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Issuer guide

U.S. Bank credit cards

The best-value no-annual-fee lineup in the market right now. Altitude Connect gives away a Priority Pass membership, a Global Entry credit and no foreign transaction fee for $0, and Cash+ pays 5% on categories nobody else rewards. U.S. Bank points and cash rewards are fixed-value, and approvals are among the hardest to get of any large issuer.

3 cards live Rules and rates verified June 10, 2026
Annual fees
$0 to $0
No FX fee
33% of cards
Bonuses up to
≈$200
Point value
1¢
Lounge access
1 cards
Primary rental CDW
0 cards
Our picks

The U.S. Bank cards worth a look first

Computed from verified rates, not sponsorship. Full lineup further down.

Biggest welcome bonus
U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Signature Card card art

U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Signature Card

$0 annual fee

One-time 20,000 bonus Points will be awarded if you are approved for a new U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Signature Card and make $1,000 or more in total eligible Net Purchases to your Account within 90 days of Account opening.

Read the review
The honest read

Where U.S. Bank wins, and where it loses

Strengths

  • Altitude Connect carries lounge access, a Global Entry credit and no foreign transaction fee at a $0 annual fee
  • Cash+ is the only mainstream card paying 5% on home utilities and cell phone bills
  • Every current Altitude and Cash+ card runs 0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers
  • Altitude Connect and Altitude Go points can be moved between accounts, up to 20,000 a calendar year

Weaknesses

  • No transfer partners: points and cash rewards are fixed-value, roughly a cent each at best
  • Approvals are notably conservative, and U.S. Bank pulls extra consumer reports most issuers do not
  • Altitude Go and Cash+ both charge a 3% foreign transaction fee
  • The premium Altitude Reserve is gone from the lineup: its product URL now redirects to the general credit cards page, leaving no flagship travel card
Before you apply

U.S. Bank application and bonus rules

Some of these rules appear in U.S. Bank's written offer terms. Others are unpublished bank behavior documented by years of community data. We label which is which.

Five-year bonus lockout per product

In official terms

Both Altitude cards use identical wording: existing or previous cardmembers are not eligible for the bonus if they received a new-account bonus for that product in the last five years. Cash+ is stricter in a different way, excluding existing and previous Cash Rewards accounts outright. This is the longest bonus lockout among major U.S. issuers.

Pre-approval before any hard pull

In official terms

Every U.S. Bank card page carries a See if I'm pre-approved tool that checks eligibility without affecting your credit. Because U.S. Bank denies more applications than its peers, running it first is worth the two minutes.

Extra consumer reports beyond the big three

Community-documented

U.S. Bank is documented as pulling SageStream and ARS alongside a major bureau. A freeze on either can cause a denial that has nothing to do with your credit quality, so thaw them before applying.

No published velocity rule, but a conservative file review

Community-documented

U.S. Bank publishes nothing resembling Chase's 5/24 and imposes no hard cap on how many of its cards you can hold. In practice it is one of the harder issuers to get approved by, and approval odds fall as the number of U.S. Bank accounts you already carry rises.

Reconsideration is worth calling

Community-documented

U.S. Bank runs a reconsideration line and reverses a meaningful share of automated denials, particularly for applicants with a deposit relationship. A denial letter is not the end of the application.

The points

How U.S. Bank rewards actually work

Transfer partners

None. There are no airline or hotel transfer partners. Points and cash rewards reach their maximum stated value as a statement credit or a deposit into an eligible U.S. Bank account. Travel, merchandise, gift card and Real-Time Rewards redemptions can be worth less.

Pooling points

Points transfer between qualifying Altitude Connect and Altitude Go accounts through the Point Transfer tool in the Rewards Center, capped at 20,000 points sent and 20,000 points received per calendar year. Transfers are final. Cash+ cash rewards do not pool with anything.

Expiration

Points expire if there is no reward, purchase, or balance activity on the account for 12 consecutive statement cycles, and are lost immediately if the account closes. Cash+ cash rewards expire at the end of the calendar month 36 months after the billing cycle in which they were earned.

We currently value U.S. Bank Altitude points at 1¢ per point (floor 1¢, ceiling 1.5¢). Check the points valuation calculator for what your balance is worth.

Full lineup

Every U.S. Bank personal card

3 cards
Browse

U.S. Bank cards by category

Travel Rewards Cash back Groceries Gas Dining Balance transfer 0% APR No annual fee Good credit
FAQ

U.S. Bank card questions, answered

Does U.S. Bank have a rule like Chase's 5/24?
No published one. U.S. Bank sets no hard limit on how many of its cards you can hold and states no velocity rule. It is still one of the harder issuers to get approved by, and each additional U.S. Bank account you already carry makes the next approval less likely.
How long do I have to wait to earn a U.S. Bank welcome bonus again?
Five years on the Altitude cards. The Altitude Connect and Altitude Go offer terms both say existing or previous cardmembers are not eligible if they received a new-account bonus for that product in the last five years. Cash+ simply excludes existing and previous Cash Rewards accounts.
Do U.S. Bank points transfer to airlines or hotels?
No. There are no transfer partners. Points hit their stated maximum value as a statement credit or a deposit into an eligible U.S. Bank account, which works out to about a cent each, and other redemption routes can be worth less.
Can I combine points from two U.S. Bank cards?
Only between Altitude Connect and Altitude Go accounts, using the Point Transfer tool in the Rewards Center. The program rules cap it at 20,000 points transferred out and 20,000 transferred in per calendar year, and transfers cannot be reversed. Cash+ rewards do not combine with anything.
Which U.S. Bank card is best if I travel abroad?
Altitude Connect. Its terms disclosure lists the foreign transaction fee as None, and it adds a Priority Pass Select membership and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit at a $0 annual fee. Altitude Go and Cash+ both charge 3% on foreign purchases.
What credit score do U.S. Bank cards require?
U.S. Bank says only that its credit card products are for customers in the good to excellent range, and points applicants below that toward its secured cards. Its pre-approval tool checks eligibility without a hard pull, which is the practical answer for anyone unsure.

Written by the CreditCardSignups editorial team. Issuer rules and card rates verified June 10, 2026. Unpublished issuer policies can change without notice, so treat the community-documented rules as strong patterns rather than guarantees.