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Amex Platinum vs U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve: Which Is Better In 2025?
July 1, 2025
Editor's Picks
- American Express Platinum Card®: This card is best for frequent travelers looking to maximize luxury benefits, extensive lounge access, and rewards on flights and prepaid hotels. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers.
- U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card: This card is ideal for those who want to earn high rewards on travel and everyday mobile wallet purchases.
American Express Platinum Card® Breakdown
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Why We Like It
From its extensive travel benefits to its premium perks, here’s a breakdown of why we like the American Express Platinum Card® (See Rates & Fees).
- It provides complimentary access to an extensive network of airport lounges worldwide, including the exclusive Centurion Lounges.
- Cardholders receive a variety of valuable statement credits that cover everything from airline fees and hotel stays to digital entertainment and shopping.
- The card unlocks elite status with major hotel loyalty programs and provides access to exclusive dining and travel experiences.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
Pros
- Extensive airport lounge access through the American Express Global Lounge Collection, providing a comfortable retreat in airports around the world.
- A robust set of annual statement credits for travel, entertainment, and retail that can provide significant value to cardholders.
- Complimentary elite status with both Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors, unlocking valuable hotel perks on your stays.
Cons
- A high annual fee that requires cardholders to fully utilize the suite of benefits to get their money's worth.
- Outside of travel and prepaid hotel bookings, the card offers limited bonus categories for everyday spending.
- Many of the valuable statement credits require manual enrollment and have specific terms, making them complex to redeem.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Breakdown
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Why We Like It
Let's take a closer look at the specific features that make the U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® a compelling choice.
- It offers generous rewards on mobile wallet purchases, making it a great choice for tech-savvy spenders.
- The card comes with valuable travel credits and airport lounge access, which can significantly enhance your travel experience.
- You can easily redeem your points for travel or get statement credits for recent purchases, offering great flexibility.
Pros
- Offers a high rewards rate on mobile wallet purchases, a unique feature among premium travel cards.
- Provides a substantial annual credit that is automatically applied to a wide range of travel purchases.
- Includes valuable travel benefits like airport lounge access and a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
Cons
- It has a high annual fee that may be difficult to justify for those who do not travel frequently.
- Reward redemption is less flexible than some competitors, as it lacks direct transfer partners to airline and hotel loyalty programs.
- Applicants must have an existing relationship with U.S. Bank to be eligible, which is a significant barrier for new customers.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® vs American Express Platinum Card®
Categories
Deciding which is better Amex Platinum or U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve depends entirely on your spending habits and travel style.
- American Express Platinum Card®: This card is best for frequent travelers who can take full advantage of its extensive travel-related benefits and luxury perks.
- U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite®: This card is ideal for frequent travelers and tech-savvy consumers who want to earn rewards on both travel and mobile wallet purchases.
Redemption
American Express Platinum Card®: Points offer significant flexibility, primarily through transfers to an extensive list of airline and hotel loyalty programs. You can also redeem rewards for travel booked through the Amex portal, statement credits, and gift cards.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite®: Rewards are most valuable when redeemed for travel through the U.S. Bank rewards center, where they have an increased worth. Points can also be redeemed for cash back, merchandise, and gift cards.
Travel Perks
- American Express Platinum Card®: This card offers a comprehensive travel ecosystem built for luxury. Cardholders gain access to the extensive American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes the exclusive Centurion Lounges. It also provides elite status with hotel partners like Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors, and with car rental programs. Bookings through the Fine Hotels + Resorts program come with added perks. The card features various annual credits for things like airline fees and hotel stays, and it does not charge foreign transaction fees. Terms Apply.
- U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite®: The travel benefits for this card are straightforward and valuable. It includes a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, granting access to over a thousand airport lounges worldwide. A key feature is a flexible annual credit that automatically applies to travel and dining purchases. The card has no foreign transaction fees, making it a solid choice for international travel.
Compare Top Rated Credit Cards with Kudos
To make the best choice, you can use a tool like Kudos to compare top-rated cards based on your own spending.
- Test drive a credit card: The platform’s ‘Test Drive’ feature lets you simulate how much you’d earn with a new card using your actual spending data—all before you apply and without impacting your credit score.
- Personalized recommendations: Get data-driven suggestions for the best cards by connecting your bank accounts through a secure Plaid integration, ensuring the choice is tailored to your spending habits.
- Approval odds: Understand your chances of getting approved for different cards with a detailed analysis based on your credit report.
- Welcome offer guarantee: If you find a better welcome offer within three months of getting a card through Kudos, the platform will match it.
Who Should Choose the American Express Platinum Card®?
The American Express Platinum Card® is tailored for the frequent traveler who can fully leverage its extensive suite of premium travel perks, such as comprehensive airport lounge access and hotel elite status. Ideal cardholders also value luxury experiences, taking advantage of Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits, and have spending habits that naturally align with the card's various statement credits for entertainment, retail, and dining. In short, it's the perfect fit for someone whose lifestyle allows them to easily extract enough value from these benefits to justify the card's significant annual fee. Terms apply.
Who Should Choose the U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite®?
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® card is tailored for existing U.S. Bank customers who are frequent travelers and heavy users of mobile wallets. This user can maximize value by earning 3x points on both travel and mobile wallet purchases, like Apple Pay and Google Pay. The card’s $325 annual travel credit and airport lounge access easily justify the $400 annual fee for anyone with a travel-focused lifestyle.
Alternatives to Consider
So, you've reviewed the Amex Platinum vs U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve comparison and decided that neither the American Express Platinum Card® nor the U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card is for you. Fortunately, the world of premium travel cards extends beyond these two contenders, and we have a few alternatives for you to consider.
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Tips for Application Success
Before You Apply
- Check your credit score since most premium cards require good to excellent credit for approval.
- Review issuer requirements as some cards require an existing banking relationship before you can apply.
- Understand the benefits because many perks and statement credits require manual enrollment after approval.
Application Strategy
- Time your application - Align it with large planned purchases to help meet spending requirements for a welcome offer.
- Check for relationship requirements - Some issuers, like U.S. Bank, require an existing account to be eligible for certain cards.
- Search for the best offer - You can sometimes view your approved welcome offer before accepting the card.
Our Methodology
We evaluate nearly 3,000 credit cards across the U.S. market — far more than the ~150 cards commonly featured on sites that focus only on products tied to affiliate commissions. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive, unbiased view of the credit card landscape so you can make confident, data-driven decisions.
Our editorial team combines deep industry experience with rigorous verification standards. While our experts surface the most relevant recommendations in our guides, you can also explore the full dataset yourself through our card explorer tool, which includes thousands of cards — more than 95% of which do not provide us with commissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do the annual fees for the Amex Platinum and U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve compare?
The American Express® Platinum Card has a higher annual fee than the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite® Card. However, the Amex Platinum also offers a much longer list of annual statement credits that can offset its cost.
Which card offers better airport lounge access?
The Amex Platinum card provides superior lounge access through its Global Lounge Collection, which includes Centurion Lounges and other exclusive spaces. The Altitude Reserve primarily offers a Priority Pass Select membership, which is less comprehensive.
Can I transfer points from the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve to airline partners?
No, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve does not allow point transfers to airline or hotel partners. Its points are best used for travel redemptions through the U.S. Bank portal, where they are worth 1.5 cents each.
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Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are those of Kudos alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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