U.S. Bank Credit Cards

The best U.S. Bank rewards card is the U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Credit Card. Cardholders earn 1%-5% cash back on purchases, and there’s a $150 signup bonus for spending $500 in the first three months. U.S. Bank Cash+ is unique in that you’re able to pick the categories you earn 5% and 2% cash back on. You can select new categories every quarter, and you’ll earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.

U.S. Bank rewards cards offer some excellent rewards rates and signup bonuses, if you can get approved. Applicants generally need excellent credit to qualify.

Besides the Cash+ Visa, there are a few other good options too…

• U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Credit Card - select two categories for 5% cash back and one category for 2% cash back (1% on everything else). Also receive a $150 signup bonus
• U.S. Bank Cash 365 American Express Credit Card - unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase and a 2,500 points signup bonus after spending $500 in the first three months
• U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard - 3% cash back on gas purchases under $200, cell phone service and purchases at office supply stores. 1% back on everything else
• Radisson Premier Visa Signature Credit Card - 10 points per dollar spent at participating Radisson hotels, 5 points per dollar spent everywhere else, and a signup bonus of up to 85,000 points.

The US Bank credit card credit score requirements depend on the card. 
The Harley-Davidson Secured one is good for bad credit and a credit score in the 500s is acceptable. But if your score is good or excellent (700+), you can go for the Visa Platinum card.

You can activate your U.S. Bank credit card online or over the phone. Activating your new U.S. Bank credit card should take no more than five minutes, regardless of which option you choose. You’ll need to give some personal information, namely your Social Security number and your new card number, to complete the process and begin using your new card.

To activate a U.S. Bank card by phone, call the US Bank credit card customer service number: 800-285-8585. There are also phone numbers for each specific U.S. Bank credit card to expedite the process. You can find yours on the sticker of your new credit card.

To activate a U.S. Bank card online, go to the U.S. Bank’s credit card activation page. If you’ve already enrolled in U.S Bank’s Online Banking, then click the button that says “Log in and activate.” If you haven’t enrolled yet, click the second button that says “Enroll and activate.”

Online activation options from the major banking institutions have made activating your credit card easier than ever before. If you don’t activate your card, you’ll have trouble making purchases with it. This might seem like an inconvenience, but it keeps us safer from fraud.

The best way to do a U.S. Bank balance transfer is to apply for the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card, which has a 0% balance transfer APR for 20 months with a 3% transfer fee. After 20 months, the Platinum Card’s regular APR of 13.99% - 23.99% (V) kicks in, applying to any balance remaining at that time. U.S. Bank accepts balance transfers from auto loans, personal loans, student loans and credit cards from other issuers.

You can request a U.S. Bank balance transfer online, by phone, or with a balance transfer check (which may be available by request). You just have to provide some basic information about the account you want to transfer a balance from and the amount you wish to transfer. U.S. Bank will determine how much to allow you to transfer by reviewing your credit history, income and existing debt.

It’s best to request your transfer when opening an account, or soon after, so you can take advantage of promotional financing. A U.S. Bank balance transfer provides 9 to 20 months to pay off existing debt at 0% interest.

Here is how to do a U.S. Bank balance transfer:

• Online: Log into your online account, select your credit card, and click the “Request a Balance Transfer” link from the “Take Action” menu. Put in the creditor’s name and address, your account number, and the amount you wish to transfer, then submit.
  
  
• Phone: Call U.S. Bank customer service at 800-285-8585. When prompted, say “main menu,” then “representative.” State that you’re requesting a balance transfer, and provide the customer service rep with the necessary information.
  
  
• Balance transfer check: Using a balance transfer check is a bad idea because U.S. Bank will treat the transaction as a cash advance. That means fees and interest will be too expensive for this type of transfer to make sense.
  
  
• Eligible balances: U.S. Bank accepts balances owed on credit cards, personal loans, auto loans and more from other banks and credit unions. You cannot transfer balances from other U.S. Bank accounts.
  
  
• Processing Time: It may take up to two weeks for a balance transfer to post to your account. Make sure to continue paying your original creditor until the transfer goes through. You’ll ultimately get credit from U.S. Bank.

The Visa Platinum Card isn’t the only notable balance transfer credit card that U.S. Bank has to offer. For example, the Cash+ Visa and Cash 365 Amex cards have 0% balance transfer APRs for 12 months with a 3% transfer fee and a N/A regular APR. You will need excellent credit to have a good chance of being approved for any of the 0% balance transfer U.S. Bank cards.

The best U.S. Bank cash back credit card is the U.S. Bank Cash 365 American Express card because it gives unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase. The card also has a $150 signup bonus. With no annual fee and unlimited cash back, the excellent credit required is pretty standard.

Best U.S. Bank Cash Back Credit Cards:

U.S. Bank Cash 365 American Express Card

Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase. $150 signup bonus for spending $500 in the first 3 months. $0 annual fee.

US Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card

5% cash back on the first $2,000 spent each quarter in two categories you choose. 2% cash back on one “everyday” category of your choice, like groceries or gas. 1% cash back on everything else. $150 signup bonus for spending $500 in the first 3 months. $0 annual fee.

U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard

3% cash back on cellular products and services, gas purchases of $200 or less, and office supply purchases. 1% cash back on everything else, and an annual bonus equal to 25% of the rewards you’ve earned in the year (capped at $250). $0 annual fee.

If the cash back and bonuses aren’t enough for you, the cards also offer awesome 0% APR periods for balance transfers and purchases.

U.S. Bank does not offer unsecured credit cards for bad credit. Most U.S. Bank unsecured credit cards require excellent credit for approval. You will need at least good credit to qualify for U.S. Bank’s Radisson Premier Visa Signature hotel rewards card – the easiest unsecured option.

If you have bad credit, U.S. Bank offers secured credit cards with higher odds of approval than unsecured cards. They include the U.S. Bank Visa, Harley-Davidson, and Aeromexico secured cards. These U.S. Bank secured cards require a minimum $300 security deposit to open the account. The deposit is placed in an interest-bearing account and is fully refundable when you close the account in good standing.

The majority of credit cards are unsecured, rather than secured. The primary difference between the two is that unsecured cards do not require a security deposit to open the account. Otherwise, they function exactly the same way and report to the credit bureaus the same way.

The U.S. Bank balance transfer fee is generally 3% of the amount transferred or $5, whichever is greater. Some cards, like the Ralphs Credit Card and the Kroger Credit Card, carry balance transfer fees of 4% (min $10).

A few cards, like the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card, offer an introductory transfer fee of $0, but their interest-free periods are usually several months shorter.

You can check your U.S. Bank credit card balance through this link.

If you don't have an account, you can make one here. That same account will work on the U.S. Bank mobile app, so you will be able to check your balance on the go.

Lastly, you can call the phone number on the back of your card or 800-285-8585.

U.S. Bank credit card credit score requirements vary by card. The easiest U.S. Bank credit card to get is the US Bank Secured Visa card, which does not have a minimum credit score requirement. The best U.S. Bank credit cards require a 750 credit score or higher for good approval odds. And U.S. Bank’s co-branded credit cards require good credit, or a credit score of at least 700.

In other words, most U.S. Bank credit cards are for people with good credit or excellent credit, but there is an option for applicants with lower scores, too. U.S. Bank’s secured card is available to people with limited credit or bad credit, and it has an annual fee of just $29.

Meeting the U.S. Bank credit score requirements does not guarantee your approval for a U.S. Bank credit card. Your income, debt, credit history, and any recent inquiries on your credit report are all considered before you’re approved for a U.S. Bank credit card.

U.S. Bank has added an option to see if you’re prequalified for any of their credit cards before you apply. This can be very helpful, since checking to see if you’re prequalified will not affect your credit score and you’ll quickly know your chances for approval. In addition, the prequalified page will ask you what kind of rewards and/or offers are most important to you, in order to help find the perfect U.S. Bank credit card for you.

You can check your U.S. Bank credit card application status by either logging into your U.S. Bank account online or calling customer service at 800-947-1444 and providing your Social Security number. You’ll find out if your application is approved, denied, or pending.

 In any case, it shouldn’t take much longer than a week to get a final decision. If you’re approved, your card will arrive in the mail within 10 business days of the decision being reached. And if you’ve been denied, you’ll receive a letter explaining why. If you want to check your status in the meantime, there are a few more details you need to know.

Here’s how to check your U.S. Bank application status: 

1. Application Status Phone Number: Call 1-800-947-1444, choose the first option from the menu and enter your Social Security number. U.S. Bank needs your SSN to locate your application. 

 2. Online Status Check: There are two ways to check your U.S. Bank credit card application status online: using your online banking ID and password or with your name, birthdate and Social Security number. 

3. Three Possible Statuses: You will be approved, denied or told your application is still pending. 

 4. Standard Decision Timeline: You will receive a decision in the mail within 7-10 business days. 

 5. When You’ll Get Your Card: You’ll receive your card within 7-10 business days of being approved, if you’re approved. 

If your application is denied, you can call the U.S. Bank credit card reconsideration line at 1-800-947-1444. Reconsideration lets you present your case to a credit analyst who can consider factors a computer algorithm might have missed as well as any relevant changes in your circumstances. 

For those of you who have yet to apply, there are a few more things to be aware of. Perhaps most importantly, there are U.S. Bank credit cards for people with credit scores ranging all the way from bad to excellent. But they don’t all have U.S. Bank in their name. Many credit cards issued by U.S. Bank are co-branded, which means they’re named after the company or organization they’re affiliated with and often provide special benefits related to that group. 

Plus, some offers are better than others for different types of people. It’s all about finding the card with the best terms for the types of transactions you plan to make that also gives you high odds of approval. You can find an overview of some of the top offers below. 

Here are 2018’s best U.S. Bank Credit Cards: