Now that I have US Bank Smartly card, should I drop the Altitude Reserve?

Discussion / Conversation Forum
1

I have been using almost solely USBAR in the past 3 years whenever possible. Most of my shopping can be done via Apple Pay, so most of my purchases are 4.5% CB. I also have no trouble triggering the real-time rewards for travel. There’s still large payments I can’t do with Apple Pay, like rent and tax, but I’m still super happy with USBAR.

Now that I have the Smartly card. It gives me 4.0% CB regardless of the category. I can pay my rent and my tax with credit cards and still come out positive about 2%. This almost seems too good to be true, but as of now the Smartly card seems to be working and I’m getting 4% CB.

This leads me to wonder whether I should eventually drop the USBAR. The effective AF for USBAR is $75. I will need to spend more than $15,000 on Apple Pay each year to justify the $75 AF. USBAR has other perks like lounge access, purchase protection, extended warranty, but I have these benefits through other premium cards.

What are your thoughts about USBAR since the Smartly card debut?

2

Have both, keeping both because I spend more than 15k a year on mobile wallet payments as well as travel. Also, there is no FTF with the AR.

3

I mean, do you spend more than $15k/yr? If so, you just answered your own question.

4

tracyjones said:
I mean, do you spend more than $15k/yr? If so, you just answered your own question.

I spend more than $15K/year for sure, but probably only $10K/year on Apple Pay. Sadly, most big spending like tax, rent, and mortgage can’t be done through mobile wallets!

5

@Daryn
Yeah, that kinda answers your question, then. You’re only receiving ~3.75% on that spend and that’s IF you’re redeeming on a (rather limited) travel category. If you didn’t have other premium cards (offering lounge access, purchase protection, etc.), I’d say you should hold onto the USBAR, but I’m not hearing a compelling argument to keep it.

6

If they nerf Smartly, you decide to move assets, or you travel abroad, it will be worth having the USBAR. Close or PC it now and it is possible you may never have the option to have it again.

7

EmmaCardExpert said:
If they nerf Smartly, you decide to move assets, or you travel abroad, it will be worth having the USBAR. Close or PC it now and it is possible you may never have the option to have it again.

Yes, the smart play for now is keeping it open for option value even if it is breakeven-ish with the annual fee vs going all in on Smartly.

8

Maybe try the new one for a year before deciding. Get more experience data that way to make the optimal decision.

9

In your situation, it sounds like USBAR isn’t worth the AF if you have the perks elsewhere, unless the cards with duplicate perks have higher AF or you travel enough that the additional lounge passes/ dining credits make sense for you.

10

I’ve had plenty of good luck with getting US Bank to give me some sort of retention offer to offset part of the fee.

The USBAR is discontinued and I’m not confident enough with Smartly yet. I still have a feeling they’ll nerf it some.

11

Keep it for traveling, no FTF.

12

You’re gonna end up spending more per year as you earn more money in the future. Definitely worth keeping as it probably isn’t coming back.

13

Are you going to be paying the $50 fee for the brokerage account?

Aside from that, worth keeping in mind if the purchase protection is still a worthwhile factor. For example, 4.5% on an iPhone with purchase protection/warranty vs 4% from Smartly vs 1-2% from another premium card with purchase protection/warranty. It could potentially still be worthwhile, depending how much you spend on electronics like that.

Also worth considering is the USBAR is discontinued. So once you close it, it may not be reopenable. I wouldn’t make a decision unless the annual fee is coming soon. USBAR has also typically offered 1000-10000 points in incentives to keep the card open.

Final factor is the USBAR still offers priority pass restaurants I believe.

14

I am doing both. Smartly stays on bills. Won’t even leave the house. USBAR is the catch-all because I can do nearly everything via tap.

15

Clay said:
I am doing both. Smartly stays on bills. Won’t even leave the house. USBAR is the catch-all because I can do nearly everything via tap.

Smartly has to leave the house. Dining out, Walmart, there are still many places where a physical card is handy.

16

I actually think the Smartly is okay for traveling too because even with a 3% foreign transaction fee, you still net 1% with 4% cash back. I don’t think it’s needed if you have another card with Primary rental car CDW. I’ll probably cancel my USBAR when the fee hits.