US Bank continues its credit card expansion with the new , a premium travel rewards card which has a headline feature of 4X points on travel and gas stations, plus 2X points on dining and grocery stores. There is also a launch offer of 50,000 bonus points worth $500 cash via statement credits. Here are the details:
- 50,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 120 days. 50,000 points can be redeemed for a $500 statement credit.
- 4X points per dollar spent on travel and gas stations.
- 2X points per dollar spent on grocery stores, grocery delivery, dining and streaming services.
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other eligible net purchases.
- Up to $100 towards TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry® application fee reimbursement via statement credit, once every four years.
- $30 annual streaming credit. $30 credit for annual streaming service purchases such as Netflix and Spotify®.
- Cell phone protection. Up to $600 reimbursement if your cell phone is stolen or damaged when you pay your monthly cell phone bill with your card.
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 annual fee the first year, $95/year thereafter.
$30 annual streaming bonus details. If you charge at least one eligible video or music streaming service ever month onto this card, you’ll get 2X points per dollar spent, and also a $30 streaming service credit after 11 months of streaming service purchases. Eligible services include Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Disney+, Sling TV, YouTube TV, Vudu, AT&T TV Now, Apple Music, Google Music, Spotify, Amazon Music Unlimited, Tidal, SiriusXM, and Pandora. A clever little incentive to keep you actively using this card.
An automatic statement credit of $30 per 12-month period will be applied to your U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card Account within 2 statement billing cycles following 11 consecutive calendar months of eligible streaming service purchases, such as Netflix, Hulu, Apple Music, if the Account is in good standing (open and able to use).
Overall thoughts. Even beyond the attractive sign-up bonus, this card looks very solid. Most of the major spending categories are covered by the 2X/4X tiers: travel, gas stations, grocery stores, dining out, and streaming. The TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement, $30 annual streaming credit, and cell phone protection also add ongoing value. The annual fee is waived during the first year, so there is no upfront cost to trying this card out.
Based on the rewards structure and annual fee, this cards will compete directly with the highly-popular . Note that earning Ultimate Rewards points may be more attractive to those that can maximize the value of airline miles and/or hotel points. However, if you prefer to redeem for straight cash (statement credits), this US Bank card has higher multipliers on travel and gas stations, and thus likely higher rewards when comparing cash back amounts.
You may also compare this with the , which has more rewards but also a much higher annual fee.
Bottom line. The new offers a competitive 4X points on travel and gas stations, plus 2X points on dining out and grocery store purchases. Right now, new applicants can score a sign-up bonus worth $500 after spending $3,000 within the first 120 days, and have the annual fee waived during the first year. This is definitely going on the , especially as it is one of the few that I don’t already have.
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