The Best Points and Miles Travel Card That Nobody Talks About
No annual fee. Priority Pass lounge access. 4x on gas. Here's why this card belongs in every serious travel portfolio.
Every conversation about premium travel credit cards follows the same script. Amex Platinum. Chase Sapphire Reserve. Capital One Venture X. The same three cards, the same benefits, the same debate about whether the fees are worth it.
The US Bank Altitude Connect does not appear in that conversation. It never has. It carries no annual fee, generates no affiliate revenue worth fighting over, and sits quietly in the wallets of people who figured something out that most points and miles writers haven’t written about yet.
The US Bank Altitude Connect is the card that does what your premium cards don’t, at zero annual cost. Lounge access for family members. 4x on gas. A streaming credit that stacks with others. Travel protections that rival cards charging ten times as much. This card is ideal for maximizing your overall points and miles setup.
What Makes This Card Unusual
Most no-annual-fee cards make a trade. You get decent rewards rates and give up the perks: no lounge access, no travel protections, no credits. That is the standard deal, and it’s a reasonable one.
The Altitude Connect does not make that trade.
It’s one of the few no-annual-fee cards that include Priority Pass Select membership, lounge access, no foreign transaction fees, and a travel credit structure. The combination is unusual enough to warrant its own category: this is a premium card that forgot to charge a premium fee.
The reason it never makes the “best cards” roundups is simple. It earns US Bank Altitude points, which cannot be transferred to airline or hotel partners. For points maximizers building transferable currency, that is a dealbreaker. But for travelers who want lounge access, strong category bonuses, and zero annual cost, without the complexity of managing transfer partners, it’s a card the industry has systematically underrated.
The Benefits
Annual fee: $0. Every year. No first-year waiver that converts to a fee you have to justify.
Rewards rates:
- 5x points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked through the US Bank Altitude Rewards Center
- 4x points on travel, airfare, hotels booked outside the portal, car rentals, cruises
- 4x points at gas stations and EV charging stations on the first $1,000 per quarter
- 2x points at grocery stores, grocery delivery, dining, and streaming services
- 1x on everything else
Points are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for travel through the US Bank Travel Center or deposited into an eligible US Bank account.
Priority Pass Select membership: 4 complimentary visits per year. Membership on this card includes access to restaurants, spas, gaming lounges, and more at participating locations, not just airport lounges. Additional visits run approximately $35 per person.
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit: Up to $100 every four years.
$30 annual streaming credit: Applied after 11 consecutive calendar months of eligible streaming purchases. The 11-month window is unusual; it rewards consistent use rather than front-loaded spending.
GigSky eSIM: Free International Data in 125+ Countries. Through a partnership with GigSky, Altitude Connect cardholders receive a complimentary 5GB/15-day global mobile data plan usable in 125+ countries, and when the plan expires, you can renew it for free. The cycle repeats for as long as the benefit is active, currently extended through November 2026. That is effectively free international data for every trip you take this year.
Setup requires downloading the GigSky app, entering your Altitude Connect card number for Visa verification, and activating the plan before you need it. It works on any eSIM-compatible unlocked smartphone. When you need more than 5GB on a single trip, additional plans are automatically discounted 20%. Register at gigsky.com/visa-usb-ac.
For context: a comparable GigSky plan without the benefit costs around $10-$20 for 5GB. If you take four international trips this year, that’s $40-$80 in data costs you can eliminate with a zero annual fee.
SmartDelay: Free Lounge Access When Your Flight Is Delayed. If your flight is delayed by 2 or more hours, Altitude Connect’s SmartDelay benefit provides complimentary lounge access for you and up to three passengers on the same itinerary. Critically, this does not count against your 4 annual Priority Pass visits. It’s a separate benefit that automatically activates when your flight hits the delay threshold; a lounge access voucher is emailed for each qualifying passenger.
Register your flight at altitudeconnect.smartdelay.com. A 2-hour delay on a 4-person family trip yields 4 lounge vouchers at no cost and uses none of your Priority Pass allocation. For anyone who has sat in a crowded gate area for two hours while a delayed flight slowly deteriorated, this benefit needs no further explanation.
Travel protections: Trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage insurance, travel accident insurance, and emergency roadside assistance.
No foreign transaction fees.
Welcome bonus: 20,000 points (worth $200 toward travel) after $1,000 in spending within the first 90 days.
How It Fits Into a Premium Portfolio
If you’re already carrying an Amex Platinum and a Chase Sapphire Reserve, you might wonder what a no-fee card adds. The answer is: the things your premium cards don’t cover well, at no additional cost.
Gas. Neither the Amex Platinum nor the Chase Sapphire Reserve earns well on gas. The Altitude Connect earns 4x on gas stations and EV charging, up to $1,000 per quarter and $4,000 per year before the cap applies. For a household filling up regularly, that 4x rate is worth hundreds of dollars annually that your premium cards are leaving at the pump.
Stack that with the Walmart+ $0.10/gallon discount at Exxon, Mobil, and Murphy stations, which the Amex Platinum covers through its Walmart+ credit, and you’re earning 4x points while simultaneously saving on the per-gallon price. Two separate benefits, one stop at the pump.
Priority Pass visits for your travel companions. The Amex Platinum includes Priority Pass, but the guest fee is $35 per person. The Chase Sapphire Reserve’s Priority Pass also carries a $35 guest fee. Altitude Connect’s 4 complimentary visits per year are a pool you can use specifically for yourself or your companions; no guest fee required. For a family of four taking just one trip a year, those 4 free companion visits are worth $140 in out-of-pocket costs.
The streaming credit. The $30 annual streaming credit stacks with streaming credits from other cards. The Amex Platinum’s $300 digital entertainment credit covers Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and others. Altitude Connect’s $30 plan covers a separate month or two of streaming that the Platinum plan’s credit doesn’t cover. At zero annual fee, any streaming credit is pure net positive.
The TSA PreCheck credit. I use the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry credits from my premium cards to cover my kids, my mother, and my mother-in-law. The Altitude Connect’s $100 credit every four years is one more slot. Another family member covered, another card paying its own way.
Gas and EV Charging
The 4x rate on gas stations deserves more attention than it gets.
At the national average of roughly 50 fill-ups per year for a household with two cars, earning 4x instead of 1x on every gallon means three extra points per dollar on a category most premium cards treat as an afterthought. On $3,000 in annual gas spending, a conservative estimate, that is 9,000 extra points, worth $90, compared to what you’d earn on a flat-rate card.
As more households add an EV, charging costs become a meaningful spending category. The Altitude Connect earns 4x on EV charging stations up to the same quarterly cap. Most premium cards do not categorize EV charging as travel and earn 1x. This card earns 4x.
The Priority Pass Caveat
Four visits per year are meaningful for the right traveler and insufficient for the wrong one.
If you fly eight or more times a year and want lounge access on every leg, four visits are a fraction of what you need. The Amex Platinum’s Priority Pass, the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s Priority Pass, and the Capital One Venture X all offer unlimited visits. The Altitude Connect is not designed to replace those.
It’s designed to supplement them. Four extra visits that can be given to a spouse, parent, child, or colleague traveling with you. Four visits that cost nothing to maintain because the card costs nothing to carry. When you treat Altitude Connect’s Priority Pass as a supplemental pool rather than a primary membership, four visits per year are a cool benefit, not a limitation.
The Approval Caveat
US Bank typically requires good to excellent credit for the Altitude Connect, generally a FICO score of 690 or higher. US Bank also tends to be more conservative in approvals than Amex or Chase, and applicants without an existing US Bank relationship may find the process less predictable. If your credit profile is strong and your card history is clean, approval tends to go smoothly. If you’re new to premium credit, the card may require more lead time.
The Case for Carrying Both
The Altitude Connect doesn’t compete with the Amex Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve. It costs nothing to hold alongside them, and it plugs the gaps they leave open:
- 4x on gas, where they earn 1x
- 4 Priority Pass visits for companions, where they charge $35-$50 each
- Free lounge access for the whole travel party when flights are delayed 2+ hours, without touching your Priority Pass allocation
- Free international data in 125+ countries, renewable every 15 days through November 2026
- A streaming credit that stacks with theirs
- A TSA PreCheck credit that covers one more family member
- Travel protections that cover trips booked on this card specifically
Every dollar you spend on gas on a premium card instead of the Altitude Connect is a dollar earning 1x when it could earn 4x, at zero additional annual cost.
The card nobody talks about is the one quietly doing the work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the US Bank Altitude Connect have an annual fee? No. The card carries a $0 annual fee, with no waiver period; the fee is zero every year.
Does the US Bank Altitude Connect have lounge access? Yes. Cardholders receive a 12-month Priority Pass Select membership with 4 complimentary lounge visits per year. Participating locations include traditional airport lounges, restaurants, spas, and gaming lounges at select airports. Additional visits cost approximately $35 per person.
How much is the US Bank Altitude Connect welcome bonus worth? The 20,000-point welcome bonus is worth $200 when redeemed for travel through the US Bank Travel Center. The spending threshold is $1,000 within 90 days of account opening.
Can US Bank Altitude points be transferred to airlines or hotels? No. Altitude points earned on the personal Altitude Connect card cannot be transferred to airline or hotel loyalty programs. They redeem at 1 cent per point for travel, cash back, gift cards, or statement credits. This is the card’s primary limitation compared to transferable-currency cards like the Amex Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve.
What gas stations qualify for the 4x rate? Most major US gas stations qualify, including Exxon, Mobil, Shell, BP, Chevron, and others. EV charging stations also earn 4x. The 4x rate applies to the first $1,000 in combined gas and EV charging purchases per quarter, then drops to 1x.
How does the $30 streaming credit work? The credit is applied as a statement credit after 11 consecutive calendar months of eligible streaming service purchases. It rewards sustained use rather than one-time spending. Eligible services include most major streaming platforms.
What is SmartDelay on the US Bank Altitude Connect? SmartDelay is a benefit that provides free lounge access for you and up to three passengers on the same itinerary when your flight is delayed by 2 or more hours. It does not count against your 4 annual Priority Pass visits. Register your flight at altitudeconnect.smartdelay.com, and vouchers will automatically arrive by email when your delay qualifies.
Does the US Bank Altitude Connect include free international data? Yes. Through a partnership with GigSky, cardholders receive a complimentary 5GB / 15-day global mobile data plan in 125+ countries. When the plan expires, you can renew it for free. The benefit is currently extended through November 2026, making it effectively free to roll over international data for every trip you take. Register at gigsky.com/visa-usb-ac. Works on eSIM-compatible unlocked devices only.
Who should carry the US Bank Altitude Connect? Anyone who spends on gas, values lounge access for travel companions, wants a $0-cost card that earns well on travel categories, or needs a TSA PreCheck credit slot for a family member. It’s particularly strong as a complement to premium cards that don’t cover gas well, again, a category most high-fee cards ignore.
Card benefits and terms are current as of May 2026. Verify current offers at usbank.com before applying. Reward rates, credits, and Priority Pass terms are subject to change.
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Altitude Connect Amex Platinum Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Cards EV Charging Gas Rewards Lounge Access No Annual Fee Priority Pass US Bank