The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card offers generous rewards on travel, plus travel benefits that you won’t find on many other cards without annual fees—and some travel benefits that you won’t find on any other card.
The card’s GigSky benefit offers complimentary data plans in over 125 countries—for free. And it works well. We recently tested it in Southeast Asia and it provided as good, or in some cases better, data connectivity than we got at home.
Here’s what you need to know about the Altitude Connect card.
In this article…
At a glance: U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
Annual fee: $0
Foreign transaction fee: None
All information about the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card offers unique value to travelers, thanks to its partnership with GigSky and its Trip Delay Reimbursement with SmartDelay.
Sign-up bonus
Best sign-up bonus: Earn 20,000 bonus points. Just spend $1,000 in eligible net purchases in the first 90 days.
This bonus is earned as Altitude Connect points, redeemable for travel through the Altitude Rewards center or cash back, with some restrictions.
Rewards
- 5x on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center.
- 4x on travel.
- 4x at gas stations/EV charging stations
on your first $1,000 each quarter. Excludes discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs. - 2x on dining.
- 2x on streaming services.
- 2x at grocery stores
excludes discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs. - 1x on all other eligible purchases.
Rewards are earned as Altitude Connect points, which can be redeemed for travel through the Altitude Rewards Center, a deposit to a qualifying U.S. Bank account, and charity at 1 cent per point. Other redemptions have less value. Note that cash back redemptions other than deposits to a U.S. Bank account will net you 0.8 cents per point.
Benefits
Consumer insurance benefits
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card does not offer any consumer insurance benefits.
Travel and travel insurance benefits
- Priority Pass™ Select membership with 4 free visits per year.
- TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry® credit.
- Complimentary GigSky global mobile data plans.
- Trip cancellation and interruption.
- SmartDelay.
- Roadside dispatch.
- Travel accident benefit.
- Trip delay reimbursement.
- Travel and emergency assistance services.
Partner benefits and statement credits
- 3 months of free Shipt membership, then 9 months at 50% off.
Our take: Under-appreciated card, great value for travelers
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card isn’t a card that bloggers and travel credit card enthusiasts pay much attention to.
But here’s my hot take: For most people, the card is a better travel card than the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Recent changes mean that the card dropped its annual fee, so it is now a no-annual-fee card that offers 4x on travel, trip delay protection, 4 visits to airport lounges, airport lounge access if you’re delayed, a credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, and free international mobile data plans. That’s a lot of travel value on a no-annual fee card.
Now, I wouldn’t make this your only card. The paltry rewards on general purchases and lack of extended warranty and purchase protection mean that you’ll want another card to use on most of your non-travel spending. But for occasional travelers, the card is highly compelling with no annual fee. For frequent global travelers, I think that the GigSky benefit alone justifies having this card.
Rewards: Massive rewards on travel and gas.
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card offers generous rewards on travel and gas. You’ll want to plan to use rewards for travel, charity, or redemptions to a U.S. Bank account to get the most value for your rewards. Here’s what the Altitude Connect earns:
- 5x on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center.
- 4x on travel.
- 4x at gas stations/EV charging stations
on your first $1,000 each quarter. Excludes discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs. - 2x on dining.
- 2x on streaming services.
- 2x at grocery stores
excludes discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs. - 1x on all other eligible purchases.
Rewards are earned as Altitude Connect points, which can be redeemed for travel through the Altitude Rewards Center, a deposit to a qualifying U.S. Bank account, and charity at 1 cent per point. Other redemptions have less value. Note that cash back redemptions other than deposits to a U.S. Bank account will net you 0.8 cents per point.
How to get the most out of your rewards
The points you earn with a U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card can be redeemed for a variety of rewards, including cash back, travel, merchandise, and gift cards. But not all rewards are created equal.
Only travel, charity, and cash back redemptions to an eligible U.S. Bank checking account will get you 1.0 cents per point. All other redemptions will get you less value, so be sure that you plan to redeem your rewards for these redemption options. If you plan to redeem points for cash back, plan to have a U.S. Bank checking account. Currently, cash back redemptions as statement credits get only 0.8 cents per point of value.
If you redeem points for charity, you’re going to get additional value—U.S. Bank matches all charity redemptions with its own contribution, equalling 100% of your redemption.
Benefits: Uncommonly good travel benefits on a $0 annual fee card
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card is notable for the suite of travel benefits it provides, which is unusually generous on a card with no annual fee. Here’s a bit more on the benefits you’ll get with the card.
Consumer insurance benefits
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card does not offer any consumer insurance benefits. Take a look at cards that offer extended warranty and purchase protection for purchases of durable goods like electronics and appliances.
Travel and travel insurance benefits
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card offers a suite of travel and insurance benefits that is uncommon among cards that carry no annual fee. Here’s what you need to know about these benefits:
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| Priority Pass™ Select membership | Access to 1,500 airport VIP lounges when traveling. Includes 4 complimentary visit passes per year. Requires enrollment. Additional visits are charged to your card. |
| TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry® credit. | Up to $100 in statement credits toward your application fee. Once every 4 years. |
| GigSky global mobile data plans | Complimentary data connectivity in over 125 countries. Unlimited 5GB/15 day passes. Can only redeem passes once every 15 days. Additional plans available for a fee. |
| Trip delay reimbursement | Covers additional expenses like meals and hotel stays when your trip by common carrier (such as an airline) is delayed for covered reasons. Benefit applies to delays of 12 hours or more. Covers you, your spouse, your dependent children under 22 (or under 25 if enrolled at a college or University). Covered reasons include equipment failure, inclement weather, strike and hijacking/skyjacking. Reimburses up to $300 for each purchased ticket. Must charge travel to card to receive benefit. |
| SmartDelay | Provides complimentary airport lounge access when you experience a flight delay. Lounge access is offered for flight delays of 2 hours or more. Access provided to you and up to 3 additional passengers on the same itinerary. Must register your 2 hours before scheduled departure to receive benefit. |
| Trip cancellation and interruption | Pays up to $2,000 for non-refundable common carrier tickets if your trip cancels or is interrupted for a covered reason. Up to $2,000 per person, per trip. Covers you, your spouse, and dependent children. Must charge travel to card to receive benefit. |
| Travel accident benefit | Pays a set benefit for certain losses of life and limb when traveling by common carrier, while at an airport, or while riding to/from the airport. |
| Roadside dispatch | Provides a single number to contact a variety of roadside assistance services. Services are provided on a pay-per-use basis. |
| Travel and emergency assistance services | Provides a single number for emergency assistance services, including medical referrals, emergency transportation assistance, legal referrals, and lost luggage location. You are responsible for the cost of any services provided. |
Sign-up bonus: Bonus points for getting a new card
Annual fee: $0
Best sign-up bonus: Earn 20,000 bonus points. Just spend $1,000 in eligible net purchases in the first 90 days.
This bonus is earned as Altitude Connect points, redeemable for travel through the Altitude Rewards center or cash back, with some restrictions.
Frequently asked questions
U.S. Bank dropped the 50,000 point bonus on the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card when it lowered the card’s ongoing annual fee from $95 to $0. We’re unlikely to see the $500 bonus return.
The number of points you’ll need for a flight will depend on how expensive the cash price of your flight is. You’ll get 1 cent of value for each of your points when you redeem them through the Altitude Rewards Center for travel.
You can redeem your points for a statement credit, but as of September 8, 2024, you’ll only get 0.8 cents of cash back for each of your points if you redeem this way. The best way to redeem your points for cash is to redeem them for a credit into an eligible U.S. Bank deposit account.
As of publication, the Altitude Connect is the only U.S. credit card that offers the GigSky benefit.
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