US Bank Credit Card Recommendation

[Anonymous]

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[DeeBee78]

US Bank has a prequalifier site, but I don't know how accurate it is. They only ever pre-qualify me for their pre-paid debit card - so generous...

[Anonymous]

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[kdm31091]

The Perks+ seems to be just a lesser version of Flexperks (being as though it has no fee). I imagine $49 is not terribly hard to justify. The Flexperks Amex has the advantage of 2x dining which the Visa doesn't have. Anyway, the Flexperks is geared towards travel redemptions and that is how you get the most value. You can redeem for statement credits at full 1% value which is a bonus, but there's little point in paying a fee if you are just using it that way.

I'd vote for Cash+, depending on your spending habits. With the 25% bonus, you'd be getting a decent return across the board if the 5% and 2% categories suit you.

[DeeBee78]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@DeeBee78 wrote:

US Bank has a prequalifier site, but I don't know how accurate it is. They only ever pre-qualify me for their pre-paid debit card - so generous...

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You're lucky. They won't even pre-qualify me for that!

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I just tried it after you mentioned this, and yeah, now I don't even get that offer. They must want nothing to do with me, lol

Edit: Just tried my mom's info - nothing for her either. All her scores are 760+, no baddies, and less than 3% utilization. Maybe the pre-qual is broken.

[Callandra]

I don't have any experience with US Bank but Cash+ seems pretty sweet if the 5% categories will work for you. A lot of people here recommend freezing IDA/ARS (two lesser known credit bureaus) before applying. I think US Bank is pretty conservative/strict with underwriting and your app will most likelly go to 7-10 manual processing. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I would recommend the Cash+. The ability to pick your 5% categories on a quarterly basis really is a big...shall I say it, plus!

Coincidentally, I just applied for this card, so I really do think it's a card worth having.

[Anonymous]

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[Open123]

If you plan on buying airfare and don't mind coach, Flexperks may be a good choice, if you use points to redeem airfare.  If you redeem prudently, each point may be worth up to 2 cpp, if memory serves.

If travel isn't in your plans, then go with the Cash+.  Without specifically redeem for cheap airfare, the Flexperk cards are extremely underwhelming.

Good luck!  The 25% bonus is awesome, by the way!

[NRB525]

I've got a mortgage through US Bank, and they called me in 2009 to give me a CC, an early version of a 1% Perks card, that evolved into a Cash Rewards 1% card. I used that card for literally everything, because I had large open balances on all my other cards. I especially carried balances on the Cash Rewards card, so it was definitely getting a lot of swipes, and paying interest at 15%.

Then they called me again in 2013 to give me the Cash+ card. Looking through my Cash Rewards file a few weeks ago, and I saw that they also sent me a mailer when the Cash+ first came out. I guess I didn't reply fast enough so they called me.

I recently PC'd the first card, the Cash Rewards, into my Second Cash+ card. This is sweet because now I've got four 5% categories I can choose. Fast Food, Telecom (land line and cellphone both work for me), Sporting Goods stores, and Electronics stores. Department stores are also available, but not for Q4 since Discover is already there.

You should apply for the Cash+ first. I've never blocked IDA/ARS or whatever it is they check, never frozen any credit reports either for that matter. They will review your file, and they might get you the Cash+, or they might get you the CashRewards card. IF they give you the Cash Rewards card, just accept that, use it regularly, and then you will start buildling your borrowing relationship with US Bank.

Less than a year after I got the first card, I got a large automated CLI. It is now $14k

Less than a year after getting the Cash Plus, it went from $8,500 limit to $13,500 limit, with light usage.

Less than a year after getting the US Bank Fred Meyer card, they just gave me a bump from $10,000 to $14,000. So I'm now at $41,500 of credit card limits with US Bank.

When I applied for the Travel Rewards VISA in summer 2014, they gave me a $17k limit to start. I figured out that I wasn't going to be able to make use of the points, the AF is too steep and my spending is too dispersed, and it did not have a EMV PIN, one of the main purposes I thought the card had, so I closed that one after just a few months.

The main point is, apply for at least one card with US Bank, the Cash+ is best to reach for, and see what they respond with. Let the underwriting work through, take whatever they give you, then show usage on the card. As you build a relationship with US Bank, you will have access to all their cards, including automated CLI, eventually.

Good luck!