U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card review: Bonus points on mobile payments

6 Mins read

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. This card closed to new applicants on Nov. 11, 2024.

U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite card overview

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card is a premium travel card that’s all about earning rewards you can redeem quickly, easily and for strong value. The highlight of this card is the ability to earn 3 points per dollar spent on purchases made with a mobile wallet. Although it comes with a pricey annual fee, it delivers enough statement credits to compensate for most of its cost. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

*Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.

Longtime award-travel enthusiasts know the drill: Accumulate airline miles or transferable points, then be on the lookout to get maximum redemption value out of them. This often requires quite a bit of research and legwork, which can feel daunting.

The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card takes the headache out of award travel. It’s all about earning rewards that you can redeem quickly and easily for strong value. It comes with a pricey $400 annual fee, but it delivers enough statement credits to largely make up for its cost. In the past, approved applicants for the card had a credit score of 750 or higher.

Although the card is no longer accepting new applicants, online data points suggest that cardholders of existing U.S. Bank credit cards, typically other Altitude card products, can call customer service and product change to the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve.

The information for the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Annual travel credit No limit on points earned Bonus points when redeeming for travel Travel and shopping protections	High annual fee No transfer partners Limited lounge access passes No longer available to new applicants

U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve welcome offer

The card is closed to new applicants. Therefore, a welcome offer is not available.

U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve benefits

The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve has several valuable benefits, but the most easily used is a statement credit of up to $325 for travel purchases and dining, including takeout and restaurant delivery purchases, each year. Eligible travel purchases include airlines, hotels, car rentals, taxis, limousines, trains and cruise lines.

The Altitude Reserve’s statement credit competes well against my [applyLink pid=”221211836″ overridetext=”Chase Sapphire Reserve®”] (see [termsConditions pid=”221211836″ overridetext=”rates and fees”]), which has a slightly lower annual credit of $300 and is only applicable on travel purchases.

Like with many cards, cardholders also get up to $120 in statement credits every four years to cover the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

Young Asian woman traveller holding passport and suitcase walking in the international airport hall — D3SIGN/GETTY IMAGES

Cardholders receive eight free visits to Priority Pass lounges annually, valid for one person per visit. After the free visits, cardholders can expect to pay $35 per person per visit. With so many credit cards offering full Priority Pass Select membership, limited access from the Altitude Reserve is a huge negative point for a $400 annual fee card. I would say the Sapphire Reserve is a better option as it comes with a Priority Pass Select membership and gives cardholders access to Chase Sapphire lounges.

Other benefits include trip cancellation and interruption coverage, trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage reimbursement and even emergency evacuation and transportation coverage. Cardholders also receive purchase protection, return protection and extended warranty on purchases goods.

Another notable perk? This card does not charge foreign transaction fees, similar to many other travel credit cards.

Earning points on the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve

The points-earning structure on this card is simple and makes it a fan favorite among credit card enthusiasts. Cardholders earn the following:

5 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center.
3 points per dollar spent on all purchases made with the Apple Pay, Google Wallet and Samsung Pay mobile wallet systems.
3 points per dollar spent on all eligible travel purchases.
1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Eligible travel purchases include those made directly with airlines, hotels, car rentals, taxicabs, limousines, trains and cruise lines. Qualifying mobile-app purchases can be made in a store, in-app or online.

But that’s just part of the story since the points can be worth a strong 1.5 cents each when redeemed through the issuer’s portal — not the 1 cent per point/mile that most loyalty programs offer.

Redeeming points on the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve

Points are worth 1.5 cents apiece for travel purchases, including those made directly from airlines, hotels, car rental companies, taxis, trains and cruise lines.

You’ll receive a statement credit toward your credit card purchases when you redeem your points. You also have the choice to redeem your points in real time, a unique feature for a credit card. When you make a purchase in a selected category, you’ll receive a text asking if you’d like to apply points to the cost of your purchase.

Looking for Directions — SOLSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

Redeeming your points for real-time rewards will net 1 cent per point, so keep that difference in mind. It’s still a valuable option, but I recommend redeeming your points for travel whenever possible.

Which cards compete with the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve

A few cards go head-to-head with the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve when comparing annual fees, statement credits, earning rates, and benefits.

If you prefer Chase: The [applyLink pid=”221211836″ overridetext=”Chase Sapphire Reserve”] recently received a refresh and sports a higher $795 annual fee and comes with a $300 annual travel credit that can be applied to purchases on flights, hotels and even ride-hailing services or parking fees. The card also comes with a full Priority Pass Select membership and access to Sapphire lounges. To learn more, read our full review of the Sapphire Reserve.
If you prefer Capital One: The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card provides access to Priority Pass and Capital One lounges and has a slightly lower annual fee of $395. Cardholders earn a simple 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases and receive $300 in credits for eligible purchases made through the Capital One Travel portal each year. To learn more, check out our full review of the Capital One Venture X.
If you prefer a lower annual fee: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a low annual fee of $95. The card offers a simple earning structure of 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases. The rewards you earn can be transferred to 15-plus airline and hotel partners for greater redemptions. To learn more, read our full review of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

For additional options, check out our picks for the best premium credit cards.

Is the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve worth it?

If you’re a frequent mobile wallet user, this card is worth it for the extra points you can earn, as most places accept mobile wallet payments. The major obstacle is that the card is closed to new applicants, but a product change from an existing U.S. Bank card may be possible.

Bottom line

Compared to some cards like the [applyLink pid=”221211836″ overridetext=”Chase Sapphire Reserve”], the U.S. Altitude Reserve card has a low profile. Perhaps that’s because it doesn’t allow you to transfer rewards to airline or hotel programs. It’s also easy to be put off by the card’s $400 annual fee — until you realize it also comes with $325 a year in annual travel statement credits. For trips that are hard to take by redeeming airline miles or hotel points, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve can be invaluable.

If you already have this card, I recommend keeping it. For those who have another U.S. Bank card, it’s worth a shot to call customer service and request a product change.