Overview

US Bank used to have a pretty poor reputation among points and miles enthusiasts: not many good cards, and benefits changed often. But since the launch of the premium Altitude Reserve, US Bank has improved a lot and rolled out several solid cards. That said, its cards are still not especially easy to get approved for. Here are the key things you should know about US Bank credit cards:

Applying

1. US Bank does not have a hard limit on the total number of cards you can hold. You need an SSN to apply, and having a checking account can help a lot with credit card approval. As long as your credit profile meets the requirements, approval is possible. However, the more cards you already have, the more difficult approval may become. It is also better if no new credit cards have appeared on your credit report within the past 6 months. Based on prior application data points, having a checking account tends to help meaningfully.

2. When you apply for a US Bank credit card, US Bank may check SageStream & ARS credit reports. These are smaller credit bureaus, similar to the three major bureaus: TU, EX, and EQ. Most other card issuers do not usually check these two reports, but US Bank seems to like using them. Based on past application experience, these reports often have a negative impact on approval. You may consider freezing these two reports by mail so US Bank cannot access them, which may improve your approval odds. However, if you are applying for a US Bank checking account, you may need to unfreeze them or your application may not be approved.

3. The US Bank Altitude Reserve credit card requires an existing US Bank relationship in order to apply. This premium card is an exception. If you apply without a US Bank relationship, such as a checking account, savings account, another US Bank credit card, or an investment account, the application will be automatically denied.

4. US Bank does not offer an online application status link. You can only check by calling (800) 947-1444.

5. After applying for a US Bank card, you can call the reconsideration line to speed up the review process or ask a specialist to re-review a denied application. After you call, they will need to verify your identity and address. The specialist may review your application on the spot and ask about items on your credit report. They may also ask you to move credit limit from another card in order to approve the new one. For more details: Introduction to Credit Card Reconsideration

6. For US Bank credit card applications, hard pulls made on the same day may be combined. That said, US Bank cards are already relatively difficult to get approved for, let alone two in one day. Co-branded cards may be somewhat easier, though, so some people may want to try applying for two cards in one day.

7. US Bank credit card welcome bonuses are usually the same across the market, though targeted offers may differ. Online offers are generally consistent, but recently there have been cases where old links still show older, higher offers, and mail-in offers may sometimes be better.

8. You generally cannot earn the welcome bonus on the same US Bank credit card more than once. On the Altitude Connect application page, the language says: “The bonus is not available to Cardmembers who currently have, or had, a US Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature account.” That suggests you cannot receive the bonus if you currently have the card or had it in the past. In practice, however, there have not been many recent churn data points, so it is still unclear how strictly this is enforced. (Based on a reader comment DP, a churn attempt on Altitude failed.)

9. US Bank welcome bonuses are hard to match. Based on reader data points in the comments, bonus match requests were denied. Still, if you are interested, you can always try calling.

Using the Card

10. The clock on the minimum spending requirement starts on the day your application is approved. If the terms say 3 months, that period starts on the approval date, not when you receive or activate the card, and runs forward for 3 months from that day.

11. Annual fees, interest, cash advance fees, and similar charges do not count toward the minimum spending requirement and do not earn points/cash back. Be sure to exclude these charges when calculating your spending. Also, it is best not to count reimbursed purchases either.

12. After holding a US Bank card for 12 months, you may be able to downgrade within the same card family. For example, you may be able to downgrade among Altitude Reserve, Connect, and Go. See also: Introduction to Product Changes

13. Some cards now have US Bank Offers. You need to clip the offer first before using it, and it can save you a decent amount of money. If you do not see any offers on your card yet, use the card more and they may gradually appear.

Closing the Card

14. It is best to keep a US Bank credit card for at least one year before closing it. If you close it within 30 days after the annual fee posts, you can usually get a full refund of the fee. Closing too early may be seen as intentionally churning the card and could hurt your relationship with the bank going forward. If you miss the 30-day window, you can also downgrade to a no-annual-fee card first, receive a prorated refund, and then close it.

15. If you close a core US Bank card, your points will disappear. If you close a co-branded card, airline miles or hotel points will remain in the corresponding loyalty program. With airline and hotel co-branded cards, the miles or points are already stored in your frequent flyer or hotel loyalty account, so closing the credit card does not remove them. However, keep in mind that once the card is closed, it may no longer help extend the expiration date of those rewards.

16. You can call to close the card, and customer service may offer a Retention Offer. To persuade you to keep the card, they may offer things like a waived annual fee for that year, extra miles, or extra spending incentives. If you are interested, you can accept the retention offer and keep the card for another year. That said, these offers have become harder to get recently, though co-branded cards may still occasionally get some annual fee relief. See also: Analysis of Credit Card Retention Offers

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