Choosing between the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve can be a tough decision, as both cards offer a variety of premium travel benefits for frequent travelers.
General Comparison
The Altitude Reserve is a standout card for travelers, giving cool perks like free access to airport lounges through Priority Pass Select and a great system for earning points.
The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card is designed to reward you for travel spending and using mobile wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay. If you use it frequently, especially for mobile wallet transactions, you can rack up a lot of points. While it has a $400 annual fee, the $325 travel credit helps offset the cost, making it a great option for frequent travelers who enjoy luxury perks.
But here's the thing: it's a bit different from other fancy travel cards because you can't transfer your points to airline or hotel programs, which is a big drawback.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a top choice for travel lovers, offering a range of premium benefits and rewards, all packed into a sleek metal card. It earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, which are highly flexible. When you book travel through the Ultimate Rewards portal, your points get a 50% boost in value, plus you can transfer them to over a dozen airline and hotel partners for even more flexibility.
The card comes with exclusive perks like Priority Pass Select Lounge Access, a $300 annual statement credit for eligible travel, and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement.
Unlike the Reserve card, transfer options to various airline and hotel partners offer additional flexibility, although it's crucial to note that once transferred, points cannot be returned to the Ultimate Rewards account.
Here's a comparison of the card's main features:
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Compare Rewards: Which Card Gives More?
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| |
|---|---|---|
Spend Per Category | Chase Sapphire Reserve | U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve |
$10,000 – U.S Supermarkets | 10,000 points | 10,000 points |
$5,000 – Restaurants | 15,000 points | 5,000 points |
$6,000 – Hotels | 60,000 points | 30,000 points |
$8,000 – Airline
| 40,000 points | 24,000 points |
$4,000 – Gas | 4,000 points | 4,000 points |
Total Points | 129,000 points | 73000 points |
Estimated Redemption Value | 1 point ~ 1 – 1.5 cent | 1 point = ~1 – 1.5 cent |
Estimated Annual Value | $1,290 – $1,935 | $730 – 1,095 |
Travel And Airline Benefits: Comparison
In addition to bonus points and welcome bonuses, both cards offer a range of extra perks. In our opinion, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card also wins in this category, as it offers a 50% boost in travel redemption rate and a higher value of statement credits.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
- $300 Annual Travel Credit: Obtain a statement credit of up to $300 annually, applicable to various travel purchases.
- 50% Boost in Travel Redemption Value: When redeeming points for travel, enjoy a 50% boost in value, translating to, for instance, $900 for 60,000 points.
- Complimentary Airport Lounge Access: Benefit from complimentary access to over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide, extending to you and up to two guests.
- $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS Fee Credit: Receive a statement credit of up to $100 every four years to cover application fees for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS.
- 24/7 Customer Service: Access dedicated customer service specialists around the clock for timely assistance.
- Lyft Pink Membership: Enjoy a complimentary two-year membership to Lyft Pink All Access, inclusive of discounts and rewards.
- DoorDash DashPass Subscription: Avail a year of $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible orders.
- Monthly DoorDash Credit: Receive $5 in DoorDash credits monthly until December 31, 2024.
- Instacart Membership: Receive a one-year complimentary Instacart+ membership for convenient grocery delivery.
- Monthly Instacart Credit: Instacart+ members can earn up to $15 in statement credits each month through July 2024.
- Priority Pass Select Membership: Gain access to over 1,300 VIP airport lounges globally for an enhanced travel experience.
- Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection: Enjoy perks such as room upgrades, daily breakfast, late checkout, and additional benefits at select hotels and resorts.
- 10x on Peloton Purchases: Earn a total of 10 times the points on Peloton equipment and accessories priced over $150 until March 31, 2025.
U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite
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Airport Lounge Access: Enjoy complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, providing 8 free visits to over 1,300 airport VIP lounges worldwide.
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Pay Over Time with U.S. Bank ExtendPay® Plan: New cardmembers can benefit from a $0 fee offer on ExtendPay Plans opened within the first 60 days after account opening.
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Visa Infinite® Luxury Hotel Collection: Access an exclusive collection of benefits at some of the world's most prestigious hotels.
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TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry®: Receive up to $100 in statement credits to cover your application fee once every four years.
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$325 Annual Credit: Get up to $325 in annual credits through reimbursement for eligible travel, dining, takeout, and restaurant delivery purchases.
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Visa Infinite perks: Visa Infinite credit cards offer a range of benefits, including purchase protection, extended warranty, and return coverage. In emergencies, cardholders have access to services like roadside assistance, emergency card replacement, and cash disbursement within hours. Travel perks include trip cancellation reimbursement, lost luggage coverage, and auto rental collision damage waiver.
When You Might Prefer The Chase Sapphire Reserve?
You might prefer the Chase Sapphire Reserve card because it offers:
More Points for Your Money: Our analysis shows that the Chase Sapphire Reserve gives you more points for the same spending, making it a better choice than the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card, especially if you don't often pay with a mobile wallet.
Points Transfer Options: With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can transfer your points to several premium airline and hotel partners, a feature not available with the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card.
Lots of Ways to Redeem: If you like having many options for using your rewards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is more flexible with its Chase Ultimate Rewards program. It lets you use points for various travel expenses, not just specific categories.
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When You Might Prefer The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve?
You might lean towards the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite card because:
Frequent Mobile Wallet Users: If you're someone who prefers paying with mobile wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay, the Altitude Reserve might be better because it rewards you with more points for such transactions compared to the Sapphire Reserve.
Seeking a Lower Annual Fee: The Altitude Reserve has a lower annual fee compared to the Sapphire Reserve, which may be appealing for those who want premium benefits without the higher cost.
Compare The Alternatives
If you're looking for a luxury credit card with travel rewards – there are some good alternatives you may want to consider:
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|---|---|---|---|
The Platinum Card® from American Express | Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | Capital One Venture X Rewards | |
Annual Fee | $695. See Rates & Fees | $95
| $395 |
Rewards |
1X – 5X
5X points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare and flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel (per calendar year), 2X points on prepaid car rentals through American Express Travel and 1X points on all other purchases
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2X – 5X
5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3x points on dining, online grocery purchases and select streaming services. 2x on other travel purchases. Plus, earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
| 1X – 10X
10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars when booking via Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on flights and 2 miles per dollar on all eligible purchases
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Welcome bonus |
80,000 points
80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership
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60,000 points
60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
| 75,000 miles
75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
|
Foreign Transaction Fee | $0. See Rates & Fees | $0
| $0
|
Purchase APR | See Pay Over Time APR | 20.99% – 27.99% variable APR
| 19.99% – 29.74% (Variable) |
Compare Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
When it comes to the annual fee, there is a clear winner. But is it worth the exclusive travel rewards you'll get? Here's our analysis.
While Chase Sapphire Reserve offers better protections and redemption options, Venture X is cheaper and offers premium travel benefits.
Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Capital One Venture X: Comparison
If you're looking for travel rewards, there is a clear winner. But what about if you're looking for rewards on everyday spending?
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While having higher annual fee, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is a clear winner with much higher total cashback and better premium travel perks.
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Compare U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite
While the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve offers better travel perks than the Altitude Connect, we don't think it is worth the higher annual fee.
The Amex Platinum is our winner due to its higher annual cashback value, redemption options, and better luxury perks than the Altitude Reserve.
U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite vs. Amex Platinum Card: How They Compare?
While having the similar annual fees, the Capital One Venture X offers more cashback for the same spend and better travel perks.
U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite vs. Capital One Venture X: How They Compare?
