There are always exceptions, but I think US Bank is still working on a 1/12 "rule" for AR. Definitely opening a checking account with them would probably be the easiest entry and you should be a "US Bank customer" in their system shortly after (it should still be on the application page for AR, but I think it states a minimum of 5 days or somewhere around there). Opening a non-AR card qualifies you as well (the Cash+ card I opened about a year or so prior is my only other relationship with them), however doing so may lessen your chances of being approved for the AR in the short term.
I opened mine before they started changing up the underwriting so my personal experience with that will not be relevant. I had a ton of new accounts at the time, and I think even just 6 months later I would have been declined.
As @imaximous mentioned already, there was a big batch of account closures for cash equivalents and GCs, and even some reports of some potential collateral damage from innocent purchases of gift cards. (I take the latter with a grain of salt given the sources on the Internet ("I only made one gift card purchase" could mean you added a $25 Amazon gift card to your $400 grocery trip, or it could be that you bought $10,000 in Visa cards at Simon Mall.)
If you have a lot of mobile wallet purchases, will redeem for travel, and are okay dealing with some of US Bank's quirks (like everything related to the card being a new window), AR is a fantastic card.
Edit: the only other thing I can think of to note is that they do use FICO 9 scores for underwriting. While that can be a plus for many people, especially those with some minor blemishes, for me they are about 50-60 points lower than my FICO 8 scores.
