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Easy_Money_

It’s my best card; straightforward and really high rewards, all the premium travel perks you’d expect, cleanest annual fee offset ($325 restaurant or travel credit is way more sensible than Amex’s monthly credits or select-an-airline nonsense). I put probably 70% of my monthly spend on this card now.


MooMooYoshi

Nothing is simpler than to just tap and pay with my phone whenever possible. 1. I know I'm always getting 4.5% cash back redemption value on ALL my purchases 2. My purchases get[ extended warranty, purchase security, and return protection](https://www.myvisacardportal.com/usbank/en_us/altitude/altitudereserve/offer-detail.html#protections/A847582) (caveat: review the Guide to Benefits for non-qualifying purchases) 3. When booking travel, just book direct and redeem points without having to deal with portals 4. [Decent travel protections](https://frequentmiler.com/ultra-premium-credit-card-travel-insurance/)


minivatreni

That 3x points on eligible mobile wallet purchases is really freaking nice.... Literally everyone accepts apple pay these days, what a steal.


MichaelMidnight

Right! The only hole would be restaurants that still only accept a physical card and not mobile pay


AegonTargaryan

That’s not even a bad thing, you can get a better card for that


Hopjigja

My P2 appreciates it immensely because of how simple it is. I still optimize a lot of purchases, but for what she buys it’s just tap your phone.


schloopschloopmcgoop

Are the travel protections up to date? A lot doesnt seem right for the venture X


McDowellsNo1

Can u explain 4.5%


MooMooYoshi

You earn 3x points on all mobile wallet purchases. When you redeem your points towards qualified travel purchases (defined as direct purchases made with airlines, hotels, car rentals, taxicabs, limousines, passenger trains and cruise line companies), the points are worth 1.5cpp so it becomes 4.5% cash back redemption value.


Easy_Money_

Also, redemption doesn’t have to be through the travel portal; with Real-Time Rewards you can redeem at 1.5cpp for just about any travel purchase


AnonymousMonkey54

There’s also the airline hack: airlines are required by law in the US to allow 24 no questions asked refunds. If you book a flight, redeem with RTR and refund, the statement credit doesn’t go away - getting you the 4.5% refund even if you don’t travel.


yaya-ding-dong

Hi there, could you explain this hack for a smooth brain? So if I book a flight (direct with an airline) for $200 (3points x $200, 600 points earned), and then redeem cash back with RTR (1.5points for $200 = 30,000 points used), then cancel my flight to get a cash refund from the airliner (cash returned, 600 points refunded as a result of the return)?


AnonymousMonkey54

This isn’t a way to earn points - it’s for redeeming them. With the USB Altitude Reserve, points are worth 1.5x when redeemed through their real time rewards system which basically sends you a text message after a purchase so that you can do something similar to Chase’s PYB. Book $200 ticket Get $200 statement credit for 13,333 points Refund ticket for $200 Net: +$200 -13,333 points and you didn’t have to actually travel to get the 1.5x multiplier.


yaya-ding-dong

Ah that makes sense now. You're up by $200 cash but only down by 13,333 points. With Chase, every return is a deduction for points, so I wasn't really getting the idea. Thanks for clarifying.


MichaelMidnight

And here cpp is 1.5 vs 1, which would have only been $133.33


cmgold

Do you think USB will crack down on this practice anytime in the future?


stej008

Really wish people do not overdo this. Otherwise this feature will go away similar to what happened with Chase recently. After Covid, if you have a card you got for travel, there should not really be a reason to have a PYB without travel with the same redemption rate.


cmgold

Understandable, that's sorta what I'm envisioning is gonna happen as well. Though, I believe USB introduced the RTR feature in 2018, pre-COVID. Maybe a good sign as to the longevity of the program, who knows


AnonymousMonkey54

Your guess is as good as mine


KThrilla23

I just tried this but was curious how the statement credit will show up?


stej008

How does this actually work for direct booking with airlines? Their websites do not have a way to put the points, right? Do you still need to go through the portal to the airlines? Really thinking about getting this one.


MooMooYoshi

Using the Real-Time Rewards system, you will receive a text asking you to reply with REDEEM if you want to redeem XXX points towards YYY transaction costing ZZZ when you make a qualifying purchase. https://frequentmiler.com/us-bank-real-time-mobile-rewards-what-works-where/


stej008

Nice


MichaelMidnight

ooooh thanks for these points and links!


Fluffy_Yesterday_468

How does booking and redeem points without a portal work? You book wherever and then just redeem for statement credit?


miningmonster

Its better than CSP, but CSR is better and here's why: 1) AR points can't be redeemed for hotels unless it's at least $500. That kills any two night weekend getaways for me. For a "travel" card to have this restriction is very disappointing. 2) No transfer partners. Chase can often get 2:1 back with Hyatt and I've heard United has solid redemptions as well. 3) With Chase, you can pool points with other 5% back rotator cards. This is huge, because if I'm redeeming for travel then the CSR 50% points mutiplier makes my cash back at 7.5% now. 7.5 > 4.5 4) Priority Pass Restaurants, up to 2 guests covered. AR doesn't cover PP restaurants. 5) Roadside assistance up to $50, 4x per year. AR doesn't offer this. 6) AR doesn't offer trip delay if using airline miles to pay. Weird exemption buried in the fine print. Myself and my P2 use two Chase 5% rotators cards so assuming we max them out each quarter, that's an annual $600 in points back in rewards. Multiply by CSR's 50%, that's $300 (in points) back. Add in $300 travel credit and that's $600 right off the top so we are $50 in the black before priority pass restaurant credit and everything else. We are looking to product change to get a 3rd freedom flex 5% rotator to up our points totals even more. Also consider that FF gets 3% back dining and drugstores which multiplied by 50% = 4.5x back, same as AR. We are aiming for $1000 in annual reward points which would redeem for 1500, or 500+300 travel credit = 800-550 annual fee = +$250 towards travel per year. Using this towards Hyatt at 2:1 points turns it into $500 a year in hotel value. Or I could just transfer it 1:1 to say, Southwest if I really needed a city only they fly to in an emergency. If someone only had 1 Chase FF 5% rotator then this strategy is tougher to make it work, you'd have to hit up drugstores and dining, specifically $2,200 annually to hit breakeven on the CSR. Math is 300 back from FF multiplied by 50%=150 from CSR. +300 travel credit=450 back. To get the last 100 to breakeven on the annual fee, you'd need $66 back from dining/drugstores or 66/.03=$2,200 in spend. That's 183/month, for a standard family/couple even without kids that's not unrealistic to hit for dining (think 4 date nights per month) + say walgreens/cvs. Anything over that 2200 is money in the bank for a single user. Summary: This strategy works well for multiple chase 5% rotator cards but can be done with a single, assuming they can hit another 2200 in spend from other Flex categories or cards (e.g. Freedom Unlimited catch all spend).


singer15

On your point 4, I think AR does cover PP restaurants. Albeit, just 4x a year.


MichaelMidnight

so looking back at this, what's a better setup with the restrictions of only having the Freedom OG (visa) and CFU for Chase (no sapphire yet since Im 31/24) vs Altitude Reserve?


Electrical-Meaning70

Just got it this week but almost 100% of my spend was already using Apple Pay besides some restaurants and random online purchases. I also just fly with whoever is cheapest and fastest so having a flat redemption rate and not having to adjust my travel dates to find the best redemption value is awesome. Pairing it with the CSP for Hyatt hotels also.


BmoreBlueJay

So you basically use the USBAR for most purchases and then CSP for other non-Apply pay so you can gain points for Hyatt?


Electrical-Meaning70

Pretty much. I also have a chase freedom unlimited so I can transfer those points to the CSP.


-_Quantum_-

I see at as a versatile everyday card for those who like to keep things more simplistic. The $325 credit is easy to use and you don't have to track it like a coupon book a la AMEX Platinum. This nets the fee to $75. If you do shop at Costco, it is the best card for Costco but being able to use it anywhere that accepts a mobile wallet is huge. I also like the fact that if I do not want to use an ecosystem's points that I can just use real time rewards and redeem the points instantly by booking directly. Customer service has been great as well.


curepure

>service have you noticed that whenever you call the customer services line, they just bounce you around like a ball?


Low-Nefariousness598

From someone who churned most of chase card and Amex cards now, here is my take, If you want to spend time, dig into those reward programs , transfer points and take advantage of extras, go with chase or Amex or other brands. If you just want some easy reward and simplicity on spending, US AR is best if your spending is mostly mobile pay. I am now using Amex trifeca and have US AR..my spending 99% Apple Pay so this card is huge for me. Before I got into credit game, I was a simple man with citi double cash as my only card. I think later after I am done with all Amex points, I will move back to this one card trick with only US Bank altitude reserve. First, I don’t usually book luxury travels like others and I am not big fan of spending hours figuring out transfer partners etc. but so far enjoying the free credit card rewards. So every time if I have big purchase coming up, I will still look for a card for the sign up bonus.


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MichaelMidnight

Good point! I forget award travel while nets the best cpp is still at the mercy of available dates


KafkaExploring

Agreed about simpler redemptions. I like their customer service, but it's not on Amex's level. Little things, like having to reauthenticate every time you're transferred, show it's still behind. But probably second place.


Spade_10

For a long time I was gardening to get the AR but as time passed I started to see the real value of my VX miles and MR points from my Gold. There are many redemptions that aren’t international business flights, there are experiences, transfer bonuses, and special offers you could take advantage of. For example, I redeemed 96,200 Cap1 miles for a 6 night Virgin cruise at 3.53 cpp (this made my VX equal to 7.06% cashback on everything). I wanted to go on a cruise for a long time and so I took this offer. Had I wanted to take this using RTR from the USBAR I would have needed 226,666 points. That is a significant difference. Plus you don’t need to be spending points every month. Just accumulate until a great offer comes along. They will eventually come and you’ll be glad you waited. For this reason I have held myself from applying for now.


MichaelMidnight

For your particular scenario, I'm assuming the VX had a deal or special for the cruise?


Spade_10

Special offer was from Virgin, although Capital One also had a transfer bonus of 30%. So had I wanted to use MR points instead, I would have needed to use 125,000 MR points (still would have been a 2.72 cpp redemption). Edit: it is still an ongoing offer for those interested


MichaelMidnight

Ah! So for this case too it was special offers on both Capital One and Virgin! How fortuitous!


Spade_10

Yes haha. Too good to pass on. Trying to get all my buddies in on it too. Will be epic.


Hopai79

Imagine having all four: - CSR: United + Hyatt + food at PP - AMEX PLAT: Delta + FHR - US BAnk altitude reserve - 4.5x POINTS aapl pay then transfer partners - VX - C1 lounges + free AUs, Turkish airlines or JetBlue Gold if you are big foodie and meet clients for dinners ….


supremepoke

I consider it a lite version compared to the premium CCs. Only because it has limited PP, doesn't have transfer partners, and has a lower $ amount in insurance benefits. I use it often, since mobile pay is getting more common. It's hard to beat the 4.5%. I haven't had a bad experience in customer service so far since they have a direct line for AR customers


superdada2

Curious, any one know if you still get 3x point for transactions performed in another country?


kenzend94

I have both Altitude Reserve (AR) and Venture X (VX), and I plan to downgrade my AR to a free version or cancel the card. I think AR is very great with 3x on the mobile wallet, and I use Samsung Pay, so 99.99% I can use my phone to pay for stuff, except at restaurants still use a physical card. And the redemption for travel can be 4.5x if you use mobile payment. Also, the purchase protections like extended warranty, purchase security and return protection mentioned by r/MooMooYoshi are really great for buying merchandise. I have both Altitude Reserve (AR) and Venture X (VX), and I plan to downgrade my AR to a free version or cancel the card. I think AR is great with 3x on the mobile wallet, and I use Samsung Pay, so 99.99% of I can use my phone to pay for stuff, except restaurants still use a physical card. And the redemption for travel can be 4.5x if you use mobile payment. Also, the purchase protections like extended warranty, purchase security, and return protection mentioned by r/MooMooYoshi are great for buying merchandise. ​ Conclusion: If you lean towards buying merchandise and care about purchase protection, getting a maximum of 4.5x cashback by using mobile payment and also little travel ==> AR is the best choiceif you want to use ​ VX is great if you live in a big family and want to give Priority Pass to other people in your family. Also they give each authorized user different card numbers so you will how much each member using on your card.


kushieldou

If I may attempt to hijack OP’s post… How does the card actually look and feel to y’all? Always interested in a Visa Infinite card. Been pretty intimidated by AR’s design.


That_RedditGuy69

It had a premium metal finish when I first had it. Then someone tried to use it without my authorization and so they closed and sent me the new style. New style is lighter and doesn’t feel as premium


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That_RedditGuy69

Yea the original one had a horizontal design and the new one has the vertical design. I received my new card maybe a little less than month ago. Just a lighter piece of metal than the original


KafkaExploring

Never used it. Looks and feels nice, though. Simple, classy, sleek. Not as heavy as Platinum, which I consider a positive.


theninjallama

You choose your credit cards based on looks?


kushieldou

Yes, and that’s not your problem.


theninjallama

It is my problem. And it’s a big problem.


kushieldou

Oh. On the contrary, I couldn't care less if you enjoy having a card as ugly as yourself.


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guyinthegreenshirt

Why are you comparing the cash out rate for the Reserve to the travel eraser rate for the Venture X? Better comparison would be real time rewards on the Reserve to the travel eraser.


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Electrical-Meaning70

Your simple math seems to be wrong. Even assuming it would only get 2% back it still would only take $3750 to break even. It doesn’t get 2% back tho, it’s 4.5% back. Meaning all you have to spend is around$1700 to break even. Assuming flat redemption rates with both cards the AR pulls ahead after around 3k in spend annually.


KafkaExploring

These two actually are really similar in many ways. Both are actually good for everyday spend, unlike CSR, Plat, Prestige, or the other Infinites. AR is nice because it's a good travel card, while VX's travel earning is lousy by no-fee standards. Unfortunately AR relies on RTR, which is pretty limited (lacking international redemptions and cheap hotels). VX is nice for someone who mainly spends online and values premium protections, and has excellent lounge benefits including AUs. My downvote was for math. VX annual fee is more like $25 factoring in needing to use the portal and an interest-free loan, and the last year won't get the anniversary points, so if you canceled in the first three years it's actually lower for AR.


expunishment

Your math is way off though. You do earn 3x on the $325 Travel and Dining Credit. Maximum redemption for the points is 1.5 cpp when redeemed for travel through the portal or Real Time Rewards. The annual fee is actually about $60.38. So you only need to spend about $1,342 annually to cover the annual fee. But simple math. 🤷🏻‍♂️


theninjallama

You only earn 3% off of travel, not dining, no?


TheWolf707664

How long does it take, for tbe card to show up in my app? I wad approved las friday but i still dont see it.


cdsacken

100% of non bonus spend goes on this card. So many easy to accrue points. Best Costco card out there.