into an eligible TD Bank Deposit Account	$0		Earn up to 2% cash back. 1% cash back on purchases plus 1% when you redeem into an eligible TD Bank Deposit Account. Available in: CT, DC, DE, FL, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, VA, VT	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

loading

Prev

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Next

Compare up to 4 providers

Clear selection

Compare

Bottom line

If you’ve been looking for a card with the perfect mix of rewards on dining and everyday spending, the 740 is a great option. This card stands up to its competitor, and even surpasses them in many cases. But if this isn’t what you’re looking for, or you simply need another card to complement this one, compare your other rewards credit card options.

Photo: US Bank