U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card review: Solid intro APR offer, but limited long-term value
Fend off interest for a while, but don’t expect to rack up rewards with this card.
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Snapshot
3.9
Bottom line
The U.S. Bank Visa Platinum offers cardholders dedicated to paying down a balance a solid introductory offer on both balance transfers and new purchases, although its lack of rewards limits its long-term value.
Balance transfer intro APR
0% intro APR for 21 billing cycles on balance transfers
Regular APR
18.74% - 29.74% (Variable)
Rewards rate
N/A
Annual fee
$0
Bankrate Score
Introductory offer
APR
Fees
Features
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U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card Overview
Getting a head start on paying down existing credit card debt can be easier with a lengthy introductory APR period, and the U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card is a good choice if you need more than a year of breathing room to pay off your existing balance or finance new expenses.
While it’s not the best balance transfer card offer available, the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum card carries one of the better intro periods for both purchases and balance transfers. But like most balance transfer cards, its lack of rewards hinders its ongoing value after you’ve settled your balance. Before you make your decision, you should consider competing cards and even rewards cards with shorter intro APR offers to see which option will be more worthwhile in the long run.
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Rewards
- This card doesn’t offer rewards
Expert Appraisal: Unimpressive
See our expert analysis -
0% APR offer
- 0 percent intro APR on purchases for 21 billing cycles
- 0 percent intro APR on balance transfers (completed within the first 60 days) for 21 billing cycles
- 3 percent balance transfer fee ($5 minimum)
- 18.74 percent to 29.74 percent ongoing variable APR
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis -
Rates and fees
- No annual fee
- 3 percent balance transfer fee ($5 minimum)
- 3 percent foreign transaction fee
- No penalty APR
- U.S Bank ExtendPay® Fees (Monthly fee, disclosed upon enrollment, that doesn’t exceed 1.6 percent of the principal amount in a U.S. Bank ExtendPay® Plan or U.S. Bank ExtendPay® Loan)
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis -
Other cardholder perks
- Cellphone protection (up to two $600 claims per 12-month period, $25 deductible)
- U.S. Bank ExtendPay®
Expert Appraisal: Unimpressive
See our expert analysis
U.S Bank Visa Platinum pros and cons
Pros
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This card has no annual fee, which is ideal for keeping a focus on paying off debt.
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Its intro APR offer is relatively long, giving cardholders one of the longest breaks from interest on balance transfers and new purchases.
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Its lowest ongoing APR starts slightly below the current average credit card interest rate.
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It comes with cellphone protection when you pay your monthly phone bill with your card (up to two $600 claims per 12-month period, $25 deductible).
Cons
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Doesn’t have a rewards program or a reward-based sign-up bonus, which limits its long-term value.
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You must have good to excellent credit (670 to 850) for feasible approval, which reduces the number of eligible applicants.
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The card has a limited number of perks and benefits compared to other balance transfer cards.
Why you might want the U.S Bank Visa Platinum
The U.S Bank Visa Platinum gets the job done as a balance transfer credit card. Its intro APR offers are competitive, it costs nothing to hold and you could end up with a relatively low ongoing APR.
Intro APR offer: Competitive intro offer that includes purchases and balance transfers
The intro APR period for this card is longer than the intro terms on other balance transfer cards and includes new purchases for the entire duration. The 0 percent intro APR period of 21 billing cycles falls right at the top of the pack, since the longest intro period can be up to 21 months and the shortest as low as 12 months. Then, the ongoing APR is 18.74 percent to 29.74 percent variable.
One of the best things about this intro offer is that it extends beyond balance transfers to include purchases. This way, you can transfer a balance or finance a larger purchase while saving on interest for both.
Rates and fees: A fairly low cost card all around
The U.S. Bank Platinum has fewer fees than other balance transfer cards. You won’t have to pay an annual fee just to hold the card or a penalty APR if you miss a payment. Limiting additional fees allows cardholders to focus on paying off their balance without worrying over extra costs.
The 3 percent ($5 minimum) balance transfer fee is on the low end of what you typically find on this kind of card. Some balance transfer cards have a transfer fee of up to 5 percent of the transferred balance. A lower balance transfer fee means less additional costs on your balance, lowering the overall cost of your debt payoff plan.
Why you might want a different balance transfer card
While the U.S Bank Visa Platinum is a good balance transfer card, it’s not the best available. The card’s lack of a rewards program and robust cardholder perks put a damper on this card’s overall value.
Rewards: No rewards program, low long-term value
You won’t earn rewards for purchases you make with the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum card. While this fact can be disappointing, it doesn’t automatically make this card a bad choice. As a balance transfer card, it can still help cardholders focus on reducing their debt instead of adding to it for the sake of earning rewards. However, a lack of rewards affects the longevity of the card’s value, which is something to keep in mind after the intro APR ends. Other cards, particularly some cash back and rewards cards, have generous intro APR periods on balance transfers and new purchases.
Cardholder perks: Minimal at best
The U.S Bank Visa Platinum card carries two noteworthy perks. The first is its cellphone protection coverage. By paying your cellphone bill each month with your card, U.S bank will cover any associated phones for up to $600 per eligible
damage or loss claim — minus a $25 out-of-pocket deductible. U.S. Bank may reimburse you, or you could receive equivalent replacement phones from two possible claims each year for up to $1,200 in annual coverage.
The second perk is U.S Bank’s pay over time feature, the U.S. Bank ExtendPay® Plan. With this feature, you can divide large purchases into fixed monthly payments to pay off over time. Instead of interest, U.S. Bank charges a monthly fee that doesn’t exceed 1.6 percent of the purchase price (see terms). This feature can be especially handy for holiday shopping or travel expenses.
Aside from these two benefits, there isn’t much in the way of cardholder perks with the U.S. Bank Platinum. That said, the card’s intro APR periods are its best features and carry the bulk of its utility. Unless you plan to make the most of these features, you should find a different card with perks suited to your needs.
How the U.S Bank Visa Platinum compares to other balance transfer cards
The U.S. Bank Visa Platinum card has extended intro APR periods on both purchases and balance transfers, but depending on your long-term needs, it may not be the best option. Here are other competing balance transfer cards you can consider.
U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card
Annual fee
Intro offer
Rewards rate
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
Rewards rate
Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, a special travel offer, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Rewards rate
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Who is the U.S Bank Visa Platinum right for?
If you identify with one of these profiles, the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum may be the card you need in your overall debt pay-off strategy. However, if this card isn’t right for you, you may have to do more research in choosing a balance transfer card.
Bankrate’s Take — Is the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card worth it?
The U.S. Bank Visa Platinum doesn’t have the lowest ongoing APR or best long-term value after settling your balance, but it’s a solid option if you just need an above-average timeframe to finish paying off your credit card debt.
Its cellphone protection and relatively low balance transfer fee give it an edge over other balance transfer cards, but a rewards card with a solid intro APR and sign-up bonus could be much more rewarding down the road.
Dig deeper: Is the U.S Bank Visa Platinum card worth it?
How we rated this card
Our proprietary card rating system takes into account a mix of factors when scoring balance transfer and low-interest cards, including each card’s introductory APR, intro APR period length, ongoing APR, balance transfer fee, perks and more.
While balance transfer and low-interest cards share a similar ratings rubric, we weigh features differently based on how a card is categorized. We categorize cards that carry an especially long intro APR offer on balance transfers as dedicated balance transfer cards, while cards that offer an especially low ongoing APR are considered general low-interest cards.
Based on its features, we assigned this card a primary category of balance transfer / low interest and tailored our ratings accordingly.
We analyzed over 100 of the most popular balance transfer and low-interest cards and scored each based on how its key features stacked up against those of other cards in its category.
Here’s a breakdown of what gave this card its score:
Frequently asked questions
What cardholders think
U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card
In May 2024, Bankrate collaborated with third-party SliceMR to survey 6160 cardholders nationwide. Bankrate and Slice MR collected, averaged and presented website analytics and cardholder responses to six questions on a 5-point scale. Responses are based on individual cardholder’s product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. User ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by credit card issuers, nor do these ratings reflect Bankrate’s own reviews of these cards.
Community Reviews
* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.