#6 Among Transferable Points
Point Value
1.10 ¢
Hobby Score
3.7
The U.S. Bank Loyalty System is a fixed-value travel program with limited upside.
The only way to earn points that redeem directly for travel with U.S. Bank is to open one of their Altitude cards. If you already hold a legacy FlexPerks card, you can still use those points to pay for travel, but none of those cards accept new applicants.
All other U.S. Bank credit cards earn cash back. Most rewards—whether redeemed through the travel portal or as cash back—are worth 1 cent per point. Because of this, you should choose the card with the strongest signup bonus and the best earning structure for your spending. Being able to book travel through the portal isn’t a meaningful advantage when the redemption value is still just 1 cent per point. You can simply redeem for cash back and book any travel you want without portal restrictions.
There are several ways to redeem points with U.S. Bank, but it depends on which credit card you hold. We outline the main categories below. We won’t go too deep into any of them since none can be transferred to partners, which is where the best value lies in this hobby. Nearly all redemption options are worth 1 cent per point, regardless of method.
U.S. Bank has several cash back cards. While the signup bonuses are weak, the category multipliers can help you earn rewards quickly. Redemption options include statement credits, deposits into an eligible U.S. Bank account, gift cards, or Real-Time Rewards. All of these are worth 1 cent per point at best. You cannot use rewards from these cards to book travel in the U.S. Bank portal, but you can redeem for cash and book any travel you want.
There are four U.S. Bank Altitude cards (two business, two personal) plus the U.S. Bank Business Leverage card. Points earned from these cards can be used to book travel through the U.S. Bank travel portal, which is powered by Booking.com. Redemptions are a flat 1 cent per point, so while the points can cover travel, you won’t get outsized value.
U.S. Bank has phased out its FlexPerks program, and all cards that earned FlexPerks are closed to new applicants. Some cardholders may still have FlexPerks-earning cards. The most notable, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite, now only offers 1 cent per point on portal bookings (it used to offer a flat 1.5¢/point), removing the last strong redemption option in the U.S. Bank ecosystem.
Look at the chart below to find the best sweet spots for this airline. Use the filters to find the optimal Sweet Spot for your trip and points.
Max. Point Value 1.10 ¢
Do Points Expire? Yes
Transfer To Spouse/Partner Yes
Transfer To Friends Yes
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Outside Point System U.S. Bank FlexPerks
1:1 91% value retained
The U.S. Bank Loyalty System is a fixed-value travel program with limited upside.
Flex Perks offer a diverse reward system. They can be redeemed towards travel, merchandise rewards, gift cards, statement credit and uniquely real-time mobile rewards after setting up and activating your account. The best redemption is through the U.S. Bank portal, specifically purchasing airline tickets. Revisit your love for Orbitz when collecting these points because going through U.S. Banks online store, clicking the Orbitz portal and booking new flights with your Flex Points will give you some outstanding value -- possibly worth more than you’ve ever seen. Another good redemption option -- both easy and fast -- is booking directly with the merchants and then getting compensated with a statement credit. That way you can earn points on your upfront purchase.
Earning is easy with your sign-up bonus and 2 points per $1 spent on most cell phone service providers, charitable donations and one of these 3 alternating categories: gas, groceries or airline tickets. If you hate keeping track of which card to whip out while making what purchase, this one will do the math for you and just apply the 2 points toward whichever category you spent the most money on during the last billing cycle.
There are several ways to redeem points with U.S. Bank, but it depends on which credit card you hold. We outline the main categories below. We won’t go too deep into any of them since none can be transferred to partners, which is where the best value lies in this hobby. Nearly all redemption options are worth 1 cent per point, regardless of method.
U.S. Bank has several cash back cards. While the signup bonuses are weak, the category multipliers can help you earn rewards quickly. Redemption options include statement credits, deposits into an eligible U.S. Bank account, gift cards, or Real-Time Rewards. All of these are worth 1 cent per point at best. You cannot use rewards from these cards to book travel in the U.S. Bank portal, but you can redeem for cash and book any travel you want.
There are four U.S. Bank Altitude cards (two business, two personal) plus the U.S. Bank Business Leverage card. Points earned from these cards can be used to book travel through the U.S. Bank travel portal, which is powered by Booking.com. Redemptions are a flat 1 cent per point, so while the points can cover travel, you won’t get outsized value.
U.S. Bank has phased out its FlexPerks program, and all cards that earned FlexPerks are closed to new applicants. Some cardholders may still have FlexPerks-earning cards. The most notable, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite, now only offers 1 cent per point on portal bookings (it used to offer a flat 1.5¢/point), removing the last strong redemption option in the U.S. Bank ecosystem.
Since U.S. Bank doesn’t have transfer partners you can move your points to, there is no way to use them once you cancel a card. Any points in your account will be forfeited. You should redeem all points or cash back earned from a card before you decide to close it.
Best Points System For Pooling/Sharing