Update 11/11/24: We noted how the Connect 4x Gas category is limited to $1,000 per quarter. We’ve now learned that the Go 4x Dining category is getting a $2,000 quarterly limit, beginning April 14, 2025. (ht Bockrr)
Update 9/20/24: Gigsky benefit has been extended through 11/11/25 (ht Steven)
Update 9/19/24: Reports are the $30 streaming credit are posting despite only six months posting: 1, 2
Update 8/27/24: reader Physicist points out that you’ll still be able to get a full $.01 per point when redeeming into a U.S. Bank bank account, or when redeeming for travel either in the Altitude Rewards Center or redeeming for travel with Real Time Rewards. Updated below.
Update 4/10/24: Landing page also says that GigSky benefit will be removed on 8/31/2024.
Original Post:
U.S. Bank has announced major changes coming to the Altitude Connect card, effective September 9, 2024:
Biggest changes:
- The $95 Annual Membership Fee will be removed.
- Some points redemptions are going down in value from 1 cent-per-point to .8 cents per point. This is true for cash back, Real-Time Rewards, U.S. Bank Rewards Card, Shop with Points at Amazon.com and Paypal. You can still get 1 cent per point in the Altitude Rewards Center when redeeming into a U.S. Bank bank account or when redeeming for travel in the Altitude Rewards Center or redeeming for travel with Real Time Rewards.
- The $30 credit for annual streaming service purchases will be discontinued.Â
Points Earnings:
- 4XÂ points at gas stations and EV charging stations will be limited to your first $1,000 each quarter.
- The card earns 2XÂ points on dining, streaming services and at grocery stores. Beginning September 9, 2024, discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs are excluded.
- You will continue to earn 5X points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center and 4X points on travel purchases.
Other Changes:
- New benefit: Points can be redeemed for a monetary charitable contribution across a variety of nonprofits and U.S. Bank will match your contribution at 100%.
- The cell phone protection benefit will no longer be available with your card.
Final Thoughts
All other benefits remain unchanged. Notably, the card will keep the Precheck or global entry credit. The card also offers complimentary Priority Pass Select membership with 4 free visits. These are sweet perks for a no-fee card.
Altitude Go Card
It’s not clear to me of what changes are happening to the Altitude Go card. It appears from this page that the card will maintain its $15 streaming credit. I believe points redemptions on the Go card are also going down to .8 cents-per-point, unless when redeeming into a U.S. Bank account or when redeeming for travel where you’ll get the full $.01 per point.
Hat tip to reader TJ
They’re nerfing the Cash+ cards as well:
https://www.myvisacardportal.com/usbank/en_us/welcome/details/A756675?card=cashplussignature&categoryName=upcoming_changes
“Cash Rewards values and redemption minimums may vary over time, and will be disclosed upon redemption”
They’re doing this so that more people will open a Smartly card
Just saw this today in the Altitude Connect terms and conditions: „ IMPORTANT CHANGE: Effective April 14, 2025, any new Points will expire if there is no reward, purchase, or balance activity on your account for 12 consecutive statement cycles. Points earned prior to April 14, 2025 will not be affected.“
Link here – https://www.myvisacardportal.com/usbankaltitude/en_us/welcome/details/A689660?card=altitudeconnect&categoryName=upcoming_changes
Hopefully they keep the priority pass a few times a year for the ALtitude holders
This update nerfed the Go by quite a bit. But the Connect was spared. No changes to PP, Gigsky, and TSA.
Altitude Go changes here: https://www.myvisacardportal.com/usbankaltitude/en_us/welcome/details/A432444?card=altitudego&categoryName=upcoming_changes
Altitude Go has been great for me, I will be upset if they nerf it. No FTF, no AF, and 4% back on dining = can dine overseas and get maximum cashback without trying to cover an AF. And it’s not Amex, so you can use it anywhere. I have never used the streaming credit, $15 a year doesn’t even cover one month of Netflix.
Altitude Go does have FTF to the tune of 3%, unfortunately.
Someone in the most recent Altitude Go SUB post said people who got the card before Sept 2024 are grandfathered in to no FTF. Can’t confirm any of that myself.
Go now has foreign transaction fees so, overseas won’t be profitable.
With the exception of having foreign transaction fees, Smartly’s 4 percent everywhere (as opposed to only e-wallet purchases) makes it very attractive for otherwise non-bonused spending . . . if a person has the assets to invest. Whether US Bank is able to monetize those investment accounts will likely determine whether Smartly stays at 4 percent.
In either case, gutting the other cards over the past year has made US Bank a less attractive issuer. We shall see whether the Altitude Reserve’s rewards structure remains untouched.
Soon we all go back to cash… whatever. Ironic, but all these cutting backs relate to bank blogs like this since now magically even the illiterate are doing (and abusing) bank bonuses.
Smartly will be a loss leader, they’ve got to soften the blow.
i’m skeptical on that, it’s not like everyone has 100k lying around
Why not offer 6% back if you have $250,000, 8% for $500K, and 10% for 1 million? A loss leader is just that, get you in the door at an initial loss, and prices go back to normal later. It is like selling a 75″ TV for less than cost on Black Friday, it is still a loss on its own, even if the majority are buying other things.
US Bank seems to be gutting all cards to move all customers to Smartly. I imagine the Altitude Reserve is coming soon. Cash+ also getting nerfed some in April
Whats happening with Cash+?
Komma
Probably referencing this: “Effective April 14, 2025, grocery store and supermarket purchases at discount stores/supercenters such as Target and Walmart and wholesale clubs will only earn 1% cash back. Gas station and electric vehicle charging station purchases at discount stores/supercenters, wholesale clubs and grocery stores/supermarkets will only earn 1% cash back.”
Thanks, I hadn’t seen that. Those were always only 2% max on one or the other though…sounds like a nothingburger?
I suspect many here would only care if utilities ever got nerfed, especially with the ACI payments hack
What is the ACI payments hack?
#1816444