U.S. Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Signature Card Review

U.S. Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Signature Card

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Editorial Rating

U.S. Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Signature Card

4.00

Editorial Rating

What we like:

Great card for generous charitable donations

Intro Offer	Earn 25,000 FlexPoints if you spend $2,000 on qualifying purchases in the first four months
Rewards Rate	2% on airfare, gas, groceries, cellular providers, charities 1% on all other purchases
Regular APR	16.24% – 26.24%
Annual Fee	$49

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Card Summary

Recommended Credit Score

• Excellent credit

Is the FlexPerks Visa a Good Travel Card?

The U.S. Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Signature is a good travel card if you’re looking for one with a low annual fee that allows you to earn bonus rewards for different kinds of spending. But if you’re hoping to maximize your redemption options, competitor cards may offer more flexibility.

In this review:

• U.S. Bank FlexPerks Visa Benefits
• Downsides of the U.S. Bank FlexPerks Visa Signature
• How it Compares to Similar Cards

U.S. Bank FlexPerks Visa Benefits

The FlexPerks travel rewards card has some significant benefits for cardmembers, including a signup bonus that’s easy to earn and a rewards program that provides lots of opportunities for bonus rewards. Here are some of the key benefits:

Signup Bonus

New cardholders who spend $2,000 on eligible purchases within the first four months of opening their account can earn 25,000 bonus FlexPoints. These FlexPoints can be redeemed for $375 worth of airfare, hotel stays, car rentals, or other travel expenses.

Although this bonus is relatively easy to earn, it’s not as generous as some competitor offers that provide cardmembers with as many as 50,000 or 60,000 bonus rewards or miles.

>> Read More: Best credit card sign-up bonus offers

FlexPoints Rewards

The number of FlexPoints you can earn with this card varies by category. Cardmembers earn one FlexPoint per $1 in eligible net purchases but can earn additional FlexPoints on:

• Airline, gas stations, or grocery store purchases — whichever category you spend the most on each monthly billing cycle
• Spending with select cellular services provider merchants
• Qualifying donations with any merchant that classifies itself as a charitable and social service organization

FlexPoints can be redeemed instantly by using your mobile device to claim rewards. You can also redeem FlexPoints with hundreds of different airline partners, thousands of hotels, car rental companies, or cruise lines. It’s even possible to use your points to buy gift cards to retail stores, obtain cash back or statement credit, get tickets to live events, or buy travel merchandise — although FlexPoints are worth the most when redeemed for an award travel ticket.

Downsides of the U.S. Bank FlexPerks Visa Signature

Although the FlexPerks credit card undoubtedly offers advantages to cardholders who travel frequently, there are also some downsides to the card that must be considered, including:

Earning Double FlexPoints Isn’t as Easy as it Seems

Although you can earn accelerated FlexPoints in certain bonus categories, there are lots of terms and conditions in the FlexPerks cardmember agreement.

For example, to earn double FlexPoints for car rentals, you have to make a minimum purchase of at least $250. To earn double FlexPoints for lodging purchases, you must make a minimum purchase of at least $500.

To earn any accelerated FlexPoints, you also must shop directly with the airline, car rental company, or hotel. This makes it harder to get the best price since you can’t book through third-party comparison sites.

No Introductory APR for Purchases or Balance Transfers

Your FlexPerks travel rewards account doesn’t offer a 0% introductory APR for either purchases or balance transfers, unlike some competitor cards. This means if you carry a balance on the card, you can expect to pay interest charges starting from your first billing cycle.

How it Compares to Similar Cards

If you’re willing to pay a higher annual fee, you can get more flexibility and benefits from other travel credit cards than you will with the FlexPerks.

US Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Signature Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred

Although the Chase Sapphire Preferred card charges a slightly higher $95 annual fee, you have more options for points redemption thanks to Chase Ultimate Rewards. You can also earn double points on dining as well as all travel spending with fewer restrictions. Plus, with the Chase Sapphire, you get a 25% bonus for redeeming rewards for travel.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred bonus for new cardmembers is a little harder to earn than the signup bonus with your FlexPerks account, as you’d have to spend $4,000 in the first three months of account opening to score  50,000 bonus points.

Bottom Line

Although the U.S. Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Signature card is a reasonably good option for frequent travelers, opportunities to earn bonus FlexPoints aren’t as generous as they appear at first glance. Your options to redeem rewards aren’t as flexible as with some competitor cards, either, so you’ll want to carefully consider whether this is the best credit card for you.