USBAR nerfed, apparently.

[bs1234]

So email first (only) for AR, vs snail mail for Smartly....

No info as to the transfer partners yet, which is all that could save this card for many.   

Does the addition of booking.com to the portal make it more competetive? 

[NoHardLimits]

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@bs1234 wrote:

Does the addition of booking.com to the portal make it more competetive? 

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Not to me.  One of the things I liked the most about AR was the ability to book directly with the providers (hotel, air, etc.) for full reward value.  I avoid bank travel portals and OTAs.

[Kforce]

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@bs1234 wrote:

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@TheHiker wrote:

US Bank strikes again, first Smartly now this

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To be fair, AR has had a very good run, got mine in 2019 and very few nerfs (lost Wifi passes on flights at some point) but the uncapped 3x points on mobile and the 1.5cpp redemption for travel were unchanged.   Until now!

One thing that seems strange:   the letter caps mobile wallet, to be worth 3% (or less with bad redemptions) at $5K spend per billing cycle.

The no AF Smartly has its 4% (with the right qualifying assets) capped at $10K per billing cycle.   So for a fee, less rewards with a lower cap.....

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USBank has problems doing simple math.

Have to laugh at the $100,000 in checking with almost no interest to earn 4% rewards on the "New Smartly".

Would love to know how many have really went for the card and put (50k--100k) in checking to get rewards !!

[G2244]

I am trying to come up with a plan around this. The crazy part is, I am seeing the no annual fee Altitude Connect as a better overall travel card now than the future USBAR. Anyone else see it that way? For those of us on Team Cash Back, the Altitude Connect is getting 4% on travel vs. USBAR's 3%. If someone is not interested in the points game, wouldn't a product change make some sense here? 

In my case (at least for a bit) with the Smartly giving me 4% back, I am not seeing any scenario I would use my USBAR compared to the Altitude Connect.

[xenon3030]

It turns out that the nerf becomes active on December 15th: 

https://mycardgtb.com/altitudereserveupdate

[NoHardLimits]

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@G2244 wrote:

I am trying to come up with a plan around this. The crazy part is, I am seeing the no annual fee Altitude Connect as a better overall travel card now than the future USBAR. Anyone else see it that way? For those of us on Team Cash Back, the Altitude Connect is getting 4% on travel vs. USBAR's 3%. If someone is not interested in the points game, wouldn't a product change make some sense here? 

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For people with US Bank savings or checking, Altitude Connect is a 4% travel card.  For those without a banking relationship, AC is 3.2% for statement credit.  It does come with 4 Priority Pass visits and Global Entry/TSA Pre, so still some value there.

[bs1234]

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In my case (at least for a bit) with the Smartly giving me 4% back, I am not seeing any scenario I would use my USBAR compared to the Altitude Connect.

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Right, the smartly staying at 4% for up to $10K per month removes most/all of the value of the AR when you have some no AF card, and the Altitude Connect fills some other gaps, such as Global Entry etc.    So PCing makes sense.   I am also looking at trying to convert a REI card to a Cap One Savor to get 3% on groceries abroad but suspect that's not allowed.

One or two years I have spent more than $7,500 on foreign purchases (the breakeven point for the new USBAR over a 2% no AF card, assuming the $325 is possible to use more or less "at cost"   but many years I don't and don't think it makes sense to keep.

But letting go of the precious is hard, as I'm sure @UncleB would agree

[TrapLine]

@Kforce 

Only those who did not see the one sentence defining "Qualifying Balances" equals the US Bank Smartly Checking Account!

Really is for the "Birds" ...!

[Kforce]

Same time the left hand is "nerfing" cards the right hand is pushing "getting" cards.

Got 3 (offers/adds) from them last few weeks.

Today was the Shield, last week the Cash+, week before the Altitude Go.

Still spending money printing to push cards while nerfing rewards on other cards ?

I want one of the "New Smartly  Printed Flyers", just to save for "card nonsense history" .

[xenon3030]

While US Bank looks to be a reasonable bank, in terms of organization, customer service and multiple financial products, not sure why they tend to nerf their flagship credit cards and turn them into flagsh i t