U.S. Bank launches new Altitude Go card

On June 8, 2020, U.S. Bank announced the launch of a new rewards credit card – the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Card. The card will allow consumers to earn points towards travel purchases in categories like dining, groceries, gas stations and streaming services.

The card is launching with an attractive rewards rate and limited-time sign-up bonus. The Altitude Go card will become an addition to the Altitude card family, that also includes the exclusive U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card. However, even though the two cards come from the same family, they’re designed to serve customers with very different spending needs.

“We are pleased to launch our new Altitude Go Visa Signature Card, which rewards customers for purchases in categories where we see a lot of activity these days: restaurant takeout, food delivery, groceries and streaming services,” Steve Mattics, head of Retail Payment Solutions at U.S. Bank, said in a statement. “U.S. Bank’s Altitude Go card can also be used at contactless readers, speeding up the checkout process and reducing the need to touch a device to complete a purchase.”

If you’re looking for a card to reward you for food purchases, whether it’s dining and delivery or buying groceries, the new Altitude Go card might be worth looking into. The card offers a 4-points-per-dollar rate on dining and takeout. This also includes food delivery services, such as Grubhub, UberEats, DoorDash and others.

See related: Best cards for food delivery and meal kit subscriptions

Additionally, cardholders will be able to earn 2 points per dollar on groceries, gas stations and streaming services, including meal kit and grocery delivery. All other purchases will earn at a rate of 1 point per dollar.

On top of that, every year cardholders will be able to take advantage of a $15 credit on streaming services. To earn the credit, you need to have 11 months of consecutive streaming service charges on your card, and on the twelfth month, you’ll receive the $15.

Note that it doesn’t have to be the same service for the entirety of 11 months. For example, you can charge Netflix on your card for six months and then switch to charging Spotify instead for five months. In this scenario, you’ll still get the credit.

Which streaming services will be eligible depends on the merchant category code they use, but we expect them to include:

• Amazon Music 
• Apple Music
• AT&T TV Now
• Disney+
• Google Music
• Hulu
• Netflix
• Pandora
• SiriusXM
• Slacker Radio
• Sling TV
• Spotify
• Tidal
• Vudu
• YouTube Music
• YouTube TV

Finally, the new Altitude Go card can be a good choice if you’re planning a balance transfer or large purchase. The card comes with a 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers (must be made in first 60 days) for 12 months (14.99% to 23.99% variable APR thereafter), giving you an entire year without paying interest.

Considering the Altitude Go card’s $0 annual fee and the current shift in consumer spending toward groceries and food delivery, this might be a good time to sign up for the card. Additionally, the introductory sign-up bonus of 20,000 points that you can get after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days with the card is only available till Aug. 9, 2020.

Which Altitude card is right for you?

If you’re interested in applying for one of the Altitude cards, you should consider your spending habits and what you’re looking to get from your new card. While these cards may share a name, they’re made to serve very different types of consumers.

As you can see, the Altitude Reserve Card is an exclusive rewards card with great travel benefits and generous annual travel credit. It can be excellent for an avid traveler – if you don’t mind the steep $400 annual fee.

The Altitude Go card, despite its name, doesn’t actually reward you for going anywhere (at least to travel). However, it’s an option worth considering if you want to earn points on your daily spending. The absence of an annual fee also makes it easy to maximize rewards without being worried about the card’s cost.

Either of the two Altitude cards can be a good addition to your wallet if you’ve made sure it fits your needs. Before you decide to apply, consider your spending and budget and research other travel credit cards, to ensure get you the best deal.