U.S. Bank is a major American bank that caters to consumers and business owners alike. Its checking and savings accounts routinely show up on our best bank account promotions list, which we update monthly with the best new deals for new and returning customers.
U.S. Bank also has an expansive credit card stable. It’s a popular credit card issuer for individuals and small business owners, with options ranging from:
- Straightforward cash-back credit cards that pay you back for virtually every net purchase, like the the U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite™ Mastercard®
- Generous travel rewards credit cards like the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card and the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
- Low-APR credit cards for new customers looking to pay down high-interest balances or finance large purchases upfront, like the U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Credit Card
- Small-business credit cards for globe-trotting businesspeople and small home business owners alike, like the aforementioned Triple Cash Rewards card
If you’re in the market for a new credit card, keep reading to see if any U.S. Bank card offers might be a good fit.
Best U.S. Bank Credit Cards
The top U.S. Bank credit cards are a motley bunch. Some cater to frequent travelers with fine tastes. Others reward dining out and cooking in. Still others aim squarely at small-business owners and freelancers.
Here’s the lowdown on each.
1. U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
4x Points on Travel and Gas Station Purchases; Great Sign-Up Bonus
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card has a generous cash-back rewards program that’s tailor-made for travelers — however they choose to get away.
The headline here is undoubtedly the 4-points-per-$1-spent rewards rate on eligible travel and gas station purchases (see rates and fees), but purchases in other select categories make out better than the baseline here too. Those other favored categories include grocery store purchases and grocery delivery purchases, restaurant dining purchases, and eligible streaming service purchases.
Altitude Connect has other notable benefits, including an attractive sign-up bonus, an application fee credit for TSA PreCheck® and Global Entry® members, and up to $30 in annual credits against streaming service purchases (such as Netflix and Spotify®). And, once earned, points never expire.
- Sign-Up Bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points (worth $500 at redemption) after spending $2,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening.
- Rewards Rate: Earn 4 points per $1 spent on eligible travel, gas station, and EV charging station purchases. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on eligible grocery store, grocery delivery, dining, and streaming purchases. Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases. Points don’t expire as long as your account remains open and in good standing.
- Rewards Redemption: Redeem for travel, gift cards, merchandise, cash back, and more, generally at a rate of $0.01 per point.
- Important Fees: The annual fee is $95 after the first year. There is no foreign transaction fee.
- Other Perks: Get up to $30 in annual statement credits against eligible streaming purchases, including Netflix and Spotify®. Once every 4 years, earn up to $100 in statement credits against your TSA PreCheck® and Global Entry® application fee. And get up to $600 in cellphone protection coverage per claim if your phone is lost or stolen when you pay your cellphone bill in full with your card.
- Terms and Conditions Apply: See rates and fees.
2. U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card
4 Points Per $1 Spent on Eligible Restaurant Purchases
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card is a rewards credit card with no annual fee and a rewards program that favors folks with long commutes, hefty grocery bills, and a penchant for restaurant meals. The $15 credit against eligible streaming subscription purchases is a nice touch as well.
That said, the sign-up bonus is the real show-stopper here. Worth up to $200 when redeemed for cash, gift cards, travel, or general merchandise, it’s among the best new cardmember bonuses on any no-annual-fee card.
- Sign-Up Bonus: Earn 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 in eligible purchases in the first 90 days. That adds up to a $200 value toward any redemption option.
- Rewards Rate: Earn 4 points per $1 spent on restaurant dining purchases, including takeout and food delivery. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on grocery purchases (including in-store and delivery), plus purchases of select streaming services and purchases at gas stations and EV charging stations. All other eligible purchases earn 1 point per $1 spent. See rates and fees
- Rewards Redemption: Redeem points instantly when you shop, or redeem at your leisure for cash, gift cards, travel, or general merchandise — generally at a value of $0.01 per point.
- Introductory APR: Enjoy 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles. Following the end of the introductory period, variable regular APR applies (currently 18.24% - 29.24%, depending on your creditworthiness and prevailing rates).
- Important Fees: There is no annual fee or foreign transaction fee.
- Other Perks: Earn a $15 streaming service credit after making 11 months of streaming service purchases (in addition to 2 points per $1 spent on all eligible streaming services).
- Terms and Conditions Apply: See rates and fees.
3. U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card
0% APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 18 Billing Cycles
The U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card is U.S. Bank’s answer to Chase Slate, Citi Simplicity, and other popular low-APR credit cards with long 0% APR introductory promotions.
The headline here is the 18-billing-cycle, 0% APR purchase and balance transfer promotion. If you’re looking for an alternative to a home equity line of credit or mortgage refinancing, or you’re simply trying to get a handle on your existing credit card debt, it’s hard to do better without leaving the U.S. Bank family.
- Sign-Up Bonus: There’s currently no sign-up bonus.
- Introductory APR: Enjoy 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 18 billing cycles from account opening, then variable regular APR applies (currently 18.74% - 29.74%). Qualifying balance transfers must be made within the first 60 days. See rates and fees.
- Important Fees: There’s no annual fee. Foreign transactions cost 3% of the total transaction amount.
- Other Perks: This card comes with U.S. Bank overdraft protection and a modified lineup of Visa benefits. If you’re a fan of value-added perks, it’s not appropriate for you.
- Terms and Conditions Apply: See rates and fees.
See our U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Credit Card review for more information.
4. U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®
0% APR on Balance Transfers and Purchases for the First 15 Billing Cycles
The U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard® has a generous cash-back rewards program and an unusually long 0% APR introductory promotion on purchases and balance transfers. That makes it one of the best balance transfer credit cards for small-business owners — in part because it’s one of the few available today. And the limited-time sign-up bonus is a nice deal-sweetener for new cardholders.
- Sign-Up Bonus: For a limited time, earn $500 bonus cash back after spending $4,500 in eligible purchases during the first 150 days your account is open.
- Rewards Rate: Earn unlimited 3% cash back on eligible net purchases at office supply stores, restaurants, gas stations, EV charging stations, and cellphone and cellular service provider purchases. Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.
- Redeeming Rewards: Redeem for statement credits or deposits to an eligible U.S. Bank checking, savings, or money market account. Or, if you prefer, redeem for a U.S. Bank rewards card.
- Introductory APR: Enjoy 0% APR on balance transfers for the first 15 billing cycles. Then variable regular APR applies, depending on your creditworthiness (currently 19.24% - 28.24%). Eligible balance transfers must be made within 30 days of account opening.
- Important Fees: There is no annual fee or employee card fee. The foreign transaction fee is 3% of the transaction amount.
- Other Perks: Enjoy an annual $100 credit against eligible software subscriptions, like FreshBooks and QuickBooks.
- Terms and Conditions Apply: See rates and fees.
What to Know About U.S. Bank Credit Cards
Before you choose a card from this list, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with some general features of the U.S. Bank credit card family.
Overdraft Protection for U.S. Bank Deposit Account Holders
Unless otherwise noted above, U.S. Bank’s credit cards offer optional (opt-in) overdraft protection for U.S. Bank deposit account holders.
When you link your credit card account to a U.S. Bank checking account, transactions that would normally be declined due to lack of funds are executed as usual, with the payee none the wiser. U.S. Bank automatically draws on your credit card’s cash advance credit line to cover the charge, in increments of $50.
Transfer costs vary by checking account type but generally cost $12.50 per day or more. Each transfer is treated as a cash advance to your credit card, accumulating fees and interest at the normal cash advance rates. These fees add up quickly, so it’s in your best interest to pay them off as soon as possible.
General Benefits for U.S. Bank Cardholders
U.S. Bank cards are backed by Visa or Mastercard. Each network has a different lineup of value-added benefits, and those benefits can further vary within networks depending on the individual cards’ level of exclusivity. You can expect your chosen card to have some combination of:
- Complimentary damage coverage for rental cars charged in full to the card
- Travel accident insurance
- Personal identity theft protection
- Luxury Hotel Collection perks
- Special discounts, deals, and VIP or exclusive access to sporting events and other entertainment
- Purchase security protection
- Travel concierge service
- Travel and emergency assistance services
- Emergency card replacement
Some of these benefits, such as travel and emergency assistance services, require additional out-of-pocket expenditures. To learn more about your chosen card’s benefits and limitations, carefully review your cardholder agreement and explanation of benefits.
Qualifying for U.S. Bank Sign-Up Bonuses
Like most credit card issuers, U.S. Bank wraps its sign-up bonus offers in plenty of fine print. Before you apply for any card with an advertised sign-up bonus, pore over that print and make sure you’re eligible.
Generally speaking, you can only qualify for a given card’s sign-up bonus one time. If you close your account and then reapply sometime down the road, any bonus offer in force at the time won’t be available to you.
On the bright side, some U.S. Bank credit cards allow an extra month to complete qualifying activities for its sign-up bonus offers — four months (or 120 days) instead of three months (or 90 days). When the spend required to qualify for a bonus is a heavy lift, having an extra month to reach the threshold makes a difference.
Final Word
U.S. Bank backs a lot of credit cards — more than a dozen, although the figure changes as new cards come online and old ones phase out.
You’ll notice that this list doesn’t include all U.S. Bank credit cards. It’s limited to just those that we regard as the most effective for the greatest number of people.
We do recommend that would-be credit card applicants do their due diligence before settling on a new card. It might be that the perfect credit card for you isn’t on this list at all. So be sure to check out the card lineups of other popular issuers like Chase, American Express, and Capital One.
