U.S. Bank FlexPerks points review: Simplicity and flexibility to book travel with no blackout dates

Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

U.S. Bank doesn’t get as much attention for their credit cards as some other banks, but they do have some great card offerings, including the U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Travel Rewards Visa Signature® Card and U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Credit Card. The points these cards earn can be very useful, especially to people who don’t want to deal with airline award availability and blackout dates or would rather stay in boutique hotels or Airbnb instead of hotel chains.

Here’s our full U.S. Bank points review.

U.S. Bank FlexPerks review

U.S. Bank FlexPoints are a great option to have in your travel points bank because they offer you flexibility that other types of miles don’t. Namely, when you’re traveling during busy times of the year and you can’t find award availability, you can use your U.S. Bank points to purchase available seats on flights like cash.

Many other bank points, like Chase Ultimate Rewards, allow you to do this as well, but traditional airline miles typically don’t. And, even if you have a stockpile of Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you might want to save those to redeem with Chase transfer partners and use U.S. Bank points to cover your flights instead.

How to earn U.S. Bank FlexPoints

The main way to earn FlexPoints is by applying for a credit card, earning the welcome bonus, and spending on that card Some of the below cards don’t appear to currently be open to new applicants:

• U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Travel Rewards Visa Signature® Card
• U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards
• U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Select+ American Express® Card
• U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Gold American Express® Card: Earn 30,000 FlexPoints (worth $450 in travel) after you spend $2,000 on purchases within the first four months of opening your account

Most U.S. Bank points cards earn FlexPoints, though the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card card earns Altitude points. U.S. Bank has ensured that these points function similarly (we’ll get to that in a second). The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve comes with 50,000 Altitude points (worth $750 in travel) after you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account. Here’s our review of the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card.

Note: U.S. Bank also issues cards like the U.S. Bank Business Select Rewards, which earns its own type of points that aren’t as valuable for travel and can not be transferred to FlexPoints or Altitude points.

Beyond the welcome bonuses, you can also earn a ton of U.S. Bank points from ongoing spending on these cards. Some earn bonus points for spending in common categories, like travel and dining. For example:

• U.S. Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Signature Card: Earn 2 FlexPoints per dollar spent on gas, grocery, or airline purchases, and qualifying charitable donations
• U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card: Earn 3 Altitude points per dollar spent on all mobile wallet and travel purchases.

How Much Are U.S. Bank FlexPoints worth?

Depending on what U.S. Bank credit card you have, you will usually be earning one of two types of points: FlexPoints or Altitude Points. Luckily, these points function very similarly. With either, you’ll be able to redeem your points through U.S. Bank’s Travel Portal. Here is the value you can expect to get from your points, regardless of if you’re earning FlexPoints or Altitude points:

• Airfare, hotels, and car rentals: Redeem points at a rate of 1.5 cents per point when using the U.S. Bank travel portal or U.S. Bank
• Statement credit or gift cards: Redeem points for a statement credit or gift cards at a rate of 1 cent per point

You need to make a minimum redemption of 1,000 points.

How to Use FlexPoints

The best option for using your U.S. Bank points is to redeem them for travel, because that’s where you’ll get the most value. But, you do have the option to redeem your points for statement credits or gift cards, too.

Remember, the best value for your points is whatever makes you happy and meets your needs — the choice is ultimately yours.

Redeem FlexPoints for travel

Being able to redeem your points for a fixed value for your travel experiences is very convenient. You won’t have to worry about blackout dates award availability, or how long a transfer is going to take. You simply need to log in to the U.S. Bank Travel Portal and book your travel! Remember, FlexPoints and Altitude points are worth 1.5 cents each when booking flights, hotels, and car rentals through the U.S. Bank Travel Portal.

The best thing about U.S. Bank points is simplicity. If you want to book a flight on a specific date (without blackout dates), a hotel at a unique location or a rental car, booking through the U.S. Bank Travel Portal is a solid bet.

You’ll also earn points on the flights you take. But note that you won’t earn hotel points or stay credits when you book through the portal, because it’s considered a third-party booking.

Redeem FlexPoints for cash or gift cards

Your U.S. Bank points are always worth 1 cent per point when you redeem them for cash back. For example, redeeming 50,000 U.S. Bank FlexPoints would be worth $500.

This is a good option if you won’t travel or just prefer straight cash back. Keep in mind, you’ll get a much better bang for your point when you redeem your points for travel for travel, so we recommend you do not redeem for cash back if you like to travel.

Do U.S. Bank points expire?

Unlike most other bank points programs, you will have to keep track of the expiration date for your U.S. Bank FlexPoints. They expire five years from the date they’re earned. But, as long as you use your points regularly, you shouldn’t have to worry too much because they will automatically be redeemed in the order they were earned.

U.S. Bank Altitude points, on the other hand, do not expire.

For both types of points, your card must be open and in good standing, otherwise, you will automatically forfeit your points.

Bottom line

It’s possible to get some serious value out of U.S. Bank points. Whether you collect FlexPoints or Altitude points, they’re a great option especially for times when there’s no award availability for flights you want to take because you can use your points like cash to purchase an available seat on a flight. They’re also great for people who would rather stay in boutique hotels rather than stick with the chains.

Even if that doesn’t necessarily sound like you most of the time, it’s always great to have multiple tools and currencies at our disposal so you can adapt when you need to.

It’s easy to earn U.S. Bank points and they’re even easier to redeem, with cards like:

• U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Travel Rewards Visa Signature® Card
• U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards
• U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Select+ American Express® Card
• U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Gold American Express® Card
• U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card

And if you have no travel plans, you can always trade in your points for cold, hard cash back. You won’t necessarily get the most value that way, but it’s a solid option if you prefer the flexibility of cash.

Remember to subscribe to the Million Mile Secrets newsletter for more tips on how to be smart with your miles and points.