Last updated on February 24th, 2023
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U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card
U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card
U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card
- 21.99% to 28.99% variable based on creditworthiness and the Prime Rate Regular Purchase APR
- 21.99% to 28.99% variable based on creditworthiness and the Prime Rate Balance Transfer APR
- 29.99% variable based on the Prime Rate Cash Advance APR
At a Glance
The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card is a premium travel card designed to compete directly with travel heavyweights like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the American Express Platinum Card. The card, like other premium travel credit cards, comes with an array of travel perks and privileges, including statement credits for a TSA Precheck or Global Entry and travel purchases each year, complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, and more.
- Best Benefits
- Rates & Fees
- Why Should You Apply?
- Earn 50,000 bonus enrollment points after making $4,500 in the first 90 days as a cardholder
- Earn 3X points for every $1 on eligible net travel purchases and mobile wallet spending
- Stay connected with 12 complimentary Gogo® Inflight Wi-Fi passes per year
- Complimentary 12-month Priority Pass™ Select membership that gives access to more than 1,300 VIP lounges worldwide
- Regular Purchase APR: 21.99% to 28.99% variable based on creditworthiness and the Prime Rate
- Balance Transfer APR: 21.99% to 28.99% variable based on creditworthiness and the Prime Rate
- Balance Transfer Transaction Fee: Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
- Cash Advance APR: 29.99% variable based on the Prime Rate
- Cash Advance Transaction Fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater
- Annual Fee: $400
- Late Payment Penalty Fee: Up to $41
- Return Payment Penalty Fee: Up to $41
- You want an ultra-premium travel card
- You plan to spend $4,500 within the first 90 days of opening an account
- You want lounge access, TSA Precheck statement credits, and Wi-Fi credits
- You like the sound of custom-engraved metal credit card
- You don’t mind paying a $400 annual fee
The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card Review
Travel reward credit cards offer great savings on flights, hotels, and other business and vacation related trips. Not every travel rewards card is created equal, however. In the case of some cards, like the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card, bigger is better.
Like other ultra-premium travel cards, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card offers impressive perks and bountiful sign-up bonuses – but with a hefty annual price tag. New applicants earn a very nice 50,000 bonus points (worth around $750) when they meet minimum spending requirements within the first 90 days of account opening.
The minimum spending requirements? $4,500. See? This really is a travel card with an ultra-premium feel.
Premium Point-Earning Potential
If the huge spend needed to reach the $750 sign-up bonus doesn’t put you off, the $400 annual fee (plus an additional $75 per additional card) likely won’t either. Fortunately, you get an awful lot of bang for that buck.
As a premium travel credit card, the Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite earns a premium amount of points on eligible travel purchases – 3x points per dollar spent on eligible purchases. The card also earns triple points on mobile wallet purchases, meaning you can quickly amass points with your everyday spend (like food – delivery and dining), should you choose to hook up the card to your Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, or whatever mobile wallet app you prefer.
Impressive Travel Perks and Privileges
As with other premium travel cards, the Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card comes with an impressive array of travel perks. Cardholders receive a complimentary 12-month Priority Pass Select membership, giving them access to over 1,200 airport lounges worldwide. Not only that, but they’ll also receive a statement credit for application costs associated with TSA Precheck or Global Entry membership, letting you whisk through security and into a comfy lounge in no time.
Once at the gate, cardholders can surf the web without fear of sky-high phone bills, thanks to 12 complimentary Gogo Wi-Fi passes each year. Plus, they’ll also receive up to $325 in annual statement credits for net travel purchases, meaning that even should they run up additional travel costs, they’ll have statement credits to help off-set the spend.
Other travel perks with the card include discounts with chauffeured black car service though GroundLink, 24/7, world-class customer service through Visa’s Infinite Concierge, Silvercar premium rental privileges, and more. The card also features no foreign transaction fees, plus the near-global acceptance of Visa, meaning it is a potent tool, no matter where your adventures take you.
Should You Apply for the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card?
While everyone would like to have an ultra-premium travel rewards credit card, the reality is that they aren’t for everyone. The high annual fee of $400 – more if you add additional authorized users -plus the even higher spend required to meet bonus points minimums, make cards like the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card ideal for only the most hardcore and discerning of travelers. For this subgroup, however, the card performs very admirably.
The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card must be compared to the competitors it most resembles, namely the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the American Express Platinum Cards. All three of these cards come with a hefty price tag, but the Altitude Reserve offers a lower annual fee: The Sapphire Reserve comes with an annual fee of $550, while the Amex Platinum has a yearly charge of a whopping $695.
When it comes to points-earning potential, the Amex Platinum may lead the field in that it earns an impressive 5x points on flights and hotels, but these must be booked through amextravel.com. The Sapphire Reserve earns 3x points on travel, as well as on dining. The Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite earns 3x on travel, but not on dining (though it does offer 3x through mobile wallets, meaning it could be used to pay for dining purchases).
In other regards, the Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card not only holds its own against these two travel card behemoths but in some regards, comes out on top. The Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card, for example, offers the same lounge access as the Sapphire Reserve, but a slightly higher annual statement credit allowance ($325 for the Altitude vs. $300 for the Reserve).
While the Amex Platinum offers Centurion Lounge access, the Altitude still offers Priority Pass lounge access and $125 more in statement credits than the Platinum, with an even greater $150 in savings when it comes to the annual fee.
Overall, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card might not have the cultural cache and “wow” factor that comes ingrained with the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the American Express Platinum Card, but for the discerning traveler who wants ultra-premium perks at a price significantly lower than its competitors, U.S. Bank created a travel card that will have many potential applicants thinking twice before blindly choosing the usual travel card Goliaths.
