The
U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa® Secured Card is a good credit card for people with
fair credit who don’t mind placing a refundable security deposit in order to unlock generous rewards and avoid overspending. This card is worth owning, considering it has a
$0 annual fee and gives
1 - 4 points per $1 spent on purchases. Whether it’s the best credit card you can get is another matter entirely.
What I Like About the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Secured Card
1 - 4 points per $1 spent
The
U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa® Secured Card rewards you with
4 points per $1 spent on dining, including takeout and food delivery on your first $2,000 each quarter, 2 points per $1 spent at grocery stores, EV charging stations and gas stations (discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs excluded), and streaming services, as well as 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. So, it’s best for people who spend a lot (but not too much) on dining, along with groceries, gas and streaming services. The base earning rate is nothing special.
$0 annual fee
This is certainly preferable to the high fees charged by unsecured credit cards for people with bad credit, but don’t get too excited because it’s the norm for secured cards and common among cards that require fair credit at a minimum.
$15 streaming service credit
If you use this card to pay for an eligible streaming service for 11 consecutive months, you get a $15 credit. That’s not much, especially considering it’s a once-a-year deal, but it’s something.
What I Don’t Like About the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Secured Card
$300 minimum deposit
To get this card, you need to put down a refundable security deposit of
$300 to $5,000. The amount you put down becomes your spending limit, so choose wisely.
High APR
The Altitude Secured Card’s APR is much higher than average for a secured card. Besides, you’re pretty much spending your own money with a secured card like this, so why put yourself in a position to pay interest? You can avoid it by paying your bill in full every month.
Fair credit required
The U.S. Bank Altitude Secured Credit Card would be an excellent card for people with damaged credit. Alas, you need a fair credit score to have good odds of getting approved.
You can
check your credit score for free here on WalletHub to see how you measure up. You can also check out our picks for the
best credit cards for building credit if you’re interested in some alternatives.
Note: This review is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. Opinions and ratings are our own.