Million Mile Secrets reader, Mike, tweeted:
If I don’t currently have a relationship with US Bank, should I get the Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature® Card before applying for the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card?
Excellent question, Mike!
Lots of folks are excited about the new US Bank Altitude Reserve card. Because the card’s sign-up bonus is worth $750 in travel. And you get $325 in travel credit per cardmember year.
As reader Mike implied, you must have an existing US Bank relationship prior to submitting an application for the card.
But I would NOT recommend applying for any other new US Bank cards if your goal is to get the US Bank Altitude Reserve. Because the bank is known to have strict application rules.
I’ll remind y’all about the new US Bank card offer. And share tips to establish a US Bank relationship.
US Bank Altitude Reserve 50,000 Point Offer
Link: US Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card
Link: My Review of the US Bank Altitude Reserve
With the US Bank Altitude Reserve card, you can earn 50,000 points (worth $750 in travel) after spending $4,500 on qualifying purchases within 90 days of account opening.
You’ll also get:
- $325 in travel credit every cardmember year (you can NOT get it twice before the 2nd annual fee is due)
- 3X points on travel purchases
- 3X points on mobile wallet purchases (like Apple Pay or Samsung Pay)
- 1X points on all other purchases
- Complimentary 1-year membership to Priority Pass Select airport lounges, with 4 free entries per year for you and 1 guest (you will NOT get additional memberships for authorized users)
- 12 free Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi passes per calendar year
- Global Entry fee credit
The card comes with a $400 annual fee. And only US Bank account holders are eligible to apply.
Establish a US Bank Relationship
To apply for the US Bank Altitude Reserve card, you must have an existing account open with the bank. This includes:
- Checking or savings account
- Certificate of Deposit
- Mortgage
- Home Equity Loan
- Home Equity Line of Credit
- Auto/Boat/RV loan
- Personal loans
- Private banking account
- Consumer credit card issued by US Bank
The terms & conditions on the card application page say you must have a relationship with the bank for at least 5 days. But folks on Reddit have been approved for the card by going in-branch to open a new checking account and applying for the card on the same day.
Technically, you can establish a relationship by applying for a US Bank card like Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature® Card.
But the bank is known to have strict approval rules. This means submitting multiple credit card applications in a short timeframe can make it difficult to get approved for the US Bank Altitude Reserve.
Instead, the easiest way to establish a relationship is by opening a new checking or savings account. You can do this online or in-branch. Plus, according to Doctor of Credit, opening a bank account does not require a hard pull.
Depending on the account, you might pay potential fees for the first month to establish a relationship. But after you get the US Bank Altitude Reserve, you can switch to a Gold checking account, which has no fees for US Bank credit cardholders.
Bottom Line
The new US Bank Altitude Reserve card is attractive to folks looking to get Big Travel with Small Money. Because the card’s sign-up bonus is worth $750 in travel. And you get $325 in travel credit per cardmember year.
But in order to apply of the card, you must have an existing US Bank relationship. Instead of opening a new US Bank card to establish a relationship, I’d recommend opening a new checking or savings account. And there are no monthly fees for US Bank Gold checking accounts after you get one of their credit cards.
Have you applied for the US Bank Altitude Reserve card? I’d love to hear your experience!