Our Verdict
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card* immediately separates itself from the herd of secured cards available on the market today. The card ticks the boxes you’d want in a credit-building card including strong rewards across multiple everyday spending categories, no annual fee and the ability to “graduate” to the unsecured version with consistent good payment behavior.
Pros
- Reports to all three major credit bureaus
- No annual fee
- Comes with a $15 annual streaming credit for eligible services
Cons
- Minimum deposit of $300 is required
- Non-bonus categories earn so-so rewards
- Other secured cards may offer rewards that better align with your spending
Highlights
- Earn 4 points per dollar spent on dining and takeout
- Earn 2 points at grocery stores, gas stations and on streaming services and 1 point on all other eligible purchases
- Earn a $15 streaming credit for annual streaming service purchases like Netflix and Spotify
- $0 annual fee
Introduction
The no-annual-fee U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card* earns strong rewards in several everyday spending categories while giving cardholders the ability to move on to an unsecured credit card with good habits. With the card, you can earn 4 points per dollar spent on dining and takeout, 2 points per dollar spent at grocery stores (effect September 9, 2024 discount stores and wholesale clubs are excluded), gas stations and EV charging and on streaming services and 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases. Those rewards can be redeemed for cash back, travel, gift cards, merchandise,U.S. Bank’s Real-Time Rewards or monetary charitable contributions that U.S. Bank will match at 100%. While the cash-back redemption option requires a minimum of 2,500 points, the rewards-earning overall is decent for a secured card and the available streaming credit is a nice added bonus.
Quick Facts
- No annual fee
- Earn 4 points per dollar spent on dining and takeout, 2 points per dollar spent at grocery stores (effect September 9, 2024 discount stores and wholesale clubs are excluded), gas stations and EV charging and on streaming services and 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases
- A once-yearly $15 credit towards eligible annual streaming services to be received after 11 consecutive calendar months of streaming service purchases made on the card
- No foreign transaction fee
- Points don’t expire and can be redeemed for cash back, travel and other options
- Cash-back redemptions start at 2,500 points, so you’ll have to accrue sufficient rewards before you can redeem earnings
U.S. Bank Altitude Go Secured Card Rewards
Earning Rewards
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card* earns 4 points per dollar spent on dining and takeout, 2 points per dollar spent at grocery stores (effect September 9, 2024 discount stores and wholesale clubs are excluded), gas stations and EV charging and on streaming services and 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Redeeming Rewards
There is no limit to the amount of rewards a cardholder can earn with the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card* and rewards earned do not expire. You can take your earnings as cash back as a statement credit or deposit them into a qualifying U.S. Bank account after accruing at least 2,500 points.
You can redeem points for merchandise, gift cards or travel through U.S. Bank’s rewards center online. There’s also a unique redemption option to redeem points instantly via text message with the Real-Time Rewards feature.
Rewards Potential
To determine the rewards potential of the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card*, Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to determine annual expenses and spending averages across various categories. The 50th percentile of wage-earning households brings in $91,162 annually and has total annual card spending of $28,431.
Of that, our sample household spends $3,030 on dining and would earn 12,120 points. An additional $5,259 spent on groceries would earn 10,518 and $1,948 spent on gas would earn another 3,896. Another $575 on streaming would yield an additional 1,150 points. The remaining amount that could reasonably be put on a credit card of $17,619 would yield 17,619 points for a total of 45,303 points or $453.03 in cash back.
Compare U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa® Secured Card With Other Cards
Other U.S. Bank Altitude Go Secured Card Benefits
- $15 streaming credit. This is a once-yearly $15 credit toward eligible annual streaming services to be received after 11 consecutive calendar months of streaming service purchases made on your Altitude Go card. Qualifying streaming subscriptions include services like Spotify, Hulu, Netflix, Apple Music, HBO Max, Pandora and Disney+.
- Zero fraud liability. Cardholders are not liable for unauthorized purchases.
- Basic Visa benefits. As a Visa cardholder, you’ll get some core benefits including ID theft monitoring and lost or stolen card assistance.
Fine Print
Interest Rates
- Regular APR: 29.99% variable
- Purchase intro APR: N/A
- Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
Fees
- Annual fee: $0
- Balance transfer fee: Either 3% of the amount of each transfer or $5 minimum, whichever is greater.
- Foreign purchase transaction fee: None
How the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Secured Card Stacks Up
U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card* vs. Discover it® Secured Credit Card
The Discover it® Secured Credit Card earns 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. It’s the card’s welcome bonus that gives it a leg up over the competition. With Unlimited Cashback Match™ - Discover will automatically match all the cash back earned at the end of the first year, instantly doubling rewards earned during the year. The Discover it® Secured Credit Card does not charge an annual fee and it reports to all three of the major credit bureaus, so your on-time payment behavior can help you build a stronger credit profile.
Keep in mind that after the first year, the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card* will outearn the Discover it® Secured Credit Card’s rewards. Anyone applying for a secured card, however, should be hoping to improve credit and graduate to a better, unsecured credit card as quickly as possible. For responsible users, this can take as little as seven months with the Discover it® Secured Credit Card. U.S. Bank does not specify when they’ll start to consider your account for conversion to an unsecured card.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card* vs. U.S. Bank Cash+® Secured Visa® Card*
When U.S. Bank launched the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card*, it also launched the U.S. Bank Cash+® Secured Visa® Card*. Where the Altitude Go Secured earns points, the Cash+ Secured earns cash back. It earns 5% cash back on the first $2,000 in combined eligible purchases each quarter in two categories of choice, 5% cash back on prepaid air, hotel and car reservations booked directly in the Rewards Travel Center, 2% cash back on eligible purchases in choice of one everyday category (like gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants) and 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.
The U.S. Bank Cash+ Secured card also reports to all three major credit bureaus and has a minimum opening deposit requirement of $300 and a maximum limit of $5,000. Which card is right for you will ultimately depend on what kind of opening deposit you’re able to make and which rewards align best with your spending habits.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card* vs. Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card*
The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card* allows you to choose your own reward-earning adventure. With the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card*, you’ll earn 3% cash back in a category of choice: gas and EV charging, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores or home improvement/furnishings; 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs; unlimited cash back on all other purchases. Earn 3% and 2% cash back on the first $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club purchases each quarter, then earn 1%. The Bank of America card carries no annual fee and reports to all three major credit bureaus too. It has a $200 minimum opening deposit requirement and a limit of $5,000. They also will periodically review your account to see if you qualify to have your deposit returned to you, although they don’t specify when.
Compare U.S. Bank Altitude Go Secured With Other Cards
Is the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Secured Card for You?
If you’re equally happy to eat out, order in or make dinner yourself, the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Secured is a nice option in the relatively small field of secured credit cards. The card earns rewards and with good payment behavior, you can graduate to the unsecured version of the card. This makes it a good option to help build or rebuild your credit, especially if it matches your spending habits.
Methodology
Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:
- Annual fees
- Welcome bonus offers
- Ongoing earning rates
- Value of individual points or miles
- Included travel or merchant credits
- Additional cardholder benefits
Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors came together to provide a star rating for each individual card.
Read more: How Forbes Advisor Rates Credit Cards
*The information for the following card(s) has been collected independently by Forbes Advisor: U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card, U.S. Bank Cash+® Secured Visa® Card, Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
