@Stonecold756 U.S. Bank's explanation actually makes a lot more sense than you may think (at first glance).
The Renasant Bank Zero+ card (basically the same as U.S. Bank's Shield Visa) is issued and underwritten by Elan Financial Services, not directly by Renasant Bank. Elan is a subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp and operates very closely with U.S. Bank from a credit-risk standpoint.
While the card doesn't have a U.S. Bank logo on it, Elan is the lender making the credit decision and carrying the risk. Because of that, a newly opened Elan-issued account can absolutely be relevant when U.S. Bank reviews a new application.
U.S. Bank and Elan have also developed a reputation for being fairly sensitive to recent new accounts, especially for applicants who don't have a long-established relationship with them. They generally prefer to see very little recent revolving credit activity — often 0/12 or 1/12 (zero or one new revolving account in the past 12 months) is where many successful approvals tend to be found.
If your Zero+ card was opened recently, the representative's comment about wanting to see six months of on-time payments doesn't surprise me. Whether that is an actual hard underwriting rule or simply the reason they provided for your specific application is impossible to know, but it is consistent with how U.S. Bank/Elan often approach risk. They like to see a little seasoning on newly opened accounts before extending additional credit.
So I wouldn't view it as "the card isn't with U.S. Bank, therefore it shouldn't matter." Since the Zero+ is an Elan-issued product, and Elan and U.S. Bank are part of the same corporate family and share similar underwriting philosophies, the new account could very well have influenced the decision.
If everything else in your profile is solid, I'd probably let the Zero+ age for several months, continue making on-time payments, avoid opening additional cards, and then revisit the Smartly application later. The explanation you were given sounds pretty normal for U.S. Bank/Elan.
