U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card review: Earn customized rewards for everyday purchases

The U.S. Bank Cash+ card offers several customized rewards categories to choose from at its highest rewards rate. Along with rewarding a modest amount of cash back in one of four everyday staple categories, this card can be a great addition to wallets of cardholders who value flexibility.

Customized rewards: Excellent cash back rates in choice categories

The U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature has one of the most flexible cash back rewards programs. Each quarter, you can choose two spending categories that will earn 5 percent cash back. You’ll need to designate your 5 percent categories each quarter, but this is a simple caveat for earning the top rewards rate in many of the card’s eligible categories. However, you’ll only earn 5 percent cash back on up to $2,000 in combined purchases each quarter in your two chosen categories. If you spend too much, you can easily max out the 5 percent cash back bonus before the quarter ends, and then you’ll earn just 1 percent back on each purchase.

Although the bonus category selections may vary from quarter to quarter, U.S. Bank typically keeps the available roster consistent enough to rely on. Currently, the 5 percent cash back categories you can choose from are:

• TV, Internet and streaming services
• Home utilities
• Ground transportation
• Select clothing stores
• Cellphone providers
• Electronics stores
• Gyms and fitness centers
• Fast food
• Sporting goods stores
• Department stores
• Furniture stores
• Movie theaters

You can also earn 2 percent cash back on purchases you make in one everyday category. The current category choices at this tier are:

• Gas and EV charging stations
• Restaurants
• Grocery stores

While you’ll only earn at this rate for one of the categories included, this rate matches what you’ll find on a flat-rate credit card like the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card. This additional boosted category makes the U.S. Bank Cash+ a great catch-all credit card if you want to hold as few cards as possible. Although its spending cap might hold some cardholders back from maximizing rewards, and many of its 5 percent categories are not everyday purchases, the Cash+ brings a ton of value because it costs nothing to hold and lets cardholders choose where they’ll earn the most cash back.

Welcome offer: Attainable with modest spending

A $200 cash bonus for spending $1,000 in 120 days is reasonable, considering you’ll need to spend roughly $250 per month to earn it. Although it isn’t the most generous welcome reward, it’s a welcome addition to a card that is highly competitive in all other areas.

The U.S. Bank Cash+ pairs flexible spending categories with a relatively fair welcome offer. You’ll get to choose the categories that earn 5 percent back while you pursue the cash bonus. The Chase Freedom Flex℠, however, will only reward you with 5 percent back in rotating categories each quarter. Although these categories may align with your seasonal spending, you won’t get to decide which categories earn 5 percent back — and this could mean using your card for purchases that earn just 1 percent back while you aim to meet the welcome offer’s spending requirement.

Intro APR: Skip interest on both purchases and balance transfers during the intro period

The U.S. Bank Cash+ card includes a 15-month introductory period for new purchases and balance transfers (made within the first 60 days of opening your account), followed by a 19.74 percent to 29.74 percent variable ongoing APR. This intro offer may provide enough of a cushion for most cardholders to whittle down the debt they’re dragging with them on another card, or any new purchases they need to carry for a little over a year.

Introductory periods aren’t unusual on cash back cards, but it is nice to find the offer extended to both new purchases and balance transfers. An intro APR might not tip the scales in favor of this card, but it’s worth noting how well all of the card’s best features work together. If you want to earn a solid welcome bonus and get 5 percent back on purchases to get there, skipping interest on new purchases for just over a year is a great excuse to splurge during your first three months — but only if you make a plan to pay off your balance promptly to avoid driving up your credit utilization.

Bankrate credit cards writer Ryan Flanigan uses his U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card for utilities and other necessary expenses.

I use this card the most to pay for my utility bills. I choose that category every quarter because it’s one of the only ways to get high earning rates on those necessary expenses. I like that there are many options to choose from to earn extra rewards. With a higher quarterly cap than other rotating category cards and more flexibility, this can fill a lot of gaps in your spending needs.

— Ryan Flanigan, Writer, Credit Cards

Though the U.S. Bank Cash+ card might yield excellent rewards, there are alternative cash back cards that carry fewer fees or come with better welcome offers.

The U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature provides plenty of flexibility for consumers hoping to earn cash back for their purchases each month. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find other credit cards that provide an even bigger boost to your cash back savings when you pair them with the Cash+ Visa Signature.

Not everyone will get the card’s maximum value, but these types of spenders may find it’s the perfect addition to their cash back strategy.

The Cash+ Visa Signature is a nice choice if you spend a lot each month on the card’s set of spending categories. But if you spend too much in those 5 percent categories (more than $2,000 every three months), you might blow past the spending limit each quarter. If you’re worried about spending too much, pairing this card with one that comes with either a flat rate on all purchases or that earns boosted cash back in your most expensive category might make more sense.

The information about the Chase Freedom Flex℠ has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.

We rate credit cards using a proprietary card scoring system that ranks each card’s estimated average rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more against those of other cards in its primary category.

Each card feature is assigned a weighting based on how important it is to people looking for a card in a given category. These features are then scored based on how they rank relative to the features on other cards in the category. Based on these calculations, each card receives an overall rating of 1-5 stars (with 5 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest). 

We analyzed over 150 of the most popular rewards and cash back cards to determine where each stacked up based on their value, cost, benefits and more. Here are some of the key factors that influenced this card’s overall score and how the score influenced our review: