US Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Card Overview

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Key features

  • Welcome bonus: 25,000 Flexperks points (Spend $2,000 within 3 months of card approval)
  • Earn Flexperks points: 2x on the highest-spending of airfare, groceries, or gas; 2x on mobile/communications; 2x on charitable donations; 1x on everything else
  • Redemption: Hotel and airfare redemptions have a fixed value of 1.5 cents/point
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • $49 annual fee; first year is free; in following years you can offset the annual fee with 3,500 points

Highlights

  • 12 Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi passes every year: Usable on Delta, AA, and Alaska domestic routes; one pass is needed per segment
  • Flexperks points: Fixed value is 1.5 cents/point; for statement credit redemptions it is 1.0 cent/point. So the max value of the 25,000-point bonus is $375
  • Olympic year: In Olympic years (including Summer and Winter Games), US Bank gives bonus points based on the U.S. medal count. Generally, each gold medal earns 500 bonus points, each silver earns 250 points, and each bronze earns 100 points
  • Annual fee can be covered with points: Use 3,500 points to cover the annual fee each year

Cons

  • This card can be somewhat hard to get approved. If you do not meet Visa Signature requirements (usually a $5,000 credit line), the card will be downgraded to the US Bank FlexPerks Select Rewards card, which has only a 10,000-point welcome bonus.
  • Points cannot yet be transferred or combined with US Bank’s Altitude card points

My Take

In an Olympic year, this is still a good one-off card. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, the U.S. won 46 gold, 37 silver, and 38 bronze medals. At bonus rates of 500, 250, and 100 points, the card awarded over 36,000 bonus points that year, so it was very worthwhile.

Also, redemption used to be tiered (for example, flights under $400 were 20,000 points), but now it’s a flat value at 1.5 cents/point, so you don't need to hunt for fares in the $395–$400 range anymore.

This card is best applied for by applicants who have a relationship with US Bank, such as a checking account there, and ideally with at least about 2 years of credit history.

Application

  • Approval difficulty: US Bank is sensitive to credit history and new accounts. If you already have their Checking or Savings account, approval is usually easier. This card has a minimum approval limit of $5,000. It is recommended that applicants have at least one year of credit history and some income.
  • Application status: US Bank official application status check

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